Choices

Part 6: Always Fight For What You Want

Bryce does wait and it feels like torture, beyond belief, and more than he has ever experienced before. He wants so badly to approach her, it would be easy, but Kristine words play over and over in his head. So he doesn't approach her, and the only way he manages it is to pretend she isn't who he thinks she is. When he looks at her, he pretends that she is someone else, some random person he has no intention of ever meeting. It seems cruel in his mind, but it is the only way he can keep his distance, at least until the time is right. Still, it is a struggle, a very painful struggle. Up until right now, he has caught her watching him three times from across the restaurant. He catches another glance, now, as he is dancing with a girl who threw herself at him minutes ago, and he though he hates that it isn't Chelsea, he needs the distraction. Bryce's mind betrays him and he thinks that maybe can catch a glimpse of a reaction from Chelsea in seeing him with someone else, but she just sits there with an unreadable expression. Somehow he finds this even worse, and he can't look away.

As the song ends, he says his goodbyes to the random drunk woman, who responds drunkenly upset at his refusal for another dance. He ignores her. He doesn't want her. There is only one woman he does want and he makes his move toward her. Chelsea sees him coming and he watches as her eyes widen in slight fear. She quickly looks away from him, and then stands up and walking off for somewhere probably to hide. He sighs, losing sight of her in the crowd of people he is trying to get through. Then his eyes catch her as she quickly makes her way up the stairs to the loft, but she pauses, catching his gaze. She takes off again, almost running up the stairs, and Bryce stifles a laugh. She has nowhere to run now. When he reaches the base of the stairs, she disappears through the loft office door.

Chelsea, thinking she has escaped him, shuts the office door and turns around only to stop dead when she realizes that not only is there the one door, but she isn't alone. An older man sits at a desk in front of a glass wall over-looking the floor below the loft, and an older woman sits in a chair across from him. They both looked up from what they were doing when she entered.

"I'm so sorry." Chelsea freezes, staring awkwardly at the older people. "I was just..."

"Trying to escape?" The woman looks at her with a kind, understanding smile. Chelsea nods her answer, still feeling bad that she has interrupted their meeting. "It is alright. We are hiding as well. It is a little crazy down there. We are not as young as we once were." She gives Chelsea a wink, and the older man smiles as well. "You seem so familiar. Have we met?" The woman questions, catching Chelsea by surprise.

"I...I don't believe so." Chelsea stammers. The feeling that this was probably a bad idea comes again.

Just then Bryce comes through the closed door, startling Chelsea as she jumps around, already knowing it is him. Bryce catches sight of the three people within the office. He meets Chelsea's glance and then faces the other two. "Son." Chelsea hears the older man say in greeting. "How is everything going downstairs?" Chelsea glances between the other two people and Bryce. Son? She wants to slap herself. This is Bryce's parents, obviously. Chelsea suddenly feels as though she might pass out from embarrassment.

Bryce looks back at Chelsea to see her almost glaring up at him in embarrassment. He tries not to smile at how cute she looks, but fails. He holds her gaze for a moment, before looking back at his parents again to answer them. "Good. Shouldn't be more than an hour or two to go."

Chelsea can't help but squirm as she feels Bryce's mother watching Chelsea suspiciously, while Bryce talks to his father about the family business. She shifts under his mother's gaze, trying not to look at the older woman. She tries to look somewhere else, but curses herself when her gaze lands back on Bryce again. As if he can feel her watching him, he looks down at her with his grey eyes piercing straight through hers. She knows she needs to escape from him, but somehow her feet have become roots, planting her into the office floor, keeping her there. Bryce's mother suddenly stands up in surprise. "You're Chelsea!" Her burst of excitement causes Chelsea to jump backwards, bumping into Bryce, who smiles down at her when she looks up at him. Panicking now, she gives one last glance to the other people, and then to Bryce. Her mind and her body are at war once again, and her mind wins out in the end. She makes a run for it.