Authors note: Okay, so I was going through my pictures, and found the one of me and my boyfriend, and i based this chapter off our song and then our picture. there are a lot of parallels in this story with me and Chevelle and Corey and my boyfriend. so i figured it would work.
It hurt like hell knowing I had hurt Chevelle, that and Jon. I guess I just didn't understand why she didnt just tell me about her and Jon, didn't she know that it would all be okay? That, yes, I would be mad, but I would get over it?
I sighed, sitting on Chevelle's couch, looking at the pictures of us she had compiled in just a couple months of our relationship, my eyes resting on one she had next to her couch of us laying on a couch at Maisey's house. I was holding her close, nothing but love in my eyes. She looked at me, a smile playing on her face, and a look like she wanted to kiss me. I remembered that day like it was yesterday.
***
I had been at Sharp's house, trying to help him understand the logistics of scoring since he was kind of in a scoring drought. I had known I was gonna see Chevelle that day, I was just waiting to hear from her.
I was going over a goal scored on me, and that was when I heard Photograph. It was Chevelle's ringtone.
Chevelle: Maisey said that we have some running to do, but if you'd like, you can meet us at the mall.
I thought for a moment before I responded. 'Sure, I gave to finish this rundown with Sharpie and I will be on my way. I will let you know when I get there.'
'Okay, I will let you know where we are then. :)'
So when I had finished the "tutoring session" with Sharp, I headed to the mall, finding Chevelle on my own, looking at rings. Maisey saw me, and gave me a look that told me to go someplace else. I left and texted Chev, who must not have heard her phone ring, so I called, walking into the sports store.
"Hey," I said, my voice soft.
"Well hi you," she said. I could hear the smile in her voice.
"I headed into the sports store to look at some stuff," I said, knowing full well she loved the sports places in our local mall.
"Okay, Maisey and I will be along shortly," she said, hanging up.
Not too long after that I saw her bounding towards me, a huge smile that was on her beautiful face, along with a hint of something else, i couldn't quite place it.
She hugged me, and I whispered 'hey pretty,' in her ear, earning a big smile, before she asked if we could go to teavana, her favorite tea place. I jokingly told her no, and took her hand, and began walking to the tea place, and giving Maisey a one armed hug in greeting.
We all headed to the tea store, Chevelle chattering happily about the upcoming Hawks season beside me as we walked into the tea store. She and Maisey sampled the avalible teas, before deciding on some Chai tea. Chevelle got hers strong and iced and i had them write "You are my kinda brew-tea-ful baby" on the cup. Chev squealed happily and hugged me when she saw it.
"We should get Kono's," Maisey said, kind of out of the blue. Kono's a pizza place near where I grew up, about a half hour away.
"KONO"S OH MY GOSH YES!" Chevelle yelled, practically in my ear. I just laughed.
As it turns out, the air in Maiseys car was broken, and she had the windows down, in the hot Chicago summer, it was like 100 degrees out. But it was okay, I had Chevelle in the back, sort of laying on me, and singing way off key. It clicked then that she was kind of clingy, I only assumed that it was because she was worried about my upcoming road trip that i had to leave for the next afternoon. I would be away from her for four days, road tripping to my family's place in Minnesota.
Inside Kono'sm, Chev got her usual cheese and Maisey got pepperoni. They sat in the booth and just joked around, and when they were done, we went to the car that, much to my surprise, didn't start. But Maisey called for help and we ended up getting dropped off at the mall where my car was parked, and I drove them back to Maisey's. I had settled on staying a little while, seeing Chevelle's hopeful blue eyes. She called me Puppy Face, but the tables had turned and she was the one with the puppy face.
Maisey lived with her sister, who had gone out, which was fine, we had just decided to chill anyways, Maisey wanted to work on planning her wedding, and Chevelle... she just didnt want me to leave. It took her a little while to sit with me, and i honest to god thought she was afraid. She didn't know when i was leaving that night or when she would see me again.
Eventually she laid down on one of Maisey's couches and shut her eyes, just as I looked over at her. Maisey met my gaze and shook her head, she knew what Chevelle's problem was, and i was pretty sure I did too, and so I walked over to her and snaked in behind Chevelle. I wrapped one arm around her, and she turned to look at me, her eyes somewhat damp. She pulled one hand up, as if to hold my hand, but stopped short. I looked her in the eyes and wiped her tears away, kissing her cheek. once i pulled away, just a little bit, i heard a click, and knew Maisey had taken a picture. It didn't matter to me, all that mattered in that moment was my girlfriend and I and memories that we were making.
We laid like that for a couple hours, just enjoying each others company as Maisey planned her wedding, and bounced ideas off of me, until it was time to go. I got up and Chevelle's eyes fell pleading again. It hurt me to leave her like that, but I still needed to pack. So we walked outside and she leaned on my car, not meeting my gaze, not saying a word. I put my arms around her, and kissed her, telling her I loved her and that I had to go.
"I-I love you too," she had said, her voice shaking.
"Hey, hey look at me. Look at me, babe," I said, watching her reluctantly lift her head and meet my eyes. "I'm gonna be okay, okay?" I asked, taking her in my arms. "shh, don't cry. Its okay"
She nodded, watching me get into my car, and as soon as I was in it she ran back for her friend's front door, not watching me leave like she usually does. I knew she was crying and didnt want me to see.
I got home shortly after and texted her so, and she seemed cheerier in text, but I knew if I called her voice would be low and sad. It wasn't long before I texted her goodnight, and fell asleep, wishing i had asked if she wanted to go with.
**
Looking at the stuff scattered around Chevelle's apartment, and the old, tattered, Griffins jersey that read Howard on the back, I knew I had to go to Detroit to get my beloved, even if it meant that I had to face Jim.
'Just wait for me to come home Chelsea, wait for me to come home' I thought, remembering her calling me and me telling her the same thing when she went home a couple weeks ago.
Wait for me to come home.
