by Young, M. L.
“Are you going to miss me?” I asked as we got close to my block.
“Of course. I had a really nice time tonight,” he said.
“Me too,” I replied, smiling, as I looked out the window.
We pulled up to my apartment building, a few couples and groups of friends walking nearby, all of them looking wasted and quite a bit out of control. They didn’t look aggressive, but I knew they wouldn’t remember anything in the morning. They had that look to them.
“Well, here we are,” I said.
Chase turned off his car, his navigation going off with it, but he didn’t unlock the doors right away.
“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” he asked.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” I asked.
“You might miss me too much,” he replied.
“Oh, I think I’ll manage to get by,” I said playfully.
“Can I walk you to your door at least?” he asked.
“I’d love that,” I said.
We got out of the car and closed the doors before Chase locked it, a faint chirping sound startling me.
“That’s an interesting sound,” I said.
“Yeah, it’s a little different than the normal car horn that goes off when most people lock their cars. I like it.”
We walked up to the front door of my building before I fumbled around with my keys, the overhead light dying and the luminescence from the light bulb barely enough to see your own hand in front of your face, let alone pick the right key from your overdone key ring. After ten seconds of panic and looking like an idiot, I found the right key, got it inside the lock, and opened the door, before Chase grabbed hold of it and opened it up, screeching. The hinges needed grease and it was incredibly hard to prop open.
I walked him to my apartment, using the stairs instead of the elevator, which I almost got stuck in once. I’d never trust that thing, especially at night on a weekend. It’d probably break down and we wouldn’t get out until Monday morning at best. The landlord wasn’t known for handling emergencies well. Cashing rent checks was all she knew how to do.
“Well, here we are,” I said, as we got to my door.
“Well, don’t you want to go in?” he asked, smiling.
“It’s kind of messy. I don’t want you to think I’m a slob. Besides, it’d probably best you didn’t come inside. You know, with us taking things slow and all. I’m afraid we’d end up doing something we’d really regret later on. I hope you’re not mad,” I said.
“I’m not mad at all, Alexis. You’re right, we did agree to go slower, and besides, we both know what would happen if I came in,” he said.
I was relieved to hear him say that. Most guys would insist on coming in, even trying to get you in the mood outside the door just so they could come inside. They knew that once they got in, it was inevitable that you’d have sex, especially this late at night. The last thing we needed was another mistake. Not that last time was a mistake per se, but it sure didn’t help things much either.
“You’re so good to me. Thank you for agreeing to wait longer. I know it isn’t easy, for either of us, but I think it will really make a difference later on,” I said.
“You’re right on both ends. It isn’t easy, far from it, especially since we’ve done it before, but it’s for the best. We’ll get to it again, one day,” Chase said.
“Well, I better get inside and get ready for bed. Thank you again for a wonderful night. I can’t wait until we can have another amazing date,” I said.
“It’s my pleasure, sweetheart. I’m glad you had a good time, and we’ll definitely be having another date very soon,” he said.
We gazed into each other’s eyes, the urge to kiss one another goodnight strong, before he decided to ditch the gaze and come towards me, our eyes closing, the air sucked out of my lungs. I never stopped having insane butterflies when he kissed me, just like each kiss was our first all over again. It was amazing, like I was being struck repeatedly with cupid’s arrow, the shot never missing, not even once.
“Goodnight, Alexis,” he said, pulling away, the electric touch of his lips against mine fading.
“Goodnight,” I replied, smiling, before he turned around and went back the way we came in.
I watched him disappear, turning around the corner, before turning around myself and unlocking my door, walking inside, and tossing my purse on the table, a smile glued to my face with no indication of ever going away.
I got ready for bed, splashing warm water on my face and wiping my makeup off, as I checked my phone periodically, hoping I would have a text goodnight from him, even though I had just seen him. I guessed I just couldn’t help myself.
I got dressed for bed, wearing my pajamas instead of shorts, the night air a little chillier tonight than it normally was. My apartment wasn’t muggy, which was a first, and my air conditioner was actually working. I put it on low, as I slept best in a cool environment, and plugged my phone in next to my bed, the screen lighting up, though nothing waiting for me on the screen, not even a text goodnight. Oh, well, he was busy and probably still driving or something.
I yawned, crawled under the blankets, and wrapped them tightly around me, like I was a caterpillar wrapping itself in a silk cocoon before waking up as a beautiful butterfly.
As I lay in bed, looking up at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but think of the amazing night Chase and I shared. We laughed, smiled, held hands, and shared a few perfect, little kisses. There wasn’t a dull moment between us, the atmosphere just right from start to finish. It almost hurt to think that I was so close to missing out on all of this. That I could be out on another date with another weird guy. I dodged a bullet, and I knew it. There was nothing that could go wrong with Chase and me. I was sure of it.
I let out a happy sigh and took a deep breath, feeling the chilled air pierce my lungs and shock my system, before letting it out, my eyes closing as the air escaped my frazzled lungs.
Goodnight, Chase. I hope I have some very sweet dreams about you tonight.
•••
I woke up the next morning refreshed and happy, a smile on my face as I stretched my muscles as far as they would go. I checked my phone first, like I did most mornings, but nothing was there. It was early anyway, nine in the morning, and I guessed I shouldn’t expect anything already.
I had a class this morning, a Saturday one, that went for two hours, which was horrible. It started at noon, so I knew I needed to get myself going if I was going to make it on time.
I took my time getting ready, singing in the shower with my bottle of face wash as the suds and lather from my shampoo dripped down my back.
I had a small breakfast, yogurt and some frozen strawberries that I had bought on sale a month ago but never got around to using. I didn’t cook much, and when I did, it usually didn’t involve fruit. I knew my mom was somewhere scolding me because of that.
I still had my clutch purse from last night filled with my things, which I knew I couldn’t take to class. That would look a little odd, slightly trashy, not a look I wanted to convey to the rest of my class, which was comprised mostly of horny frat boys who only wanted that one thing.
I opened my clutch and started to shift my belonging to my normal purse, taking an inventory of each item to make sure I had everything I needed. I usually didn’t have much to bring, so it wasn’t hard to keep an inventory, albeit a small one.
I had my phone, my lip-gloss, my wallet, and some aspirin I always kept with me. One thing I couldn’t find, though, was my school ID. I had it on a lanyard, like it was when I got it, and it wasn’t anywhere in here. I knew I had it in here. I had put it in there last night in case of an emergency. When I had orientation they said to always carry it with you if you could so that college police could easily identify you if something happened. It also helped with discounts at local stores only given to college students. Not only that, but I can’t take the bus without it. It also acted as my bus pass, and I wasn’t rich enough
to take taxis everywhere.
“Wait,” I said aloud, my eyes wide open.
My purse. It fell last night on Chase’s floor. The top zipper on this one had been broken almost since I got it, and I constantly had to shove things back inside. I thought I had everything, I didn’t see it fall out, but it must’ve. My ID was in his house. I needed to get it before I got to class. I knew it was early, but I had to go over there. I had to get it.
I called a cab, the dispatcher saying one would be there in five minutes, and grabbed my things hurriedly, including my books, before going out the door. I texted Chase, telling him what happened, but he didn’t reply. I was just going to have to show up. I felt awkward doing it, but I didn’t have a choice. I just prayed he would be home. I was going to be royally screwed if that ID was in there and he wasn’t. I couldn’t afford to miss another day of this class, especially since it only met once a week and we weren’t too far into the semester. I looked like enough of an idiot when I went in there not knowing all of the material.
My cab soon came and I got in, telling the driver the address and to step on it. I looked at my phone again, hoping to see a missed text or call from Chase, but nothing. Please be home.
Chapter Seven
Chase
I was a lucky man, and I knew it.
No, I wasn’t talking about my job, my money, my health, or even the giant deals we were working on at the office. I admit that those things might make me seem lucky to everyone else, but at the current moment I wasn’t even thinking about those. I was thinking about Alexis. I loved spending time with her, even if it was just looking out over my patio at the sea of twinkling lights below, without so much as a word spoken between us.
We weren’t dating, in a relationship at least, and I wasn’t going to rush that at all. I wasn’t in love with her, not even close, but I could see myself falling for her one day. For now, though, she was a different girl altogether for me. She wasn’t anything like the types of women I normally dated, and although I knew that when I first met her, she continued to prove that to me. She didn’t care about my money, my cars, my job, my house, or anything else pertaining to wealth and gluttony. She didn’t ask for money, jewelry, expensive dinners, or trips to Bora Bora. All she asked for was my time and undivided attention, which I was able to give her, no strings attached.
I admit that I missed having sex with her, as I’m a man with certain desires and needs that could only be fulfilled by the art of carnal lovemaking, but I knew I could wait. It wasn’t as if I would drop dead and die if I didn’t get those things. I’d be okay, and I knew that. Besides, if things really got rough, I did have my hand.
I admit I was a little bummed she didn’t stay over last night, considering she was already here and we were having a great time. The sleepover didn’t need to be anything sexual, just sweet and cuddly, like her. I didn’t want to push the subject, though. I didn’t want her to feel pressured or that all I cared about was getting her in bed, even if it wasn’t sexual. Besides, I didn’t have sex in my bed anyway.
I rolled out of my bed and looked for my phone, but didn’t see it on my nightstand, where it usually was. I liked to check my e-mail and stock quotes when I woke up. I must’ve left it in the living room last night after I got home from dropping Alexis off. I remembered getting sidetracked opening some mail.
I stretched, like I always did, waking up and energizing my muscles as I felt the individual fibers stretch and come alive. I always loved that part.
I went to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, smiled, and turned off the light, my stomach starting to grumble slightly, my granola and fruit breakfast calling my name. I guessed those would get eaten after all.
I left my room and walked down the hallway, the cold floor brisk against the bottoms of my feet before something caught my attention, just before I walked past the couch. It was shiny, glossy, reflecting the light from the large sun that filled my windows on this most clear of days. I bent over and picked it up. There was a long black cord wrapped on the top, and the item looked like some kind of ID.
I turned it over, seeing Alexis’s face, her name, and the name of her school. It must’ve fallen out of her purse or something. She definitely wouldn’t just leave this here, especially in such an obscure place. Besides, I was sure she needed this. I knew I needed my work ID, even though everyone already knew who I was. I couldn’t get into some rooms without it.
I looked for my phone, knowing I needed to let her know I had it and that I could bring it to her on my way to the office today, but I couldn’t find my phone. Where the hell could I have put it? I only sat around a few places, and I wasn’t even out here long last night after I got back from taking her home.
I moved papers around, the containers and dishes still scattered around my place. The maids scheduled for today would have a big job, a lot bigger than they normally did. I never used many dishes.
As I looked, my doorbell rang, unusual for this early in the morning. I wasn’t expecting anyone, since the maids weren’t set to come for another few hours, and they had a key to get inside anyway. There would be no reason for them to ring the bell.
I walked over to the door and opened it, making the mistake of not looking through the window first to see who it was.
“Fuck you!” she said in a slurred voice.
It was Jasmine, the girl I left at the restaurant after she tried to grope me under the table. How in the hell did she find my address? Not only that, but I had a gate! Nobody should be able to get through without buzzing in first. That was why I spent a lot of money getting it installed.
“How did you find my house?” I asked.
“It’s called the Internet, duh. I want answers,” she said.
She was dressed from the night before, obviously, as her makeup was smudged and her hair messy. Her dress was wrinkled, her shoes in her hands, as she put both of her palms against the sides of the doorway the best she could. I didn’t think much of her when I’d left her that night, thinking that I would never see her again, but obviously I was dead wrong. She was a stalker, but I had no reason to be afraid of her.
“I have nothing to tell you. I don’t even know why you’re here,” I said.
“Let me in,” she said, pushing me aside, before dropping her shoes not too far from the doorway.
“I’d really like for you to leave, Jasmine. We had half a date, it went horribly, and we have no chemistry whatsoever. There’s nothing to answer,” I said.
“No, we did have chemistry. We had so much chemistry that there were chemicals involved,” she said, slurring her words and smiling.
“Maybe there were some chemicals on your end, but not mine,” I quipped, hinting at her current state of mind.
“You wanted me, I know you did. I saw the way you looked at me, at my tits. You wanted to shove your face in there and suffocate on these fucking beauties,” she said, stumbling.
“I didn’t want you then, and I don’t want you now, Jasmine. You’re trashy, you smell, and quite frankly, your tits are ridiculous. Why you ever thought they looked good is beyond me. If I looked at them on our date, it was because they look like something you’d find in a sideshow off of a country road,” I said angrily.
“Oh, Chase. Oh, Matthew Chase. Now you’re just lying to yourself. You didn’t seem like you weren’t into me when I was rubbing you under the table. You loved it. You loved my toes caressing your cock. You wanted me then, and I know you want me now.”
“I’d really like you to leave, Jasmine. I have things to do and can’t put up with this shit right now,” I said, pointing to the door.
“No, I’m not leaving,” she said, sitting on the floor and crossing her arms.
A child. I was dealing with a child. She might have the body of a haggard, grown woman, but right now she had the mind of a toddler. She wasn’t getting her way so she was throwing herself on the ground, becoming limp, and I knew she’d do everything she could to stay down if I tried to pick her up and
toss her out the front door. The fact that she even came here this morning, dressed the way she was, emanating the smell of booze, showed how childish and asinine her behavior was. To even think that I did go out on a date with her was beyond me. That app really failed me that time, that was for sure.
“What will it take to get you to leave? Money? Do you want money?” I asked, dangling a carrot in front of her face.
“I want your dick. Now. Inside me,” she said, giggling.
“Well, that’s not going to happen, Jasmine. I’ll give you a hundred dollars to leave right now and not come back.”
“I don’t want your money. I have plenty of it. All I have to do is seduce some senile old man who can’t even get his dick up if I want some cash. That’s why I want your dick. I need to be ravaged, Chase. I need my pussy beaten and bruised, and I need it now,” she said, lying back on the floor.
She started kicking her feet, laughing, as I looked around the room, for what I didn’t know. Times like these made me wish I had a guard dog. Maybe I should look into that.
“Well, I hate to say it, but I’ve found someone else. Someone who blows you out of the water. I’m not interested in you, Jasmine. If you don’t leave, and very soon, I’m afraid I’m going to have to call the police and have you arrested for trespassing. I’m giving you a chance to leave now and save your own criminal record,” I said sternly.
“Go ahead and do it. You won’t, though. You’re too much of a pussy to actually call. Besides, if you did, I’d be long gone and they’d never find me. They’d think you made it up and you’ll be the one to get in trouble. Just give me what I want and we won’t have any problems. I need to get laid, and by the sound of your voice, so do you,” she said.