You're the Reason - J. Nathan Page 0,22

you doing?”

He smirked. “You know what I’m doing.”

I swallowed my surprise. “Yeah, but why?”

“Can’t a guy just do something nice?”

“A guy can. You…I’m not so sure.”

He shook his head, a flicker of amusement lighting his eyes. “Get your ass in the car.”

My feet stayed firmly planted to the sidewalk. “I’m serious. I don’t understand.”

“What’s to understand? You get in Ubers with strangers. But you won’t get in a car with me? You gotta see how messed up that is.”

“You showing up here, when your girlfriend’s away, trying to grant me one of my bucket list wishes. You gotta see how messed up that is.”

He twisted his hat around on his head and pulled it down low, molding the brim down. “For the love of God, she’s not my girlfriend.”

I crossed my arms. “Does she know that?”

“Yes.”

I tipped my head to the side. “Does everyone else know that?”

“I don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks.”

“Do you care what I think?”

He stared at me across the empty space, his blue eyes penetrating while his patience with me was clearly wearing thin. “Are you gonna get in the car or not?”

Oh, hell.

I walked slowly toward the car.

He opened the passenger door. My arm brushed his. Goosebumps broke out all over my skin as I slipped into the car, settling into the smooth leather seat.

Chase closed my door before circling the front and sliding into his seat. “Well, that was more difficult than I expected,” he said as he pressed the button and the engine roared to life.

I cut my gaze to his. “Where’d you get the car?”

He pulled out onto the main street. “Don’t worry about it.”

I closed my eyes as we picked up speed, loving the free feeling of driving without windows or a roof. The warm September sun beat down and a breeze brushed against my cheeks as we moved through the streets. Once Chase turned onto the highway, I lifted my arms into the air and let the wind push them back, loving every minute of it.

“You having fun?” Chase asked.

I shrugged, not wanting him to be too proud of himself.

He smiled, and when he smiled like that—all teeth and dimples, I almost forgot about what a jerk he could be.

“You should do that more often,” I said.

“What?”

“Smile.”

He reached for the radio and turned it up, clearly not in the mood for conversation—or compliments.

I laughed to myself. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. Maybe the real Chase was the guy in the media room sticking up for that girl, and the guy who’d picked me up to make my bucket list wish come true.

Before long, we neared the coast. The briny air greeted us and laughing gulls flew overhead, their wings spread as they, too, eagerly neared the beach.

Chase lowered the music. “Get ready. You want to remember the moment your wish came true, don’t you?”

Butterflies took flight in my stomach. But I feared those butterflies weren’t because my wish was about to be granted. I feared it was because of the unlikely person granting that wish.

I absorbed the stunning view of the coast as he drove along it, slowing when no one was behind us on the road. I pulled out my phone and snapped pictures of the beautiful blue water with the puffy white clouds dangling in the air—a perfect backdrop to a perfect moment.

Chase hit his blinker and turned off the road into a dirt overlook. He parked the car and cut the engine. “Let me get your picture.”

My brows furrowed.

“In the car. By the coast. Your wish.”

Oh. Right. I handed him my phone and smiled as he snapped a few pictures, making sure to get me in the car in front of the ocean.

He handed me back my phone and circled around the car. But instead of getting back in, he leaned against the driver’s side door and looked out at the ocean.

I gave him time, figuring he wanted to be alone. But once he still hadn’t gotten back in after a few minutes, I stepped out of the car and walked over to him, leaning beside him against the car and staring out at the ocean. The waves crashed loudly, but I still couldn’t ignore Chase’s silence. He was never one to hold back his thoughts. But clearly something was on his mind.

Maybe he regretted bringing me here. Maybe he thought I wanted to stay longer. Maybe he thought he was giving me what I wanted.

“Thanks for doing this for me,”