Chase's hand didn't move from where it laid on my thigh.

And, I didn't want it to. I liked it. In fact, I liked it enough that I was already dreading the moment he pulled it away.

He didn't say anything after I told him I would come back to his house with him. His eyes simply widened, like he wasn't expecting me to accept his offer. He just started driving, only one of his large hands controlling the steering wheel.

Though, my mind was replaying what had just happened. We almost kissed. We would have kissed, if Poppy didn't call him.

But, he didn't answer, did he? He didn't answer, he simply declined the call and acted like the call never happened.

Well, he acted like our almost kiss didn't happen either.

I couldn't read between the lines of Chase's actions. Was it possible that he only felt guilty about answering a phone call after I had just word vomited my grief all over him? Maybe he thought that would be rude of him.

I let out a silent sigh. Silent, because I knew if Chase heard it, he would ask me what was wrong.

Sometimes, I thought about how different Chase was compared to all the boys I've been accustomed to knowing. Evan, especially. Usually, I simply find the difference lies in the fact that Chase is nice. He's a nice guy.

He's a nice guy, it's clear to me. But, is that the reason why he acts the way he acts around me? Did he invite me to his house because he's nice? Would he do the same to Bella, or Poppy, or any other girl that told him she couldn't sleep in an empty bed?

I was lost in my thoughts as Chase pulled into his driveway. I pulled myself back to reality, looking over to his house. It looked the same, almost unchanged in the month since I've been here. Though, the circumstances were infinitely different.

The times I had been here, Chase and I had been strangers.

What are we now?

Friends?

I fought the grimace from forming on my face at the thought of the word. I don't think I wanted Chase as simply a friend.

I shrugged my thoughts away, trying to compel myself into acting normal. Chase's hand was still on my leg, and I noticed he had tightened his grip, just barely, but just enough to send a shockwave through my stomach.

I looked over to him, he had a slight frown on his face as he looked between his front door, and back to me.

"Uh," he said quietly, reminding me again of the Chase I had originally met, the shy Chase. "Okay, you ready?"

"Sure," I told him, and finally, he pulled his hand away from my leg. I watched it as it left, already feeling disappointed that he was no longer touching me.

Chase opened his door, jogging around the car until he was standing outside of mine. He was quick, I had barely begun to open my own door before I felt it move away from my hands. Chase had opened my door for me, and it made me melt a little bit more.

We walked towards his house, and I could feel the tension ooze from Chase, and I wasn't sure why. Was he regretting inviting me here? He paused when we reached the door, turning forwards me.

"Can you, uh, can you wait here?" He asked, he was frowning as he spoke.

"Is it not okay that I'm here?" I asked, assuming that fact from the nonverbal clues he was sending out, as to what he was worrying about.

"No, uh, that's not the issue, Indie," Chase's frown melted away, as he shook his head. "I'll just be a second? Okay? I'll be right back."

Chase brought both of his hands to each of my shoulder's as he spoke, gently running them down my arms as he said each word.

"Okay," I told him, my own smile coming to my face just from his simple actions.

"I'll be quick," he told me, letting go of me and opening his front door. He closed it quickly behind him, leaving me all alone on his front porch.

Though, I wasn't left to boredom. I wondered if Chase knew I could hear his footsteps leading away from the door, that I could hear the way he greeted his mom and dad.

"No, everything's fine," Chase let out, he wasn't even trying to hush his voice.

"Where were you? You know you're supposed to call if you're not going to be home for dinner, Chase. It's important for your mother that we eat dinner together, as a family."

I smiled at the words his father was saying, though, a hint of jealousy ran through me.

"No, I know. I'm sorry. I was working on my photography project," Chase explained.

"Oh, with Indie?" His mother's voice rang out, and I smiled even more, at the fact she remembered my name. "How is she doing? Is she okay? I can't imagine what she's going through. You're being nice to her, right Chase? Lord knows she needs good people around her in a time like this..."

"Mom," Chase cut her off. "That's kind of what I need to talk to you about. Indie's here, she's outside. Her parents are gone and she didn't want to stay home alone. I, uh, I kind of told her she could stay here tonight."

There was an awkward silence, causing my smile to fade.

"Of course she can stay, Chase. Oh, I wish you told me sooner. Where will she sleep? I could have changed the sheets in your sister's room."

"She can sleep in my room, mom," Chase told her.

"Oh," Chase's mom let out. "Well, okay. You didn't tell me things had gotten serious between you two..."

"It's not like that, mom," Chase told her, and his words punched me in the gut. "Okay, I'm going to get her. Just... can you guys please act normal? Please?"

I didn't hear his parent's answer, only Chase's returning foot steps. He swung open the door, he looked flustered. Probably from that awkward conversation.

"Sorry," he gave me a small smile, opening the door completely. "Come in."

I stepped into the house, just like the outside, it looked the same as it had the last time I was here. The kid toys that were strewn across the floor, the small rooms with mismatched furniture.

"Indie," Chase's mom said as she walked towards us. "Oh, Indie. I was so sorry to hear about your friend, sweetheart. When Chase told me, my heart just broke for you."

Her face looked so sincere as she said the words, a concerned smile on her face. She grabbed my hands, taking one in each of hers.

"You're always welcome here, Indie. It's not surprising that you don't want to be alone, not during a time like this," she told me, but I almost didn't hear her words because I was too focused on the motherly energy she consisted of. She was so warm, and I guess that's where Chase got it from.

"Are you hungry, dear?" She asked, looking between Chase and I.

"I'm okay," I told her, shaking my head.

"Indie," Chase let out, "you haven't eaten. You should eat something."

"Oh, darling you need to eat," his mom said quickly, shaking her head in return, as if she was appalled. "I'll get you something. Both of you, sit."

She turned on her heel, walking back towards the kitchen. I heard Chase mumble something under his breath, clearly he was annoyed at his mother's behaviour.

But, I wasn't. It was nice, to feel like someone actually worried about you.

Chase gestured with his head towards a small wooden table, leading me over to it. He pulled out one of the chairs for me to sit on. I did as he wanted, and he sat down beside me.

"My mom is just, you know, she's a little much sometimes," Chase said quietly to me.

"I like her," I assured him. "Trust me, when you have parents who forget to call for you for weeks at a time, it's nice."

"Yeah?" Chase asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he took in my words.

"Yeah."

His mom placed a plate of food in front of each of us, before his parents both wished us goodnight. They quickly retreated down a hallway to our right, and I suspected that it was partly because they wanted to give us privacy.

I didn't realize how hungry I was until I raised the first bite to my mouth. It was pasta, penne with an amazing bolognese sauce. We ate in silence, and I think it was mostly because I was too focused on eating to make conversation.

"Here," Chase said once I was finished. "I'll put these away, and then we can go to sleep."

He stood up from his chair, disappearing with both of the plates in his hand. While he was gone, I took the opportunity to observe his house further. While the furniture was mismatched, and weathered, it was surprising to me how comfortable his house felt. There were picture frames lining almost every wall, his family's smiling faces beaming from the pictures. It felt like a home.

"You ready?" Chase asked me, startling me. He was already waiting by the stairs, and I wondered how long he had been standing there watching me take everything in.

I nodded, standing from the chair and walking over to him. Just like the first time I was here, he led me up the stairs to the small hallway, and he opened the door to his room.

He walked in first, and I followed. My eyes scanned his walls, just like last time, and I felt the same way I did then. Like you could feel his personality through them, though now that I knew Chase, it was even more obvious that his room was completely his.

"I'll get you something to sleep in," Chase told me, but his voice was a little distant. He was looking anywhere expect my eyes. "And I have a toothbrush for you."

I nodded, looking around at his walls again, and the pictures that covered every inch of them. I wondered how long the same pictures had been up there, or if he changed them frequently. I wondered how he decided which picture would go where, and what made a picture worthy enough to land on his wall.

"Here, Indie," Chase said, forcing my eyes to go back to him. He was holding a pile of clothes out towards me, and a new toothbrush. He didn't meet my eyes again, and I didn't know why. "The bathroom is just across the hall."

I nodded, exiting his room and creeping across to the bathroom. I peeled off my clothes, noticing for the first time since I left the school that I was still wearing Brock's sweater. I put the clothes he gave me on quickly, a pair of basketball shorts and a t shirt. I brushed my teeth, observing myself in the mirror as I went. I looked a mess, my hair wild and untamed, my makeup smudged, no doubt from the nap I took in Chase's car earlier. I sighed, not bothering to even attempt to fix it.

Once I was done, I walked back to Chase's room. He didn't say anything as I opened the door, he only slipped past me instantly, clearly going to do the same thing I had just done. I wondered why he was acting so cold. Had I done something wrong?

He had pulled the blankets back on his bed. His twin sized bed. I had forgotten how small his bed was. I climbed onto it, letting my body sink into the mattress, laying my head on the pillow.

I thought back on the last couple hours, wondering what caused Chase's sudden change in behaviour. I couldn't think of anything, except for the phone call from Poppy. I didn't linger on that thought for long, I was interrupted from my own thoughts by Chase entering his room again.

He paused as he was shutting the door, looking over to me. "I can sleep on the couch, if you want Indie. The bed is small, I know you're probably used to bigger beds... I don't really know what I was thinking."

"If you sleep on the couch, I probably won't sleep," I told him, "empty bed, and everything."

"Are you sure?" Chase asked me, that frown was still on his face.

"If you want to sleep on the couch, I'll be okay," I told him, feeling slightly offended.

"No, that's... no, I don't," Chase said, as he shut the door completely. He flicked off the lights, causing the room to fall into complete darkness.

I felt the bed dip and the blankets move as he lowered his body into the bed. I tried to make myself as small as possible as he laid down, but it didn't make much of a difference. The sides of our bodies were still touching, there was only so much space in this bed.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Chase asked me, but not in r rude way, more like he didn't understand my question.

"I don't know, it seems like you're mad at me or something. Is it... about that girl?"

Chase didn't say anything for a second, but that second felt like minutes. "What girl?"

"The girl who called you, you know, the one you were flirting with in the hall the other day? Poppy... I saw that she called you. Is she the girl that you like? Are you mad because you didn't get to talk to her?" I asked him, my voice coming out all different kinds of awkward.

"Indie..." Chase started, pausing before continuing. "You know how earlier you said that sometimes you don't know how your behaviour was impacted by your grief until after?"

I was confused by his words, his complete avoidance of my question.

"What do you mean?" I asked for clarification.

"Like... when we were in the field, and we almost kissed," Chase said, and my heart stopped. "Do you think that was something you did because of your grief?"

I took a breathe, trying to calm myself. "No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I told him the truth. I knew it wasn't, because those feelings were there before my grief began.

Chase didn't speak, and it was the longest silence of my life. The tension in the room was so loud, I didn't know if I'd be able to hear anything he said, anyways.

"Indie," he said my name. "Poppy isn't the girl I like."