Fragile Souls | Chase Brody x Reader

IV. Destiny

The dining room was filled with excited chatter and quiet clinking of the cutlery against the plates, and I was sitting at an almost full table, keeping one chair empty for Chase. Every time the door creaked I turned my head, hoping to see him come in, but it was never him. I was sneaking bits of my breakfast to Noodle, who was excitedly wagging his tail under the table. 

"We decided to throw a little party tonight. I hope you'll join us, Y/N," Albert informed me while looking out the window. The snow was still piling up, so there was no way any of us would be leaving that evening. 

"Ooh, really? What kinda party?" I asked, finally taking my mind off Chase's absence. 

"A dance party! Grandpa has all these records and he loves to force people to listen to them," the little boy laughed as he was carefully cutting a banana into slices and then proceeded to elegantly stuff it in his mouth. Albert chuckled and patted his back before giving me a hopeful look. 

"I'll be there. Wouldn't miss it for the world," I promised. 

"We'll be playing games after breakfast. Will you bring your boyfriend?" the little girl smiled, and her words got caught in my throat. "I don't - we're not -" I began, and her face became confused. I quickly finished the rest of my food and promised to see them all later. On my way out I grabbed another plate of pancakes and a cup of coffee, and headed upstairs. 

"Chase? It's me," I said as I knocked on the door the second time without any response. Nothing. I lifted my hand up again and knocked, this time a bit more forcefully. 

"It's open," his voice sounded from inside, a bit too quiet and flat for Chase. I slowly opened the door and found him lying in bed.

"Hey... Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I was just... sleeping," he explained. Carefully, he sat up and ran his hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in every direction. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of that, and after closing the door behind me, I put the tray with the food onto his lap. 

"I'm sorry for waking you up. I just didn't want you to miss breakfast again," I chuckled and as he gratefully took a big sip of coffee, I looked around his room. It was neat and tidy, his only possession being a small backpack on the floor. 

"Travelling a bit light, no?" I asked, gesturing towards it. 

"What?" 

"The -"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah... I uh... Have the rest in my car," he nodded, a bit unconvincingly, but I didn't want to get too nosy to keep asking. I slowly turned around and headed to the door. 

"You can stay here, if you want. I promise I'll eat like a damn gentleman," his voice stopped me, and as I turned around, his face was lit up with his typical smile. Chase moved to the side and patted the empty spot next to him. When I climbed into bed and sat down, resting  my back on the headboarrd, he put his blanket over me and grinned. 

"What?" I smiled. 

"I've only known you for a few days and you're already in bed with me!" 

I rolled my eyes and giggled, slapping his hand playfully. "Stop. Eat." I ordered him and he immediately listened, his eyes still fixed on me with a childish smirk. 

"Do you know how to dance?" I asked after a while, when I remembered our plans for tonight. 

"Pffft. Totally. No one can chacha as smooth as me, baby," he boasted and started wiggling his hips, snapping his fingers. 

"There's kids here, you can't do that," I laughed. 

"Too sexy?"

"Too sexy."