Heartbreak Hotel

 

Part Two

 

ChapterNineteen

 

When I wake up I’m automatically looking around my room for Chase. He’s been staying in my room ever since the Demetri incident, which seems so, so far away now. It’s only been a few weeks, maybe a month, okay maybe two, but it feels like so much longer.

It might as well have been ten years.

Okay, maybe not that long. Nine years, then.

And don’t go getting all “he’s been staying where?” on me, because it’s been totally innocent. I promise. Like, really innocent. He’s been sleeping in a bed that is in a room that is sort of…adjoined to my bedroom. Except there is no connecting door for our rooms, it’s just an empty wall. So really, it’s a bedroom inside of a bedroom. And his bed, let me tell you, is on the opposite side of the very large room which is my bedroom.

And we’ve been complete saints. Chase is always a gentleman, letting me change when he’s not in the room, not sneaking over in the middle of the night to my bed. Like I said: saintly.

It’s making me wonder if he’s even attracted to me. I mean, obviously I’m not going to let him sleep with me, but to know that he at least wanted to would have been nice for my ego.

So, I wake up today and look around reflexively for Chase. When I see his empty bed across the room I frown and get up, giving a big yawn as I go.

After brushing my pearly whites and my s-wavey hair, I quickly change clothes (I had made a quick trip to my…parents’ house to grab some things. Margaret and Logan are handling all of the details, selling the house, the wills, and much more. It’s been too much for me to handle.)

I walk into the kitchen, thinking it’s empty, but find Chase staring out of the window over the sink.

“Morning,” I say, to which I receive this as a response: silence. Great.

Chase doesn’t answer me but instead continues staring out of the window like it holds the answers to life’s greatest mysteries. Like is the Blair Witch Project even a scary movie, or am I crazy for thinking it is?

I walk up to Chase cautiously. “Whatcha looking at?” I ask, standing beside him, looking out the window as well. All I see is a lake and a forest.

Chase still doesn’t say anything, so after a quick look around the kitchen to see if anyone else is around, I turn my attention back on Chase. I take a step closer to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his collarbone. This outta wake him up.

Chase reaches up and untangles my hands from around his neck.

“Not now, Skye.” He says distractedly. I pull back, offended, and take a step away from him.

“He talks.” I mutter sarcastically. Right then, Elena walks into the room. I’ve been distancing myself from her as best I can for the last couple of months. Mostly due to the fact that, admittedly, she’s quite pretty (in a skanky platinum blonde kind of way) and she seems to have become rather fond with all of the brothers on a romantic level. Mostly, let me say, Chase.

So when she walks into the kitchen all smiles and gobs (literally) of makeup, and stalks up to Chase, planting a wet kiss on his cheek (very, very close to his mouth) I can’t help but to feel a little…pissed.

“Morning!” She says to Chase cheerily, walking over to the coffee pot and pouring herself some.  Yes, it is the coffee I just made. The same coffee she just finished off.

I look at Chase like I’m waiting for an explanation, which I totally am, but receive none.

Whatever, then. Let him be grumpy. And let Elena be a hoe. See if I care.

Okay, I do care. A lot. That’s the problem.

I walk out of the kitchen, and start to walk back to my room but I bump into something. Sorry, someone.

“Hey, Brody.” I say, looking up into his chocolaty eyes. He grins at me—the big brother I never had.

“What’s wrong?” He asks me, looking at me with concern. Well, Brody’s version of concern.

“Elena. But it’s fine, don’t worry about it.” I say, trying a smile. “What’s wrong with Chase, by the way?”

Brody itches his nose, the way he does when he’s about to lie. “He’s not feeling well.”

I roll my eyes. “You all suck.” I say, jokingly, and walk away. Brody catches my arm.

“I want him to tell you, not me. He will at some point.” Brody says, and I can see the same distant, sad look in Brody’s eyes that Chase had.

“Yeah, okay.” I say with a sigh. Brody smiles suddenly.

“Let’s go make breakfast.” He suggests, walking towards the kitchen. I fall into step beside him.

“And by that you mean, ‘will you please make me breakfast, Skye?’” I say, grinning.

Brody laughs. “Would you?”

I swear to the Lord, these guys are incapable of making food. Brody is, at least. Chase can actually cook.

I’m still grinning when I walk into the kitchen with Brody—and what I see makes the smile slowly slip right off my face.

I stare in horror at Elena, who is wrapped around Chase and making out with him quite enthusiastically.

My automatic reaction is to scream—and then cry. I do neither. Instead, I cough.

Elena pulls herself away from Chase long enough to glance over at me and Brody. Brody is trying to push me out the door, so I don’t have to see that hoe-bag pressed against the guy that I’m pretty sure I’m in love with, but I don’t move. I can’t move.

Chase looks gorgeous of course, but he pales when he sees me. I bite my tongue to keep from crying.

“Cute couple.” I say dryly, before turning on my heel and walking straight out of the kitchen. I walk directly into my bedroom, grab a suitcase and stuff my belongings into it as quick as I can. I close my eyes for a second, take a breath and fight the tears that threaten to pour out of my eyes, and then open my eyes, zipping close my suitcase.

I walk out of my room, and through the winding hallways, before reaching the front door. I open it, not thinking about anything—making my mind go blank—and storm out of the Davenport house.

I’m staring at the pretty lake when I realize something: I have no car.

And I cannot walk anywhere. Partially because these are not walking shoes. But they are cute.

And mostly because I have nowhere to go to.

When that realization hits home, I feel my knees weaken. I wobble over to a large rock—it’s more of a boulder, really—and sit down with a thump.

I don’t even realize I’m crying until I feel tears dripping onto my arm. I wipe them away angrily, picking up a small rock and throwing it at the lake.

I hear somebody walk up beside me, but I don’t turn to see who it is.

“I’m sorry.” I hear from a deep, silky voice. Chase. Of course. I pick up another rock and throw it with all of my force into the lake.

“Screw you.” I say, not looking at Chase. I know if I do, I’m a goner. I hear him sigh.

“Skye, look at me.” He says, his voice strained. I debate whether or not to turn my head, and then decide what the hell, and look at him.

He looks beautiful, like he always does, but he also looks…terrible. Tired, sick, worn, all of the above. His hair is rumpled, his eyes are bloodshot, and his face is unshaven.

I ask before I can stop myself, “What’s wrong?”

Not that I care, of course. The cheating jerk.

“The same thing that’s wrong with Logan and Brody. We’re worried about you.” Chase says, his eyes sad.

“Why would you be worried about me?” I ask, confused. I pick up another rock, debate throwing it.

“Because we care about you.” Chase says, sighing. He pauses before continuing. “It hurts me to see you like this, Skye. And I can’t help you—I don’t know how to help you. It’s killing me.”

Chase takes a few steps closer to me. I freeze and look away from him.

“Wait, what do you mean “see me like this?” I’m fine.” I say, frowning. At least I’m trying to be fine. I try not to let it show that I’m hurting every day, every minute.

“Don’t give me that.” Chase says, looking frustrated.

“What?”

“Those lies. I don’t want to hear them.”

“I’m not lying.” I say, defensively. Even though we both know that I am. Chase sighs.

“You are not okay, Skye. I’ve never seen somebody less okay.”   

“I said I’m fine.” I state angrily, turning to face Chase. He looks so sad. I wish he wouldn’t be sad.

“Somebody who is fine wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night sobbing. Somebody who is fine wouldn’t refuse to eat, or leave the house. Somebody who is fine wouldn’t—“

I interrupt Chase. “I get the picture.” I snap. “And you—you lying, selfish jerk—shouldn’t even care if I’m miserable! You shouldn’t care at all! So why do you?!” I yell, poking a finger at his chest.

Chase doesn’t say anything so I continue. “You’re preaching about my wellbeing, and for what? You don’t care! You never cared! You should be in there flirting with your new play thing, using her like you used me! So why would you care if I cry every night because I miss my parents? Why would you care if I can’t eat because everything I do reminds me of them, and it hurts? Why would you care if—“

“Because I love you, d****t!” Chase yells, interrupting me. He grabs the hand that I had been using to poke him in the chest. His brilliant blue eyes are blazing. “Because when you hurt, I hurt. And I can’t keep pretending that it’s easy to see you like this. Like your whole life is over, and you’re fine with that. I can’t keep watching you die right in front of me. And, for God’s sake Skye, I can’t give you more than my heart. I don’t know what else to do.” He says, sighing. I stare at him, dumbfounded, at a loss for words (for the first time in like, ever).

Finally I find my voice. “Don’t lie to me.” I tell him quietly. I feel my eyes fill with tears, but I blink them away.

“Everything I’ve said to you has been the truth.” Chase says, frustrated.

“Somebody that loved me wouldn’t make out with another girl now, would they?” I ask, my voice still surprisingly calm and quiet. Chase grinds his teeth.

“Skye, I would never hurt you—I would never cheat on you. You need to believe that.” He says, quite convincingly.

I look at the lake. “I always told myself that I’d never take back a guy that cheated on me.” I start.

“I didn’t—“

“Let me finish, Chase. I don’t want to…to be in a relationship with you anymore. I can’t. I’m sick of being hurt.” I say, still not looking at Chase.

“Don’t do this,” he says, his voice soft. I choke back tears.

“I gave my heart to you.” I say as the tears win out and pour from my eyes. “Congratulations Chase, you’re the first guy to break it.”

I wipe away tears and reach down to pick up my messily packed suitcase.

“Where are you going?” Chase asks me, his eyes hurt, confused, sad. I bite my lip as more tears pour out of my eyes.

“I don’t know. Anywhere but here.” I say, walking straight past Chase. He grabs my arm to stop me.

“Don’t leave, Skye. I’ll leave if you want me to. But please, at least stay with my brothers where it’s safe.”

I give a humorless laugh. “Oh, right. The Company’s still after for me.”

Chase nods.

I shrug. “As far as I’m concerned, they can have me.”

And with that, I turn on my heel, doing the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and walk away from Chase. I walk down the road that is their driveway, along a side road, and then keep walking. I walk until there are blisters on my feet, and I’m sure that I can’t walk any farther. I reach a small town that I’ve never been to before and see a blinking Open sign in what looks to be a bed and breakfast. I open my wallet as I walk through the door, taking out my “Emergency Only Credit Card”.

“Hello, dear. How can I help you?” A sweet old woman asks me from behind a wooden desk.

I smile weakly at her as I check in. Hello, Heartbreak Hotel. Party of one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Rusty]

Something big must be around the corner....like it

[Anya]

i have tears in my eyes..... oh gosh.... oh no... this is terrible :(
poor Skye... poor Chase