Past, Present, and Future.

Chapter 24

Everything stopped. The world seemed to stand still. The words that had just been said hung thickly in the air. They replayed over and over in her mind, seeming to taunt her. Why had they been said? Were those eight words even truthful or meaningful?

She sat there looking at the wall, not saying a word. Chad had asked several times for her to say something, anything, to him as a response. She couldn't bring herself to form a simple thought, let alone a statement. She didn't know what to do. Did she even want to become a thing with him again? Should she become a thing with him again? She knew she had already asked herself these questions, but now they seemed even more important to find an answer to.

"Victoria..." Chad gripped her hand that he had been holding even tighter to get her attention. "I know that what I said was sudden. I also know that you are debating if you should get back with me or not. I haven't made the best of choices in the past, but you mean so much to be. I just want you back."

Victoria made no move to do anything. She let his words sink in, allowing herself think it over. She had a boyfriend.. who at the moment was nowhere to be found. Did she really want to leave Dallas for someone like Chad? Someone who had already broke her heart once and would most likely do it again.

Thankfully a nurse came in and told her that it was time to leave. Victoria was tired already from everything that had happened in the last twenty minutes, and was happy to go home. She thought about her warm bed, and how much she wanted to curl up in it and sleep all her worries away. She wanted to keep her mind off the fact that the plump blond nurse was now in the process of taking out all her needles. Victoria didn't like needles therefore wanted to keep her mind off it with anything and everything her brain could come up with. And that included sleeping; which just made her even more tired.

Once the nurse was finished she told Victoria that she could go to the restroom and change into regular clothes. Good she thought as she closed the heavy white door behind her. I hate these horrible hospital gowns. She proceeded to take off the horrid gown and toss it aside as she pulled on her own clothes. She heard the distant voices of the nurse and Chad having a small conversation.

Fully clothed, Victoria exited the bathroom, and was handed a small pile of papers that the nurse told her to sign. The older woman pointed to each place that needed a signature, and Victoria quickly wrote her name in cursive. When every spot had a signature, the nurse then made her sit down in a wheelchair.

Victoria found this pointless. She could walk; so why did she need to be pushed in a wheelchair? She had voiced this concern to the nurse, who promptly told her that it was protocol, and also was a safety issue. This small fact let Victoria to pout the whole way down to the main entrance of the building. She still had her arms crossed when the question arose in her mind. Who was going to take her home?

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The silence was so thick, it was almost suffocating. Chad sat in the drivers side of his small car and Victoria sat in the passenger side; still pouting. They hadn't said a word since back at the hospital where Chad had volunteered to take her home. He had ran to his car, leaving Victoria no room to argue and to make awkward small talk with the nurse that had stayed by her side.

When Chad had pulled the car around, he had threw her bags in the trunk and opened the passenger door, again leaving no room for discussion. This left Victoria to get in the passenger side, and pout, something that she did a lot when she didn't get her way.

And so Chad drove away from the hospital and let the silence envelope them. He hadn't try to make any conversation and she certainly wasn't going to be the first one to speak. So Victoria found herself looking out the window and let the songs on the radio overtake her thoughts and feelings.

Soon the surroundings became familre and she knew that they were close to turning onto her street. She made a plan to say thank you, grab her stuff, and go inside to her warm bed that awaited her company. So when Chad slowed in and flipped on the turn signal to pull into her driveway, Victoria was ready to put that plan into action.

The car came to a stop and Chad put it into park. The silence ever present, hung in the air like an unwelcomed curtain. She turned and looked at him, preparing herself for the thank you she was about to give. "Thanks.. for you know... taking me home and being there with me. It meant a lot to me." Her words hung on that unwelcomed curtain like a stain. Victoria swore she could hear her echo as the silence hit her full force.

She pulled on the doorhandle and opened it without a second thought. She stepped out and closed the door behind her, a little harder than she meant to. She walked to the trunk and grabbed one of her bags, but it was soon pulled from her grasp. Looking up she saw Chad, who didn't met her eyes as he continued to grab the rest of her luggage. She opened her mouth to say thank you or that she could do it herself, but decided not to argue. She was tired enough from all the emotional stuff that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

Once all the bags were in Chad's hands, the two walked up to the front door. Victoria grabbed the silver key out from one of the bags and stuck it in the hole, and turned it away from the door. She heard the sound of the deadbolt giving away and pushed the door open. They both walked through the door and took off towards Victoria's room. Chad knew the way, seeing as how he was over quite a bit when they were dating.

Victoria walked into her room and threw herself down across the bed, feeling the softness of the blankets hit her. She heard the distant sound of the door being closed and the bags being placed in a corner of the room. She knew Chad set them there because he didn't know what else to do, and she certainly wasn't going to let him unpack anything.

She kicked off her shoes and threw the blankets on top of her, feeling the warmth they brought spread throughout her body. The scent of Downey hit her nose causing her to wrinkle it. Movement spread, and she felt the bed dip somewhere by her hips, indicating that Chad had sat close to her. She peeked out from under her blankets to look at him.

Chad sat there with his hands in his lap. A nervous expression shown easily in his features. That's odd, Chad is not one to be nervous she thought as she continued to watch him through carious eyes. He looked down at her then, as if sensing that she was watching him. He smiled at her, one of his rare smiles that didn't hide something mean underneath the surface like his usual ones.

"Your welcome by the way. i was glad to take you home." He spoke out in the silence. She didn't know why but she had the urge to kiss him.

As if reading her mind Chad leaned down closer to her and planted a small harmless kiss on her lips. This kiss was soft, and seemed to be innocent.

But it led to so much more.

And she wanted it.

Victoria wanted him.