“Yup, hence the snowbrush,” I answer back sarcastically as I dig through empty fast food wrappers and school books. Chases apartment might be clean but his car was a totally different story. “Look in the way back babe. I think I stashed it there after last winter.” I hear loud noise in the background-people talking over each other and the sound of glasses clinking. “Aha,” I say as I grab the long brush and begin to knock off the small accumulation that’s made its way onto the windshield. “Are you guys at the reception right now?”
“Uh yeah, well it’s kind of like an after party thing, just a few close friends of the bride and groom. Teddy got invited so he brought us along.” I start up the jeep and turn the defrost on trying to warm up my hands by the cool air that’s blasting out. The sound of a few women laughing comes over the speaker loud enough to echo through the jeep. “Chaaasssee,” I hear a high pitched voice whine, “come back here.”
“Uh who is that,” I ask as I pull out of the parking lot. “No one important baby just one of the drunk bridesmaids,” he says as the noise lessens. He must have moved farther away from the party. “So we decided to come back a day early. Teddy got us a gig at another bar across town.”
“That’s cool,” I absentmindedly answer back as I try to push the images of drunken women throwing themselves at my boyfriend. I trust Chase. He’s never given me a reason not to. It’s just some of those women who don’t know what the word no means that worries me.
“That’s cool? Aren’t you excited to see me Leah?” He sniffs through the phone like I hurt his feelings. “I miss you so bad it hurts. The guys have been getting on me this whole trip saying I’m no fun to be around anymore. All I can think about is you.”
My eyes tear up at his tender words “Of course I’m excited. I’ve literally been counting down the minutes till you get back. I’m pretty sure I’ve been driving Ally insane around the apartment. She says I’m too depressing without you around.”
He lets out a husky laugh. “I’m sure you even make being depressed look sexy Leah,” he takes a pause. “I really didn’t want to say this over the phone but why wait, right? I love you so much Leah.”
I grip the phone even tighter as I turn onto Maple Street, just a few blocks from home. His words running straight through and making me fall for him even harder if that’s possible. I let out a shaky breath and whisper back to him, “I love you too Chase.”
“Good babe. I thought maybe you would leave me hanging. I know you didn’t want to move too fast but I can’t help myself with you.”
“I know, I feel the same way.”
“Kay well I should probably get in there. Gotta make sure Teddy doesn’t get too out of control and screw the brides little sister or something.” I laugh picturing Teddy to be the kind of guy to do just that.
“Bye Chase I can’t wait till your home.”
“Bye baby.”
I hit the end button and toss my phone onto the passenger’s seat as I pull up to a red light. My vision is blurred by the unshed tears from Chase telling me he loved me. Those three words made my heart swell with love for him even more since we had both now expressed it to each other. At least he was coming home sooner, I don’t think I could spend another minute without him. I swipe the tears out of my eyes and press down on the gas after the light turns green.
I make my way through the intersection just barely before I hear a squeal of brakes and hear the crunch of metal before I come to the realization that my door was being smashed into as the jeep spins around in circles like one of those rides at the fair and I scream just wanting it to stop but either no sound actually comes out or the crunching is so loud that I can’t even hear myself. Time seems to go in slow motion from there. Glass shards fly through the air pelting my whole body feeling like a million beestings hitting my body all at once, my seat belt forcing my body back as it tries to go the opposite direction and the air bag being deployed with a loud pop.
I heard more cars hitting their brakes and the sound of car doors slamming as a whir of voices came closer towards me. All I could think about was getting to my phone I had to call Chase , I needed Chase. He needs to take care of Caleb for me, I can’t leave him alone. I stretch my fingers towards the other seat but can’t find my phone. What is that warm wetness? I look down and see blood oozing down my arms from the glass that’s embedded itself through my coat. Oh my head. It feels like there’s an elephant trampling through my brain over and over again. “Chase…..” I was able to croak out before the world went black.
Chapter 19