CHASE

"Time heals all wounds.

The darkness around is shattered.

Time created a crack in the darkness,

To let a little light in.

The light got brighter,

Darkness was destroyed.

The light always wins."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 6

After going through a bad past, I have learned something - sometimes, its fine to tell the world that you are lost. It's fine to open up to your friends. Its fine to tell your family how broken you are. It's fine to share some poignant quotes online.

Its fine to cry for a while and go on with life because what any other choice do we have left? Its fine to go up to the mountains or plunge yourself onto a beach and swim your heart out. It is okay to have some diversions in life, to try new things, to experiment on life, to cut some bridges or to go out alone.

It's really fine to feel lost because in those moments, you will have the chance to rediscover yourself, to contemplate on things and have a more meaningful outlook in life. These are the moments when you will get to know who you really are. You will get to know who will insistently knock on your door and talk to you.

In the end, you come out much stronger than before.

I have realized that in the midst of doubt, life is still worth living no matter how hard it gets. People make mistakes but that isn't a reason to end your life. I am not perfect and I will never be, I admit. I have done many things to hurt the people in my life but I am trying my best to be a better me.

It is ten in the morning and I am here in my room, getting dressed for my engagement with my lovely to-be-fiancée, Ashley. Note the sarcasm.

My mom and dad told me to dress in a formal attire, as mentioned to them by 'The' Rebecca Benjamin, Ashley's mom. I put on a black shirt and black trousers. Then I put on my red tie and carry the blazer in my hand. I gelled my hair towards the side making it look a bit more appropriate for the occasion.

I had to clean up my room yesterday and make a little space in my closet for Ashley, since she and I will be sharing the same room starting since today. We are not rich like them so yeah we just have three room in our apartment, yes Apartment. My room is at the end of the hallway which also is directly in front of our kitchen.

I make my way towards the living room to see mom, dad and Jo already ready to leave.

"You ready to go son?" dad asks.

"As ready as I will ever be." I say with disgust.

"Everything happens for the better." mom says.

"As if." I just roll my eyes and we start to come out of the apartment. I pick Jo up in my arms and carry her with me down to the basement as mom and dad follow behind after locking the door. We both joke around and she keeps giggling at the funny faces I make at her.

All the way to the Benjamin Corporation's head office, we make small talk and Jo keeps teasing me telling me that maybe Ashley will be the girl whom I will marry and have kids with.

This kid is way too delusional.

After a twenty minute drive, we arrive at the office and make our way inside the main door only to see Rebecca standing there with a bouquet of flowers. She has a sweet smile on her face which made her look younger. She is a good looking woman, maybe in her late thirties.

She is wearing a black pencil skirt and white shirt that has been securely tucked inside the skirt. She is much smaller than me in height, even shorter than Ashley. As I study her personality, I notice someone come and wave their hands in front of me offering me a handshake.

I raise my head to see, Axel Benjamin, Ashley's dad standing in front of me waiting for me to shake his hand. I do as expected and wish him good morning and he returns it back with a nod of his head. The parents talk about business ventures and so I follow behind them with Jo slightly snoring on my shoulders.

I follow their lead and we get inside the elevators. "So, Chase how is life?" Axel asked.

I snorted in my mind "As if he is really interested!"

"Everything's good." I reply and give him one spare glance. The conversation ceases as the elevator door opens with a DING. As soon as I am out of the elevator, I see Ashley standing in front of me in a yellow sundress that hugs all her curves perfectly. There's a black belt on her waist that makes her look a lot more feminine.

She has applied minimal makeup and for the first time I am dumbstruck on seeing a girl.

Damn, this girl is beautiful!

I did not know that she could actually go a day without makeup. She looks hideous in that caked up face like she is colouring book. But right now, she looks breathtakingly pretty; no girl has had this effect on me - at least not this reaction is acceptable for me.

I don't realise that I am shamelessly gawking at her, until Jade comes behind her and holds her by the waist and coughs. But, what makes me confused is the way Ashley tenses up at his touch. Isn't she supposed to be felling safe in her brother's arms?

Now that I think, I have never seen both of them ever have a sibling time at school or anywhere else. If someone looked closely, one could tell that Ashley was feeling awkward as Jade kept standing beside her and stared intently at her.

Why, Awkward?

I feel Jo stir in her sleep and realise that she is waking up. She rubs her eyes with her tiny hands and looks around the room innocently, still half asleep.

"Where are we Chase?" she asks.

"We are here." I say and she nods.

She looks over at Ashley and squeaks. "Are you Ashley?" she asks.

Ashley smiles a beautiful smile showing off her perfect white teeth and nods her head while saying, "Yes, pretty girl." Jo just blushes because this is the first time that someone, not from the family, has called her pretty.

"What is your name?" she asks.

"Joanna, but you can call me Jo." Well, that was a first. She never lets strangers call her Jo.

As soon as Ashley opens her mouth to speak again, she is cut off by my mom who is calling the three of us over inside the conference room. We go inside and see my dad and Axel sitting side by side with some papers in front of them. And soon they shake hands and sign the papers.

And all too immediately, I and Ashley are exchanging our engagement rings and signing the papers. Our families, except for us two, are happy. We both just stand there looking at them celebrating. Suddenly, Jo comes from behind and tugs at Ashley's dress.

Ashley bends down to her level, picks her up and places her on her hip. Jo's smile widens and she starts giggling. Ashley in return pinches Jo's nose and says "So cute." This makes Jo turn as red as a fire truck. I don't know why but for the first time I have ever smiled after looking at Ashley.

"Okay children, it's time to get going." Rebecca says clapping her hands excitedly. Ashley lets out a slight sigh, which was not meant to be heard but I heard it anyway. She goes into some room besides the one we were in, and gets just one duffel bag and her school bag with her.

"Is this only what you are bringing?" mom asks the same question that I wanted to, with a tone of surprise in her voice. Who wouldn't be, after all Ashley's parents are rich - she should be that snotty, bitchy girl that loves to shop for new clothes every week and who has three to four bags just of clothes.

Isn't that how she acts at school?

"Is it too much?" Ashley says in a panicked voice.

"No, absolutely not. I was just a....uhhh.....little ...s...surprised." mom says.

"Fine its settled then folks. Ashley stays with you for a year, and exactly after a year passes, on this same day the agreement expires." Axel says.

After a little session of formal goodbyes, we finally are able to leave. We get down to the parking lot and I turn around only to see Ashley walking too slow for my liking and lagging behind.

"Walk faster princess. Not every time Daddy Dearest will get things done for you." Her head snaps towards me and I see hurt and anger flare through her eyes before going back to normal.

"Just shut the f**k up, Chase. You don't know what you are talking about." She says this with so much venom and hatred in her voice that I flinch back. I start to feel bad for saying those things but before I can say anything she passes by me, directly towards the car, places her bag in the truck and gets into the backseat.

I couldn't help but look at her a*s as she passed by me - the way she swayed her hips a little while walking; the way her hair flew around and the way she had a perfect bounce in her steps. I couldn't help but notice her curvy figure and those luscious pink, chapped lips earlier while giving her the ring.

What I am a guy!

Why do I feel that what Jo said earlier, would just prove to be true?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And she died on the verge of expectation of her angels wanting her to save the world when all she wanted was to be the survivor of her broken heart."