Chase

She sounded angry. Of course, she sounded angry I was being an idiot! What was I thinking? I should have been careful but when it comes to Blayne sometimes I tend to forget my manners, or my sense of reasoning. But that needs to change. People look up to me, I’m Chase-fucking-Cooper, not some doormat stalker-boyfriend wannabe. I need to rethink this. But for now, my mother, dressed in a Valentino that she must have bought for the brunch with her friends, was standing next to the breakfast bar and despite the wine glass in her hand with some of my best Cabernet, she didn’t look happy. I could tell there was something she wanted to get off her chest and I was afraid I knew what it might be.

“Why is she here?” she asked, bluntly.

“Kira? She needs a break so she’s staying here. What’s the big deal?”

“Why isn’t she staying with Ben? Let him take care of her. You think you can keep an eye on that girl? You’re not even around most of the time. Are you going to leave your work and babysit her from now on?”

“Mom—”

The door opened and Kira barged in, wearing her running clothes and I could hear the distant beats coming from her iPod. The minute she saw us she stopped and took out the earphones. “Mrs. Cooper,” she said. She looked like she didn’t know what she could possibly say after that. It seemed impossible that these two used to be friends not that long ago. I hated when they dragged me into their petty affairs.

“She’s just going to be here for a few weeks,” I said.

Mom glared at me. “Is she also going to be whoring with other men behind your back?”

I could tell Kira was losing her shit. “Mom!”

Kira looked like she had a few comebacks but she didn’t say them. “I’m going to take a bath,” she said to me instead and disappeared to her room.

“Mom,” I said the minute Kira was out of earshot. “Why’re you making this difficult? What happened wasn’t her fault. We’ve been through this before.”

“I just don’t trust that girl,” Mom said, and stood.

“And we all know why Mom,” I said, a bit angrily this time. I couldn’t stand people talking bad about my friends, even if it was my mother. “And it’s got nothing at all to do with what happened a year ago.”

Of course, Mom knew what I was talking about but as always, she tried to ignore it. “Just be careful around her,” she said. “You never know what that prostitute might be up to.”

“Mom!”

“Don’t take that tone with me, Chase. I’m your mother. It’s my job to look after you.”

She wasn’t one to listen to reason. It was best to just let her go and see her friends. Perhaps they would be better company for her. At this point, I was just dying to get rid of her because I didn’t want Kira and her arguing. Kira showed restraint just now where a year ago she would have stood and fought and given her hypertension. Now, she just avoided the situation by distracting herself with a shower. That was progress. If only I could get my mother to show some as well.

A few minutes after she left, Kira walked down the stairs in a towel. She sat at the breakfast bar. “I need to eat,” she said. “Don’t you have a maid or someone who cooks?”

“She’s got some errands to run,” I explained. “She should be back soon.”

“Good.”

“But,” I said, picking up my car keys from the counter. “How about I take you out for brunch?”

Kira leaped off the bar. “You’ll drive? What about Stanton?”

“I gave him the weekend off.”

“Are we going in the Audi or the convertible?”

“The convertible of course.”

“Nice!” she said, excitedly. “Can I drive?”

“Kira—”

“I know. I’m not supposed to drive.”

“I’m sorry…”

“No,” she said, clearly hurt, but trying to hide it. “I get it. Can I at least pick the place?”

“Anywhere you want.”

“Okay then, let’s go. I’m starving!”

As I watched her go toward the front entrance, I knew there was no way to tell if she truly felt that happiness she was claiming to feel. Maybe it was Mom’s constant warnings that had gotten to me, or the fact that I knew Kira more than she thought she did, more than she showed anyone, that I felt suddenly afraid. What if there was something wrong? What if she had come here because there was something going on that she didn’t want to talk to me about?

I went outside anyway, hoping I wouldn’t have to find out. Hoping that my best was friend was truly happy and not just pretending to be.