After Thought // Chance Sutton

Chapter Seven

"Your soulmate is not someone who comes into your life peacefully. It is who comes to make you question things, who change your reality..."

Beth/Lizzie's POV

Home.

I used to think that word was described by a place, but the more life lessons you learn you realize that it's the people that make the place. Home is where your heart and soul lies. In my case, it's spread across the country.

And now, I'm going back to the one place I thought home would always be. The place I spent a long time running away from. Back then, when I looked at how my life was going to go, I'd be sure it'd go something like this. After high school take over my family's restaurant, eventually find someone to love the person I was, maybe a few kids, and then die.

There was nothing wrong with that life. It just took me a little bit to figure out that what I thought I wanted, I didn't. There was a whole world of possibility out there. That's why it's hard to be back in Ohio. It symbolizes a life I ran away from.

My Mom, Dad, and even Allison.

"Hey kiddo, I missed you so much," Dad said, as I walked into the restaurant.

This place changed, everything about it was different, except the menu. When I gave my Dad the money to renovate I made him promise to keep that the same. The once covered walls, where more luxurious. But some pictures remained, few and far between though.

One addition by the register included a stack of my book, and an up to date picture of me.

"Really Dad?" I asked, pointing to the cash register.

"Zara thought it was a cute addition."

"It is, I love it." I grinned.

I sat at the bar top, talking with some of the workers. Zara came by, and we had a good talk too. Looking around at the atmosphere, that has stayed the same. Some of the patrons stopped by the front, wanting a picture with me.

That's crazy.

"Since the re-open, your Father hasn't shut up about you hun!" A lady said, she had kind eyes and wrinkled skin. "Do you mind taking a picture with me? I just love your book!"

"You read it?" I asked, shocked. My demographic is typically young adult, so I never thought older people would like it. "Of Course I'll take a picture with you!"

"Yes I did, and I loved it. Your wisdom speaks volume my dear. I loved it so much my book club is reading it next month," she explained.

She handed me her phone, and we snapped the picture a smile went to my face instantly. "Thank you for reading it, I appreciate it, I do."

"You're welcome sweet heart, oh I can't wait to see my Grandson. He's on the internet too, like you. You may know each other, Chance Sutton."

My heart froze for a second.

I was hoping he wouldn't be here. How could he? He lives in LA now, right?

"If you excuse me, I gotta get going. It was really nice meeting you-" I stumbled over my words.

But it was too late.

"There he is now!" She smiled. "Chance hunny! Over here!"

It was like looking at a ghost of my past. Every part of my body tensed and I became too aware of what I looked like. Today I went for tight leggings, ones that Dylan says makes my butt look good, and then a v-neck. My long black hair was in messy waves and my makeup was pretty minimal. Just a touch of mascara and eyeliner to accentuate my eyes.

Chance, looked the complete same, just older. His hair was cut a little shorter, his shoulders and chest more broad. The second he saw me, he looked taken aback, as was I.

"Beth?" He asked, looking me up and down.

"Yeah, hey," I couldn't feel more awkward. "Tend to go by Lizzie these days."

"You guys know each other?! Just wait till I tell my book club, they'll find this ecstatic!" She happily exclaimed.

"We went to school together," I explained. "If you excuse me, I gotta get going. It was nice meeting you. Good to see you again Chance."

"Nice meeting you too sweet heart!"

I gave her a quick half hug, before ducking out of there. My heart was beating faster and faster by the second. The last time I saw him, everything was so different. It's weird, a few months ago when I didn't even know what he was doing I was okay.

Now? It's like all those feelings came back. Memories of when I was last here flooded my brain. The things those kids said to me, and how much it fucking hurt. It took me a long time to realize I was not what they said.

Upon getting to my car, I feel a tap on my shoulder. Fuck.

"What was that Beth?" Chance asked.

"Why did you follow me out here?" I crossed my arms, peering up at him.

"It's been three years, and all you want to say is hey to me? You dropped off the face of the earth and left without saying goodbye-"

"I had every reason to leave. You sat that, and watched what they all said about me. And maybe I was a little clueless to think that you'd actually cared."

"I did care, you have to know that. But Abbi and Luther, they had me under there wing. I had to go along with all of it," he explained.

"Why? Cause you couldn't be associated with someone like me right?"

"It's not that, there's way more to the story. Way more than you know.."

"Then, I don't know know, why didn't you think to talk to me about it?" I questioned.

He shook his head, "I couldn't."

His hand grazed my shoulder, I shuddered under his touch. For a moment I lost all my senses, but I jerked my body back.

"You don't get to do that."

"Do what?" He asked.

"Make me feel bad for leaving, and not talking to you. I had all the right in the world to do so. You weren't supposed to mean that much to me. I wasn't supposed to fall for you. You were just some random guy in a bathroom. But, guess what? I fell for you and it hurt like hell letting you go. I didn't even think it was fucking possible to feel like that for someone. It was so confusing thinking about you all the damn time, yet I got over it."

"I- Beth" He started.

"No, don't say anything. If you cared about me, you would have done something."

"It wasn't that simple."

"Nothing is ever simple Chance, that's the point."

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A/N: I miss the days when the only youtube "drama" was wondering whether Zalfie was real or not. Jeez, so much is going on it's so hard to keep up.