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I looked at Dave and offered a half-smile before returning my eyes to Chase, whose eyes had not left me.
“What are you doing here?” Chase finally spoke.
“I needed to talk to you. It’s important.”
He crossed his arms over his chest as his eyebrows pushed together. “You could have picked up the phone. I only called you a billion times.”
I became nervous, sensing his anger. All I could do was shrug my shoulders at him. No words could express the urgency of my visit. “I needed to see you.”
“Well, you saw me. I have to go now.” With that, he turned and pushed his way through the crowd towards the stage.
Dave stepped out from behind the bar and gave me a playful shove. “Did the hot mess express just let out?”
I stifled a laugh. “Yeah, pretty much.”
He leaned in close. “Don’t let his tough guy act fool you. He’s been a wreck without you.”
“He has?”
Dave winked. “Did you really think he wouldn’t be?”
I threw my arms around him. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too. Thanks for leaving me, you bitch.”
I grimaced. “I’m sorry. I… I really don’t know what to say.”
“I get it. I’m just giving you a hard time.” He gestured to my suitcase. “Do you need help getting that upstairs?”
I shook my head. “I can manage. Thanks.” I glanced up at the stage, but Chase’s back was turned as he fiddled with a microphone stand.
“Go up and get settled,” Dave suggested. “We can catch up another time.”
I nodded, and lugged my suitcase to the door. I was halfway up the stairs when Chase appeared. He jogged past me, and unlocked the apartment door at the top, holding it open for me.
“Thanks,” I puffed as I dragged the luggage the rest of the way up, and into the apartment.
“I should be in around two,” he replied before disappearing down the stairs, closing the door behind him.
I paced in the living room for the first twenty minutes. Everything was in the same spot as it was before I left. It had only been a couple of months, so I don’t know what I expected to change. So much had happened with me that it felt like I had been gone much longer.
I didn’t know what to do with myself. I couldn’t unpack, for fear that Chase would not want me to stay. I couldn’t eat, due to the knots that twisted in my stomach. I eyed the pool table, but playing by myself wouldn’t exactly be entertaining. I decided to shower the stale smell of the airplane off of me, in the hopes that it would help me relax.
Afterwards, I sat on the bed wrapped in a towel. I called Shelly, praying that she would answer and help kill some time.
“Hey, how’s it going?” she answered.
“I don’t know. He seemed mad when he saw me, but he let me into his apartment to wait for him. The time is passing so slowly!”
“Just get comfortable and watch a movie or something.”
“What if he hates me? What if he doesn’t want to be with me anymore?”
“He doesn’t hate you. You bruised his ego a little. He’ll get over it.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
