Chase's POV
"There's no reason to pull that stunt you did." I said to Kayla as we stepped into the car.
It was already a few hours till dw. The city was a lot quieter than it used to be. My eyes were heavy, and all I wanted so badly was to rest, but that would take another few days.
"I didn't think we were gonna be addressing this here." He said and looked out.
"Kayla, I really didn't mean to embarrass you, I just need Chris to know that we aren't a thing." I stressed.
"I think most of the time, it's just you trying to convince yourself." Kayla was so mad, she looked straight out of the other window and gave at least a minute before responding.
"It just would've made sense if you told me about all of them. They're pretty nice guys and I know we'd make a good science club. ." I reiterated.
"Chase, I agree." It's the first time she looked at me. "It's just, sometimes, you make it seem so bad a thing to even be mistaken as yours."
"Kayla," I took her hands that were already warming up, "I'm not gonna deny you being there for me. But one thing I've also never hidden for you is that I have an ex I'm stuck on." I squeezed her hand a little too hard from the pain in my heart, and she winced before snatching them out of my grip.
The driver kept sending us curious glances through the mirror, but I guess he must be used to stuff like those, cause he didn't look shaken at all. It's to be expected since he drives at such odd times near the Harvard campus.
"Kayla, believe me when I say sometimes it tugs at me so much, life doesn't seem worth it anymore. I was too fucking dependent on her." I continued.
"Maybe what you need is closure." She said,
"Emma made her mind up." I replied stubbornly. "Requesting closure is just asking for some confirmation that she'd hit a guy who treats her better than I did, and that she's ever gonna return to a sorry loser like me." I wish I had some booze closer to me.
"That's not always how it works." She replied. "Chris and I were together for just two weeks, you saw how mad he was.".
"What were y'all like?" I asked her, I wanted to get my mind off Emma and me.
"We literally just fucked around." She said, "Chris is a spoiled rich kid, has his dads billion dollar company waiting for him to take charge, has literally no respect for women, and treats them like objects. I just couldn't take it anymore." She replied weakly.
I pulled her closer, cause maybe it was my turn to be there for her like she'd been for me. "I'm sorry he's shitty like that. I'm yet to like any of them." I confessed to her.
"They are nice guys." She replied. "We are just troubled one way or the other."
"Mine is just two miles away." I added subconsciously.
"It's crazy that y'all are in the same state, for real." Kayla said, looking out of the window. The streets were deserted, but not completely empty, and we were soon getting to my apartment.
She was gonna be spending the night with me. I felt like I needed a friend.
"It is." I agreed with her.
"Do you think she's gonna be worried about you, as you are, her?" Kayla looked in my eyes as she talked. I didn't like that she was sounding like a voice of reason.
"I can't give an answer to that." I replied, sincerely. "But I hope she is."
"It's the hope that kills." We soon pulled up at my apartment. The ride was supposed to take about ten minutes, but I'd specially requested the detour a bit which meant I'd be paying more.
"You know," I started, engaging her in a discussion as we took the elevator, "I kinda always made myself believe that it was for us that our parents came together."
"Why that?" Kayla asked, finding it a bit weird.
"She'd always had my attention." I started, "My dad said he was cool with it, and I didn't even have to feel some kinda way about it."
"That sure means you guys are going to be together for a long while to come." She said, her voice a bit low. "Do you think it's a good thing?"
"Oh, I'm out of the house now." I explained to her
"Y'all still share parents." She said, like it was new knowledge.
"That I know." I let us both in, and flicked the lights on." It was a bit of a mess. "Pardon my mess." I said.
"I don't mind." She said,
"I feel like you're taking too much shit from me."I said what had been on my mind for a while.
"Why do you feel that way?" She asked.
"Maybe you don't have to take the things you do? Maybe you could scream in my face to fuck off and find someone else who isn't stuck on their ex." I said, truthfully.
"Chase, you're not as fucked up as you wat to make yourself seem. You're going through something, and it's honestly normal that you spend so much time in your head, to the point where you feel you can't sustain any other company." She looked at me. She had very little makeup on, but she still looked so beautiful. "It's normal, Chase, but it's a faux feeling. You are very much capable of what you could always do, you're not more shitty, you're just perfect. It's all in your head. So no, I'm not taking too much shit from you." Kayla's smile was as bright as dawn.
"Are you staying the night?" I asked her, deflecting.
I felt better, but I didn't really want to show.
"If you want me to." I replied to her.
"I'll stay right here then." She said, making herself comfortable on the chair.
"I'll say here, I'll make the bed up for you." She was beginning to look a bit weak and tired, so I got to it right away.
"Hey." I tapped her, waking her up. "Can I lift you?" I asked.
She nodded weakly, so I took her from my couch to the bed.
"Thank you, Chase." She opened her eyes. "I hope I didn't say too much?"
"No, you didn't." I drew back a bit.
"You should seriously consider getting closure. You're a nice guy, and you deserve the best." She said,
"You need so rest, Kayla ." I took her hand off my thigh where she rested them and covered her up with my blanket.