Blue Ribbon

Chapter 26 - Addiction comes in many forms

"Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time."

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Chase's POV

At the moment, everything felt so uncertain.

What will happen next, is still an unknown. Will I ever be able to get through this and pull myself back up? I have no idea.

I still feel lost and out of character. I am still angry and hateful toward life for this cruel twist in events.

But, when she laid her head over my chest like this, when her arms wrapped around me, that wild muscle beating against my ribcage calmed down a bit. The voices throbbing against my skull became a fading echo as a peaceful comfort rushed down my veins, and for the first time today, I felt relaxed.

For the very first time today, I could breathe. In and out, without the pain pressing up against my chest.

I let my eyelids drop as my cheek pressed against the top of her head and her flowery scent invaded all of my senses.

It was insane, how much I felt for this girl. It was even crazier that somehow, she felt the same.

She edged her head back a fraction and looked up at me. Her eyes fell on mine, the unshed tears tightened my chest, the usual sparkle wasn't dancing in them, instead, they were pained, like she could feel my own.

My palm rested over her soft skin and I shook my head, "I don't want to be the reason behind your tears, Lilly." I said, addressing her previous sentence and the evidence of them in her eyes.

"You're not, you just make me emotional," She mumbled, her lips involuntary pouting and her eyebrows drew closer, "And I don't like being emotional."

"Why?" I asked.

Her eyebrow raised and a hint of playfulness took over her tone, "I have a reputation to protect, you know."

For the second time today, she made me smile. I couldn't stop myself as I edged my head forward a fraction, and my hand moved to the back of her neck, angling her face closer and pressing my lips over hers. She reacted to my kiss almost immediately, her hand went to my face, it rested over my cheek as she pressed herself closer to me.

This kiss was nothing like our usual kisses, this one was slow, it was gentle. It was expressing the whole situation we are in now. It voiced out how much I needed her and in return, it assured her promise, that she wouldn't walk away from this, as easily as she once did.

The sound of someone clearing their throat very loudly pulled us back from that little moment. Lilly pulled away from me so fast, both of our gazes flickering to the door, to see a very very unsatisfied Alex.

"Dad," Lilly said in shock, jumping up to her feet, "When...when did you come back?"

I stood up as well, preparing myself for his outburst. I couldn't miss the tick in his jaw as his eyes went from me to her, "Ashton told me what happened," His gaze went back to me and his eyes softened a bit, "I came back right away."

He stepped inside, till a few inches separated us, when he looked back at Lilly, he added, "Your mother is coming back as well."

She nodded, gulping down and I could only wonder why hadn't he over-reacted to our kiss yet.

"Lilly, can you leave us alone?" He asked, gently this time. Lilly's eyes went to me, they were a bit terrified, "Lilly?" He stressed out again, arching an eyebrow at her lack of words.