Chapter 2.

“Okay, you enormous beast, how about you cooperate today, yeah?” I say to the truck as I start it up. It’s a twenty minute drive to Kara’s house which means twenty different times I could crash and die in this thing.

Pulling up to a read light, I start to fiddle with the radio and I hear a car pull up next to me. I do not really care until I hear, faintly, “Colleen?” who in the world?

Chase. What a coincidence right?

I roll down the window with a smile and wave. “Hey Chase. What’s up?” he just shrugs and gives the “seeing my brother off from a far” speech. It makes me feel kind of bad that he did not get to say goodbye. A car behind me lays on the horn angrily and I notice it is a green light. I yell a quick, “Ill call you,” and I drive away. He looks a lot different than I remember. The last time I saw him was Drew’s goodbye party a few years ago. He has shaved black hair, piercing blue eyes, and didn’t seem to fit the label “Marine.” His hair has grown in to where it can almost flip. But one thing is for sure, those eyes have no faded one bit. Beautiful.

Pulling into Kara’s driveway, I feel a little bit off. I mean, I did just see my boyfriend off for fifteen months then see his all too beautiful brother riding next to me. it all seems a little unreal.

“Holy…Truck.”

Kara is standing at my window and I laugh. “Tell me about it.”

Our night doesn’t vary from any other time we hang out together; we laugh constantly, we made brownies, talked about seeing off Drew, the encounter with his brother, and her boy problems; nothing new and exciting. Kara is slightly shorter than me with pin straight blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. It seems as every person I associate with has these amazing blue or green eyes and then there is me; poop brown. I giggle to myself, apparently out loud when Kara snaps her fingers in my face. “Earth to Colleen. Are you listening to a word I said?” of course I was. it was nothing I have not heard before.

I finally get the beast home in one piece and put it in park. I give it an “I win” smirk as I walk to the door of our apartment complex and start to unlock the door. The door is being stubborn when I hear, “Would you like some help?”

I know that voice.

I turn around and there he is; standing against his car, in black jeans and a black cotton shirt to match, starring at me with those blue eyes once again; Chase.

I blush without even noticing it and smile.

“That would be very helpful, thank you.”

He gracefully makes his way past me and to the door. He gets it open with one push and I bite my lip, slightly embarrassed. I loosened it…

“I know, you loosened it…” he said, almost reading my mind. He flashed me a smile, standing only inches from me, but almost a foot taller, and swings the door open.

“Thank you, Chase.” I smile slightly. “Would you like some tea or…coffee?”

I did not think it was time to end the night, just yet.

With a single nod, he was following me up to apartment room number “35” and inside.

“Very…cute.” He almost whispers, mockingly. I roll my eyes playfully and start making some coffee for him and boil some water for me.

“make yourself at home. Do you mind if I go change?”

“of course not.” He says, deeply in thought to a picture of Drew and Me on vacation last summer. I watch him for a second. He seems almost disturbed in a way. His smile never reaches his eyes, but that does not make it any less beautiful. He walks so graceful and his voice is so smooth and seductive. I wonder why I never realized this about him. Its not like I have never met the guy. I suppose I never paid any attention. I slide off my too-tight jeans and my black blouse, replacing it with a pair of black yoga pants and one of Drew’s old “Marine” shirts.

I walk out to find Chase nowhere to be seen. Please tell me I had not imagined him and he was not actually here.

“Chase?”

“Yes?” he says from behind me. I jump almost ten feet in the air and spin around.

“Oh…” I laugh nervously. “What were…”

He looks down, smirking and points. “Bathroom, Col.” He pats my shoulder and sits at the bar in the kitchen. I don’t understand why I am so paranoid. I am just having a cup of coffee with my boyfriend’s brother, who just happens to be very attractive.

I start pouring his coffee and my tea and make my way to the couch. He follows and sits a few inches away from me, taking a sip.

“Let me guess. You drink your coffee,” I say looking him up and down, “black?” I giggle and nods, smiling.

“You are correct, Colleen.” He looks at me now, right in my eyes. I hold my breath. It is so strange; he has never made an effect on me until now. How his eyes seem bluer, his demeanor just seems…sexier. I can not put my finger on it. he is different.

I decide to break the silence. “How are you doing, Chase? It has been quite a while.”

“I have been doing good. Job hunting, wife hunting, house hunting, deer hunting,” he says with a wink. I automatically giggle like a little middle school girl, talking to her crush. The voice inside my head says Andrew, remember him? I shake that off and look down at my tea.

“Any luck?” I say, watching my tea move in the mug as I do.

“Got a job, finally. Found an apartment. And I have plenty of deer.” He smiles.

I notice he left out the wife part. He was twenty five so it makes sense he is ready to settle down. And maturity is not a problem.

“No luck on the wife hunting?” I peak up at him and he is watching me, intently.

“You are blushing, Miss Colleen.” I was? oh s**t. I was. and I am even more now that I am being called out on it. What do I say?

“Sadly no. She will come eventually.” He looks at that picture of Drew and I once more and I feel a knot in my stomach starting to tighten with every single thought I am having.

“I should go,” he says, as he begins to stand. “Thank you very much for the coffee.”

I stand with him and follow him to the door, catching a hint of his cologne. Its strong but inviting. It makes me want to get closer; it makes me want to get to know this man that seems to be more a stranger than I had realized.

“Don’t be shy. You are always welcome,” I say, softly, holding the door open for him.

He nods in agreement and smiles one of those smiles that just barely reach his eyes.

“Sweet dreams, Colleen.” And with that, he was down the stares and already out the door.

I locked the door for the night and sat up all night, just thinking. Wondering every single thing there is to wonder about a man you “just met.” I think about how he commented on my blush and a wave of embarrassment absorbs me. I hadn’t even realized I was doing it. he must of really been watching me.

I turn over and see Drew’s empty side of the bed and Chase is no longer in my thoughts. I then start to wonder where Andrew is, what he is doing, if he is missing me as much as I am missing him. A scoot over and curl up on his side and cocoon myself with the comforter and slowly fall asleep, dreaming of the man I love. And a few appearances of the man I met again.