Avoidance Read online

  “Have fun, you two!” Shelly called.

  I tossed my phone onto the floor while he took his kisses lower.

  Chase’s phone began to buzz on the nightstand.

  “Ignore it,” he ordered, sliding off my thong with my pajama shorts in one swift pull. “I’ve been wanting to do this since I saw you sitting at the bar last night.”

  I leaned over to see who was calling him. “Chase, it’s your mom. We can’t ignore it.”

  “Sure we can.” His kisses made a trail starting from my ankle, and continued to my knee.

  I swiped his phone and answered. “Hello?”

  “Merry!” the tiny human voice squealed into my ear.

  Chase’s shoulders slumped as he exhaled in defeat. He knew he was no match for his sister on the other side of the phone.

  “Hi, my angel girl! How are you?”

  “I’m good. I miss you and Chase. When are you coming back?”

  Chase and I exchanged smiles. “Not for a while, but we miss you so much!”

  “Mommy, it’s Merry!” she shouted.

  Beverly took the phone. “Hi Merritt. How’s everything going? Did we wake you?”

  “No, we were up. Chase was just about to call you to tell you about last night.”

  He took the phone from me, shooting me a dirty look. “Hi, mom.”

  I went to get off the bed, but was stopped by a large hand. He gently but firmly pushed me back down, smirking at me while he continued his phone conversation. Holding the phone in between his ear and his shoulder, he tugged on my tank top until it was over my head. His hands began traveling over every inch of my bare skin.

  “It went great. I have a meeting with him later.”

  I took his hand and placed it between my legs, slipping my other hand inside of his boxers. I watched him close his eyes and let out a silent breath.

  “Okay, mom. I’ll call you after.” He was breathing harder as I worked my hand in his boxers. “I promise, I won’t sign anything without reading it. Okay, okay. I love you, too. Okay, mom. Bye.”

  I giggled as he set his phone onto his nightstand.

  “No more phone calls,” he ordered.

  Hours later, Chase finally crawled out of bed to leave for his meeting. We had been spending a lot of time under the covers together, and I was more than enjoying it. Once his new California life officially started, I knew I would be spending much of my time alone. I would miss our physical closeness, and wondered if our emotional bond would be affected by it. I did not yet know what exactly I was in for.

  Brooke texted to see if I was interested in going shopping with her. Thankful for a distraction from my thoughts, I agreed to meet her. I knew it was important to make the effort, and to make new friends. I rolled out of bed, took a quick shower, and threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

  I waved to Brooke as I approached her at the storefront. She was dressed to the nines, which I was not prepared for.

  “How do you think it’s going for the boys?” she asked, sliding her expensive looking sunglasses to the top of her head.

  “Hopefully, they’re hearing good news. I’m just nervous about what the paperwork might say.”

  She swung open the door for me. “I know. It’s like selling your soul to the industry.”

  I walked into the boutique, and was greeted by yet another slender blonde. “Hi, welcome to Teal. Would you like a wheatgrass shot, or a glass of our hibiscus water?”

  I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing. “No, thanks.”

  “We’ll take two wheatgrass shots,” Brooke answered. “You have to try it. It’s hella fresh.”

  “Thanks,” I said, reluctantly taking the bright green glass. I took a sip, and my face immediately contorted into disgust. I turned around and dribbled that sip back into the glass. I tried to play it cool, but began coughing. “This tastes like lawn clippings!” I whispered to Brooke.

  She giggled. “But it’s healthy for you!”

  “I’m healthy enough.” I set the glass down on a jewelry display table.

  “Thanks for meeting me here.” She thumbed through the rack of dresses next to us. “If our boys are getting a record deal, we need to step up our wardrobes!”

  I tried to envision what a step up from her already chic wardrobe would look like. Discreetly, I checked the price tag dangling from the sleeve of the nearest blouse. “My wallet is telling me to step down.”

  Brooke giggled again. “You’re funny. So, what’s your story?”

  “My story?” I pretended to scan the next rack of clothes. “It’s not a very interesting one.”

  “What’s it like in New York?”

  “You’ve never been?” I asked.

  “No. I’ve never seen snow before!”

  “You’re not missing much, trust me. It’s cold, the mounds take forever to melt, people fight over parking spots, and it’s a pain in the ass to shovel.”

  “Don’t you have, like, people to shovel for you?”

  I raised an eyebrow at her. “Like who?”

  “I don’t know, like, your parents? Did you live with your mom and dad?”

  I shook my head. “Both of my parents are dead.”

  Her blue eyes widened. “Oh my God. I am so sorry, Merritt. I had no idea.”

  “Don’t be.” I picked up a yellow satin tank top. “You should try this on. It will really make your eyes stand out.”

  “You think?” She held the hanger up to her chest and looked in the mirror. “Excuse me,” she called to the worker. I cringed as she snapped her fingers.

  “How may I help you?”

  “Can you start a room for us?” Brooke asked, handing her the yellow shirt without looking up from the rack of clothes.

  “Of course.”

  “Thank you,” I called after her.

  “You should try this one. You have an awesome body.” Brooke handed me something red on a hanger.

  I held it up. “What is this supposed to be?”

  “It’s a skirt, silly.”

  “I have scrunchies bigger than this.”

  She laughed. “You are seriously hella funny.”

  I placed it back on the rack. “I can’t wear this.”

  “Dude, you have a great ass. Show it off!”

  I looked around the store to see who else heard Brooke’s exclamation about my rear end. “Well, I can show it off in something else.”

  We spent the rest of the hour trying on different outfits. I actually didn’t mind Brooke’s company. It was better than sitting in the apartment by myself, and she slightly reminded me of Shelly with her bubbly personality. I checked my phone for the tenth time, and heaved a sigh.

  “Nothing on my end, either,” Brooke confirmed.

  “I think I’ve shopped until I’m about to drop.”

  “Are you going to buy anything?”

  I sorted through the clothes hanging in my dressing room, most of which Brooke insisted I try on, and did the mental math. I picked up a pale pink dress, and an army green tank top. “Ready.”

  “You have to wear that dress on Valentine’s Day. Chase will just die.”

  “We don’t have any plans for Valentine’s Day. I don’t think Chase even realizes it is in two days.”

  Brooke wore a telling smirk as we walked towards the registers. “That’s not what I heard.”

  “What do you mean? What did you hear?”

  “Oh, nothing.” She dumped all of her clothes onto the counter. “Hers, too,” she said to the cashier.

  “No,” I warned. “You are not going to pay for my clothes.”

  “Consider it my welcoming present to you.”

  “Really, you don’t have to do that.”

  She pried my fingers off of the hangers, and set them down on top of her pile, winking at the cashier. “Okay, so, you have to act surprised when Chase tells you where he’s taking you on Thursday.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “How do you know this?”

  “He and Phil
were talking during their million hour jam sesh yesterday. It’s, like, the nicest restaurant in LA. Phil took me there for our one-year anniversary.”

  I chewed my lip, wondering where he was getting all this money from. First the expensive hotel, now an expensive restaurant.

  “Let him do something special for you.” She handed the cashier her credit card. “Nothing wrong with that.”

  My phone began to buzz in my back pocket, and I almost dropped it as I rushed to answer. “Hey, how did it go?”

  “Where are you? I just walked in.” Chase was out of breath from the stairs.

  “I’ll be home in five. Brooke and I are leaving Teal now.”

  “Teal?” he asked, sounding amused.

  “Oh, I’ll tell you all about it when I see you.”

  He chuckled. “Okay. Hurry up.”

  “Phil just texted me.” Brooke excitedly held up her phone as I hung up. “Here, this bag is yours.”

  “Thanks so much, Brooke.” I gave her arm a squeeze. “I really appreciate it.”

  “Any time. I had fun today.”

  “Me, too.”

  I walked down the busy block as quickly as I could, and went up the stairs by twos when I got to the apartment. I burst through the door at the top, panting and searching for Chase.

  “Where have you been all my life?” He waltzed out of the bedroom and picked me up, twirling me around in the middle of the living room.

  “Spill! I want to hear everything.”

  He landed on the couch, pulling me on top of him. “Mr. Suit and Tie’s name is George. He got straight to business as soon as we sat down in his office. He told us that we’re good, but we need to build a name for ourselves.”

  “The place was packed out last night. What more does he want?”

  “He wants to start promoting the nights we play. He said there should be a line to get in – that’s how packed he wants it.”

  “Okay. That’s reasonable. What else?”

  “He said our band needs a name.”

  “Oh, that’s hard. I always wondered how musicians settled on a band name. It could be anything!”

  “Want to hear what we came up with?”

  “You came up with it already?”

  “It’s called: Saving Merritt.”

  My jaw dropped. “Are you joking?”

  He smiled. “I’m serious. George liked the play on words with your name.”

  “And the rest of the guys were okay with this?”

  “They loved it. They said it’s unique.” He touched my face. “Like you.”

  “How did you come up with something like that on the spot?”

  “It wasn’t on the spot, actually. I’ve had that name in my head for quite some time.”

  I raised my eyebrows, still in disbelief. “How long?”

  “Before your mom left, I remember you as this happy-go-lucky girl, always smiling and laughing with Shelly. You were smart, and kind; you stuck up for any of the kids who got teased. I was always in awe of you. You were this force, drawing me in. Then your mom left… and you looked so sad. I would see you in the halls, or at lunch, and my heart broke for you. That vibrant girl’s eyes turned dark; it was like your mom took your light with her when she left. I wanted to talk to you; I wanted to make you smile again – to stop your pain – but what could I have said? Everything I thought of just sounded dumb, at the time.

  When you left the night of your dad’s funeral, I felt like something was pulling me after you. Everything suddenly made sense as I raced after you in my car. That was the moment… that’s when I knew why I had to leave California – why my dad had to get cancer – because I had to be there to save you. You were the one for me, and I was the one who could pull you out of your nightmare.” He lowered his head. “I have always wanted to save you. My only regret is that I couldn’t get you out of the car that night. When it finally came time for me to save you, I couldn’t actually do it.”

  I took his face into my hands to make sure he looked directly into my eyes as I spoke. “You are the reason that I was pulled out of that car. If you didn’t follow me, I would have died. Chase, you did save me – and not only from that accident. From the moment our heads collided in the cafeteria that day, you brought the light back into my life. I was lost in the darkness, and I didn’t know how to get out. You smiled at me, and the light came back.”

  He tucked a curl behind my ear. “I feel like you have crept back towards that darkness ever since your mom came back. Sometimes, I lose you in that mind of yours. I can’t tell what you’re thinking, or how you are truly feeling.”

  Looking into his eyes, I could not deny it. I felt ashamed that I had somehow allowed him to see what was really going on inside my head. “I just want to forget that she even exists, and I’ll be fine.”

  “You can’t keep things bottled up inside, pretending that everything is fine.”

  “I’m not pretending. Did my mother throw me for a loop? Yes. Is it going to ruin my whole life? No. I really am okay.”

  Chase held his pinky up. “Promise me that you’ll talk to me if and when you need to.”

  I locked my pinky around his. “Promise.”

  The rest of daylight was spent in bed together. We only agreed to get out when our stomachs began to growl for dinner. We trialed one of the many food trucks outside of the apartment, and freshened up for our night at the bar. At nine o’clock, we perched ourselves on stools in front of Dave.

  “You have the night off?” he asked Chase.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “He’s playing tomorrow night,” I explained. “And probably every night after that.”

  “Looks like you’ll be my Valentine then,” Dave said.

  “I’ll only share her with you while I’m on that stage, buddy.” Chase winked.

  “He’s taking me out for dinner,” I bragged. “Then, I’ll be all yours after that.”

  “Where are you taking your lovely lady?”

  “The Spanish restaurant down the road.” Chase motioned to the right with his thumb.

  Dave’s eyebrows shot up. “Whoa, big spender. The food’s fantastic. You’re going to love it.” He placed a Malibu Bay Breeze in front of me, and handed Chase his beer.

  “Thanks. Cheers, babe.”

  I clinked my glass against Chase’s bottle.

  He took a swig, and wiggled his eyebrows at me. “I hope you put your dancing shoes on.”

  “He dances, too?” Dave asked. “Is there anything this man cannot do?”

  “If I find anything, I’ll let you know.” I kissed Chase’s cheek proudly. “So, you don’t have anybody special to spend Valentine’s Day with?”

  Dave shook his head. “Nope. I’m done with dating.”

  “Who broke your heart?” Chase asked.

  “Oh, look. I have customers.” Dave grinned while he waltzed away.

  I laughed. “Looks like I’m not the only one who avoids talking about things.”

  “You’re a real pair,” Chase smirked. “Come on, let’s go.”

  I took hold of my cocktail as he pulled me onto the dance floor. The DJ was playing a mixture of new and old dance songs. The bar was crowded, but not packed like it was when Chase had performed. By the second round of drinks, we were goofing off and pulling out all the moves between the Sprinkler and the Running Man, until we were doubled over with laughter.

  We remained on the dance floor throughout the night, only stopping when we needed refills. I lost count of how many glasses I had downed.

  “Do you remember the last time we danced together?” I shouted over the music.

  “Yeah. You were about to kiss me when that girl spilled her drink on you and ruined everything.”

  I giggled, remembering how drunk he was the night of the Halloween party last year. “And now, you can kiss me whenever you want.”

  He drew me closer, his left hand sinking into the back pocket of my shorts, as his right hand held my chin. “I want to kiss you for
the rest of my life.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  I stretched up onto my toes to meet his lips with mine. I had to grip the back of his neck with both hands to steady myself. The room was starting to spin, and it wasn’t solely due to Chase’s kiss. My face felt numb, and my legs felt wobbly. For the first time since arriving in California, I did not care who was looking at me, or what anyone was thinking. I was enjoying the moment, feeling carefree. More importantly, thoughts of my mom, my dad, Chase’s dad, and Khloe’s sad face seemed so far away.

  It was an exhilarating feeling, and I wanted it to stay.

  Chapter Five: The Tremor

  “Is it too much?” I asked, pulling at the hemline of the pale pink dress that Brooke insisted on buying me.

  An open-mouthed Chase stood in the living room, staring at me as I exited the bathroom. His wide eyes traveled down the plunging halter neckline of the form-fitting velvet dress, down my bare legs to the silver strappy heels, and back up again. I took this time to appreciate his attire: a navy button-down tucked into grey slacks, with a matching grey tie. His rolled up sleeves accentuated the muscles in his forearms. I noted the small pink gift bag that was dangling from his right hand; I had a similarly sized red bag dangling from mine.

  “Wow. You look… stunningly beautiful. I don’t have the right words to do you justice.”

  “I’ll take stunningly beautiful any day of the week.” I looked around the room. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.”

  “You don’t need a jacket. It’s warm outside, remember?”

  “The weather really is perfect here. I’m used to being wrapped up in jackets and scarves.”

  He gestured dramatically to the staircase. “After you, my lady.”

  We held hands as we walked down Broadway to the restaurant. The sun was setting, leaving the sky a beautiful mixture of pink and orange swirls. I was happy to be spending this time with Chase. Once he became property of the record label, I did not know how often we would see each other. It would give me a lot of free time to figure out where I was going with my life. I could not get Jake’s words out of my head from the bar the other night: “How come you’re not off chasing your own dreams?” Jake the douchebag may have been brazen, but he was right.