“Actually,” Chase says, pulling the receipt from his pocket, “we’re here to return them. Both of them.”
I set the velvet box with the bracelet on the counter, and Chase does the same with the necklace. Deb looks down at the boxes, then back up at us, her smile faltering slightly.
“Oh dear. Was there a problem with the pieces? We can certainly exchange them for?—”
“No, they’re fine,” I say. “We just don’t need them anymore.” I glance at Chase, and we share a small smile. “The situation has changed.”
Chase reaches over and puts an arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him.
Understanding dawns in Deb’s eyes, and she looks from me to Chase, then back again. “Well now,” she says, leaning against the counter. “I’ve been in this business for thirty years, and that was one of the most memorable transactions I’ve witnessed.” She taps one of her manicured nails against the glass. “So tell me, did you boys confront her? I’ve been dying to know what happened after you left.”
Chase grins. “We confronted her.”
“And?” Deb prompts, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. She’s clearly been thinking about this.
“And she tried to deny the whole thing,” I say. “Told him I was just some desperate friend who got the wrong idea.”
“Oh, she did not.” Deb clutches her pearl necklace, scandalized. “After sending you both to buy her pieces from the same set? The audacity.”
“She’s got plenty of that,” Chase says.
Deb shakes her head, making a tsking sound while she examines the necklace.
My mind drifts to the aftermath of our “confrontation.” How we couldn’t get enough of each other. We fucked twice more that night, once in the shower with Chase pinning me against the cold tile while hot water pounded down on us, his hips driving into me so hard I thought my legs would give out. And then again in his bed, slower that time, with him on his back and me riding him, my hands braced on his chest as I watched him come undone beneath me.
I woke up the next morning with my body aching in places I didn’t know could ache, Chase’s face buried in my hair, and hisarm thrown possessively across my waist. My ass was so sore I could barely walk, and I had a hickey on my collarbone that Chase seemed ridiculously proud of.
We’ve barely spent a night apart since then. We’re still figuring out what this is. It’s new, and it’s confusing, and sometimes I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that I’m dating a guy. But when Chase looks at me the way he’s looking at me now, his dark eyes soft and his mouth curving into that crooked smile, it all makes perfect sense.
We went to the Delta Kappa Phi Winter Formal together. I was nervous—my hands were sweating so much I was afraid I was going to ruin the cuffs of my rented tux. But as soon as I saw Chase standing in the lobby, looking so handsome it made my chest hurt, all my anxiety melted away.
He grabbed my hand as soon as I reached him, threading our fingers together. “You look amazing, Finn,” he said. He wore that blue tie Brittany had demanded he wear. The one that was supposed to match her dress. Instead, he wore it for me.
Brittany was there, of course. She made a dramatic entrance on the arm of some senior from the lacrosse team, a guy I’m pretty sure she used to refer to as “Caveman.” But I guess standards slip when you’re trying to make your ex-boyfriends jealous.
We ignored her. We danced. Slow. Fast. A ridiculous, upbeat pop song where we just jumped around like idiots. We laughed. We drank cheap champagne from fluted glasses and fed each other stale miniature quiches. And in the middle of the night, Chase dragged me into a deserted corridor and pushed me up against the wall, kissing me breathless while his hands roamed all over my body under my jacket. He didn’t get a blowjob in the bathroom, but he got one in a supply closet.
“Everything seems to be in order,” Deb says, snapping me back to the present. “I can process the return for you right now.Your cards will be refunded within three to five business days.” She takes our cards and the receipts. “Will you be looking for anything else today? Perhaps a gift for each other?”
She winks, and Chase laughs. “I think it’s a bit early to be making jewelry store purchases for each other.”
“We’re actually using the money for a trip,” I say. “Weekend getaway up to the mountains. A cabin with a fireplace.”
“Oh, how lovely!” Deb gushes, her eyes twinkling as she hands back our cards. “Much better use of your money, if you ask me. Don’t let my husband hear me say this, but a good memory is worth far more than a gold necklace. Enjoy your trip, boys.” She gives us a little fluttery wave, her bracelets jingling. “And do come back and see me. I have a feeling you two will be shopping for rings one day.”
I blush beet red, and even Chase looks a little flustered. “Thanks, Deb,” he manages, and I add a quick “Yeah, thanks for everything.”
“Anytime, honeys. You take care of each other.”
Chase grabs my hand and pulls me toward the door, the little bell jingling our departure.
“Rings, huh?” I say once we’re out of the mall and onto the sidewalk.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Casanova,” Chase teases, slinging an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. “We’ve only been dating for two weeks. Let me at least buy you dinner before you start picking out china patterns.”
“Who said anything about china? I was thinking more like matching His and His towels.” I lean into him, savoring the warmth of his body, the solid strength of him next to me.
“Hmm, His and His towels,” he murmurs, stopping and turning to face me. His breath fogs in the cold air between us. “I think I can get on board with that. But only if they’re those fluffy ones, and I can rip them off you every chance I get.”
