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“You came up with it already?”
“It’s called: Saving Merritt.”
My jaw dropped. “Are you joking?”
He smiled. “I’m serious. George liked the play on words with your name.”
“And the rest of the guys were okay with this?”
“They loved it. They said it’s unique.” He touched my face. “Like you.”
“How did you come up with something like that on the spot?”
“It wasn’t on the spot, actually. I’ve had that name in my head for quite some time.”
I raised my eyebrows, still in disbelief. “How long?”
“Before your mom left, I remember you as this happy-go-lucky girl, always smiling and laughing with Shelly. You were smart, and kind; you stuck up for any of the kids who got teased. I was always in awe of you. You were this force, drawing me in. Then your mom left… and you looked so sad. I would see you in the halls, or at lunch, and my heart broke for you. That vibrant girl’s eyes turned dark; it was like your mom took your light with her when she left. I wanted to talk to you; I wanted to make you smile again – to stop your pain – but what could I have said? Everything I thought of just sounded dumb, at the time.
When you left the night of your dad’s funeral, I felt like something was pulling me after you. Everything suddenly made sense as I raced after you in my car. That was the moment… that’s when I knew why I had to leave California – why my dad had to get cancer – because I had to be there to save you. You were the one for me, and I was the one who could pull you out of your nightmare.” He lowered his head. “I have always wanted to save you. My only regret is that I couldn’t get you out of the car that night. When it finally came time for me to save you, I couldn’t actually do it.”
I took his face into my hands to make sure he looked directly into my eyes as I spoke. “You are the reason that I was pulled out of that car. If you didn’t follow me, I would have died. Chase, you did save me – and not only from that accident. From the moment our heads collided in the cafeteria that day, you brought the light back into my life. I was lost in the darkness, and I didn’t know how to get out. You smiled at me, and the light came back.”
He tucked a curl behind my ear. “I feel like you have crept back towards that darkness ever since your mom came back. Sometimes, I lose you in that mind of yours. I can’t tell what you’re thinking, or how you are truly feeling.”
Looking into his eyes, I could not deny it. I felt ashamed that I had somehow allowed him to see what was really going on inside my head. “I just want to forget that she even exists, and I’ll be fine.”
“You can’t keep things bottled up inside, pretending that everything is fine.”
“I’m not pretending. Did my mother throw me for a loop? Yes. Is it going to ruin my whole life? No. I really am okay.”
Chase held his pinky up. “Promise me that you’ll talk to me if and when you need to.”
I locked my pinky around his. “Promise.”
The rest of daylight was spent in bed together. We only agreed to get out when our stomachs began to growl for dinner. We trialed one of the many food trucks outside of the apartment, and freshened up for our night at the bar. At nine o’clock, we perched ourselves on stools in front of Dave.
“You have the night off?” he asked Chase.
“Yes, sir.”
“He’s playing tomorrow night,” I explained. “And probably every night after that.”
“Looks like you’ll be my Valentine then,” Dave said.
“I’ll only share her with you while I’m on that stage, buddy.” Chase winked.
“He’s taking me out for dinner,” I bragged. “Then, I’ll be all yours after that.”
“Where are you taking your lovely lady?”
“The Spanish restaurant down the road.” Chase motioned to the right with his thumb.
Dave’s eyebrows shot up. “Whoa, big spender. The food’s fantastic. You’re going to love it.” He placed a Malibu Bay Breeze in front of me, and handed Chase his beer.
“Thanks. Cheers, babe.”
I clinked my glass against Chase’s bottle.
