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She walked around the table, taking the seat next to me, and hugged me tightly. “I do, too.”
Chase soon appeared in the doorway. “Every time I leave you two alone, I find you crying.”
Beverly held one of her arms out, motioning for Chase to join our embrace. He put his arms around both of us, and held us there.
“Don’t forget about your old mom when you’re playing at sold out concerts, okay?”
Chase chuckled. “I would hope you’d be sitting in the front row.”
She pulled away from us, wiping her eyes. “So when do you leave?”
“Tuesday”
She nodded. “Alright.”
That night, every word Beverly had said to me swam around my mind like piranhas chomping at my brain. I stared up at the ceiling in bed, again, listening to Chase’s steady breathing. I had come far since meeting him, yet it felt like I still had so much further to go. I had been so hurt by my mother’s abandonment, and so focused on my father’s mental health thereafter, that I never once thought about what she could have been going through to make her want to leave her family in the first place. I always thought it was me – that I wasn’t loveable enough to make her want to stay. What if that wasn’t the reason for her leaving? What if I never gave her the chance to explain? Would it haunt me for the rest of my life?
Chapter Three
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore
The warm Los Angeles sun felt good on my face. It was a welcomed change from the freezing February temperatures in New York. I looked over at Chase, who was sitting beside me in the back seat of the cab. His eyes sparkled like I had only seen once before, when he told me about his first experience in California. In that moment, I felt confident in my decision to travel to the other side of the country with him. If he would not come here without me, then I had to ensure that he did. He deserved to be happy and make all of his dreams come true.
“Wait until you see the hotel I booked us.” Chase turned to me, one corner of his mouth turning up.
“I hope you didn’t spend too much.”
“It’s only for one night. Donnie said the apartment would be ready by tomorrow. I can’t believe the apartment is still available.”
“It’s like it was meant to be.”
“Thank you for doing this for me. I know it sucks to leave Shelly and Brody. I feel immense guilt leaving my mom.”
“I didn’t think I would stop crying after we said goodbye to Khloe.” I inhaled deeply, remembering her big, red eyes as she cried watching us walk into the airport. “But we can’t spend our whole lives doing things to appease everybody else. Like your mom said: we have to live our lives for us.”
He stroked my cheek with his thumb. “You are my whole world, you know that?”
“Good. Remember that when girls are throwing their bras and panties at you while you’re on stage.”
He shook his head as he leaned in. “Your bra and panties are the only ones I want.” He touched his lips to mine. Between the warmth of his lips and the passion behind them, his kiss sent electric shock waves throughout my entire body.
The cab driver cleared his throat from the front seat. “Sorry to interrupt you, but we’re here.”
Chase reached into the front seat to hand the driver his cash. While he hoisted our luggage out of the trunk, I stepped out of the cab and took a look around.
Los Angeles looked exactly the same as Manhattan – tall buildings, endless stores to shop in, and picturesque outdoor cafes – with the exception of the tall palm trees lining both sides of the busy main road. I craned my neck to look up at the hotel before us. Dance music was pumping from the rooftop, and incredibly fit people in bathing suits could be seen with cocktail glasses in their hands.
“A rooftop pool?” I raised an eyebrow at Chase. “How much did you spend for one night at this place?”
“Don’t worry. Look,” Chase pointed over the tops of the trees. “There’s the Hollywood sign.”
I held my hand up as a visor over my eyes, looking into the distance. “Wow. This is so surreal. We’re literally on the other side of the country.”
He sported his excited grin as we rolled our luggage into the lobby. From his perfectly tousled blonde hair down to his jeans that looked like they were made precisely for him, Chase fit into our new environment effortlessly. I, on the other hand, was used to looking different everywhere I went due to my curly mane, but there were far more brunettes in Staten Island than what I could see here. The women here were definitely taller, too. I wondered if any of them were models. After we received our room keys, I swiped several brochures off of the counter and shoved them into my back pocket as we stepped into the elevator.
“Is everyone tall and blonde here? I stick out like a sore thumb. I want to blend in with all the other fingers!”
“You stand out no matter what color your hair is.” Chase hooked his finger into my belt loop and drew me closer to him. “I am so happy to be here with you.”
