Chancing Chad

#4) The Fourth

ONE WEEK LATER

CHAD

It had been a hell of a week. We didn't mention the kiss. We completely ignored it. But it was impossible to ignore my feelings. I loved her, with all my heart. She was amazing. Beautiful, funny, intelligent. She'd fallen asleep on the couch and I'd carried her to bed, and tucked her in. She was getting used to me being topless in the mornings. We'd done so much together. I'd met a few of her friends who I'd talked to online.

It had been amazing. Hopelessly so. It was like I was drowning, and she didn't notice. Couldn't save me. It was bittersweet. I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms, to hold her and kiss her and...

I couldn't though. But I had to tell her how I felt. I just had to.

****************

It was three o'clock. We were watching TV, just sitting on the couch, when we heard a knock on the door. She went to get it.

"Hey, Red!" She called from the doorway, "It's great to see you again! Come on in! I have a guest over. Are these for me? Oh, you shouldn't've!"

I turned off the TV and glanced out to the hall. Amara was holding a bunch of purple roses, and who was with her but Red! I'd spoken to him a few times, but Amara and he had grown apart.

"Oh..." He said as he noticed me, his smile dropping, "I had hoped to do this in private, Amara."

"Do what?" She asked, confused.

He looked her in the eye and smiled, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Amara, I came here today to tell you that I am in love with you and have been all my life." He said with a smile, "I guess having a witness here makes it all the better."

I was dumbstruck. I was supposed to tell her I loved her. I still could.

"I love you!" I called out, "Amara, that kiss meant the world to me. I'm in love with you."

Red turned to face me. Pure rage showed on his face. He took a step towards me, and Amara put a hand on his arm to stop him, but he brushed it off and kept walking.

"Chad, I will fucking kill you." He said, coming closer, "This was my god damn moment! I've been waiting years! You think you can just but in like that?"

"Let's see who it is that should've shut up." I growled, "Amara, who's it going to be? Me or fuckface?"

"Why do I have to like one of you?" She asked with a scowl, "This isn't a love triangle! Maybe I don't like either of you!"

This made us shut up for a moment. We just sort of stood there, staring at one another. He took a step towards her, held her hand in his, and looked into her eyes.

"Amara..." He smiled weakly at her, "I love you. You know I do. And we were best friends. You can't tell me you don't feel something for me."

He leaned in and kissed her, quickly, bit even I could see the way her eyes lit up. I was angry. Pure rage distorted my vision as I took a step forward and grabbed him by the shoulders. I shoved him to the floor, aiming a kick at his stomach, but Amara stopped me.

"Both of you, I am happy alone!" She said with a scowl, "Red... We'll talk again sometime. Chad... We'll talk now."

"I'll see you soon." Red said with a smile as he got up and quickly hugged Amara, before scowling at me. He left quickly, and Amara led metro the sitting room and told me to sit down.

"Chad..." She looked into my eyes, "When we kissed, it was a mistake. When I kissed him... I liked him when we were kids. And now I think I sort of do as well. I'm sorry. But you shouldn't have fought with him! You're not five! I'm annoyed with both of you right now. I'm flattered... Really, I am, but I think it's a no for both of you."

I just sat there. I had felt something, everything. I was in love. And she didn't feel the same. I was crushed. I blinked back tears. I hadn't felt so strongly since...

"Remember back when I liked Charlotte?" I said, choking the words out, "She was a friend through some girl I knew. I really liked her, even though she didn't like me that way. And I liked her for years, until I was fourteen. I was head-over-heels in love. I told her. I told her and two weeks later... She was in a car crash. She was on life support for two weeks. She never woke up. She died. And I was devastated. It was all I could do to keep smiling, trying to ignore the pain. Now I feel worse. Much worse. Like you've pushed me into a deep pit that I'll never get out of."

With that, I stood up, the tears flowing openly downy cheeks as I turned and walked from the room. I walked slowly up the stairs and into my room. I lay down on the bed, burying my face in the pillow, and just lay there. Time passed. I fell asleep.

AMARA

That had been hard. He had taken part of my heart and stood on it. When Charlotte died, he had been sad for weeks. I didn't want to be the one who broke him, but Red and I went back. I wasn't sure how I felt about either of them, but I know that, whereas I had felt sure about Chad at the start, nothing ha happened since, and Red had definitely sparked... Something.