“So do I,” I whisper hoarsely.
He raises his head like he’s about to say something, when another voice carries up to us.
“The hell are you two doing on the roof?”
I jump and squeal, but Chase groans. Blake? Is that Blake’s voice?
“The hell are you doing here?” Chase counters… while still inside me.
Can Blake see us from this angle? I really freaking hope not. But he’d have to see us to know we’re up here… Oh no. Inwardly, I groan.
“Brought some beers over since you’re always missing these days. Come down and drink with me. The least you can do is properly introduce me to the girl you’ve been obsessed with for all these years.”
Chase smiles while shaking his head, but I feel really uncomfortable knowing Blake is staring up at us while Chase is inside me.
“Be down in a second,” Chase calls out while reaching down and sliding out of me at the same time.
“That’s not awkward at all,” I hiss, shoving my dress down as Chase pulls his jeans and boxers up at the same time.
He barks out a laugh while shaking his head.
“He couldn’t see you,” he says while chuckling. “And he’s seen much worse from me.”
My mood sours instantly, and Chase curses like he just realizes what he said.
“Fuck. I’m a dumbass.”
I force a smile while shaking my head. “No worries,” I say, keeping my forced smile.
He blows out a regretful breath, but I refuse to let this night go south. I don’t know how long we have, and I don’t want to waste it feeling upset over the past.
Everything happens for a reason. I lost him that summer, but it might have saved my life and his in the long run. I still would have been home and stuck with my mother when the accident happened. She still would have pushed me that night. I still would have gotten hurt. An alcoholic surgeon would have still been on duty, and my brain would still be unable to function like a normal person’s.
But I might not have gotten the extreme treatment I acquired afterwards if Chase had been in my life. For all I know, I might have eventually killed myself during one of my episodes. They were so much worse in the beginning.
Just thinking of him ever witnessing something like that makes my stomach roil. It would destroy the way he sees me.
“Ready to go down?” he asks quietly.
“Yeah. I’ll put on some panties too,” I say to lighten the mood, causing him to cough on air before he starts laughing again.
Without saying anything else, I move to the ladder that’s off to the side, and shut my eyes as I climb down, feeling my way like a pro. It’s a little harder to look down from above when you’ve flown without wings.
Blake is grinning when I reach the back deck, and Chase is wrapping his arm around my waist like he’s staking claim.
“You grinning bastard. Didn’t know you knew how to smile like that,” Blake says, ribbing Chase who hugs me tighter to him while Blake takes a seat on some of the patio furniture outside.
Chase takes a seat as I duck inside to clean up and straighten my hair, and when I come back out, Chase takes my hand and drags me into his lap.
They’re talking and catching up. Relaxing against Chase, I just listen as they talk about people I don’t know and things that make no sense to me.
It’s nice to hear about all the normal things people fixate on, and I find myself smiling for no reason at all. It’d be nice if this was my life.
My phone rings loud enough to be heard outside, and I stand up to jog in, grabbing it from the table to answer it when I see it’s Aidan.
“Hey,” I say like a kid who has just been caught. Chase hasn’t been here during his other phone calls.
“How’s things going?”