Finding Heaven

I slid into the passenger seat next to Chase as I entered his car. I noticed that he was looking at me from head to toe.

“What’s wrong?” I asked nervously.

“Nothing,” Chase smiled. “It’s just that I won’t be able to drive well with someone as beautiful as you sitting close to me.”

I’m no different from the usual, though, I mused.

I mean, I was just wearing a white Fortsworth hoodie, leggings, and a pair of white, low cut flat boots.

I gave a low chuckle, just to not make the atmosphere awkward. “Should I get out then?”

He suddenly leaned towards me and kissed my forehead. “Let’s go?”

I nodded.

One thing I know for sure now:

The feeling I felt with him was not at all like the way I’d felt when I was with Alex.

~

Hip-hop dance music remixed with Christmas songs played on the DJ table. Fake, white snowy-like things were all over the place. A masked guy wearing a Santa Claus costume (complete with a cottony long white beard) danced crazily on top of the table, showering the other partiers with beer. Of course, people were already drunk, and it’s not even midnight yet.

I’m not surprised though. Chase’s parties had always been like this.

He had his arm around my waist, a glass of vodka on his free hand. We sat on a couch while everyone around us partied.

“Are you comfortable?” Chase asked.

I took a sip from my glass of orange juice and said shortly after, “Yeah. I am.”

“I’m going to visit my parents on the 15th—” He said. “—and I won’t be back until January. That’s why I wanted you to go to this party. But I guess… We should’ve just celebrated with just the two of us.”

“No, it’s okay.” I reassured him.

“Dakota…” Chase placed the glass on an end table, then moved closer to me. His hands were on my shoulders now, and he firmly held my eyes. “Dakota…” He repeated.

“Hey, you’re drunk already.” I said. His face was tomato-red, and he looked really tired. “Maybe you should get some rest for a while.”

“Dakota…” He tilted his head slightly and inched closer.

No.

“No!” I exclaimed as I shoved him away.

He looked at me like I’d just boosted his chagrin.

“I-I’m sorry.” I apologized. “I’ll get some air for a while. Excuse me.”

~

I sat on the tiled pool floor with my feet submerged on the cold water.

This was where Chase and I had first met during his party when Alex had asked me to come with him.

What kind of girlfriend turns a kiss from her boyfriend down? I thought.

“Me.” I sighed, answering myself.

Footsteps approached behind me and I quickly turned to look up at the person towering over me. It was that Santa dude.

“Why the long face?” His voice was muffled under the mask.

Familiar… This person seems familiar…

“Nothing,” I answered shortly. “What are you doing here?”

Santa dude bent down to sit next to me with his legs crossed against each other. “I saw you storm off…”

“Yeah.”

“Is… Is that guy your boyfriend?”

I looked closely at the eye holes of his mask and saw shadowed electric-blue eyes inside.

Now I know why they looked so familiar.

“Alex?” I wondered.

Santa dude’s shoulders stiffened up, “Who’s Alex?”

Ooooookay.

Maybe it was just a coincidence. I mean, Alex’s not the only creature with blue eyes.

“Nevermind,” I decided to drop it. “Um, and yes, he is.”

“I see.” He turned away. “What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

To be honest, I didn’t. For some reason, he was kind of easy to talk to. “I turned him down.” I answered tersely.

Santa dude looked sharply back at me. “Turned him down from what? Did he ask you to—“ From the way his voice sounded, I could tell that he was not thinking what I was thinking.

“No, no.” I denied quickly. “It’s just that… I… I didn’t kiss him.”

He sighed in relief, then recovered back to seriousness. “What kind of girlfriend would turn his boyfriend down?”

I’ve just asked that question to myself a while ago. How ironic.

“I don’t know why… but I got scared.”

He gave me a thumbs-up cheerfully, “Don’t worry. As a guy, he should respect you. If he doesn’t, let me know and I’ll be your repellant.”

“Thanks—“ My eyes widened when I realized what he’d just said. “Repellant?”

“I won’t always be your repellant.” Alex had said.

Santa dude shrugged and stood up. “You know. Repellant. Anti-pests.”

“Yeah, but, I think I know you.” I raised an eyebrow.

“We’ve just met!” He blurted defiantly. “Anyway, I’ll get back to the party now. See ya!”

He dashed back inside, leaving me wondering if my deduction was correct.

~

I felt a pang.

I wish I hadn’t gone back to the couch were Chase sat.

Why?

Oh, nothing much. It’s just that my boyfriend was making out with some girl.

In between the thoughts of rushing up to him or just letting him do whatever he wanted, I decided to just make a clear break.

So I walked to him, and coughed, “Ahem.” They didn’t turn. “Ahem!”

That’s when they did. And the girl was—

“Daniella?” I cocked an eyebrow.

Why am I even surprised, right?

“H-Hey, I can explain,” Chase began. He could barely look at me. “I was—“

“No, it’s cool.” I said, almost impassively. “I just walked up to say that it’s over. This entire thing between us? It was a joke. Everything was a joke for you and for me.”

“I can explain.” He said sternly.

I glanced at Daniella and then back at Chase, “What can you possibly explain for this? Even if I hadn’t seen you guys making out, I could at least tell by the way you smell and that smudge of lipstick on your face.” I looked at Daniella. “It must be nice, huh? You’re wasting your life kissing guys who aren’t really in love with you.”

She scowled, but did not say anything clever.

“Well then, if that’s all, I’m going.” I decided and then started to walk away.

A hand grabbed hold of mine and pulled me.

“You’re hurting me,” I gritted my teeth. “Let me go!”

“Can’t you just listen?” Chase said irately.

“Let go of me.” I threatened; although, I think I probably sounded like a hissing cat.

“Not until you listen.”

I rolled my eyes, “You’re going to say you’re drunk and you thought that whore—“ Daniella winced when I emphasized the word. “—was me? Honestly. Would I wear shorts like that? Would I wear clothes like that?”

His grip tightened even more. “Dakota…”

I flinched at the pain. Chase was hurting me… I have to break away from him.

Ooof!

The first thing I saw was a red-sleeved hand, and then I noticed that I was free from Chase’s grip. I looked up to see who it was.

And yes, it was the Santa dude—

Who was now the Street Fighter-Ninja dude—

And pushed Chase back against the leather couch.

Street Fighter-Ninja dude pointed an index finger at Chase, “Lay off, man.”

“She’s my girlfriend!” He exclaimed, with his hands raised in exasperation.

I don’t think so.

“Not anymore.” I declared.

~

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” I answered as we walked out of the house. The winter night breeze felt so good against my face. I felt free, for some reason—and it was not only because I was single again.

I walked ahead of him, and then turned to face him. “Thank you.”

“You shouldn’t walk backwards, though.” He suggested.

And yes, he was still wearing the mask with the beard.

“Mind taking that off for me?” I asked.

“No. My manliness depends on it.”

I laughed and said shortly after I’d sobered up, “Really. Thank you, Alex.”

He raised his hand up to remove the mask—and revealed himself right there and then.

His strawberry-blonde hair was disheveled under the hat, and a pair of electric-blue eyes looked at me with amusement.

“Bet you hadn’t seen that one coming.” Alex grinned.

My heart started to pulsate.

I turned away and walked normally ahead of him.

“You dance like an old man.” I teased.

He jogged beside me and then slapped me on my shoulder, but not too hard, “Hey!”

Now, we were both laughing.

And that was when I realized how much I enjoyed being near Alex….and Max too.

They’ve become a part of my life and they’ve affected my life in many different ways. Even though I’m far away from home, I don’t feel so alone…

And I realized why my heart pounded hard everytime I was with Alex.

It was because I love him…

Like a brother—

Right…?