Chase

I don't know how everything got so messed up. What did I do?

There's no way I can fix this if she won't talk to me. And that's exactly what's happening. Things were going so well at the bar. We had just played a spectacular game against the team from Boston and came out tonight to celebrate. Lindsey left the table for a few minutes to go to the bathroom, and the next thing I know, she's running by crying and saying she has to leave. She wouldn't even look at me.

Taylor told Liam and me to stay back while she checked on Lindsey, but it killed me to do that. We waited as long as we could stand and headed to the apartment after them. Liam looks ready to break someone's neck, and I am panicking.

What the fuck happened!?

The whole way back to the apartment, I wracked my brain to figure out what could possibly be wrong and came up empty. I have no idea what could have made her so upset. One minute everything is fine; the next, my world has been turned upside down. She came out of that bathroom looking like she just got slapped in the face. And the way she avoided me tells me somehow she thinks I've done something- something awful.

Liam and I waited in the living room until Taylor was done talking to Lindsey. I hope she found out what happened. Who the hell upset my girl? I was ready to pounce on Taylor, but Liam beat me to it.

"What the hell happened, Tay?"

She looks at Liam. "She doesn't really want to talk about it. She needs some time to calm down."

Liam steps toward the bedroom door, protective-brother mode fully activated. "Fuck that! I need to check on her!"

Taylor steps in his way, stopping him in his tracks. "Liam," she says in a warning tone.

He glares at her and tries to sidestep her. She matches his movement, blocking him again. He huffs and crosses his arms. They stand there, having a silent face-off for a moment before Taylor finally speaks again.

"Fine! You can go in, but don't pry. Just sit with her and let her be. Let her cry on your shoulder or whatever she needs, but do not push her, Liam."

He puts both hands up in surrender and disappears behind the door. I am left feeling helpless as Taylor and I stare after him. When she turns back around to face me, though, I am met with a wave of dread.

She looks pissed- I mean really pissed.

If looks could kill, I'd be a dead man right now. She is glaring at me with two deadly sharp daggers, and they are pointed right at my eyes.

The next words out of her mouth hit me like venom. "What the fuck did you do!?"

*

*

*

Lindsey

(A couple of hours earlier.)

I left the table to hit the restroom, still feeling elated about everything that was going right in life and in my relationship with Chase. Then, as soon as I finished drying my hands, everything came crashing down.

Who do I have to thank for that? That's right- fucking Val!

She stopped me before I could get out of the bathroom by literally planting herself and her minions in front of it. I was planning on just walking by and ignoring her, but she made sure that wouldn't happen.

Val was acting like she was being nice- like she thought she was doing me a favor. She started off innocent enough, asking how things were going with Chase and me. I bristled at the question- no one was supposed to know about us besides Taylor. Were we not careful enough? Did Val catch us holding hands and flirting while we thought no one was looking?

Shit!

She laughs at my obvious discomfort. What a bitch.

She tries to play it off like it's no big deal, admitting that she noticed the two of us flirting and being super close all the time. She is actually playing like we're good friends, acting like it's totally normal for us to be talking about this. Her hand moves up to her lips as she turns to the mirror to apply a fresh coat of ruby red lipstick. After smacking her lips together and verifying that nothing else needs a touch-up, she turns to me and says something that makes my blood run cold.

"So, has he taken you to the rooftop yet?"

I feel the blood drain from my face, lips trembling as I stammer, "wh-what did you just say?"

She smiles and repeats, "the rooftop. Has he taken you there yet?"

I stare back at her, mouth gaping, trying to remember how to breathe.

When I say nothing, she continues. "That's kind of his thing. Ya know, when he wants to get in your pants. He'll say and do all the sweetest things, then make it seem really special by taking you to the rooftop garden, so you let your guard down."

I shake my head. I can't believe what I'm hearing. She's lying- she has to be!

Val's blonde friend chimes in. I've seen her around before, usually sniffing around the defensemen, but she's eyed Chase a few times too.

"Yeah, when he took me there, he made it so cozy. Laid out blankets and pillows and made sure we had wine and chocolate. Mmm. It was sweet. He kept me around for maybe a week or two after that. Then, on to the next one." She gives me a sympathetic look.

She's lying. Right?

My chest is constricting. It's hard to breathe. How could they know about that place? He told me he'd never taken anyone there before. He told me I was special.

Suddenly, the other minion pipes up, Val's brunette friend. She's new. I've never seen her here before.

She gives a sad nod and looks me right in the eye as she says, "when he took me there, he set up a picnic, and we made love under the stars. He told me I was the only one and that I was special."

Liar!

I keep telling myself they're lying, but what if they aren't? What if he's been playing me this whole time? How could they know about that place unless they'd been there? No one knew about the date- no one but Taylor, and she wouldn't say anything, would she?

No, she hates Val.

I'm so confused and hurt. I feel myself trembling. The tears are welling in my eyes so close to spilling over. I'm having flashbacks to when I walked in on Lucas and Nadia all over. Only, this time, the pain is so much worse. I finally let myself trust again, and this is what happens.

I can't breathe. I have to get out of here.

Val shocks me by placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Sorry, you had to find out this way, but I thought you should know. Don't want you to get in too deep and end up getting hurt."

She gives me a sad smile, and it looks genuine. "Just us girls looking out for another." She then looks to her friends, who are giving me sad nods.

I can't hold them back any longer. I push by the group of women and rush out of the bathroom as the tears start flowing. I run by the table where Chase, Taylor, and Liam are sitting. Not even looking at Chase, I grab my things and fly out the exit. I can hear him and Liam calling after me, asking what's wrong.

My tears are coming out like a waterfall, and my breath keeps hitching. I ignore everyone and just run toward the nearest cab. The door is closing behind me, but Taylor is too quick. She caught up and slides in next to me, giving the driver our address.

She looks at me with confusion in her eyes. "What hap-," she starts.

I don't let her finish before burying my head into her shoulder and sobbing uncontrollably. She doesn't say anymore and wraps her arm around my shoulder, trying to soothe me. We reach the apartment and slowly make our way to the apartment. She doesn't pry, and I'm grateful for that. She knows I'll tell her when I'm ready.

But will I ever be ready to admit that I let my heart blind me again?

Can I even say the words? Or will saying them make it real?

Maybe, for now, I can just pretend this is all just a bad dream.