Getting Back

Protected

"What are you doing?" Chase asks, leaning against the frame of the doorway.

"This, this is incredible." I say while exhaling, looking out at the city from the huge bedroom window. "How could you ever leave?"

"Trust me, I wouldn't have if I didn't have to," I hear chase walk towards me, his hands finding my hips. "But I'm glad I did." He whispers in my ear.

I laugh a little and turn my attention back to the bustling street. You can see only a fraction of the city from this room.

Chase's grandmothers place is pretty big for being a townhouse. It has four levels, all with a different feel.

The first level is the living room, short of rusticated, the second is a modern kitchen with windows all around it and a dining table shoved into a corner, then the next two floors hold two bedrooms and one bath. Knowing my love for looking at the city, his grandmother gave me a top-floor bedroom.

"I can't sleep." I say softly.

"Hmmm," I hear him hum in thought. "Let's go out."

"Really? Right now?" I ask, excited.

"Come on 'Candy' this is the city that never sleeps!" He says as he backs out the door, hands out in a mater-of-factly way.

I throw on jean shorts, a white tank and a cream-colored cardigan, seeing as the city gets windy and cold at night.

I can hear Chase talking as I make my way down stairs.

He smiles as he looks at me, and Matthew does too.

"Damn Chase, better keep your eye on that one." He says with a wink, still turned towards me so Chase can't see.

Chase doesn't seem amused. At all. In fact, he ignores Matthew as he walks over to me, "Ready?" He asks anxiously.

"Yep." I say with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

He grabs my hand and we walk out the door. Instantly I'm taken aback by just simply being there.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"Surprise." Chase says, he gives me a quick smile but it fades.

What's going on?

We walk in silence for blocks. Until finally we cross the street. I hear a band playing in a little, almost makeshift, garden.

We find a bench and finally Chase says something, "Every Monday night they play here. Used to be the best thing about it."

I give it a minute before asking, "Chase, what's wrong?"

It's almost too dark to see his face, there's just a slight glow from the lights strung from tree to tree, but I can tell he's upset.

"Listen Candice, Matthew is going to try stuff with you."

"What do you mean?"

"It's what he does. Growing up, he did whatever he could to get the girls I had."

"Chase, come on, you know me better than that, I wouldn't do anything with him."

Chase pulls away his hand from mine.

"Chase?"

"I didn't know that he would be here, this was a mistake."

"Hey," I say, turning his face lightly so he was looking at me. Even in the dark, his light eyes are visible. "Stop, okay nothing's going to happen. I won't let it."

"Candice I'm just..." He trails off, as if to think better about what he was going to say.

"What?" I ask softly.

"He's forced girls into stuff before."

I drop my head, not knowing how to respond to that. I've always heard about things like rape or harassment in health class, but in our small town nothing ever happened.

I wasn't even sure what I would do.

"Hey, no I wasn't trying to scare you, just make you aware. Candice, if he tries anything I need you to tell me okay?"

I nod. Kinda officially terrified, but trying to keep my cool. I try to distract myself by listening to the music but my mind keeps wandering back to the subject.

I clear my thought, "Uhm, can we keep walking?"

"Sure." Chase says softly, putting his arm around me, which was exactly what I needed. He always made me feel protected in some way.