After Thought // Chance Sutton

Chapter Nine

"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.." -Aristotle.

-

Our burgers were finished, and milkshakes topped off. I couldn't have asked for a better end to my day, especially when I had plans to hug old photos of my Mom and cry. But listening to Chance babble about his life in Los Angeles wasn't so bad after all.

This being friends thing could work, maybe that's what we were meant to be from the beginning. All this stuff about love, just seems way too improbable. Being friends is way more realistic, it always was. Even if our worlds now are a lot more alike.

"Oh yeah, I know who Jake Paul is sorta. Isn't his brother Logan? They're from around here right?" I asked him, leaning back in the booth.

His eye's didn't peel off of me, the entire time we've been sitting here he's had his gaze fixed on me. And hopefully I'm doing an okay job off hiding my blush. I can't believe he still affects me like this.

"Yeah they are," he nodded.

"Do you like being apart of Team10?" I asked.

"Of course, it's amazing. I just feel like something is missing sometimes, I don't know what though," he ran a hand through his short brown hair, "what about you? Is being an author everything you thought it would be?"

I smiled, a kind of smile I don't have too often, "it's been everything and more. I'm honestly really happy."

"You have no idea how much I've wanted to hear you say that, you deserved it."

"Can I ask you something Chance?"

He nodded, fixating his gaze on me again, like he was searching for something with in me.

"Why me? When we were in that bathroom, why were you so nice to me? Why did you kiss me? What happened afterwards put aside, I always wondered why you were such a sweet guy?" I have no idea where the confidence came to ask this question.

He chuckled, "how could I not Beth? If I'm being honest, that night in the bathroom gave me the courage to act on what I felt for you. I was so tied down to Abbi before then, I let her own my life. You were what I needed to break free of that."

I didn't know what to say.

"Remember when I told you that the first time I saw you was in the library?" He asked.

I nodded.

"My life was crazy back then, and after that day I'd try to catch these glimpses of you. That's what always brought me back to reality."

"I wish you'd tell me why it was so crazy." I sighed, glancing at his hand I noticed how dangerously close it was to mine. So close that I could feel his warmth, that only made my heart beat faster.

"One day," he said in almost a whisper.

The moment was content, our eye's locked, and fingers almost touching. Something in me was aching for more, but my mind had moments where it snapped to it's senses. It's a bad idea, Chance hurt me. I can't go back to feeling like that.

"I'm sorry to interrupt!" One of the waitresses said, breaking the silence between Chance and I. "You're Lizzie Gold right? You're book is just so amazing."

"Thank you!"

"Can I get a picture with you? Nobody will ever believe me that I met you!"

"Of course," she handed me her phone to Chance, silently asking him to take the picture. She stood next to me, and had a huge grin on her face. "Ohmigosh thank you! Can I ask you something?"

I shook my head, "yeah!"

"How'd you do it? Get the courage to publish your book, I would be so terrified. I've never known anything than this small ass town."

"Honestly, I wasn't going to publish it when I originally wrote it. I was going to hide it away, but then somebody told me that I was more than this town. That's what you gotta realize, or you'll never be who you truly want." I offered her a small hug, and she went away with a small tear of hope in her eye.

As I sat back down, I realized what I said.

"I wonder who told you that?" Chance had this big goofy grin on his face.

"Just some idiot, with Justin Bieber hair," I chuckled.

"Come on, my hair wasn't that bad."

"I guess it could have been worse."

His phone rang, but he ignored it. Looked like it was one of his friends back in Los Angeles. The idea of living there terrifies me. Of course I'll have Dylan by my side, but this will be the first time Aunt Ronnie won't be there to help me.

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?" He asked, out of the blue.

"Uhm- I don't know. I guess right now I'm way too busy for one. After I moved to New York City I had a few dates, but nothing really serious. What about you? Why don't you have a girlfriend? Is it because of that girl Tessa?" I questioned.

"Tessa and I are good friends, but romantically nothing was there. She's in love with one of my friends, so we wouldn't keep fake dating for the Team10 fans. It was hurting us both."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, is it bad I'm kinda relieved you haven't dated anyone?"

I shook my head, "no. Speaking of people I could have dated, guess who I saw at Walgreen's last night? Jackson."

"Luther's brother?" He suddenly was more alert.

"Yeah, I don't think he recognized me though. A Lot of people haven't to be honest."

"Fuck," he mumbled.

"What's the matter?"

"Luther could know you're here." He stated, looking more worried than ever.

"And that should be a problem because?"

"It's a long story-" He was explaining, when the door slamming at the front of the diner frightened me.

That's when I saw him, the human version of the devil. His nostrils flaring, nothing has changed about him. His terror over this town, or myself worth. He still has a hold over both for some odd reason.

"Well well well, look what we have here. I wasn't going to believe my brother when he said he saw you little Beth, especially looking more delicious than ever." Luther growled.

Someone walked in behind him, clad with manicured claws and perfectly straightened blonde locks of hair. I thought my eye's were playing a trick on me when I saw who it was.

My former best friend, Allison.