Breathless (13 page)

Once we were settled and had traveled at least a quarter of the distance in uncomfortable silence, grandma decided to unleash the full capacity of her shamelessness.

“
So, Chaseyn, tell me more about yourself,” she said innocently. I cringed at the thought of what might come next. She had no concept of how to filter her thoughts before expressing them aloud. “Let’s see. Where should we begin? Why don’t you tell me where you’re from, what your parents do, and if you’re sleeping with my granddaughter?”

An explosive gasp escaped my mouth. From the side, I could see Chaseyn’s lips curve and his cheeks puff up. Her comments were not funny. I would have to scold him for his inappropriate reaction later.

“
Grandma!”

“
No. It’s okay, Cordelia. I’d like to address your grandmother’s questions,” he said coolly, winking at me in the rear view mirror. “I was born in London, but I have lived in 14 different cities in Europe and the United States. My dad died when I was 13, and I have nothing but the purest of intentions for your granddaughter. I wouldn’t dream of claiming her innocence without being in a committed, lifelong partnership.”

Again, he winked at me in the mirror. I would have to ask him about that later.

“
Well, dear, aren’t you charming,” she said smugly. “You keep a firm grasp on this one sweetheart. He’s a keeper.”

The rest of the drive, she kept her thoughts to herself. Unfortunately, she insisted on singing along to the radio. Chaseyn had tuned in to an oldies station thinking my grandma would appreciate the effort, and he was right. From Frankie Valley to Patsy Cline, she hummed, whistled, and sang along to nearly every tune. Once at home, Chaseyn managed to extricate my grandma’s bags from the car and haul them upstairs to the guest room.

“
Honey, I’m just going to freshen up, and then, we should get some dinner,” my grandma hollered from her room. “Chaseyn, will you join us?”

I nodded silently, urging him to agree to the challenge.

“
I would love to stay and get to know you better, Mrs. Vanderwold,” he started, doing his best to hide his sarcasm. “But I have a ton of homework, and I’m sure you would like to catch up with Cordelia without me hanging around.”

From across the room, I made a motion indicating that if he was standing closer, I would wring his neck.

“
Nonsense, dear. We would love to have you, but it’s very sweet of you to give us some time together. We clearly have a lot of catching up to do,” she said in a sugary, yet chiding, tone.

When I heard the bathroom door close and the faucet come on, I knew we had a few moments alone. I took the opportunity to question Chaseyn about something he had said earlier. Something that had been weighing heavy on my mind all afternoon.

“
What do you mean you wouldn’t dream of sleeping with me,” I asked Chaseyn candidly. “You wouldn’t even dream about it?”

“
Seriously, Cordelia. You have to ask? I
dream
about you all the time. Even when I’m awake, I dream of you, and you and me together.”

A smile flickered across his face as he took my hands in his own and pulled me against his chest. I could feel his breath warm on my neck and ear as he dropped his head down to mine. His breathing was shallow, matching my own. Heat from our fused bodies seared through my veins like electricity.

“
All the time,” he whispered again in my ear. I turned my head to the side so that our lips were perfectly aligned. Mouths slightly parted, we locked together in a kiss that rocked me to the core.

After a brief moment, Chaseyn pulled away abruptly.

“
I have to go,” he said hotly.

“
Don’t go,” I pleaded. “Stay.”

“
I meant what I said before,” he said sincerely. “Until we can truly commit…”

He didn’t need to finish the thought. I remembered all too clearly what he had told my grandma in the car. Only then, I thought the wink he had given me in the mirror was his version of having his fingers crossed behind his back. Now, I knew he meant every word, and I was taken aback by his humility.

“
You’re a virgin,” I said exuberantly. “I just assumed…”

“
I never said that,” he was quick to correct. “I just don’t want to make any mistakes, rush anything. You deserve better.”

“
What if I’m not a virgin,” I asked.

“
But you are,” he replied. “And it wouldn’t matter if you weren’t. I wouldn’t do anything differently.”

He took a few slow steps backward until he was just outside the kitchen. Then, he turned and walked quietly to the door. At that moment, the bathroom door opened and my grandma started down the stairs.

“
Goodbye, Mrs. Vanderwold. It was lovely to meet you,” Chaseyn shouted as he stepped outside.

“
I’m sure we’ll be seeing much more of each other,” she replied. “So, Lia, what should we do now?”

Chaseyn had picked me up from work to take me to the airport. It had been an early morning, and the only thing I had eaten all day was a sticky bun that Mrs. Olsen had insisted I take for the ride. All I could think about—aside from Chaseyn—was food.

“
Let’s eat,” I said, jumping up from the couch where I had flopped down upon Chaseyn’s departure. I grabbed a fistful of take-out menus from the drawer beside the fridge, and raced back to confer with my grandmother. I fanned out the menus on the table and asked, “What’s your poison?”

Chapter 16 - Introductions

Grandma and I had spent the entire night curled up around the fireplace eating Chinese straight from the cardboard boxes and talking about anything and everything. We were like two long lost girlfriends sharing our deepest secrets and giggling like schoolgirls, which I, of course, was. My grandmother was somewhat unconventional—she wasn’t quite like anyone else I had ever met— and I loved her for it. She was one of my best friends and my hero. Until recently, I had always been closer to her than my own mom.

Mostly, she asked about Kevin—if I liked him, was he good to my mom, and what were his plans for the future. I answered everything honestly. I explained that I hadn’t seen my mom so happy in years. Kevin was the reason, and I thought he was great. He tried so hard to make us both happy. He never overstepped his boundaries and understood the importance of being my friend rather than a parent figure. I appreciated his efforts. If my instincts were correct, Kevin would seize the holidays to present my mom with a completely lavish gift in a small velvet box. At one time, I would have been distraught by such a notion, but now, I could only feel total contentment.

My grandma had a theory. She was certain Chaseyn was the reason for the resolution of my inner turmoil. She continued to grill me about him and our relationship. I told her that we had only met a few weeks ago, and of course I gave her the standard line about us being young and in no way ready for a serious commitment, but my heart suggested otherwise. I kept the last part from her. I wasn’t ready to openly admit that to anyone yet. Even I had trouble believing it sometimes.

My mom came home around 9 p.m., and I left the two of them alone to play catch up. They wouldn’t share nearly as much with each other, but they still needed to connect without me hovering. Besides, I was running on fumes, so I decided to shower and call it a night.

Before the sun could even creep into my window the next morning, I was awakened by a rasping against the window. After a few minutes of orientation, I crawled out from under my cozy quilt to see what was disturbing my otherwise restful slumber.

I reached the window just in time to see a tiny pebble scrape the sill as gravity pulled it back down to earth. Another hit the pane, startling me as I struggled to see through the darkness. Squinting, my eyes adjusted slowly, and a dark figure started to take shape on the ground below. With my grandmother in the next room, I knew it was only a matter of time before he woke her too. Rather than calling down to him and risking waking her, I fumbled in the darkness for my cordless phone and hit speed dial.

“
It’s about time,” he said impatiently. “I’ve been trying to get your attention for twenty minutes.”

“
What time is it,” I whispered, creeping across the room to check the clock on my bedside table. “Chaseyn, it’s barely 5 a.m. What are you doing here?”

“
Get dressed,” he said cryptically. “There’s something I
have
to show you.”

“
Now? Can’t it wait,” I asked somewhat irritated. Though I had gone to bed early, I was feeling less than well rested. I had been neglecting my body’s needs lately, and I really needed a good night’s sleep.

“
No. It has to be now,” he said, a hint of desperation apparent in his voice. “It’s important.”

Hanging up the phone, I walked back to the window to find Chaseyn looking up at me with pleading eyes. How could I resist?

Hurriedly, I scrambled around my room in the dark. I didn’t want to risk waking my mom or grandma by turning on a light. Sweatpants and an oversized fleece hoodie would have to do. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and accessorized with a baseball cap. I felt confident that Chaseyn wasn’t with me for my looks, so my appearance was of little concern.

I’d never attempted to sneak out of the house before, and I wasn’t quite sure how to do it. It was normal practice for me to wake in the wee hours to use the bathroom or grab a drink, but my mom was usually in a deep sleep at those hours. Now, it was nearing a respectable time for a woman who worked shifts to begin stirring. And, I had read some place that people need less sleep as they age, so I figured my grandma might be awake by now, too. Opening the door slowly, I peeked around the edge of the jamb, looking for signs of life. Nothing. The coast was clear, so I darted down the hall. Pulling off a bandage quickly caused less pain, and I figured this was similar; better to get it over quickly. I pranced down the stairs, avoiding the last two because years of walking the same path had taught me that they would creak under my weight. I jumped daintily to the floor below.

Chaseyn met me at the door with a quick kiss. He grabbed my hand and guided me down the street to the next block. He had the good sense not to park in front of my house. The roar of the engine coming to life would surely wake my neighbors on our quiet cul-de-sac. I didn’t need them telling my mom they had seen Chaseyn and I racing away under the cover of night.

“
Where are we going?’

“
Shhh,” was all he said. Inside the car, he was equally as quiet, turning the radio to a classical soundtrack as we drove outside the town’s limits toward the foothills. About fifteen minutes later, he came to a halt on the side of the road. Chaseyn instructed me to stay put. He stopped to pull something from the trunk before coming around to my side of the car. Handing me the same blanket he had wrapped about my shoulders the day of our picnic in the schoolyard, he lifted my hand and guided me into a large field. We stopped about 100 yards in, and he pulled a small telescope from a bag I hadn’t realized he was carrying over his right shoulder.

“
Look. There,” he instructed, and I caught sight of a million dazzling lights falling through the dark sky.

“
It’s amazing.”

“
It’s a meteor shower,” he explained. “Haven’t you seen it before; it takes place the same time each year.”

“
I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to look up.”

He was holding me now, standing behind me with his arms wrapped loosely around my waist.

“
Don’t overlook the little things,” he whispered into my ear, grazing my lobe with his lip as he spoke. My entire body trembled.

“
Cordelia?”

“
Um hmm,” I muttered, easing my head back against his shoulder. Despite the beautiful display above us, I couldn’t help but close my eyes to let my other senses experience the moment. The wind blowing cold in my face made my eyes water, and my nose was overpowered by his amazing fragrance. He smelled like soap. Fresh. I placed my hands over his, pressing them tighter against me. “Chaseyn? What is it?”

I turned to face him. He was pale, and his eyes were focused on the ground. After a moment, he looked up from under his lashes so that we were eye to eye.

“
I love you,” he said softly, taking me by surprise. For weeks, I had been experiencing overwhelming feelings for Chaseyn, but I had tried desperately to push them from my mind. Over and over again, I told myself that he would never feel the same so there was no point in getting my hopes up. Now, he was standing before me openly declaring his deepest emotions.

We were too young to feel so strongly. I was sure. But somehow, Ì could only think about how much I wanted to be with him, forever. I would do nearly anything to ensure that happened. Resting my cold hand on his chin, I pulled his face up to mine.