Your love is like a wave

The morning light broke through the curtains, shining directly on Chase's naked body. I was spoiled waking up to this view for the past few days. The sheets were low on his body but there was no mistaking the black and blue mark that was starting to form on his chest.

I reached out to trace it lightly not wanting to wake Chase up. He hummed, shifting a little but not waking up just yet.

I had to hold back my tears last night when he was getting examined. He took off his firesuit and pulled up his shirt to show the doctor the red outline of his seat belts. I was thankful for the security measures inside of the car to keep these drivers safe, but I hate how Chase even has these marks to begin with.

"It's nothing, Ivy," Chase captured my hand that was on his chest and interlocked our fingers.

"It's not, nothing, Chase, you could have been really hurt."

"But I wasn't." I pulled away from him, not liking his answer and got out of bed. I pulled on his t-shirt and went to the window and pushed back the curtains to look out at the ocean.

"This isn't about the accident, is it?" I heard Chase get out of bed and padded his way towards me.

"You make it sound like it's no big deal."

"It's not."

"Chase," I sighed, turning towards him, "it is."

"Ivy, I can't let it be. If I do, then there's no way I can climb back into the car. Accidents happen, but my love for the sport is more than getting caught up in someone else's mistake. You know I'm okay, Ivy, these bruises will be gone by the time I race next weekend."

"I know," I sighed.

"Then tell me what's really wrong?"

Tears filled my eyes as I looked back out at the crashing waves. "I don't want this perfect week to end."

"Who says it has to?" I looked over to where Chase was standing, his eyes crystal clear like he could see the future and I couldn't.

"You make it sound so easy." I laughed dryly, wiping away my tears and looked back out the window.

I closed my eyes, allowing the sound of the waves to calm me down when Chase grabbed my hand and led me to the bed. He sat on the edge and had me climb to his lap. I was secretly thankful we were both clothed because sex was the last thing on my mind in this moment.

"Ivy," Chase reached up, wiping away my tears that just won't stop falling. "You're like a wave, crashing into my life so unexpectedly. I was so unprepared for how much you've knocked me off my feet, but yet, I'm sitting here wanting us to work. I need us to work. I don't know the logistics of it, but I want you in my life, Ivy. I want to be able to wake up in the middle of the night and reach for you. I want to be able to stand by your side before a race, holding your hand as my pride and joy. I also want to see you succeed in your field, to see you reach your goals and dreams. I want to be your aspiration, your joy, your love... Ivy Lynn, I want to fall in love with you, that is, if you'll catch me?"

I shook my head in awe as more tears streamed down my face.

"I didn't think you would feel the same," I confessed, "I wasn't sure if you truly meant you want us to work beyond today. I don't know how we're going to do this, Chase, but I want to. I want all of what you just said and so much more. I want to be there at the races, even if it gives me crazy anxiety, but I'm there because I love you. It's so crazy, isn't it? Falling in love with someone you've only known for a week, but I feel that way for you. It's so deep in my soul and I don't want to say goodbye, not yet. I don't want to get on that plane this afternoon not knowing when I'll see you again. I'm scared all this will be is a whirlwind romance."

"It won't be, Ivy, I promise you, this is real." Chase took my hand in his and placed it on his heart.

"Feel how fast my heart is beating?" I nodded my head yes, "that's what it does at the thought of losing you and see how it's starting to slow down?" I waited a breath and sure enough the tempo was slowing, "that's because I'm thinking of a future with you, Ivy. You give me a peace no one has ever given to me before and I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose you."

I carded my fingers through Chase's hair and looked into his eyes. I don't know what I was searching for, some type of hint that he was lying to me, but I should know better. Everything falling from his lips was nothing but the truth. Chase really wanted to be with me and he wanted to make this work.

"How did I get so lucky?" He smiled that blissful grin of his that had my heart racing. His answer? Was kissing me in a way that had me breathless and shifting in his lap to where our centers were no longer clothed.

I savored every moment as I rode Chase to ecstasy, knowing this would be the last time we've made love, the last time that his lips would be on mine in a passionate way, and the last time that he'll moan my name in that delicious southern accent of his until...

I began to cry again when I realized I didn't know when I'd see him again.

"Baby, don't cry." Chase thumbed away my tears as they streamed down my face.

"I never expected in my wildest dreams that I'd meet someone, let alone fall for them in this short amount of time, and now I'm crying because I don't know when I'll see you again."

"I have a race in New York next month. I'll fly in a few days before it and stay after." The eagerness in Chase's voice made me hopeful.

"Yeah? You would do that?"

"Ivy, we're going to make this work. I don't know how, but we're going to do this." Chase knocked his forehead against mine, interlocking our fingers together in his lap. "I can't lose you." His confession had my heart racing and that right there told me this man was telling the truth.

Our encounter this week wasn't just a one off, this was real. I could feel it so deep in my bones and in my heart that Chase was it for me. Leaving him scared me shitless, but we could do this, right?

"Must I say goodbye?" I was holding onto Chase tightly at the entrance of the airport. My flight left less than an hour and I knew I was pushing my luck by running late.

"Can't you stay for one more night?" I sighed, squeezing Chase's neck even harder.

"I have work in the morning."

"Can't I convince you otherwise?" I chuckled against his lips, kissing him for the umpteenth time since we've been standing here. "I'm not ready to say goodbye, not yet." Chase pushed a strand of hair behind my ear and placed a kiss on my forehead.

"Then I'll see you later?" Tears began to swell in my eyes and I couldn't do this. I held onto him like a vice and I knew if I let go, there would be a chance I would never see him again.

Even though we said we would make it work, there's that possible that life gets in the way and we never see each other again.

"I'll call you the moment I land, I promise."

"I'll be waiting." Chase gave me a searing kiss that had my mind go a little fuzzy and left me breathless. He chuckled, giving me a look that it had the same affect on him, too.

"I'll see you soon." I started to move from Chase, but he grabbed my hand at the last second and placed a small tiny box in it.

"Open it on the plane." Chase blushed, kissed my cheeks and then disappeared into the crowd.

My heart was hammering in my chest by the time I took my window seat in first class. I sent off a text to Chase yelling at him for using his racecar driver status to upgrade my seat. He sent back a smiley face emoji with his tongue sticking out telling me to get used to it. I couldn't help but smile and roll my eyes.

But that's not what had my heart racing, it was the tiny black box that I've been clutching onto since he placed it in my hands.

Carefully, I pulled apart the blue and yellow ribbon, laughing to myself that he chose the colors of his car to wrap this box with. My heart gave way when I lifted the box to reveal a gold bar necklace with elegant script that said "CE" with a heart cut out of it.

A folded up piece of note fell out onto my lap. I opened it up to see nice handwriting that resembled the same font on the necklace. Tears began to prick my eyes when I realized it was Chase's handwriting.

Ivy Lynn,

I'll always carry a piece of your heart with me, no matter how far apart we may be.

Love, your favorite racecar driver, CE.

"Must be one lucky fella to make you smile and cry at the same time." My heart seized at the familiar Georgia accent and my head snapped up to see a glorious smile and the man of my affection staring back at me.

"Chase? What are you doing here?" I was so shocked that I hadn't realized he was carrying a boarding pass.

"Going to New York to visit my girlfriend." I stared at him, stunned and full of disbelief as he settled into the seat and put on his belt. He said this so casually that I wasn't sure how to react. Truth be told, I wasn't.

"Chase," I whispered and he finally turned to look at me.

"Ivy," he whispered back, grabbing my hand, "I got on the plane." He gave me this look that told me everything that I needed to know.

This was my Ross and Rachel moment and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Chase Elliott was worth fighting for and he's proving to me that he's in this fight as well.

Once the plane was in the air, I snuggled close to him, thinking about our first encounter. I couldn't help but ask the one question that's been on my mind.

"Does the racecar driver always get the girl?" I looked up at him through my eyelashes. He gave me that earth shattering smile that had my heart racing.

"Only when she comes crashing into his life and turns his world upside down." Yeah, Chase Elliott got what he wants and I wouldn't want it any other way.

~THE END~

A/N: *cries* I really don't want this story to end, I really don't. I loved writing about how it would be like to meet Chase by happenstance and how it would be to fall in love with him even though it was only a week. The perfect whirlwind romance... and the smut. Ugh. I don't even know HOW I wrote that.

I know their story doesn't end here and I've been avoiding the idea of a sequel, but I think it's going to happen - that is, if you guys want it?

I really want to thank you guys for your kind words, it means so much to me.

Until next time!