A/N: I know this is quite late, but I have a reason... Do you see those (🔝)big round sparkly, glittery, shimmery, twinkling eyes? Those are Pepper's eyes! She got bitten by a wild cat, and lost her appetite for three days! I seriously had to watch over her swollen tail base and her health. And, as her mother... I'm beyond glad to see her back on her cute little paws playing around the house. 😺😺 So, if you can't forgive me... I'll let Pepper's cute eyes kill you, darling. 😜🙈😚

C h a p t e r   4 1

"Here we are..." Chase heaved a breath and pulled the hand brake.

He parked the car somewhere near yet far from a fancy restaurant. It might need a couple of walks, but it was fine for me. I guessed he thought of getting some fresh air while doing minimal efforts to work a little on our cardio before eating. Or is that just me? In front of us stood a forest, which I hardly took time to scan because of my eyes lingering around an empty parking lot. My excitement sheered, eventually. It actually creeped me out seeing a very unusual picture of the area.

Meanwhile, Chase crooked out a smile and slung his arm across the back of my seat. "So..."

"So?" I allowed my head to tilt on his side and meet his gaze.

"So,"

"Seriously?" I raised my brow in a notch, while releasing a soft chuckle from my lips.

He did not respond, however, he pulled something on the pouch of my seat and lifted a red bandanna on my face. I precipitously backed away, as if seeing it in horror.

"No." I breathed out an answer.

Not again.

"Come on, you're ruining the surprise." Chase whined, and then stretched his hand forward to me.

"And, do you even know how traumatic your first surprise came out on me?"

"Oh, for the love of God! It wasn't that bad!-- Was it?" His voice fainted away as he mentioned the last part.

"Bad? Well, not really... I mean, I was just being hauled inside a room, handcuffed..." I paused to insert a question. "Wait, where did you get those handcuffs again, officer?"

Chase chuckles, "Those were Nash's plastic toys."

"Oh, okay... But, anyways as I was saying, I got my hands cuffed, with my mouth being covered with some cloth, and blindfolded? No, it wasn't that bad... Not at all." I sarcastically said, while enumerating with my fingers, and letting out a half smile after seeing his face with guilt.

"Okay... so that slightly was unpleasant,"

I corrected, "Distasteful."

Chase heavily sighed, before continuing. "Fine, it was distasteful and all, but I swear this won't be the same... Please?"

His eyes twinkled along the stars, which I hated the most for falling over it plenty of times.

I released an air through my nostrils, and let my eyes stayed close awhile before answering. "Alright, just make sure you'll guide your granny very well while walking, or I'll kick your ass."

"If you want me to carry you, you could just ask." He chuckled while I moved on my place, allowing him to cover my eyes with the printed cloth.

"And if you trip, we'll both end up dating at the hospital?-- Uhh, no thanks. Let's set that idea aside for next time when I can see what you see." I chuckled along with Chase, while I adjusted the cloth covering my eyes, before he tied both ends.

"You know what just went in my head right now, Chase?" I asked, visionless at the moment.

"I don't, but I do know what you'll think of once you heard a zipper."

I loudly gasped, as I attempted to smack him with my hand flying around, while the perverted guy cackled. "You're such a jerk!"

"Oww, you're hitting my bruise... Goodness, exactly what are you thinking Nikki? I only meant the zipper of my bag." Chase continued his laugh, whom I sensed was also clutching his stomach.

"Ha... Ha... You don't even sound like a sinless man. Can we go home now?" I huffed.

"I'm kidding, I'm sorry baby... Give me a second, and let me help you out." He suggested, and turned the engine off before hopping out of the car.

Uhh, can anyone remember Chase saying, he won't say 'sorry' ever again?

"You dare not to, I swear you're an inch close on being murdered." I muttered alone beneath my breath.

I grabbed hold of my door, as I waited for Gary the snail to finally open it. For approximately thirteen seconds, it finally did. He ushered me out of the car with his voice guiding my feet, then suddenly lets go of me after meeting the concrete floor.

"Are you having fun with your idea? Because, your granny says no."

He chuckled, while I stood still looking a mere statue. "It's cool. I love helping out the elderly."

"That's good to know."

"Great, because I'm proud of it... Here, take my hand." Chase said, while I let my hands travel through the air, in search for the majesty's golden hand.

I grunted with disapproval, after running out of patience for a quick second. "Why can't you just take my hand, instead? This stupid blindfold is hindering my movements."

"Just a little closer... Oops, not right there, not right there... A little on your left... Uhh, too much... That's it... Now, take a step forward. One step forward..."

I grumbled once again, "You're making me want to take the blindfold off."

"No, trust me. Move a little on your right, and slightly raise your hands..."

I did as Chase ask me to do, until I met his fingers with mine. They weren't wide open for me to take, but they were interconnected to something he held. Trailing my hands upward, I felt a change of texture from Chase's warm hards to a waxy material that was shaped like a cone. My mind suddenly gave my eyes an imagery of a petalled plant.

"Flowers?" I exhaled with a bliss, while I cupped Chase's hands together with the bouquet I wasn't allowed to look at yet.

"You like them?"

"Well, from how I pictured them, yes. I just hope there are no caterpillars, or... spiders on it?" I let out a short and awkward laugh.

"And, what exactly did you think of me to give you such thing?"

"A guy... who floats convention?" I joked, softly chuckling, before he handed me the flowers.

"Yeah, I love you too... Come on now, let's go. Just follow my lead granmom." He took my hands again, walking me through the footpath.

The surrounding was very quiet, which I expected to be in a different scenario after a few moments. With just a couple of minutes later, we began approaching a weird track, where I almost stumbled with my high heels stepping on a rock. I meant lots of rocks. Were kids from here enjoyed playing hit-me-on-the-head-with-a-rock game?

"Chase..." I trailed off.

"Don't worry we're almost there." His hand snaked around my waist, before stepping what I reckoned was some kind of a stair.

"Okay... are you ready?"

I gradually nodded, putting up a smile across my face. "Yes."

This was the moment when my expectation came out as a lie, after Chase untied the bandanna and let it slipped off. The restaurant, was merely a pigment of my imagination. A sham. Notwithstanding, he didn't mean to fail me in some way.

Candles lit the path for us, and rose petals imitated a red carpet. The setting was a peaceful romance, with a picnic blanket and basket resting on a sleeping grass. For a rich guy like Chase, it never came into my mind that he could be the type to spend a date night far from an airconditioned room. But, after seeing it, I started to believe.

We were surrounded with trees and a number of fireflies blinking their butts joyfully. The pristine water of the river ahead of us, shimmered from the reflection of the nightsky. A soothing sound of it gushing, comforted my soul. This was all beyond perfection.

Everything made me speechless, and it got worse when I laid my eyes on Chase. He looked put-together without overstepping the mark with his black jeans, teamed with a white button-down shirt that was worn under a dark colored sweatshirt. His footwear completed his look by putting in a white shoes.

I couldn't formulate a sentence, although I tried to, in which it came out very short than I thought it would be. "Wow."

Chase's chuckle zoomed me out of my trance, and I quickly blinked a few times to recover a word. "I love it, Chase. Everything is wonderful, and I can't believe it's something I never expect it will be.

"So, you're expecting smaller than this? Like a date beside a dog house or something?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, "You're the one who said that. What I mean is that this isn't you,"

He trailed his eyes on our surroundings, motioning my hand around.

"...But you made it." I smiled, before he took my hands, locking them with the warmth of his.

"Nikki, I am willing to change for you. I am willing to make you happy, even if I cry. I am willing to travel heaven and hell to be the guy you deserve. I am willing to do anything and everything, for you."

His words sunk deep in my heart like a heavenly melody of harp. Before everything started with the two of us, I had always despised Chase's attitude. Though, I never thought he could change and be a real man for someone like me, which he did.

"Chase, you don't have to do all of those. Because, right now you make me happy. You made yourself be the guy I deserve. You proved yourself on me with simple things, that can make a girl say yes." I smiled, tightening my hands to his.

It came out without a plan. I answered him, because I wanted to. Not because I needed to.

His lips parted, with eyes filled with cheerfulness. "Really?"

"Yes, Chase! I want to be your girlfriend!" I shrilled with happiness as he pulled me in a tight embrace before pulling away.

The moon sailed across the sky as time passed by. Crickets joyfully let out a chirping notes, while a faint sound of car engines traveled from the road before the forest. The trees swayed with the lead of the wind, as some leaves gracefully glided to the ground.

"Fourteenth..." Chase threw another blueberry in the air as it hits my cheek, failing to catch it with my mouth.

After we ate, Chase started to play catch with me after knowing that the blueberries were one of my favorite fruits. The typical guy who loves to tease someone away from something they want.

I grumbled, struggling to have even just one small round fruit for myself. "Can you be a better thrower, please?"

"Can't you be a better catcher?" He shot back with a smirk.

Huffing, I crossed my arms to my chest. "I would have caught them if you were aiming directly on my mouth, and not on the other parts of my face."

"There's a reason why they call it catch. It's simple, we all know it comes out from the word itself. You just have to do it."

"Oh, wow. You made it sound so easy. Why don't you give it a try then mister, and see for yourself?" I asked, before I grabbed the fruit bag from his hands.

Chase gave me a half smile filled with such confidence before he adjusted on his spot. I sat on my knees while I raised my hand mid-high, swaying it to and fro. With the thought of wanting to embarrass himself, I aimed for his right eye. To my dismay, he caught it, sending back the humiliation on me.

"Easy." He wiggled his eyebrows, and then grinned.

Snorting a short laugh, I attempted for another shot. "Easy, you say..."

This time, I purposely threw the fruit over his head. Unfortunately, it wasn't too high than visioned as his quiff blocked it, causing it to fall back. I almost pulled out a smile, seeing it dropped midway to the ground, until Chase magically caught it. His reflexes and flexibility stunned me with my chin hanging low.

"How. The hell. Did you do that?"

Chase raised his shoulder before he gradually laid his back on the blanket. "I just did."

"Yeah, you just did. How mouthful is that..." I mumbled while I muched the only blueberry in the fruit bag.

"I'm trying to be a good boyfriend. I can't just say, you're bad at catching fruits with your mouth." He voiced out, before chuckling.

I crimped my eyebrows, and muttered a response. "Okay?-- Well, am I going to be a good girlfriend if I hit you on your stomach each time you tell me how bad I do on some things?"

"Nowise, but I know one thing you're good at..." His devilish grin came back once again.

Before I could say anything else, Chase spontaneously pulled me by the joint of my hand making me yelped. In a quick pace, he placed his hand on my waist before I landed on his chest in another swift movement. My forearms steadied as they rested on his pectoral muscles, making them a support to give me enough distance away from diving my face to his.

Strands of my hair, fell on his face appearing like curtains enclosing us. Chase tucked my hair on one side, as the illustrious moon peeped from behind us. It seems as if I was planking on my position, but in a relaxed way with my legs reposed in between Chase's.

I softly giggled, as Chase twirled his fingers on my hair. "Where am I good at?"

Chase smirked, and before he speaks a word I removed my other arm, and extended it on my side. His mouth parted to say something, but I placed a blueberry on his lips before planting a kiss on him.

Chuckling, I rolled from his chest to gaze at the beauty of the nightsky. Chase, on the other hand, spits the fruit, and let out a soft laugh before tilting his head to face me.

"Yhup, you are good. I actually did not see that coming... but, I prefer cherry lips."

I gently chortled before cupping his face, and closing the distance for a good peck.

Time paces, Chase and I almost slept under the stars while connecting a line on each of them to form images. Although, I had to admit, clouds were better to get the brain working with creativity.

My high heels stood on their own on the grass, after getting rid of them, letting my feet be in contact with the chilly wind.

I suddenly let out a yawn, and whispered a question to Chase. "Are you also willing to count the stars for me?"

A small smile crept on his lovely face and said, "Always."

A/N: *yawn* Goodnight guys... 😪💤