Wherefore Art Thou, Chase?

Chapter 10: A Birthday She’ll Never Forget


Chase lay in bed, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. It had been weeks since he’d last spoken to Janelle alone or not “in character” as Romeo. Yet her words still echoed within the recesses of his brain.

“I mean, its bad enough that you’ve got me so disoriented that I can’t think straight…”

A smile lit his features. She wanted him–probably as much as he wanted her–but something was restraining her. While he still felt guilty about “embarrassing” her in front of the cast with his kiss–something no one seemed to be holding over her head–he was determined to find out what, exactly, was keeping Janelle from surrendering to what her body wanted.

**********

“Wakey, wakey, ‘Nelle!” Lily shouted, jumping on Janelle’s bed once or twice, then settling back on the floor.

“Nnnngg…”

“C’mon, ‘Nelle! Its your birthday!”

“Go away…” was the weak response from somewhere beneath the covers.

“But its your birthday!!!” Lily protested.

“Exactly…I get up at all hours of the morning the other 364 days of the year. One day of sleeping late won’t kill me,” was the muffled reply from the lump beneath the covers.

“We have cake…”

“No…” the lump whined.

Lily laughed aloud, plunking down beside the lump and peering into the covers. Janelle was glaring at her from beneath them and she was curling up into a tighter ball. “No?” the blonde asked, lifting an eyebrow. “What do you have to say no about?”

“Getting up,” her cousin grumbled, screwing her eyes closed tightly and curling even further into the fetal position.

“C’mon, Janelle…You can open all of those presents everyone’s been sending in…”

“Leave me alone…”

“Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because this way I’m getting revenge for my past three birthdays…when you did this to me,” she explained simply, poking Janelle in the head gently. The lump beneath the covers groaned and tried to bite her finger, but it was already being pulled back.

“C’mon, ‘Nelle…Or I’ll send Huey and Erin up here and they’ll be all cutesy and nauseating.” That made Janelle’s head pop up.

“Huey stayed the night last night? Again?” she asked, her eyes lighting when Lily nodded. “Is he making breakfast?” she asked eagerly. The three women, all of whom weren’t particularly strong in the culinary field, had taken to recruiting Huey to cook breakfast whenever he stayed the night.

“He’s making chocolate chip waffles as we speak…” Lily whispered teasingly, laughing when Janelle shot out of bed, barely managing to grab her robe in her haste. The brunette tugged it on and cinched it closed by the time she’d reached the bottom of the stairs. Taking the corner around the stairs at a run, she came to a complete halt as she entered the kitchen/dining room area.

Erin was sitting at the table holding a full cup of coffee to her lips, which were tipped up in a small smile. “Happy birthday!” she greeted her friend, who had already targeted Huey and the waffles and was stalking towards them like she was in a trance. Glancing at Lily, who had appeared at the bottom of the stairs only seconds after Janelle, Erin shared a secret smile with the blonde.

Janelle closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the chocolate mingling with the waffle batter. “I think I died and went to heaven…” she said, practically drooling. “And you, O Hailer of the Revered Spatula and Worker of the Waffle-Maker of Death, are a god!” she added, making Huey laugh and shake his head.

“You’d have picked a great day to die, Janelle…Dying on your birthday is the latest trend,” he teased her, shoving a plate of already-done waffles under her nose. She licked her lips hungrily, before snatching the plate away from him and bringing it to the table. A full bottle of maple syrup sat in the middle of the table and she reached for it eagerly.

Maple syrup was one of her weaknesses, second only to chocolate and she didn’t go lightly when she poured it on anything. Especially since it was rare that she allowed herself to truly indulge in her weaknesses. It only happened on special occasions, like her birthday. Not even the incredulous gawking of her friends could stop her from enjoying these waffles with about half a bottle of syrup on them.

As she took a bite of the chocolate-chip waffles, her eyes closed; she shivered with delight; and then she shot two thumbs up at Huey in approval. She chewed slowly, methodically, in order to savor the taste of chocolate and maple syrup melding and mixing. They created a new taste that was so much better than either of them could ever be on their own.

**********

Chase stared out the window in the Computer Room at Janelle. She was stretching languidly as she walked to the front door of the center, a smile lighting up her face. She was probably getting ready for a long afternoon of watching these rowdy kids. And, it was only Monday; today was “tired” day. He couldn’t imagine what would happen three days from now, on his birthday.

“Chase! Chaaaaaase! Chase-Chase-Chase-Chase-Chase-Chase! Chase!” Tearing his gaze away from Janelle, he looked down to see Maria Martinez sitting on his right shoe, hugging his leg, and insisting upon his attention while she smiled up at him and revealed her missing two front teeth.

“Yes, Maria?” he asked, lifting his leg–and her–so that he could pull her off of his sneaker. “How may I help you?” he asked. He nodded avidly as she chattered about random things, half of it unintelligible, as six-year-olds are prone to do. Every so often, he’d add a “Really?” or repeat what he’d thought she’d said, but he also had to keep an eye on the Computer Room.

Suddenly, Juan came out of the homework room and his gaze caught Maria gibbering away next to Chase. The adolescent frowned and stalked over to his small sister. “Is she bothering you, Chase?” he asked. Before the counselor could say anything, though, Juan rattled off a rapid string of Spanish words that didn’t seem to be making the young girl happy. Tears welled in her eyes and she ran off, sobbing hard. Juan nodded satisfactorily, then grinned crookedly at Chase. “Now, she won’t be bothering you,” he added smugly, before beginning to swagger off.

Chase leaned forward and caught him by the back of his shirt, pulling him back. One look at him and all the kids knew Juan was in trouble. The lanky thirteen-year-old just set his jaw in something of a defiant way. The older man shook his head slowly and opened the door to the Homework Room. “Hey, Apollo, I gotta do something, can you watch both rooms for me. Just for a second?” he asked of Nik’s second son. The teacher looked up, nodded, and positioned himself by the connecting door. He beckoned Jules, who he had been helping with her homework, to come over so he could help her still. “Thanks a bunch,” Chase murmured, before dragging Juan all the way to the office.

As he crossed the large room, Chase saw Janelle holding Maria in her arms, trying to get her to calm down and speak in English. Spanish had been both Martinez’s first language, with Juan having been born in Mexico before moving to the United States, and if either got upset, they usually resorted to Spanish. It was more Maria than Juan, but it still happened. Drinking in the sight of Janelle, he realized something was different about her. She was radiating a happy glow, something more than the harsh fluorescent lighting reflecting off her skin and highlighting the blonde and auburn in her hair. No…Something was making her especially happy today.

Or someone? he wondered, dread filling him as he pulled Juan into the office–which was empty because Nik only worked on certain days–and closed the door. He sat the boy down, then pulled a crate up and sat on it, lowering himself so that he was a small bit below Juan’s eyelevel.

“You wanna tell me what you said to Maria to make her cry like that?” he asked quietly. Juan’s face was impassive as he stared at the wall behind Chase’s head. The boy merely shook his head, not offering up any body language except the stiffness in his shoulders and spine. “C’mon, man…Maria left crying. Don’t you feel bad about making your six-year-old sister cry?”

“No.” His answer was short, clipped, as if he were someplace else on autopilot. The counselor frowned a little.

“I’m not interrogating you, Juan…I just wanna know what you said to Maria.”

“I told her not to bother you anymore,” the boy answered with a small shrug. His eyes were expressionless and devoid of any feeling, which concerned and troubled Chase.

“Liar,” he challenged calmly. Juan winced at the word, his jaw tightening and something flickering in his nearly black eyes.

“How would you know?” the Latino snapped. “You don’t speak Spanish,” he added before returning to the carefully crafted mask he wore.

“Maria wouldn’t have run off crying if you had told her not to bother me,” the counselor pointed, trying to be tactful. When Juan didn’t respond for a long time, Chase sighed. “Fine…Just understand that whatever you said was wrong and we’re going to have to tell your parents.” That got his attention. Juan had gone even more rigid–if it was even possible–at the mention of his parents. His eyes had flashed an emotion so rarely found in the boy that Chase almost didn’t recognize it.

“Please don’t tell,” the teenager said softly.

“Why shouldn’t I, Juan?” Chase asked, his voice just as soft. Juan met his eyes and shook his head.

“I can’t tell you,” he admitted, his voice cracking unhappily.

“Then I can’t help you,” Chase responded, his tone reluctant. He leaned forward and made sure Juan knew he wanted to help. “Policy says that we have to inform your parents or guardians when you’ve done something wrong and making Maria cry when she hasn’t done anything bad is very wrong,” the older man informed Juan, who looked to be warring with indecision in his head.

“I…I just…I can’t tell you,” he finally said, tears welling in his eyes. Whatever’s happening to this kid must be really bad, Chase thought as he sat back. Flashing a friendly smile, he stood and replaced the crate.

“Go tell your sister you’re sorry for making her cry,” he told the adolescent, pretending to be fiddling with something in the filing cabinet. Juan brushed past him and scuttled out of the office, reemerging into the center with his usual confidence and pretending like he hadn’t just been on the verge of tears.

**********

“So…What was all that about earlier with Juan and Maria?” Janelle asked as she swept the floor later. Mr. Martinez had just picked up the two kids, so Janelle figured it might be safe to ask. Chase was silent, looking thoughtfully at the foosball table.

“Why did you kiss me?” he asked, making her jerk her head up to look at him. She studied his expression, trying to read some sort of ulterior motive in his question. When she found none, she sighed.

“Figure it out on your own, Chase,” she told him, a challenge coloring her tone. That snapped him out of his contemplations. A smile lit up his face, showing off his dimples, as he stood and strutted slowly towards her.

“I think,” he began, noting how Janelle’s cheeks flushed and she suddenly became awkward with the broom, “That you are trying to deny what your body wants, but you couldn’t resist on Halloween.” He sidled up behind her and ran his hands over her arms, twining his finger with hers. Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt his warm body behind hers and his breath fanning over her ear.

“And what, pray tell, am I denying my body?” she asked, after summoning up enough courage to ask.

“Me,” he answered, pressing kisses on her neck and jaw. She swallowed tightly and gasped as his tongue slid over the shell of her ear. Her eyes had flown open at that, and her stomach dropped out. Fire licked at her insides and left her craving his touch.

He pried her fingers from the broom, letting it clatter to the floor. He spun her around and kissed her soundly. Her lips opened willingly and his tongue slid sensuously against hers, tasting her eagerly. He released her hands to take a hold of her waist, pulling her up against his body. Her arms, of their own volition, wrapped around his neck and she clung to him, going weak in the knees as he continued to kiss her senseless.

Suddenly, she was being lifted and, without thinking, Janelle locked her legs around Chase’s waist. She could feel him, hot and hard, against her thigh and a thrill shot through her like lightning.

He laid her down on a table, following without missing a beat. Her fingers were tangled in his hair and he slowly broke the kiss, laying smaller kisses over her neck and jaw. Her breathy moan drifting to his ears and he shivered, his fingers gently scooching her shirt up over her stomach and breasts.

She could feel the tips of his fingers branding her with his heat, but she didn’t care. As long as he kept touching her, she’d respond with eagerness. He pushed the bottom of her sports bra up over her breasts, as well, his mouth salivating when he felt her naked breasts against his palms.

Lifting his head, he moved to her breasts, dropping kisses over the smooth flesh. He took her nipple into his mouth and sucked avidly. She cried out, arching her back off the table as he palmed and fondled her. She was so lost in this fog of desire he’d created, that she didn’t notice he was unzipping her fly until it was too late.

She tried to sit up, but he held her down, murmuring soothing nothings against her skin. Slowly, she began to relax as he returned his touch to above her waist. When she began to stretch languidly and writhe with pleasure beneath him, Chase skimmed his fingers over her stomach and beneath her panties.

She gasped and tried to sit up again when she felt him touch her. “Relax, Janelle…” he murmured into her neck, his fingers still against her. Her eyes were wide and frightened-looking, but she proceeded to lay back against the table, unsure of what he was going to do but not entirely sure that she wanted him to stop.

His fingers brushed against her again and she moaned softly, unable to stop herself from arching into his hand. Soon, he’d inserted one large finger inside of her and for long moments, all Janelle understood was that this pleasure was heady heaven and that she didn’t want Chase to ever stop. She was so caught up in the pleasure, that she didn’t even notice the way her body was tightening until it was too late.

But Chase did and he groaned as she tightened convulsively around his finger. Her eyes were suddenly wide and, if she hadn’t been biting it back, she’d have cried out his name as she came.

**********

Ten minutes later, Janelle was still lying on the table, staring at the ceiling, her mouth agape and a shocked expression in her eyes. Chase had moved away from her, leaning against the column in the middle of the room, giving her space. Her pants were still unzipped, her bra and shirt pushed up over her breasts, and her neck was pocked with small hickeys left by his mouth.

Chase smiled smugly inside. He certainly wasn’t going to tell her all of his observations, though, because that would mean she’d start fixing herself and he was enjoying the view. He was still hard, though, which made him a little impatient for her to recover. He’d wait forever for that to happen, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t entitled to being a little edgy.

“That was some birthday present…” she finally murmured, surprising him. She sat up and her T-shirt fell to cover her breasts, much to his disappointment. The wanton desire in her eyes made him feel better, though.

“Today was your birthday?” he asked and she nodded slowly. He watched as her eyes took in his appearance: disheveled hair, a cocky grin, and a tent in the front of his pants. A timid smile lifted her lips and she blushed from her neck up to her hairline. “You’re a virgin, aren’t you?” he asked suddenly.

Janelle lifted her eyebrows and pulled back a little in surprise. “Uh…well…I-I don’t see how it’s any of your business–”

“You don’t?” Chase asked, his voice amused. “Janelle, if you’re a virgin, that probably means that I just gave you your first orgasm…You don’t see how that’s any of my business?” If it was possible, Janelle had gone even redder. She mumbled something and he leaned forward, cupping his ear. “What was that?” he asked, his smile growing.

“Yes! I’m a virgin, okay?” she blurted out, glaring at him while she crossed her arms over her chest and hunched over, trying to hide her embarrassment. She expected him to start laughing anytime now, but the cruel mocking never came. Looking up from her lap, she realized he was staring at her curiously.

“Why?” he asked, his brow furrowed as he tried to understand. “You’re a very beautiful woman, Janelle…Why hasn’t some extremely lucky guy come along and…”

“Deflowered me?”

Chase smiled. “Yeah.” She shrugged, returning her gaze to her lap.

“I tend to scare off guys,” she half-lied. Any guys who had ever spoken to her in middle and high school had automatically either been “just a friend” or an enemy. Not to mention the fact that the only person she’d ever really wanted was Chase. She’d found herself comparing any and every guy to him, always finding them somehow lacking.

“I find that very hard to believe,” he admitted, still watching her from where he was leaning against the column. There was a very long, very awkward silence until he pushed himself off of the column. “Well…You’d better be getting home, then,” he began, making Janelle frown as she climbed off the table and began to readjust her clothing into their proper state.

“But the downstairs hasn’t been vacuumed…” she protested. He silenced her the only way he knew how; He kissed her. It was a small, short kiss, but it was effective.

“Go home, Janelle…I can take care of the closing procedures,” he insisted. She stared up at him for a long time, then smiled.

“You need to let go of me before I can leave, Chase,” she teased, making him chuckle. As he leaned down, she allowed him to steal one quick kiss.

“Happy birthday, Janelle…And, please remember, my birthday is in three days.” He propelled her towards the door, giving her ass a gentle pat as he sent her on her way.

**********

As Erin drove to the sandwich shop, she took deep breaths. Today, she was going to tell Huey what had happened to her. That’s what she needed to do, so she was going to do it. That’s what she continued to tell herself all the way to the restaurant. She and Huey had parted that morning and decided to meet for lunch.

Normally, she edged away from getting this close to those that she dated, but Erin couldn’t help herself. She knew she was in love with him, which filled her with a myriad of opposing emotions that just confused her. She couldn’t stay away from him, though. He’d become as dependent to her survival as breathing.

Pulling into the parking lot, she spotted Huey’s beat-up Toyota and grinned. He was already hear, had probably picked out a seat, and was waiting for her anxiously if she knew anything about him–which she liked to think she did.

Sure enough, Erin’s gaze found him shifting nervously in a booth, looking rather unsure of himself as he alternated between staring at the door and then out the window. He looked utterly delicious in the white sweater and black pants he’d wore and she wanted to just drag him into the bathroom and jump his bones there. Instead, her heels clicked as she walked over to him and slid into the seat across from him in the booth.

“Hey there, Superboy,” she greeted him, forgetting, for the moment, why she was there and just enjoying the–slightly preppy, she admitted, but it worked on him–view. His smile lit up his entire face and his gorgeous blue-green eyes sparkled as he reached for her hand and kissed it.

“Good afternoon, my four-leaf clover,” he responded, making Erin wince. Lately, he’d been experimenting with nicknames to call her. After all, it wasn’t fair for her to have a nickname for him and for him not to have one for her. “No good?” he asked when she winced. She shook her head and he laughed, relaxing back into his seat and releasing her hand.

“Have you already or–”

“Huey Kent, your order is ready. Huey Kent,” a mechanical voice sounded throughout the sandwich shop. Well, that answered my question, Erin thought as he stood and went to get his food. When he returned, she was surprised to find that he’d ordered for both of them.

“How did you know what I wanted?” she demanded as he handed her the pita pocket he’d ordered for her. He shrugged and slid into his side of the booth.

“I guessed, actually,” he told her, making her chuckle.

They shared a wonderful lunch filled with intimate conversation and, even when their food was gone, they continued to chat with the ease of those who are achingly familiar to one another, yet still have so much to learn. When a companionable silence had fallen over them, Erin decided not to put off what she’d been putting off any longer.

But, just as she opened her mouth, her cell phone rang. The redhead frowned and dug the cellular device out of her purse. Why hadn’t she turned it off? she wondered as she flipped it open to look at the caller ID. Maybe I was hoping someone would call me like this? she mused with a sigh.

“Hello?” she answered the phone, giving Huey an apologetic look. He waved his hand flippantly, and her heart ached in her chest a little. He was being so understanding about this when he had every right to be angry at her for not turning her cell phone off during their lunch date.

“Erin?” the voice crackled over her phone, suggesting that the connection wasn’t that great. “Its Dermot!” the other voice shouted. Dermot was her oldest brother. He was about four years older than her, but that was enough to make him favored among all of her brothers. He’d gotten married recently and his wife had been pregnant very soon afterward. In fact, it was a family joke that Ava’s pregnancy was the reason they’d gotten married so quickly. If it weren’t for the fact that they were so obviously in love, the speculations could have been justified.

“Dermot, why are you calling?” Erin asked, trying to keep her voice down while trying to project it into the phone. Huey frowned a little. He knew about her immediate family by names and he’d instantly recognized the name Dermot as being her eldest brother. “What’s going on?” he mouthed to Erin, who held up her finger as Dermot spoke to her.

“Ava’s having the baby!”

“Already?! She isn’t due for another two months!”

“Apparently, the baby doesn’t know that!” A shrill scream sounded in the background, backing up Dermot’s statement. Erin could easily recognize Ava’s voice yelling at Dermot to hang up the phone and hold her hand. After her mother going through four other births after she’d been born, Erin could remember vividly the pain her mother said she was in until they put her on drugs. Ava was definitely having that baby right then.

“Go hold your wife’s hand, I’ll try to be there as soon as I can, okay?” she told her brother, standing. Huey stood, too, still frowning with concern. “Tell Ava I said to keep her head because you aren’t good with blood. Send everyone my love, too!”

“I’m gonna be a little busy, Erin. Bye.” Erin hung up the phone, looking up at Huey remorsefully.

“Ava–Dermot’s wife, you remember?–is having the baby. As the godmother of the baby and the sister of the father, I have to be there,” she informed him, reaching up to brush a lock of hair out of his eyes. “I’m gonna go home and pack a light bag, then I’m driving home. It’ll take hours, but it’ll be faster than trying to book anything else.” Now, she was rambling and he said her name a few times in an attempt to interrupt.

“Erin? Its okay…I completely understand…I just wish I could go with you,” he said quietly. They exchanged a few, brief kisses, before she walked away from him, her heels clicking frantically on the tile.

**********

Further into the depths of the restaurant, a figure watched the lovers’ exchange. He gritted his jaw and chewed his cheeseburger sub methodically, glaring fiercely at the boy. What could she possibly see in him? He was scrawny and uncoordinated and completely not that vixen’s type. She’d been wearing a flirty emerald green miniskirt, the slut, and far too much make-up…As if she was flaunting herself in his face.

Well, he knew how to get back at a person. A good warrior attacks the enemy’s heart and that fox was a great warrior…She’d be meeting her match in him.