Let Me Fall

Chelsea pulled her blankets around her shoulders tighter and rested her head on the couch arm, pulling her glasses off the table and slipping them onto her face she sighed and blew her bangs from her face. She rolled onto her back as her cell phone buzzed against her collar bone, pulling it up she smiled and pressed talk, holding it to her ear she said, “hello my wonderful boyfriend, what has you calling me at this time in the afternoon?”

Nathan chuckled on the other end of the phone and rested his head on the wall of his hotel room, before he said, “I just wanted to know what my beautiful girlfriend was up to on this fine Saturday.”

Chelsea smiled and rolled onto her side again, before she said, “just hanging out. Watching Saved By The Bell reruns, bored out of my mind. It's like, you leave and I have no boyfriend bugging me to go out and be sociable, it's kind of nice.”

Nathan laughed loudly and said, “yeah well, what can I say? So what are you planning on doing with your last night without me?”

Chelsea shrugged knowing he couldn't see her and said, “Kate wants to go out tonight but I don't know. It's just gonna be a shit show between her and Nolan through text message.”

Nathan made a popping noise with his lips and told Chelsea gently, “you should go out, have some fun Chels, you work too hard.”

“Maybe I will.” Chelsea told him with a smile, she missed having conversations like this with Nathan. They were rare, any time between them during the school year was rare, she had moved to Berkeley to be closer to him, but it felt like she was miles away from him.

“Go, have fun. Look, I gotta go, practice in a few minutes. I'll call you tomorrow before we leave okay? Love you.” Nathan told her, making Chelsea silently annoyed. She knew he had a busy schedule, but she hated that they rarely got to even talk when he was gone.

“Yeah, I love you too.” She sighed, knowing she said what she said after he had already hung up. Chelsea pulled herself up from her spot on the couch, turned the TV off and headed toward her bedroom, pulling her closet doors open she let her eyes rake over her choices in clothing. Chelsea sighed again, and turned, pressing play on her Ipod she turned the volume up as loud as she could handle it and let 'Me & You' by Cassie fill her ears.

Chelsea pulled a hot pink dress from her closet and grinned, laying it flat on her bed she lined a pair of black pumps beside it, along with the matching earrings before she grabbed her make-up bag and made her way to the bathroom, sitting in front of the large mirror. She had an hour to kill before she knew Kate would show up to let loose and have a few drinks before they left, though Chelsea wasn't planning on touching an ounce of alcohol until they got to the bar that night.

By the time Kate showed up Chelsea was dressed in her short, skin tight, dress and her make-up and hair was perfectly done, not to done up but not to plain. Kate smiled and adjusted her own dark purple dress before she took the alcohol from the freezer and sat down at the table, pouring herself a shot. Kate motioned to Chelsea and said, “you look hot. I think it's time for a picture.”

Chelsea rolled her eyes and let Kate take a very revealing picture with her phone before she reached for it back, only to have Kate pull away from her and type into her phone. Chelsea raised an eyebrow, “what are you doing?”

Kate grinned and read off the screen, “hey Nate, this is Kate, just thought you should know what you're missing out on tonight. Tell your girlfriend she looks hot.”

Chelsea laughed and snatched her phone away from Kate before she texted anyone else, before she stood up and said, “if we're going to the bar, let's get going.”

Kate grinned, and drank one more shot before she said, “you my wonderful friend, are finally in the party spirit. You're so much better when you fly solo.”

Chelsea rolled her eyes, once again Kate had managed to ditch her within ten minutes of being at the bar, she sat down on a stool and pushed her beer bottle around the table, turning slightly and forcing a polite smile on her face as a man sat beside her.

He stuck his hand out and smiled, “my names Alex.”

Chelsea nodded, trying not to roll her eyes at his overly groomed appearance and cocky attitude she said, “and mine's taken.”

Alex laughed and said, “hey, I was just introducing myself to a pretty girl who's sitting alone at the bar. I was just trying to be nice.”

Chelsea sighed and pushed her bangs from her face before she said, “you're right, I'm sorry. I'm just really bored.”

“Well then, in that case, why don't we get out of here?” Chelsea rolled her eyes at Alex and stood, leaving her beer at the bar table she turned to walk away, only to have Alex step in her way again, his arms trying to grope around her. Chelsea struggled for a moment before she reached over and clasped her hands around her beer bottle, dumping the liquid down on his head, loosening his grip she pushed away from him and out of the bar.

She sighed and made her way down the street, trying to find a cab to take her home. She text Kate saying she left, and hailed a cab, paying him the ten dollar fair before she stumbled into the house, finding her way down the hall in the dark she tossed her shoes halfway down the hallway and slipped out of her dress outside the bedroom before she slipped into a t-shirt and collapsed against the mattress. Somehow, she felt the effects of the alcohol more than she had an hour ago, and all she wanted was to go to sleep, but the constant beeping of her phone caused her to roll over and hit talk, knowing a voicemail from Kate was probably waiting for her.

Chelsea was surprised to find a voicemail message from Nathan, a smile immediately fixing itself on her face as his deep voice filled her ears, “hey, I know you're out but I wanted to leave you this so you heard it before you went to bed. I love you Chels, and I can't wait to come home tomorrow and see you, I promise we'll spend more time together when I get home, all Sunday alright? I'm gonna head to bed, long day tomorrow. I'll see you in a few hours, I love you. Miss you.”

- - -

Nathan rolled over in the uncomfortable hotel bed, the blankets scratching his skin, and sighed. He had been trying to fall asleep for two hours, the last thing he wanted to do was give up, but the blinking light on his phone was intriguing him. Slowly he reached over to the nightstand and pulled his phone down, typing in the password he opened the text message that was waiting, and carefully read the description from one of his friends in Berkeley. 'Thought you'd want to see what your girl was up to while you were gone.'

Crunching his eyebrows together he clicked receive and he waited impatiently as it loaded. He rolled onto his back and held the phone above his face, and finally the phone pinged and the picture loaded fully. He stared at it for a long time, trying to make sense of what was going on, before he tossed it, screen down on his bed and he closed his eyes. Even with his eyes closed he couldn't get the image of Chelsea, wrapped in someone else's arms, from his head. The only thing he could make sense of was the lingering question of how long, and if it was really true. Could it be? Things had been weird between them lately, but Nathan had always assumed that it was only because of how little they knew they were going to see of each other over the next few months, never this, this never once came into his head as even a possibility. So why was it all making sense now?