(𝐃𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔)

"Are you still planning on coming to the gig?" I ask quietly when I walk into Kate's bedroom.

We'd been here a few months, and her room was more decorated than mine. She had Polaroid images of herself, Tabitha, and Olivia on the walls, fairy lights over her bed, brightly painted walls, and even vibrant curtains. While mine were plain white and my walls were still the grey I left them in. I had no intention of staying here for a long period of time so I didn't decorate it.

"Of course, I can't miss you singing, do you mind if I bring a few friends?" she inquires.

"You bring who you want," I say.

I'd concluded to ignore my father's rule; it wouldn't be the first time I'd rebelled, but it would be the first time I faced serious repercussions. I couldn't keep all of my feelings within, and if singing might help me, I was willing to give it a shot.

Just then, Dante wanders through the corridors, and I hurriedly tell Kate bye. When I get to his room, he's resting on his bed, and when he looks up to see me, he rolls his eyes.

"Would you like another pee cup?" he inquires.

"You know we did that to ensure you were being responsible," I tell him.

"Yeah well let me get some rest how about that?" he asks coldly.

"I understand why you're upset, but you need to understand that when you got hooked on drugs, it shattered Mom,"

"She was having nightmares about you overdosing, so they put you in rehab hoping you'd get better, and do you know how Mom would feel if you just got out and went right back to it?"

He takes a long, deep breath., "I understand, but I'm not going back to drugs; I'm fine now."

I nod, "Well, I'm gonna head to the gym with Chase and Josh, but I have a gig today so I'd appreciate it if you came,"

He smiles, perhaps because he knows I'm not listening to our father about my gigs or singing.

"I'll be there," he says.

── ·✩· ──

When I get to the gym, I observe Chase and Josh participating in various trials. Chase usually places bets on it because he knows he has more willpower to win and Josh is always weaker. He even bet a thousand dollars on who could perform the most pull-ups. If he had lost he would've been in trouble but obviously, he didn't.

I always wonder why Josh takes the bait.

"It's the divorced man," Chase murmurs as I place my duffel bag in the locker, swiftly locking it and turning to face him, I say.

"And it's the community man, and not in the good way,"

"Still not divorced but I just won fifty bucks on pushups, you should try it, it's like trading with no risks," he grins as he drapes his arm around my shoulder.

It's not

"You know you can't keep doing that to him, at least let him win sometimes," I say.

He shakes his head as he lets me go, "No can do, amiga," he says, pronouncing amigo wrong.

How do you even do that?

"Now that you're single and back to mingling, I can hook you up with one of these pretty ladies," he adds as he nudges my shoulder.

I shake my head, "No can do, amigo," I tell him, this time pronouncing the word right.

"Oh, don't be a sucker, Olivia was just a fish to get you back into the ocean where the real hotties are," he says.

"Just look at her assets," he says as he points his index finger towards her ass.

I slap his hand down, "Chase, I'm fully capable of finding someone on my own," I tell him.

"That's funny, I mean you did date his ex so are you really?" Josh chimes in.

I quickly remind myself that Josh is notorious for his callous statements and that I shouldn't slap the crap out of him.

I take a deep breath, "Sometimes I regret going anywhere with you guys,"

"I'm just joking, I know how much she meant to you," he says.

"Means," I retort.

Means to me.

"You never know she might just find someone better," Josh says.

And who's that, you? Is what I want to say, but I don't.

I remain silent, I wasn't going to dig myself a deep hole than I was already in.

"I'm gonna go start my workout," he says, leaving me and Chase alone.

"I'm sorry but I'm just thinking about how easy Josh must think she is," Chase chuckles softly, capturing my attention.

"I mean you're okay with Josh taking your girl?"

"She's not my girl anymore, and who can stop her if that's who she wants?" I ask.

"I may be an asshole Tristan, but I saw the way you looked at her when we were together, and I bet you even asked yourself why you didn't meet her first, and I knew I wasn't gonna commit to her," He pauses for a second.

I had no idea where he was headed, but I knew he wasn't mistaken. I shut myself off so I wouldn't like her. Maybe I knew things couldn't happen between us, but I wanted them to; I wasn't any better than Josh.

"That night, when I told you I was going to take her virginity, you got upset, which confirmed my suspicion; I didn't try to do anything; I pissed her off so she'd break up with me; possibly get out of our lives so youd stop sulking but you intervened," he adds.

"You could've told me you knew,"

"I didn't want you guys to be together, I even tried to apologise to stop you guys from being so close,"

"But I realized how much she meant . . . means to you, so I'm sorry for saying all the shit I did."

"What I'm saying is, you can't let Josh stop you, she brightened your life, believe it or not. and I don't want you to go back to sulking, Josh is her friend, and he needs to stop blaming you guys for his problems,"

And there he was, the Chase I'd become close to; it may not be enough for some to comprehend him, but it is for me. He struggles with commitment, cheats, and destroys girls' hearts. A terrible jerk, but it's moments like these that keep me as his friend, even if it's just once a year he shows that he cares.

And I'll never stop hoping that one day he grows and meets someone who accepts him for who he is, flaws and all. As his friend, I want the best for him, and I feel he deserves a chance to experience true love.

"I'll try to keep Josh in check, just don't give up," he says.

"Thanks,

── ·✩· ──

"Finish setting up?" Jada asks and I nod.

Jada was assisting me throughout the process, and because I didn't have Chase or Josh with me, she set me up with a drummer and a guitar since my father had mine locked away.

"I'll send you out in five," she says.

"Thanks, Jada," I tell her.

I breathe a shaky breath in and one out, I wasn't prepared to do this but I felt the urge to remember the rush of it all. The bass in my ears and the music's furious vibrations. I craved that sensation again, and I didn't mind breaking a few rules to experience it.

"You up," she says and I nod.

I immediately grab the guitar and make my way onto the stage, where I sit on the stool and take in the surroundings. Despite the fact that there were a lot of people here, I still managed to see Dante, Kate, Tabitha, and . . . Olivia. I'm quite convinced that was Kate's doing.

Her gaze catches mine, and she smiles; I match her beam, but my nerves are off the rails. I wasn't sure whether I could do it now, but I take the stand and pull the microphone closer to me without thinking.

"I'm really sorry but could you guys give me a second," I say into the mic.

As I rise from the seat, the crowd, which was previously silent, fills with murmuring and bewilderment. I approach the drummer and request that he performs for a different song. He agrees without hesitation.

I return to the stool and reposition myself, "Sorry about that, but we're ready now," I clarify.

For some reason, the audience cheers, and I begin with the guitar as the drummer follows close after with his part. I hadn't performed this song in a while, but I thought it was perfect for the moment.

Her brows are knitted together when I gaze up at her, but I merely grin before I begin. My gaze was solely fixed on her because this song was for her. It spoke all I wanted to say to her but couldn't.

She had previously sung to me, and now it was my turn. She didn't look away for the first time while I sang my heart out to her. It felt as though it was me and her with the vibration of the music.

'Like I Want You' wasn't going to give me the thrill I was looking for, but for some strange reason, it was better. My fear was replaced by adrenaline, and I felt like I was giving my finest performance ever.

The drummer was perfect and I played the strings perfectly, I didn't glance at my fingers this time. I was somehow playing from my memory and it felt better than ever. The guitar vibrated in my arms and I felt it all the way in my chest.

The final lines were approaching, and I pushed my voice to its peak, singing one last line breathlessly louder and more powerfully than I had ever done before.

When her eyes left mine, the audience erupted with enthusiastic applause and a few loud yells. Numerous residents were exclaiming their delight at my performance.

I lean into the mic once more, "Thank you for listening,"

── ·✩· ──

𝗼𝗼. ⁞ 𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐒!

Hey guys, that concludes chapter fifty-five, I certainly do hope that you liked this chapter, because I did enjoy writing it, you got to see a mature (kinda) side of Chase, and Tristan's incite on the whole thing but with that said. Chapter fifty-six is coming soon.

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