We all agree that a nap sounds perfect before we head out for dinner. The place they want to take us is a more upscale restaurant, and I’m excited to dress up a little. Our reservations are for eight, which gives us plenty of time for some much-needed rest. As soon as we enter their condo, I pull Chase into the spare bedroom that I slept in, alone, last night.
"V!" Victor shouts, “What do you think you're doing?"
"Taking a nap!" I yell over my shoulder, pushing Chase aside and closing the door. Surprisingly, Victor doesn't come bursting into the room. I kick off my shoes before jumping on the bed, and pull up the sheets to crawl underneath the fluffy comforter. Chase stands near the door, watching me. I pull the covers up, "You gonna join me?” His lips form a wicked grin that spreads warmth throughout my body. In two strides, he’s under the comforter, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me to him. When we're comfortably spooning, he pushes his leg between mine and intertwines our fingers. I sigh happily. I don't think I'm going to ever want to sleep alone again.
I'm startled awake by a deafening bang, "Are you guys decent?" Victor shouts through the closed door.
"Of course!" I yell, wiping the sleep from my eyes. I move to lay on my back, and Chase's eyes are on me. He doesn't move away even with Victor opening the door.
"Rise and shine, lovebirds!" Victor's boisterous voice is booming, especially now that the door is open.
"Must you be so loud?" I groan.
"I do." He comes further into the room, taking a set at the edge of the bed. "Let's go!" He claps, "You got..." he trails off to look at his phone, "forty-five minutes!"
"Alright. Alright." I grumble. Victor turns to leave, not bothering to close the door. Chase's hand grabs my side and pulls me to face him. His face is sleepy, and he looks so beautiful my breath catches.
"You sleep okay?" He asks, his voice rough.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep alone again."
He smiles wide, and it's such a sight. He leans forward, half his body covering half of mine then presses a kiss to the tip of my nose. "The feeling is mutual."
He's rendered me speechless, something he's been very good at doing more frequently. His eyes are scanning my face--for what I'm not exactly sure--and I find myself doing the same. His blue eyes are vibrant and I notice the slight dusting of freckles on his nose. "You have freckles." I blurt.
"Do I?" his face is one of amusement. I nod. Neither of us bother to move, completely comfortable with how we are, and a small part of me wants to remain in bed with him for the rest of the evening. Who needs to eat? But Victor has other plans.
"You guys are still in bed? Get up, ya bums! Let's go, we have to meet Melissa in.." he pauses again to look at his phone, "forty minutes." I lift my head to look at my brother standing in the doorway. Chase lays his head on my chest.
"Melissa left?" I ask, curiously.
"Yes, she had to take care of some work stuff. Chase, get your head off my sister's boobs."
"They're comfy," Chase mumbles. His response makes me laugh, causing his head to move up and down, which is even funnier.
"I don't want to hear that!" Victor leaves the room.
"Now we know how to get rid of him," I say, sitting up, which causes Chase to move off of me and onto his back. He places his hands behind his head, and I don't even think before making my next move. I swiftly swing my leg over his torso to straddle him. His eyes widen for a fraction of a second then turn hungry--his hands are instantly on my hips. I lean down and press my lips to his.
"What are you doing?" he whispers against my mouth. I shrug. He tugs on my hips. “You are a tease." He picks me up and tosses me onto the plush mattress. The force causes my body to bounce, making me laugh. I move my hair away from my face to see that Chase is standing next to the bed looking down at me, incredulously. He bends down, "One day..." His voice is low and husky, "We'll do that again. Without clothes."
I suck in a breath. The words make my body hot and Chase just smiles wickedly. Who’s the tease now? He is too sexy for his own good. He stands up tall, "I'm going to leave so you can get dressed now," and he does just that. He also leaves me a dizzy mess.
I take a few minutes to pull myself together. When I was packing my bag, I tried to pack for every occasion. A girl’s gotta be prepared. I actually managed to bring a dress. It’s not super fancy but it’s blue cotton, with long sleeves. I can make this work. I find my black tights to go underneath, pair it with my favorite black booties and Voila! Comfy and fashionable. I apply some make up--not a lot, but enough--to make the green in my eyes pop.
"Okay! I'm ready." I announce to the guys. They're both lounging on the couch, already dressed and ready to go. Chase in a gray button-down shirt while Victor is in a maroon button-down. They’re both sporting black slacks.
"Finally!" Victor huffs.
"Oh, shut up!" I tell him. "We're taking a car, right?"
"Yeah. It should be here soon, so let's head downstairs." Victor turns off the TV and gathers his things from the coffee table. Chase moves around the couch and to my side, kissing the side of my face. "You look beautiful," He whispers, "I am so damn lucky."
I could get used to this.
Chase and I leave the condo hand in hand, and I'm busting at the seams with happiness. I've always wanted this--a relationship. It's sad to think of what I've been missing, but you also can't miss something you never had. I hope this never has to end. I shake off the forlorn thought. It only ends if we want it to. I’m so wrapped up in my thoughts. I’m on auto-pilot until I'm suddenly being guided into the car and Chase is climbing in behind me. My body instantly shivers from the change of environment. Warm to cold, then to warm again.
Victor gives the driver the name of the restaurant, Blue. The young driver merges into traffic, and I stop to imagine how crazy driving in the city is. I don’t know how he does it. I soak in the city life and buildings. Coming to a stoplight, I watch the people crossing the street--people laughing, lovers holding hands--they’re all on their way to somewhere. It doesn't take long to get to Blue, but it's far enough that I'm very glad we didn't walk. The car pulls into a white-stone paved driveway that leads towards the side of the tan building. I assumed that Blue would be bluer, but it seems to be the opposite.
Trees surround the restaurant, which gives a feeling of isolation, although the steady sounds of cars and horns can be heard. There's even a beautiful outside deck. I'm sure it would be amazing to dine at when the weather is nice. It's empty, of course, due to the arrival of the cool fall weather. Melissa is waiting inside the foyer when we walk in. She smiles at our arrival. Her short brown hair is curled, and she looks lovely in a red, cinched waist dress. "Perfect timing! Our table should be ready soon."
"Wow," I whisper, looking around. The foyer is dim, but beyond that it's lighting is done in tasteful colors of blue. There's an illuminated bar in the middle of the restaurant, surrounded by bar stools, and a tall tabletop beyond them. The section is divided by, what looks like, streams of gems and tubes of bubbling water on either side. It's mesmerizing. The middle section has a more casual feel to it while these separate, more private, sections have more of a fine dining one.