Labeled

by Jenni Linn

  His chest moves as he laughs. "Good morning," his voice is low.

  "Morning," I croak. I feel a slight pressure on my head from his kiss.

  "Sleep well?" Victor asks.

  "Uh huh. I smell bacon."

  "Melissa's making breakfast," Victor informs me, "Maybe you should go take a shower?"

  "Do I smell?" I ask.

  "Maybe a little," Chase jokes.

  My eyes pop open. I didn't even think about my morning breath. I cover my mouth and sit up quickly which causes him to laugh. My eyes narrow in a glare, but that only makes him laugh more. "Oh stop," He pulls my hand away, places a kiss on my lips, "I'm kidding."

  "I think I'm gonna take a shower anyway." I walk back into the spare room noticing that the bed is rumpled from my sleep. Realizing I never brought my bag inside, I turn to leave only to notice it sitting on the dresser.

  After a nice long relaxing shower, I slip on a tan oversized sweater and some maroon leggings before drying my hair. Chase and my brother are no longer on the couch, but sitting at the table eating. My stomach rumbles at the sight of food. Melissa's head peeks through the pass over, a big smile on her face, "Hey! What do you want to eat?"

  "Whatever they're having is fine," I tell her. "Thank you so much."

  Melissa puts a plate on pass through, and it smells so good. I grab it and dig right in. A phone goes off. "Oh! I have to get that." She rushes into the bedroom, and I look at Victor curiously.

  "Probably work. She's always on call."

  "Really? Even on a Saturday?" I ask. I know Melissa does some promotional business event type stuff, but I never really cared for more details.

  "Yeah, I just hope she doesn't have to go in," he says, shoveling eggs into his mouth. My face drops...that wouldn’t be fun.

  We're all finished eating and Victor takes our plates into the kitchen. Chase and I move back into the living room, taking a seat back on the couch and Melissa returns from the bedroom looking flustered and annoyed.

  "You look pretty." Chase compliments me, pulling my attention away from Melissa. I lay my head back to look at this handsome guy. I smile wide. "Thank you." He throws me the sexy wink that I love so much, then pecks my lips.

  "Everything alright?" I ask as Melissa and Victor come into the room.

  "Yeah, clients can be such a pain. I had to firmly explain that I'm unavailable today," she huffs annoyed, "Anyways, are you guys ready to go out?"

  "Yep!" I said excitedly, "What's on the agenda?"

  "Well, what do you guys want to do? There's the park, the museum...we can shop. Tonight, we're taking you to one of our favorite restaurants, but that's not until later."

  I bounce in my seat and exclaim, "I want to do it all!"

  Our whole day is spent out in the city, but by nightfall my feet hurt and I’m ready for a nap. Experiencing all this with Chase by my side makes everything that much more exciting. He was enthusiastic about everything, and the day was so much more enjoyable knowing he was having as much fun as I was.

  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 down
stairs." 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.

  "Russo?" is called from the hostess at the front. I instinctively look. The pretty hostess is smiling scanning for the Russo party. Victor moves forward, "Party of four?" She asks. Victor nods, "Okay, right this way!" She’s delighted and full of enthusiasm, leading us to a smoke-tinted glass table on the right side. The high back chairs match the tables but have blue plush cushions. It all looks so fancy.

  We each take a seat. Chase sits next to me, followed by Victor, then Melissa on the other side. "This is so neat!" I squeal. "Do you guys come here often?" I ask Melissa and Victor.

  "Every once in a while," Melissa says, "My father holds his company's parties here."

  "Nice," I say, impressed, "Victor, how is your job going?"

  "Good. Great, actually!" Victor beams, "Working with Greg is an amazing experience. I'm learning so much."

  "I'm so happy for you!" I’m full of pride. At the same time, Chase says, "That's great!"

  "Thanks, it'd be better if I didn't have to work with this one asshole. He's probably one of the biggest douche bags I've ever met. He walks around the office like he's the only one who pulls in new clients." Victor complains, "I don't understand what your dad sees in him." he directs to Melissa who's looking at the menu.

  "I don't know, Victor. You know I don't pay any attention to my father's business," she brushes his comment off, effortlessly.

  "How come you don't work for your father?" I ask, curiously.

  She smiles, "Not my thing. Believe me, he wanted me to, but I want to do something I enjoy and...it's nothing he provides."

  "V's going into business." Victor says proudly, then looks to me, "Right? That's still what you're going to major in?"

  "I think so," I shrug, "I'm still a bit undecided."

  "Uh oh. Does Dad know?" Victor eyes me warily.

  "No. It's not for sure."

  "Wait, do Mom and Dad know about you two?" Victor points his finger between the two of us.

  Chase smiles, "Your mom knows."

  "And Dad?" Huh. Dad's so wrapped up in work, even though he's 'retired', I hadn’t even thought of him. Surprisingly, Dad isn't as protective as my brothers, and maybe that's because my brothers are like guard dogs.

  "I may have done it backwards but honestly, I'm way more afraid of your mom than your dad." Chase answers. "But I had a conversation with Vivian. She approves." This makes me laugh a little.

  "Yeah, Mom definitely wears the pants." I joke.

  "I think Dad likes that." Victor puts in.

  "Gross. Moving on, what's good here?" I implore before picking up the menu to take a look. Even the menu is fancy and there are no prices to be seen anywhere. I lean forward, "There's no prices." keeping my voice low.

  "Don't worry about that." Melissa offers. My gaze turns to Chase, who shrugs and grabs my hand, so I return to looking over the menu. Roasted Salmon, Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin, Filo Wrapped Vegetable Wellington...I have no idea what this stuff is. I lean into Chase, "I don't know what half this stuff is." I whisper.

  "Me either." He laughs.

  I am definitely a product of small-town living.

  A waiter approaches the table. He’s a tall, thin, and clean shaven young guy. "Good Evening, my name is Andrew. Any special occasion we're celebrating tonight?" He glances around the table. Melissa speaks up, "New condo." she points to Victor and herself, then gestures to Chase and I, "New Relationship." she smiles at us, "And good life."

  "Wonderful!" Andrew gushes, "Can we start with any house wine?"

  "Yes, please!" Melissa happily agrees.

  "Fabulous, White, or Red?"

  "White."

  I watch the whole exchange and can't help but think that I'm the only minor sitting at this table. He doesn't bother to ask for ID.

  "I will be right back with your wine." He smiles then saunters away from the table.

  "What are you having?" I ask Chase.

  "The Filet," he answers simply. I should've guessed. Steak always has been the way to his heart. "What about you?"

  "I don't know." I sigh. Ordering food’s a big deal and it's stressful especially when you don't know what half the menu means. "The scallops sound good, but I don't know if I want seafood." I ponder my options. Chase laughs lightly.

  The waiter, Andrew, returns to the table with a bottle, tucked into a silver bucket, in one hand and four glasses between his fingers in the other hand. Impressive. He places the flutes on top of the table along with the bucket. I continue to watch his swift movements. It’s like he's done this a million times, and presumably, he probably has. He expertly removes the cork with a ‘pop’ and pours wine in each of the glasses, then distributes them around the table while everyone mumbles a ‘thank you’. I meekly take a sip, almost afraid that he would know I'm not of drinking age, and my face cringes from the taste. Thankfully, no one notices.

  "Have we decided yet?" Andrew asks.

  Victor looks around the table, and we all confirm that we are ready to order. Andrew, the waiter, removes his pad and starts with Melissa. He moves to each of us, happily writing in his pad. I like him. Once he leaves, Melissa excuses herself to the bathroom, and when she's out of sight Victor pulls out a maroon small box.

  "What is that?" I ask, knowing my eyes are bugging out of my head.

  He smiles and opens the box to reveal a beautiful, massive diamond ring. "Whoa." Chase says, while I let out a little squeal, "Victor! Seriously? Are you doing it tonight?"

  "No, no. Mom would kill me, but I wanted to tell you."

  "Why are you carrying it around? Let me see!" I stretch out my hand to take it from him, he obliges surprisingly. It's so shiny and sparkles with even the tiniest of movement. The massive diamond is surrounded by smaller, sister diamonds that then stretch out into the silver b
and. Chase leans into me, glances at the ring, and then lets out a whistle. "Nice man. This had to have cost a fortune."

  He shrugs, "She normally cleans on the weekends, so I keep it on me. Can’t have her accidentally finding it. Then, I put it in my sock drawer the rest of the week." He doesn't say anything about Chase's comment.

  I close the velvet box and hand it back to Victor, "When are you planning to do it?"

  "Melissa wants to have a ‘post-Christmas, pre-New Year, condo housewarming’ party, or something. Her father already knows. I've mentioned it to Mom, so I think it'd be a good time with all our friends and family there."

  "That's so sweet!"

  "Incoming," Chase informs us, causing Victor to quickly tuck the box away.

  "Okay. What'd I miss?" She takes a seat and scoots her chair closer to the table.

  "Ah, nothing." Victor dismisses with a large smile, and I can't help but smile knowing the big secret.

  "Why are you all smiling?" I look at Chase who looks amused.

  I shrug my shoulders, "This is just exciting." I gush, and then lower my voice to a whisper, "I've never had wine!"

  "Are you tipsy?" Melissa asks.

  "No, I've only had one sip."

  "Our V doesn't drink." Victor says with sarcasm and I give him the stink eye which makes him laugh, "Don’t even, you're about as scary as a cute little puppy."

  "Did you seriously just compare me to a dog?"

  "A puppy, there's a difference."

  "Not much," I grumble.

  "Hush."

  "Anyways..." Chase cuts in, "I wanted to thank you guys for having us this weekend, and for being so accepting. I-” He stops, corrects himself and smiles at me, “We appreciate it."

  "Let's do a toast!" Melissa suggests, then picks up her glass. We all follow suit, "To new adventures." She says, then nods to Victor who clears his throat, "To new relationships." He looks at me then to Chase and it warms my heart. "To the future," Chase says, causing my gaze to move to him. He's staring intently at me, the smile still upon my lips. I know he means to our future. It's my turn to say something now, so I raise my glass a little higher, "And to family." Looking around this table I know that each person-blood or not--is my family.