Page 62 of Chasing Lyric
Me:I have a feeling this new girl is more curious than angry. Why would you kiss her like that, then bolt faster than a guy sprinting from emotional intimacy? Did said girl have bad breath? A tragic kissing technique? Or maybe, like the movie title says… He’s Just Not That Into You. If it’s that, then maybe… just maybe… said girl isn’t the right girl for you after all.
I wait impatiently for his reply and jump when the phone rings in my hand. My eyes widen before I show Rory the caller ID—it’s Chase.
Her hands flutter around in a flurry of excitement. “Answer it! Put it on speaker so I can hear,” she shrieks.
I press the green button, then the speaker button. “Hello, Love and Lavender,Lyric speaking.”
He chuckles. “I didn’t call the shop, Lyri. You know it’s me.”
Oh God, his voice is like heaven.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know anyone namedme. You’ll have to be more specific.”
He groans. “You know how to make a man work for it, don’t you?”
Rory bobs her head like she’s loving this way too much.
“If he wants me… he’s going to have to prove it.”
Chase’s quiet for a moment, then exhales. “Lyri, I’m sorry I went cold on you…” His pause is a little longer than expected. “I was confused.”
My eyes open wide as I drop my humor, letting that sink in. “Confused?” I repeat, trying to see if I heard right.
“I don’t want to fuck this up with you. But by doing what I did, I’ve done just that.”
Rory extends up on her toes in her excitement as I gnaw on my bottom lip, taking in his words. “Thank you for finally being honest with me. But Chase, if this thing… whatever it is between us is going to work… we just let it take the path it’s going to take naturally. Am I nervous? Hell, yeah. But I’dneverghost you. Confused or not. That’s just uncool.”
He sighs. “I understand if you can’t forgive me… but I’m asking you to anyway.”
I think about it, but it only takes a second before I know I’m going to give him a chance to make it up to me. “My place tonight?”
“So, is that a yes?”
“That’s a… you can grovel at my feet andtryto make it up to me.”
Chase lets out a relieved exhale like he can’t believe I’ve agreed. I can actually hear the tension rolling off him. I sense he’s sorry, now I just need him to prove it. “I’ll bring dinner with me. And don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
I exhale. “Chase…”
“Yeah?”
“If you ghost me again, we’re done.”
He’s quiet for a short moment, then exhales. “Right. Yeah, I know, I am sorry.”
My heart hammers in my chest. I don’t know how I feel about this. I guess I won’t know if he’ll do it again or not. I simply have to take a chance. “See you tonight.”
“I can’t wait, Lyri.” I hear his smile through the tone of his voice, then he ends the call.
Rory lets out a squeal loud enough to wake the dead, which makes me clench my eyes shut. Then she lunges at me, hugging me tightly. She starts to bounce up and down with me in her arms. I can’t help but grin at her playfulness. Finally, I can let all of the tension go from the last two days. So I jump around withher like we’re giddy teenagers, both of us laughing like hyenas. Until I realize what we must look like.
“Geez, calm down!” I yell over her excitement.
She stops bouncing, as we both straighten out our clothing and put on stern faces. Then, we slowly smirk at each other as we move to continue closing up the store.
I need to get home. I have a date to get ready for. A date I want to end differently from the last one. Fingers crossed.
Which side of Chase will I get tonight?
