Starting Over

Chapter 29: Once in a Lifetime

"Where are we?" I ask Chase who turns down a dirt road.

"The lake."

"The lake?" I question out loud

"Yeah. The lake. You know after the banquet."

I know exactly what he's talking about because immediately my face lights up.

"I brought you here because we had our first kiss here and dance in the rain. And maybe because you told me you loved the lake."

Who knew Chase Jackson could be a romantic? He hops out of his truck and comes to my side to open my door. "Thank you."

He leads me to a candle light dinner right beside the lake. Again! Who freaking knew Chase is a romantic?!

"You know when I first saw you I thought you were a one a done kinda dude. Not a let's have dinner with view kinda dude." I admit.

"Well when I first saw you I thought you were Nicole's girlfriend." I laugh at that memory.

"We've come along way." Chase admits. "We have. Especially the group." I add in. "Do you think Gabe will ever confess his feelings to Nicole?" I ask.

"No. Absolutely not. He rather suffer, than face the possibility of losing his best friend." It's sweet really. The thought of being in love with your best friend. I want to love someone so much they become my best friend.

"I'll be right back." Chase says before disappearing.

My phone has been going off the whole car ride but I'm chosen to ignore it. Since he's gone I pull it out.

Loren: Just left the guys place. I'm so done with Hayden Caperall! He's an ass. How dare he! I'm livid! I can't believe him.
Nicole: What happened?

Since when was Loren going to the guys house? I'm confused. But confusion will not ruin tonight.

Chase comes back towards the table with a pizza box and a shirt?

"Why do you have a shirt?"

"It's not a shirt." He say before opening it up. "It's my practice jersey."

It's his practice jersey. That looks very much like a real jersey.

"You should wear this to all of my games. A deal is a deal you give me a date and I give you a jersey." He tells me.

"If I'm being honest I would've given you a date and not needed nothing in return."

"Good because I've been wanting a date for a while now."

We sit in silence for a while.

"I'm normally like this on dates." I tell him honestly. "I haven't been on a date since my last boyfriend. That didn't end well so then I just started casually hooking up with guys." I confess. I just realize what I said. "I shouldn't have said. I shouldn't be talking about exes on a date."

"But your opening up." He tells me.

"This isn't a therapy sessions, it's a date. I should open up. Right?" I ask.

"I don't know." He tells me. "I have been on a date since Leah." He confesses. "So I guess we are just bad romantics?" He asks.

"Absolutely not. I mean you planned a candle light pizza dinner on the lake. That doesn't make you a bad romantic. It makes you a great one. If anyone is a bad one it's me. I could never do this. My idea for a date would've been to take you to an arcade."

"I would've loved that." He says. "You're definitely planning the next one."

"Oh so there's gonna be a next one?"

"I mean if you want one?"

"Of course I do Chase Jackson. Anything with you."

"Wanna go for a swim?" He asks holding out his hand.

"If I would've known we were going to the lake I would've grabbed a swimsuit."

"There's one in my backseat. I told Loren and Nicole so they grabbed you one a couple of days ago and gave it to me."

They are so sneaky. How long has he been planning to ask me out on a date? How long have they known? Do the other guys know?

Getting changed in a backseat is the hardest thing I've done. Ever. I'm 5'9. I'm too long for this backseat.

Once I make it out Chase is already in swimming trunks. I can't help but drool. He has a basketball players body. I want give him the satisfaction of letting him know though. So I pick my jaw up and watch him drool over me. He tried not to get caught staring but I caught him.

"Race you to the lake?" He asks.

I act like I'm thinking and before responding and immediately take off.

"Not fair!" He yells from behind.

I'm the first in the lake with a splash but he's seconds behind me with a bigger splash. I can't stop the laughing fit as we are splashing water at each other.

This is the most I've ever laughed. I'n the happiest now. This is the most happiest I've ever been. I'm the happiest when I'm around Chase Jackson. He makes me happy. He gets me outta my head. He stops my brain from sending me poisonous thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" He asks. Noticing I e stopped splashing and laughing, but still have a smile on my face.

"You." I admit happily.

"Oh really care to explain?" He says as I wrap my arms around his neck and legs around his waist.

"You keep me afloat." I point out.

He chuckles. "Good one."

"No. I'm serious. You keep afloat, Chase Jackson. You kept me afloat when I had my panic attack at that party. When I get nervous in any room you may not know this, but I look for you. I look for your brown eyes because they keep calm my nerves. I miss you when I least expect it and love the way your lips feel on mine. You keep me afloat, Chase Jackson." 

His face is so close to mine that I press my lips to his. Yep, that's right I kissed him. His lips were warm and tasted like lake water. I've never loved the taste of the lake water as much as I do right now. We were still in the water but I felt like I was floating on clouds. I could tasted our shared breath and hear his heart beat. When I pulled away his eyes were still closed. When they opened I just wanted to get lost in them. I think I'm falling. Falling normally scares me. Right now though, knowing the person I'm falling for keeps me afloat is even scarier.

"Don't let me go."

"I will never let you go."

__________
3/21/22

Sorry for the long break. I took a break from Wattpad words can not apologize for how sorry I am for not updating but I'm back for the ones who stayed. 

Not edited!