Chapter 35-1

AT THE ASSCRACK of dawn, I hauled Chase out of bed and threw him into the passenger seat of David's Range Rover. Okay, well maybe that was a little bit of exaggeration. Getting Chase out of the bed took many kisses and hugs, but eventually we were both in the car—one of us basically still asleep. Usually, the only reason I would ever wake up would either be because I'm having a nightmare or there's a chance to win a lifetime supply of chicken nuggets. Well, I guess now there's another reason: Chase Everett. Since Chase was meant to be leaving early tomorrow morning, I had only today to spend time with him. I was also going to use this day to show him what he would be missing if he never comes back from Seattle. He has to come back. I don't think I would survive. I barely made it through the six months we weren't together. I'm still not even sure how I managed that. Being with Chase felt like I had been reborn in a weird, creepy sense. I felt like I was finally breathing and that for the last half-year I've just been suffocating. Chase was sleeping as I drove us through the quiet, dark streets of Holden Bay. The sun was barely awake either and the sky was turning a dark shades of indigo. I found it so fucking adorable at the fact that Chase was holding my hand the entire time. Sure it made it a little difficult to drive but he looked so damn cute. I remembered a tiny little stretch of beach that was surrounded by dark green bush, a little secret haven I had found one day on a late afternoon bike-ride. It seemed I was the only one who had discovered it and when I use to live here, I would go swimming there instead of the main beach. I lamely labelled it Jones Cove. I pulled the Range Rover over to the side of the road and gently woke Chase up with more kisses. With his hand in mine, I grabbed the tote bag of our things from the backseat and hauled him through the bushes. "Ah—shit—fuck." Chase continued to hiss behind me as our skin caught on the bushes, "Jones, have you finally snapped and this is where you kill me?" I sigh dramatically, "Unfortunately, not yet." "You're so funny." Chase laughs sarcastically as I giggle and pull him towards the other side the the bush. Chase hisses again from the pain and I scoff at his weak ass. I'm just such a great girlfriend, aren't I? Bitch, hand me my reward. I glance over my shoulder to see Chase frowning down at the ground, making sure he didn't trip. I was in love with every little thing he did and I realised, in the most fucking cliche way, that Chase was reward. He was also my damn punishment at sometimes too. When we finally pop out the other side, I drop the cotton tote bag onto the sand and stare out over the ocean. There was only a few feet between the sand and the water's edge where waves softly crashed onto the shore. There was only the sounds of birds and the moving ocean that could be heard. The sky was now a little lighter as the sun had risen a little above the horizon behind us. "You brought me here to go swimming?" Chase asks as I turn around to face him. He was giving me a blank stare and I roll my eyes, "We can go swimming later, Jones" "No, I've got other things planned." I smirk as I pull my white linen sundress over my head, leaving me in only a pair of tangerine-coloured bikini bottoms. Chase's hazel eyes instantly drop to my chest like the simple creature he is, "I told you last night that today was going to be busy. But no, you wanted to stay up late." "Uh, if I remember you were the one who kept seducing me." Chase smirks and folds his arms across his broad chest and tight white crew neck. I purse my lips and hum, "Mmmm...I'm sorry, I do not recall those events." "Jones—" Chase scoffs as I turn around and skip into the water. It was cold but I welcomed the chill as it woke me up from the last bit of sleep that was clinging to me. It was a crisp type of cold and I dive head first under the waves. When I surface, I turn around and keep only my eyes above the surface. I watch as Chase, now shirtless, walks like the damn model he is into the water. The sky was now ablaze with the new sun and the golden light bounced off his tanned skin. "It's fucking cold." Was the first thing to come out of his mouth as he reaches me. I stand up from my crouched position and wrap my arms around his neck. The smooth rolling water came up to about our hips. "I'll keep you warm." I smirk as I press my chest to his and swoop down, trailing kisses up his neck, "You wanna know what raises the body's temperature?" Chase, who was easily distracted my my lips running up and down the skin of his neck and shoulder, hums, "Hmm?" "A water fight." A with that, I splash a huge amount of water at his chest before turning and running away. Chase chuckles at me before running after me. I squeal loudly, hoping the the nearby houses didn't hear. Chase hits me with a tidal wave and it makes me stumble. I spin back around and splash him. We were like children, splashing each other in the water. The sun was climbing higher and higher into the sky as we ran like headless fucking chickens in the shallow water.