24 Hours - Josh Richards x Chase Hudson -

Chapter 5

Chase's POV

I woke up to the sound of soft knocking on my door. I groggily sat up and rubbed my eyes then pushed the hair out of my face before telling the person to come in.

The door opened and Nick poked his head into the room, smiling brightly at me, and walking over to sit on my bed.

I noticed that he was wearing sweatpants that were a little too long and a bit loose around his waist, making my mind flash back to what Thomas had told me about him and Ryland last night.

"Good morning, Chasey! I have good news." Nick said, smile still not wavering.

"What is it?" I asked, voice raspy from sleep.

"The snow melted, so Sway will be leaving in a few hours."

I tried to find words to reply with, but I had no idea what to say. I was confused after everything that happened yesterday and I didn't know if I should be happy or sad about this.

"Umm, cool, I guess." I mumbled, avoiding Nick's questioning gaze.

"You don't sound as excited as I thought you would. Aren't you happy Josh is leaving?" Nick asked.

Once the words left his mouth, I realized that was exactly why I was upset. I wasn't ready for Josh to leave.

After months without seeing him and the past weeks where we hated each other, I was just starting to enjoy having him as a friend again.

I know the minute he leaves this house, the moments we shared yesterday won't mean a thing and he'll go back to Nessa, the diss track, and pretending our friendship never existed.

"Nick, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure." He said, grabbing my hand and looking at me with concern.

"Well, you know how Josh said he wanted to go back to normal?" Nick nodded.

"Yesterday I tried to talk to him, you know, like we used to. But, the whole conversation was awkward and he ran away after a few minutes."

"Oh, I'm sorry Chase. What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing really, just small talk, but occasionally, I would brush my arms or legs against his." I said, getting quieter near the end and blushing lightly.

Nick stared at me, his eyes narrowing for a second before widening as he smirked. 

"You like him, don't you?!" Nick exclaimed, grabbing my other hand and squeezing them both.

"No, shut up." I said, looking away from him.

"I won't shut up! You, Chase Hudson, are totally head over heels for Josh."

"I'm not." I replied firmly, pulling my hands away from his to cross my arms.

"Fine, if you say so. But I know you never just casually brush up against someone. I also remember what you were wearing yesterday. You haven't shaved your legs and worn shorts in forever, but suddenly Josh is here and you do." Nick said.

"Ok, and your point is?"

"My point is that you shouldn't lie to yourself, Chase. You better figure things out before its too late." Nick said in a much softer tone than before, then he stood up and walked to the door, shooting me a smile and leaving the room.

"How am I supposed to just figure it out?" I asked myself.

I glanced over at the mirror on the opposite side of my room, my reflection urging me to get up and make myself look presentable, then talk to Josh before he left.