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“This car is beautiful. It looks brand new,” I said, as I admired the interior.
Quickly glancing at me, Chase nodded. “Well, it’s new. I just traded in my Corvette for this,” he said.
With raised eyes, I knew I looked shocked. “Seriously? When did you find time to do that?” I asked. I realized I was being too intrusive, and I needed to take a step back. “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. It’s none of my business, really.”
Chase slowed the car down at a red light, and I finally stole a glance outside the dark-tinted windows. We were driving out of the city and toward the desert. I wasn’t sure where we were going, but I was growing curious.
“Please, don’t apologize, Lizzie. I already shared my dark past with you. I let you in on my secrets, so now you can ask me anything you want,” Chase said, as he looked deep into my eyes. “Don’t feel though that you have to tell me anything you’re not ready to share. If you’re running from something or someone, you can trust me. I just want you to know that with you, I’m an open book,” he reiterated again. Sighing, Chase took a deep breath before telling me his insane decision. “I traded in my Corvette today. To be honest, when you agreed to go out with me, I wanted to make sure you would be safe. A fast sports car shouldn't drive you around. This bad boy,” Chase said, as he pointed to the monster vehicle we were currently sitting in, “will protect you and keep you nice and comfortable,” he finished.
The way Chase spoke made me believe he knew I was hiding more than what I had let on. I wasn’t sure I liked the wayhe seemed to be searching my eyes for something. Maybe an answer?
Deciding to change the subject, I went back to the car discussion. “So, you just traded cars?”
“Sure. I just decided an SUV would be safer than a sports car.”
Shock and absolute bewilderment overcame me. Did he just say that he traded in a sports car for an SUV because of me? This couldn’t be right.
“Ha, ha. You can’t be serious,” I teased, praying he would tell me that he was just joking with me.
“I’m serious,” Chase said. “Lizzie, you’re different from any other girl I’ve met. I just feel like I need to protect you,” he said, as his eyes bore into the road ahead.
I was speechless. I didn’t have words to question his motives or express just how insanely sweet his gesture was. No one had ever done anything even remotely close to that for me. Chase was overprotective for sure, but he also was caring. I decided it would just be best to sit back and not ask any more questions for now. I didn’t want to pry into his life any further because I needed to hold onto my own privacy. So, I sat back and watched as the Vegas skyline faded into the distance.
We drove for ten more minutes when Chase took a sharp turn and drove the SUV off the road and onto a gravel side road. I was taken aback by the quick movement and almost screamed out as my body bounced in the seat.
“Sorry,” Chase said, as he noticed me trying to adjust my dress.
“Where are we going?” I asked again. This time, I was getting a little nervous. There was no one or nothing around us.
“I want to show you something special,” Chase said, as he turned off the ignition and jumped out of the car.
Running over to my side, he opened the car door and helped me out. As my feet hit the gravel, I heard a loud crunch undermy sandals. Taking my hand, Chase led me up a slight incline overgrown with a few weeds.
I nervously followed his lead and didn’t say anything else. The sun was setting in the background, and I feared we might be out here after dark. I had heard horror stories about what animals, both the four-legged and two-legged kinds, lurked in the desert at night.
While I made sure to look at the ground so I wouldn't trip or fall, I ran right into the back of Chase when he stopped walking. “Sorry,” I mumbled, as I caught myself.
Turning me around, Chase showed me what he had brought me out here for. Far off in the distance, sparkling lights flashed through the fading sky. We were on a small hill facing the Vegas skyline, and it was breathtaking with the sun setting nearby. All the lights and colors flashing seemed to dance through the sky together.
“Wow,” I breathed, as I took in the sights. Red mountains of rocks and cacti in the desert sand surrounded us.
“I wanted to show you this,” Chase said, as he squeezed my hand. “This is my favorite place in the world. It’s called Red Rock Canyon. When I have a bad day or just need a place to be alone, I come here and sit for hours. I hike sometimes when I need a break from the world.”
“This is all so beautiful,” I stated, as I couldn’t take my eyes off the sky. “Thank you for showing me this,” I added.
“I’ve never shown anyone else this before,” Chase added, as he turned to face me.
I felt his eyes on me, and I was forced to turn my gaze from the sky to Chase’s dark eyes. In this light, he seemed to have hints of gold lining his sparkling irises when he looked at me.
“Why me?” I asked. I didn’t intend for the words to rush out like they did, but I couldn’t help myself. For some reason, being in Chase’s presence caused me to lose fear and just say and dowhatever I wanted. It was odd to me that someone I had just met could cause me to feel such power.
Taking my hands now, Chase pulled me closer to him. “Lizzie, I don’t know why you can’t seem to understand this. Something about you pulls me to you. I’ve never wanted someone the way I want you. And I just don’t want you sexually. Sure, you’re hot as hell, and I would love to fuck your pretty little brains out, but I also want to know you. To spend time with you. To just have you as mine.” He breathed heavily, as he stared deeply at me.
I felt like I was experiencing an out-of-body experience. I couldn’t understand how someone as sexy as Chase could even want or desire me in that way. I wasn’t anything special. In fact, I was sure once he learned my entire secret, he wouldn’t care about me anymore. All my life. I had wanted to just be normal. To have someone accept me for who I am and not have to hide the true me anymore. Chase was giving me that opportunity to share my secret and be me. Every ounce of my being screamed for me to tell him the truth about who I was and why I was in Vegas. My heart called for me to stop and just walk away now. I wasn’t sure if it could handle any more breaks.
“Lizzie,” Chase began, as he grabbed my small hands inside his. “I know you aren’t who you say you are. Please don’t be mad at me, but I tried to search your name… but it doesn’t exist,” Chase admitted, as he watched me carefully.
Anger. Sadness. Frustration. All these emotions swirled deep inside me like a tornado. How dare he? Wait, why was I so mad? I had done the exact same thing to him, only I got answers. I wanted to scream at him, to tell him he was wrong. But I couldn’t.
