by Perry, J L
When I told him I was taking mum to the airport, he arranged to meet me in the car park before our first class. I’m glad he’s not running from me again, because I need him now, more than ever.
When I drive through the main gates of the university, my stomach’s doing flip-flops. I’m not sure if it’s because of Chase, or what happened with Riley, probably a mixture of both.
I spot Chase straight away. He’s sitting sideways on his bike, legs crossed at the ankles and his arms folded over his chest. He looks as hot as sin. When I pull up beside him, the first thing he does is give me a beautiful smile as he removes his aviator sunglasses, tucking them into his jacket pocket. Standing, he walks towards my car.
“Morning, sweet-cheeks,” he says as he opens the door for me.
“Morning.” He reaches for my hand, helping me out of the car. It makes me smile. For a rough-and-tumble biker’s son, he’s such a gentleman.
“How did your mum go at the airport?”
“Good. I will admit, I’m sad to see her go.”
“I’m sure you are. It must be hard being so far away from your family.”
“It is,” I reply honestly. I miss them all so much.
“Look on the bright side, you’ve still got me,” he chuckles, draping his arm over my shoulder as we walk towards class. He’s never done that before. I like it when he’s affectionate with me.
“Yeah, I guess you’ll have to do,” I reply jokingly, making him laugh. I’m so happy we’re okay again.
“How are you feeling today?” he asks as he stops walking and faces me.
“Nervous.”
“Don’t be. I’ll be by your side all day. I promise.” I smile at him gratefully when he reaches up and gently pinches my cheek, just like old times. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be able to do this on my own.
••••
Chase
I’m still revelling in the fact I kissed her last night. Dumb move, but fuck me if I didn’t enjoy the feel of her lips against mine again. It took everything I had to walk away and not take that kiss further. When she grabbed hold of my shirt and pulled me in closer, I nearly fuckin’ cracked.
This ‘friends only’ thing is going to be harder than I thought. I’m not even sure if it’s what I want anymore. My heart says one thing, but my head says something completely different. I hate feeling like this. I’m so damn confused.
Before her, my goals were so clear. Finish Uni, get a great job, and seek pleasure when required. No commitment or feelings involved. Why does she make me want more than that?
••••
The day goes by without much incident. Sure, there’s a lot of funny looks and whispers floating around campus, but basically people leave Angel alone. I’m grateful for that. I’m sure seeing us both together again doesn’t help matters, but I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks. The only person I care about is her.
A few people asked if she knew what happened to Riley, but she told them no. She played it cool. I on the other hand, received a few dirty looks from some of Benson’s mates, but that doesn’t worry me one fucking bit. Any friend of his is no friend of mine.
We head over to Dana’s coffee shop at the end of the day. She’s happy to see Angel. Me? Not so much. I hope she warms to me in time because I’m not going anywhere. Losing Angel a few months back made me realise just how much I need her in my life. Losing her again isn’t an option. Dana’s going to be seeing a lot of me, whether she likes it or not.
We don’t stay for long. Just long enough to finish our drinks; Angel’s fancy tea thing she likes, and my extra fucking strong coffee that’s going to keep me awake for the next week. I like it strong, but Christ. I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to be able to drink that shit her friend makes me, but if she thinks I’m gonna cave, she’s wrong.
I walk Angel towards her car once we leave. “What would you like to do for the rest of the afternoon?” I ask.
“You really don’t have to hang around if you don’t want to, Chase. I’m sure you have better things to do than babysit me. Just because my mum—” I place my finger on her lips to stop her from talking.
“This has nothing to do with what your mum said. Hanging with you is no hardship, believe me. To be honest, there’s no place I’d rather be than with you.” Fuck me if I don’t mean every word too.
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” Her face lights up when I say that.
“Okay, can we go for a run?”
“Sure. Our usual place?”
“No. I prefer the beach if that’s okay? I’d rather stick close to home.” Again, her need to be close to the safe haven of home worries me. I’m not sure what to do or say; girly shit has never been my thing. I suppose all I can do is be here if she needs me.
“Alright, beach it is. Will you be okay to go home on your own? I need to call past my place and grab my running gear.”
“Of course,” she replies. “I’ll see you in a bit.” She smiles at me before getting into her car.
“I won’t be long,” I tell her as I close her door. I do have to grab my stuff, but I also want to have a quick chat with her friend, Dana. Maybe she can help. She needs to open up to someone. She can’t keep it all bottled inside. I wish I could be that person, but I wouldn’t know how to go about it. She’d probably feel more comfortable talking to a chick anyway.
••••
Angel
I smile all the way home. I can’t believe he said there’s no place he’d rather be than with me. Sure, he seems happy when we’re together, but I thought he was hanging around me more out of pity than anything else. Truth is, there’s no place I’d rather be than with him either.
So much is going through my mind when I pull into my driveway, I don’t even notice the man standing on my front porch until I approach. My stomach drops and my heart starts to race as I get closer. The look on his face tells me this isn’t a friendly visit.
“Can I help you?” I ask as I walk up my front steps. My gut is telling me to walk the other way, but I know Chase isn’t far behind.
“Depends. Are you Angel Cavanagh?” he asks.
“Yes I am. What’s this about?” In my heart I know it’s about Riley. I can already feel the panic starting to rise within. I just want this whole mess to be over.
Why won’t these people just leave me alone?
“I want to know what happened to my son, and I want to know who is responsible?” Oh crap. He’s Riley’s father. That makes me almost have a full on panic attack. I don’t want this man, or anyone related to Riley Benson, anywhere near me. For Chase’s sake though I try my best to keep it together. If I lose it now, he’s going to know there’s more to my story.
“As I told the two officers who came here the other day, I don’t know anything,” I lie, trying my best to act calm.
“I don’t believe you,” he snaps. I don’t like the cold, murderous look in his eyes as he takes a step towards me. Although they look nothing alike, their eyes are exactly the same. Images of Riley and the way he was looking at me during the attack overtake me.
Jesus, I think I’m going to pass out.
“Well it’s the truth,” I state, trying not to let him intimidate me, but God he is. “If you’ll excuse me, there’s nothing more I can tell you.” After fishing my keys out of my bag, I try to move past him. I need to get away from him before I completely break down.
“I don’t think so, bitch,” he says as he grabs hold of my arm. “I’m not letting you go anywhere until I get some fucking answers.” I feel my knees buckle from underneath me as he yanks me backwards. Now I see exactly where Riley gets his charm from. I can’t believe these Benson men think it’s acceptable to manhandle women like this.
“Let me go. You’re hurting me,” I cry as I try to free my arm from his death grip.
“Not until you tell me who fucking did this to my son,” he screams in my face. “I know you and that scum Daniels are involved in this. Now f
ucking tell me the truth,” he demands, grasping my shoulders and shaking me violently.
I cry out as pain shoots up my arms. “Please, there’s nothing more I can tell you,” I whimper. Riley’s dad lets go of me with a shove, making me fall to the ground in a heap.
“You haven’t heard the last of me. The truth will come out when my son wakes. Then you’re really going to pay. You both will,” he spits through a clenched jaw. I’m relieved when I hear him walk away, but I can’t move from where I’ve fallen. I just lay there and sob my heart out. What I really need to do is to get inside the house where I’ll feel safe, but I can’t move.
••••
Chase
My talk with Dana went better than I expected. At first she gave me a lot of attitude, but once I explained to her what was going on, she was pretty good. She was horrified when I told her what Riley had done. I thought from Angel’s puffy eyes the other night, she’d confided in her friend. Apparently she’d told her something had happened, but no specifics. I hope I haven’t overstepped the mark by telling her the whole story. What I saw of the attack anyway.
“Please don’t tell her I told you. I honestly thought you knew everything. I’m just worried about her. I was hoping you could have a talk to her. Get her to open up. Maybe if we work together we can help her get through this.”
“It almost sounds like you care about her,” she snipes sarcastically.
“I do. I care about her a lot.”
“Why did you fuck her and then ignore her for months?”
“It’s a long story. You wouldn’t understand,” I reply honestly.
“Try me.”
“She’s too good for me,” I admit with a shrug. I hate to say it, but it’s the truth.
“Oh you’ve got that right, lover boy. She is. But it still didn’t give you the right to treat her like a dog. You really hurt her. Someone as sweet as her doesn’t deserve what you did to her.”
“I know,” I say as I cast my eyes down at the table, guilt consuming me. I still feel like an arse.
“I don’t know what you’re packing in your pants, Mr. Casanova, but try and keep it in there this time. After everything she’s been through, that’s the last thing she needs. If you hurt her again, I’ll be adding a little rat poison to your next fucking coffee.” Her eyes narrow as she says it and I can’t help but laugh. I know it’s a threat, and she probably means every word, but damn she cracks me up. I love her spunk.
One thing she says I find interesting, as well as disturbing, was she went to the same high school as Riley. Apparently another female student accused him of date rape. Whatever evidence the police had mysteriously disappeared, so no charges were ever laid. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who was behind that.
Rumours circulated after she came forward, and the girl was made out to be a liar and a slut. Her and her family were victimised so badly, they ended up leaving town. Honestly, I don’t blame them. I can only imagine how she must have felt.
“I never would’ve encouraged her to go out with him if I thought for one minute those rumours were true,” she confessed. I have no right, but it pissed me off to no end to know she’d encouraged Angel to go out with that fucker.
Pops has always said the police force in this town is full of corrupt cops. I hate to think how many other victims there have been, aside from Angel and this other girl. Benson’s always acted like he’s untouchable. I’ve never liked him, but this just proves my point.
I’m so glad I kicked his motherfucking arse.
Dana does promise that when the opportunity arises she’ll try and talk to Angel. That’s all I came for, so I thank her and leave. Right now, I need to get back to my girl. I hate how she’s on her own.
It’s a good twenty minutes before I get my things from home and make it back to her place. To say I’m shocked when I find her in a heap on the front porch is an understatement.
“Fuck,” is all I manage to get out as I drop my backpack and go to her. “Angel,” I say when I’m squatting down beside her. I gently place my hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“Chase,” she cries as she pulls herself up from the floor, throwing herself into my arms.
“What happened?” I ask pulling her to me. “Talk to me, sweet-cheeks.” My mind is fucking spinning as I try to figure out what the hell is going on.
“R…R…Riley’s d…d…dad.” She’s been crying so hard she can hardly get the words out. What does she mean ‘Riley’s Dad’?
“Was he here?” I ask as the anger rises within me. She nods her head. What the fuck!
There’s no way I’m going to get any sense out of her while she’s like this. I’m fuming that he’d come here and upset her, but I’ll deal with that prick later. I don’t give a shit who he is. Mess with my girl, and you mess with me.
I see her keys laying on the ground beside her. After picking them up, I scoop her into my arms and carry her inside. She’s clinging to me so tight it breaks my heart. What is it with the Benson men, that they think it’s okay to treat women like this?
I don’t put her down. Instead, I take her straight to her bedroom. When I go to place her on the bed, her grip on my shirt tightens. She doesn’t say it, but I can tell she doesn’t want me to leave her alone. I exhale as I contemplate what to do. Laying down with her isn’t a smart move, but there’s no way I’m leaving her either.
Against my better judgment I lay down next to her, pulling her into my arms. I hate seeing her like this, and I’d do anything to make it stop.
I stroke her hair and hold her tight against me, and after a while she begins to calm. I really want to know what happened, but I also don’t want to upset her again by asking.
“Are you okay, sweet-cheeks?” I eventually ask.
“He doesn’t believe our story,” she whispers. “He thinks you and I are involved.”
“He said that?” This time she just nods. “Did he hurt you in any way?”
“Not much. He just roughed me up some.” I tell you, I see fucking red when those words leave her pretty lips. I’m so close to losing my shit right now it’s not funny, but I try my best to remain calm. Losing my temper isn’t going to help her any. It’s only going to scare her more.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect you,” I say as I pull her closer. She wraps her arm around my waist, laying her head on my chest, snuggling into me. As angry as I am, it makes me smile. She’s so damn sweet.
“You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”
“Well I hope you like having me around, because I’m not leaving your side again. Not until this mess is over.”
“Really?” she asks, lifting her head to look at me. “You don’t mean that.”
“I fucking do. You’re stuck with me, sweet-cheeks.”
“What if it’s never resolved?”
“Then I guess you’ll be stuck with me forever,” I chuckle.
“I like the sound of that,” she answers sweetly as she rests her head on my chest again. I smile at her reply. In my heart I know she wouldn’t want that though. She’d soon get sick of having me around, just like my mum did. I decide to throw her own words back at her.
“You don’t mean that.” She lifts her head again, her cute little mouth opened like she’s shocked.
“I fucking do,” she says seriously, and we both crack up. After the way I found her moments ago, it’s such a relief to hear her laughing again.
When she lays back down on my chest, I kiss the top of her head. “You’re so fucking adorable.”
We continue to lay wrapped in each other. Even with everything going on in our lives right now, I can honestly say I think this is the happiest I’ve ever felt in my life.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Angel
We eventually get up and go for our run. Although I didn’t really feel like going, it did me good. Three of my favourite things: being by the ocean, running, and Chase. Words cannot express what having him here has done f
or me.
The hard part is I not only want him, I need him, so much. I’m worried that I’m becoming dependant. What I feel for him is growing stronger every second we’re together. I’m scared if this were to end again, it would destroy me.
I know I haven’t had much experience with the opposite sex, so this may sound crazy, but Chase is the one. I just know he is. He’s my missing link, the other half of my soul. In my heart I know we were made for each other. I only wish he could see it too.
Once we’re back at home, I head to the kitchen to make us a fruit smoothie before we shower. Separately, of course. Thankfully, mum fully stocked my cupboards and fridge while she was here. I have enough food to see me through the rest of the week.
Chase comes to stand beside me. “Can I help you with anything?” he asks while I slice the fruit.
“You can get the milk out of the fridge.” He does what I ask, placing it on the benchtop.
“How are you feeling now?” he asks.
“I’m fine.”
“Really? You’re fine?” He raises his eyebrow when he asks, like he doesn’t believe me.
“Yes,” I answer truthfully. He, along with the run we just took, helped. I feel rejuvenated.
“Honestly, Angel. I’m worried about you. I don’t think you’re fine.”
“What? Why? I’m okay, Chase. Having you here has helped more than you know,” I reply truthfully, turning my head to smile at him.
“Well, I’m happy to be here with you. You’re stuck with me, remember?”
“I know and I’m happy to be stuck with you.” I look up from what I’m doing and smile at him again. I want him to know that I mean what I say. “I’ve really missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” he exhales. I know now is probably not the time to bring this up, but I need answers.
“Why did you walk out on me? Was I really that bad in bed?”