| �Of all the things you could not be able to do, one of them just had to be skating,� Chase laughed, watching Regan struggle to stand straight on her awkward figure skates.
�Well� shut up,� she retorted, gripping his hand tightly. �I haven�t been skating since my sophomore year. Give me a break that was almost a year ago.� He tipped his head backward and laughed at her. �And to think, I thought I was a doofus because the last time I was here was Christmas!� She shot him a look that told him to shut up now. She wasn�t appreciating his comments. That was enough to keep his mouth shut. He helped her onto the ice, and then held her hand tightly. He shot her his wonderful smile one more time. �You ready?� he asked. She looked down at her wobbly ankles and then back at his, so strong and steady and capable. Again, in her mixed judgment, she was caught fantasizing about them in the future. �Yeah,� she said, nodding. She shook off her daydreams. �Okay,� he said, and gently tugged her with him as they started skating around the rink. It didn�t take long for Regan to pick back up on it, when it came to any kind of skating she was quite a quick learner. �Now you�re getting it,� he complimented, starting to give up her hand and let her go on her own. She reluctantly let go of it but went out on her own. They went around a few more times before they were both ready for a break. Chase took Regan�s hand and they walked out into the main lobby together, ordered some hot chocolate, and sat down together. �Is life treating you better now?� Chase asked cautiously, sipping his chocolate. �Yes, actually it has. Thank you for asking,� Regan said, not meaning a word of it. That night after writing her poem she felt better, but once she came home from work, the confusing thoughts came back to haunt her. She turned to Chase abruptly after staring off into space for what seemed like an hour. �Do you ever wonder about our future?� she asked suddenly. The question was so sudden that he choked on his hot cocoa. �As in� what?� he asked her nervously. �I mean,� she stopped, setting down her drink and looking away. �Do you see a great future for us? Where is this dating all leading? Is it going in a direction we�re ready to take, or is it just a dead end?� �Oh, Reag,� he said, using the affectionate nickname he had given her years ago. He leaned over the table and patted her hand tenderly. �I like the way things are. Can�t we just focus on now?� She was dissatisfied with his comment. She knew he was avoiding thinking about the future, but she supposed that was fine. They were only juniors, and no one had to taken anything seriously just yet. It seemed a long shot, but Chase kept it all in his mind that they would remain casual dates for a long time. He could tell that the comment hadn�t pleased her, so he decided to tell her what he had been thinking about the past couple of weeks. Maybe that would please her. �Reag, listen to me,� he calmly demanded, patting her hand to get her attention. She looked back from where she had been just staring off into space and dead on into his speckled eyes. �I noticed that you haven�t been very attentive the past week or so, and that you seem to be directing a lot of your distance toward me, and it�s kind of hurt me.� Regan immediately looked down at the table, feeling angry and ashamed. Her face must have been bright red. He didn�t deserve to be hurt because she was being selfish. �I�ve done a lot of thinking about you and me, and where this could all go. Then I realized that today is today and we shouldn�t worry about tomorrow until we get there. I honestly have no idea where this relationship is going to take us, and I don�t care about it until we do get there, Regan,� he told her. She knew he was serious. He never used her full name. She nodded. �I see where you�re going with this, Chase, and I completely understand.� �Well I hope so,� he said, smiling uneasily. There was that sweetness to him that she adored. His inability to know what he would say next. �Reag, I�m serious,� he said, resorting back to the nickname. She was thankful. �I know you are, Chase,� she reassured him. �I want you to know that I do love you, I love you very much. I want us to be friends forever,� he told her sincerely. She looked down at her lap and felt tears burn in her eyes. �I love you too, Chase.� He noticed the tears in her eyes. �Oh, Reag, don�t cry,� he pleaded, coming over to the other side of the table to sit close to her. �Don�t cry.� �I�m not I just�� she sobbed. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at him. �I just appreciate you in my life so much�� she sobbed again. �I don�t think we�re meant to be together.� He nodded in understanding. �We�re not right for each other. We�ll always be friends. Okay?� She looked at him and smiled warmly. �Okay,� she said. He took her into an embrace that lasted for several minutes. �We�ll be friends for a long time. I promise, Reag.� She nodded, liking the thought. As he took her into another embrace, she began to feel disheartened. Chase was the closest thing she had to the perfect guy for her. If he wasn�t it, who would come into her life to fill his shoes? She couldn�t imagine anyone better than Chase� Then again, at the time, she couldn�t have imagined anyone better than Evan either. Regan quickly shook it out of her head and let go of Chase. He smiled at her lovingly and played with her hair. They stared at each other a while before either of them said anything. She found herself falling deeply into his eyes once again and right as she was about to start thinking thoughts she hadn�t thought since they started dating, he broke in with a comment. �Reag?� She sighed. Perfect timing, once again. �Yeah, Chase?� �Would you like to go to prom with me?� he asked her thoughtfully, still playing with her hair. Her eyes brightened and a smile formed on her lips. This wasn�t a simple smile like she had offered to her friends all week, and it wasn�t the smile of a confused little girl. This time, she was smiling out of pure and utter happiness. �I�d be honored,� she answered honestly. He smiled brightly, leaned forward and put his lips to hers. She greatly accepted and placed her hands on his cheeks to pull him in a little closer. He was a great kisser, and she could never get enough when he decided to share his lips with her. After they were through lip locking, he took her hand and pulled her upward all of a sudden. �Come on, Reag.� �I�m not done with my cocoa!� she protested. �Let�s get back on the ice before our time runs out!� he demanded. �But- but-� she stuttered, not wanting to. She wanted to sit and relax, but Chase had other motives. �Let�s go, woman! Move it!� he screamed at her like a mock drill sergeant. �Whatever, Walker! You wanna push me around? It�s not going to work all that well,� she yelled back at him. �Oh, Stanbury, don�t mess with the bull you�ll get the horns!� he said, smirking at her evilly. �Damn you!� she said, pushing him lightly and then running onto the ice. �Uh, uh!� he screamed, staggering backward and then finding his balance. He ran after her, got onto the ice and skated toward her, closing in on her quickly. She pumped her legs to get a good momentum, but it didn�t work. In the next couple of seconds, she felt someone come up behind her, pick her up, and fling her around in the air. It wasn�t long before Chase tripped, dropping her on the cold, hard ice and falling with her. They were both laughing so hard they couldn�t stand it. Their legs and arms were tangled together and they were sticking to the ice beneath them. Chase finally removed his legs and slid over to her. Regan�s laughter faded. Her smile remained while he stared at her pensively. She gazed into his eyes and her heart warmed. Without hesitation, he leaned in and kissed her. This time the kiss was passionate, and she found herself enjoying it more and more as the seconds passed. She realized what she was doing and how serious she was getting. She pulled away from him and the confusing thoughts returned. �What�s wrong, Reag?� he asked her. �N-Nothing, I�m just getting kind of cold, that�s all,� she answered, flustered. He nodded, sitting up. They skated together for a little while longer, talking and joking. The time to leave soon came and they walked off the ice, removed their skates, and headed to Chase�s truck. He unlocked her door first and walked around to his side. She got in and smiled as the familiar aroma of his vehicle swept over her. �Have fun?� he asked. �Of course,� she answered. That was her answer every time without fail. She never had a bad time with Chase and he could always tell. Even though it was her only answer, he always knew she meant it. �Glad to hear it,� he said, smiling at her. �What was wrong tonight?� She looked away and pretended not to know what he was talking about. �What do you mean?� �Come on, Reag,� he said, turning down his radio. �You know what I mean.� That kiss, she thought. �That kiss,� he answered. She smiled meekly to herself. �You know what I�m talking about. What going on? The way you were kissing me it certainly didn�t feel like anything was wrong. What changed your mind?� �Well I was c-� �Before you say it, you were not cold. If you had been so cold you would have gotten up sooner. You forget how well I know you, Reag. What was on your mind?� She sighed and looked out the window. �Everything came back to me when the kiss got heated,� she answered sheepishly. He shook his head in bewilderment. �I swear, Regan, you are a piece of work.� She snapped her head over to look at him. �What was that supposed to mean?� she growled defensively. �It meant�� he said, noticing that he�d said the wrong thing, �nothing bad.� She nodded in approval and turned to look back out the window. �All I meant was that you are stubborn when you want to be. You have this mental cluster going on and you let it get in the way of everything. I mean, you have tons of friends around who want to hear about it and help you out, but you close up. You never say anything to anyone and then when something confuses you, you back off. It�s weird.� Regan could feel hot tears meet her eyes. �Well, I�m sorry.� �Don�t apologize, Reag. That�s how you are.� �I�m sorry.� �Dammit, Regan!� he yelled at her, looking at her for a split second. �I said don�t!� �Well then why are you reprimanding me for having a lot on my mind? I�m sorry about that, okay! It�s nothing I can control!� she snapped at him. �Reag, I am in no way trying to scold you! I am simply making a statement about the way you are,� he explained. �Well, then you could have said it like that.� �Well, I didn�t.� �No, you didn�t.� �Sorry.� �Fine.� Regan immediately turned her head away from him, put her hand on her chin and began to cry. Hot tears poured down her cheeks and she felt completely useless. Fighting with Chase was the worst feeling in the world, and it usually didn�t take long for them to make up. Chase noticed she was crying and sighed guiltily. He shouldn�t have said anything. Over the past seven and a half months, Regan and Chase had been on again off again. They had been friends since eighth grade, but two years into high school their relationship started to change. After playing a game of cat and mouse for a few months, they became boyfriend and girlfriend, and were for little over three months. They loved being together and decided to continue dating. They remained the best of friends. �Reag?� �Yeah?� she asked, sniffling a couple of times. He closed his eyes painfully. �Look, I shouldn�t have said what I said and I�m sorry.� She turned to look at him after wiping her eyes. �I�m sorry for getting defensive,� she whispered. �Don�t be. If I didn�t say that, you wouldn�t have gotten defensive.� She let it lie there. If she challenged him any further, he would find a way to make it his fault instead of hers. It was an endless battle, and one she had never and would never win. �Will you still be my date?� he asked with a pout. She looked at his face and had to laugh. He could be so unbelievably adorable at times that she just wanted to throw herself at him. �Of course,� she said, leaning over and kissing his cheek. �Good,� he stated, and the rest of the ride back they talked casually about prom. |
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