Loving Chris (TTSPG Book3)

7

Five painful minutes went by before I was calm enough to re-enter the house and I headed into the kitchen where everyone was already sitting.

The atmosphere was light and friendly as the twins laughed at Briana's joke, Jon looking completely embarrassed as he playfully tried to cover Bri's mouth. Mrs. McPherson had a real smile on her face as she scolded Jon and I tried not to be envious at the only people I could call family as Chris scooped heapfuls of food onto his plate.

"I'm being honest!" Briana laughs, shoving Jon's hands away. "He was so scared and frail. I have never seen a 6 feet how many ever inches tall man run so fast behind a tiny woman in my life!"

"I... it... really?"

"Scaredy cat!"

"I'm really disappointed in you Jon." Danny laughs as he gently pushes his arm.

"You weren't there! And she's exaggerating. I didn't-"

"Did you not scream and run behind me?"

"It was not that type of scream!"

"Oh yeah? And what type of scream was it?" Derek asks, pulling his girlfriend close and kissing her briefly on the neck as she laughs.

"It was a manly scream!" Jon defended.

"And the pulling of his girlfriend?"

"It was huge!"

"It was a-"

"You weren't there Dan! You don't know-"

"Wow, I'm so happy to have such a macho man as a part of my family." Derek jokes, rolling his eyes and taking a sip of his beer.

I wordlessly take the empty seat between Mrs. McPherson and Chris as she ushers me over before allowing her to fill my plate with food. The conversations and laughter continues as Jon decides to bring up an embarrassing story about Danny stupidly cutting his balls in the shower when he tried to shave for the first time and I keep my head trained on my plate as I tried to keep a distance between me and everyone.

Chris notices my silence and nudges me before slipping a beer across and I caught it before it could knock against the plate. Even though I didn't drink, I took a cautious slip, if only to ease my tension.

"I was... just because... shaving my ass-" Danny starts. "Fuck you!" He says before rolling his eyes as everyone cracks up with laughter.

"Dan." His mother warns.

"Wait, wait! You tried to shave your asshole?"

"Oh come on Eric, I was trying to be romantic-"

"By shaving your asshole?"

"I thought men did that when, you know?"

Everyone goes quiet as they watch him.

"No, we don't know." Jon counters, leaning on his hands and watching Danny.

"Oh screw you."

The place envelopes into outing stories of everyone's greatest embarrassment and I felt as though my head was light, knowing that those stories happened after I was kicked from the group.

Before I could let myself slip off into a great depression, I feel the brushing of Chris' knee against my own and I looked over to him but he was deep in conversation with Derek as he argued about Chris screwing up royally in his farm.

Not knowing if he did it on purpose and not caring, I allowed the feel of his clothed skin against my own to distract me.

"I thought it was a person!"

"It was your scarecrow!" Derek argued. "You put it up."

"It was late!"

"It was 6 pm!"

"Oh shut up."

"Don't get mad at me. You should have fought the scarecrow instead of wetting your pants-"

"He did what now?" Mrs. McPherson asks and Chris visibly shrunk.

"I did no such thing!"

"Yes you did!"

"I fell into the trench-"

"Tryna outrun a scarecrow!"

Chris rolled his eyes as Mrs. McPherson came to his rescue by bringing up an embarrassing story about Derek and I once more tuned out as Chris now was leaning closer to me.

His hand is on his leg as he braces back against his chair and I couldn't stop myself from staring at the ring on his finger. Wanting nothing more than to touch it, I gave into my urge as I too shifted closer.

Slipping my hand from the top of the table, I placed it subtly on my knee as I sipped on my beer before I felt the gentle brush of Chris' hand near my own. He was still engulfed in conversation and laughed at the insults being thrown around, yet he was able to turn his palm upwards.

As soon as my fingers are laced between his, he puts it onto his lap, giving me a smile without looking at me. Both Mrs. McPherson and Derek notices the movement but neither says anything as the others were still involved in everything else.

Out of my peripheral I see her smile towards us and I withheld my own as I got comfortable in being there. Half an hour later we were spread out in the house. Danny laid on Jon as they watched television and Derek listening to his mom as she spoke childhood stories to Bri.

It was warming to see everyone so normal but something tugged at my heart strings. I knew everyone was slowly warming back up to me but I still didn't want to overstay my welcome.

Waiting for an opening, I slipped outside quickly, fully intending on going home or at least somewhere else.

As soon as I stepped out I saw Chris idly kicking bricks by his feet as he stood bracing my car.

"Hey." I greet, a smile gracing my face.

"Hi." He responds shyly.

"You stalking me?" I joked.

"Well, I figured you'd be sneaking off so I thought I'd wait here." He smirks. "Can't run from me that easily."

"You're the last person I'd ever run from."

Chris stares at me before I head closer to him. "Am I gonna see you again?"

"Of course you are. Why is that even a question?"

"I don't know. You never wanna hang out with us."

"Because I thought you didn't want me near you. I was giving you want you wanted."

"You thought I wanted to lose you?"

"You said..."

Not wanting to rehash the worst moment of my life, I take a deep breath before pulling him closer to me and titling his chin up.

"You'll see me again. You'll keep seeing me until you get sick of me and you'll still see me until you say otherwise."

"Promise?"

"I promise."