Her Escape

Chapter 22

Tell Me

"People talk about grief as emptiness, but it's not empty. It's full. Heavy. Not an absence to fill. A weight to pull. Your skin caught on hooks chained to rough shoulders made of all the years you thought you'd have." – Elan Mastai

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Lexie P.O.V

"What are you doing here with those? Shouldn't you be at Whole Foods?"

I hesitantly pulled my eyes from the TV when I heard footsteps creaking.

"As much as I hate these words coming out of my mouth, I could really use your help with this."

"Where are you going?" I asked Chase as he brushed past me, heading straight towards the front door. He was dressed in his usual black sweats and dark t-shirt, his hair still slightly damp.

"Nowhere." He replied, grabbing a hoodie off the coat rack. Where the fuck was he going dressed like that? It was colder than hell outside. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Why won't you tell me where you're going?" I pressed pause on the remote and stood up, hands on my hips. For someone preaching about honestly and trust, he sure kept a lot of secrets to himself.

"Because it's none of your business." Chase twisted around just in time for me to catch a glimpse of him rolling his eyes.

"Where do you disappear off to almost every Friday night?"

"Don't let Olivia stay up past 9pm tonight." He said, completely ignoring my question.

"Does this have something to do with that one time you came home with a busted lip?"

Chase froze just as he was about to pull the door closed behind him. He opened his mouth to speak before quickly closing it again. "This –" I gestured between the two of us. "Trust is a two way streak."

He didn't get a chance to say anything before the loud ringing of his phone sliced through the tension in the room. "Fuck." He muttered under his breath, glancing down at the screen.

"Look just –" Chase sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Just stay with Olivia. I'll explain everything when I get back."

I continued to eye him skeptically. Feeling my questioning gaze, Chase chuckled and shook his head. "I promise." And with that, he was out the door and I was left standing more confused than ever.

............

Years of sitting around and waiting for the right moment have left me to be a very impatient person. I hate not knowing something, and sitting around waiting for the other shoe to drop drove me crazy. So when Chase said he'll explain everything when he got back, my brain went into overdrive.

What could he possibly be involved in?

The scenes on the large TV screen kept changing, but I was too into my head to pay attention to what was going on.

Who exactly is Chase Hernandez?

By the time 2 AM rolled around, I was burning holes into the ground and glancing at the clock every five minutes. 

How much fucking longer until he gets back?

I had just picked up my phone and was about to text Chase when I heard keys jiggling and the front door slowly opened.

"It's two in the fucking morning." I said, narrowing my eyes in Chase's direction as he shrugged off his hoodie.

"You're still up?" His eyes met mine and I didn't miss the surprise in his voice.