Blurred Lines 1: CHASE
Chapter 23

Sofia-

"I don't think it's wise to drink more than what we already had, Chase," I voiced when Chase called Liv, the busty server, and ordered a bottle of Sherry Oak Cask.

"I'm a grown man. I can handle myself, Sunshine," he replied. Fast as a flash of lightning, Liv set the bottle of scotch on our table, winking at Chase.

I snort, annoyed by their silent conversation. Anyone with eyes would know something happened between Chase and Liv. She kept touching him every time she'd served food and drink at our table. It was like breathing for her, so casual despite my presence. From the bar, she kept throwing longing glances at Chase and daggered glares at me when I caught her ogling him.

"Stop staring at her. She has nothing on you," Chase teased, refilling our glass.

Rolling my eyes, I emptied my glass, shaking my head at the heat that doused my throat.

"I'm not even comparing myself to her or to anyone," I stated firmly. I don't make it a habit, but what I said was a part lie.

Since I learned about Katerina, I have been comparing myself to her. My mind kept nagging me even if I didn't want to. From my vantage point, she's better for Kyle in all aspects of life. Her looks, her background, her status in life, and his mom liked her. And now, this...

Liv has bigger boobs, wider hips, and perfectly tanned skin. Everyone I've met so far has the skin shade I've longed to have. I was always too pale, too thin, too shy... I was never enough for anyone.

And clearly, Chase has a particular taste in women, just like Kyle.

Chase's lack of response made me lift my eyes to him. He regarded me with a look of indifference. "What?" I groaned and reached for the scotch, refilling my glass.

Thank the f*ck he ordered the bottle. I needed the drink more than I thought I would. My head was a mess. It's a chaos I need to learn how to fix immediately. It is a tangled of questions, some make sense, and some don't.

'Why am I not beautiful enough for Kyle? Why did he have to cheat on me instead of breaking things off like a decent human being? And why am I comparing myself to Liv and Carlota? Chase and I are not even a thing! "Come closer." Chase wagged his index finger at me.

Pouting, I leaned in, my fist tight around the gla*s.

"Stop comparing me to your ex," annoyance laced his tone.

I pulled away, blinking up at him. "I'm not."

'How the hell did he know what I was thinking?'

"You forget I know you well, Sofia. You can lie, but I can see through your words," he said, reckoning blue eyes meeting my defensive ones.

I gnawed my lip, composing a witty comeback, but a voice sliced through the buzz, silencing the conversation and laughter of the bar-goers. A woman dressed in a leather jacket, white crop top, jeans, and leather boots stood by the stage, a guitar at hand. She spoke in Portuguese, a smile etched on her lips. The diners roared out laughing once she was done, and applause rained.

All eyes were glued to her, including mine, apart from one. Chase kept his eyes on me. I pretended I didn't notice and focused my attention on the woman on stage.Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on FindNovel.net. Visit FindNovel.net to read the complete chapters for free. To distract myself, I studied the singer. She was probably around my age, and her voice had that raspiness for a jazz and rock and roll genre. Focusing on her song was futile, since she was singing in a language foreign to me. Pairs started to crowd the empty space in front of the stage. They swayed and danced to the rhythm of the song.

A human wall of muscle blocked my view. Chase stood before me with open palms, inviting me for a dance. I stared at his hand and back at him. I shook my head. Chase's lips set into a hard line, He grabbed my hand and plucked me from my seat, whisking me into the corner of the dance floor. I gasped. His free hand rested

on my hips, drawing our bodies closer. He moved to the slow beat of the song, leading me with ease. He was so close, so warm, and he smelled so good, stirring my core to life.

"This song sounds cool," I said, hoping the tension in my body would tone down a bit.

"If you understand it, you'd say otherwise," he said and pulled me closer, eliminating what little space remained between our bodies.

The kiss in the penthouse cruised in my head. My entire body hummed in delight, feeling every inch of Chase's body again. I won't admit it to anyone, but I have been thinking about us since that night. What could've happened if we had let things go further. Good thing he doesn't remember that we kissed, or everything would be awkward between us.

"Why?" I asked, looking anywhere but at him, my cheeks millimeters away from his chest.

Chase leaned closer, his breath coasting my earlobes as he said, "it's a song about love and sfex."

My eyes widened. Warmth envelops me in a cocoon of bliss. "Love is forever

So is s*x..."

Chase quietly sang the English translation of the song in my ears. Each word and each step we took charged my body in flames. His thumb traced small circles on my hips as the song continued. Drugged by his touch, I closed my eyes, relishing every second I could have with him, my forehead lazily leaning against his hard chest.

'This is okay,' I thought. 'We are dancing, nothing more.'

Despite the lyrics, this scene reminded me of what we used to have.

Chase had always been my protector, my angel, my shoulder to cry on, eating buddy. We used to do everything together in our dull times. He considered Derek his best friend, but to me, he was my best friend. I loved him secretly because I didn't want what we had to end. If he knew what I felt for him, he'd push me away for sure. So I tried my hardest to keep my emotions at bay around him.

But then he left without saying a word. I woke up one day, and his room in their boarding house was empty, as if no one had been living there for years. I went to their place, looked for him, and found a for sale sign instead.

I asked Derek for an explanation, but even my brother knew nothing about why Chase and Clara left in a hurry. I was devastated and lost without him.

What he did with Kyle was a regular occurrence when boys tried and flirt with me back in high school. If he didn't leave, was there a chance for us? If he stayed, maybe I wouldn't have to deal with Kyle.

All these what-ifs were knocking down the walls of my tear ducts, slowly trying to break them. Biting back my tears, I pulled away from Chase and slipped out of the bar into the open air, breathing in. It was too late, though. My cheeks were already soaking when Chase came after me.