Soft music floated into the room, rousing me from my sleep. I muttered under my breath and snuggled into my pillow more, not quite ready to get up yet. When my pillow moved, my eyes flew open. I blinked a few times in confusion, trying to figure out why I wasn’t in my bedroom. When I finally remembered that I had fallen asleep with Chase on the couch, I tilted my head and saw that I was still on his chest and he was sound asleep.

I studied his face for a moment. I’d never seen him quite this relaxed before and it suddenly struck me how handsome he really was. I shifted slightly and pressed my lips against his gently.

He stirred a little and his arms tightened around me as his eyes slowly opened. He blinked at me and then a soft smile crossed his lips. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” I replied. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you last night.”

“I’m not complaining,” he said. “I must admit that I like waking up to you.”

I glanced around the room and that’s when I noticed that there was a blanket covering us. “How did we end up with a blanket on us? And where’s Starlight?”

Chase frowned slightly as he looked around. “I’m not sure.” His head tilted to the side. “It sounds like Bev and Carson are home.” He glanced at his watch. “Holy crap, it’s almost ten. I haven’t slept that long in… well, I don’t remember ever sleeping this late.”

I reluctantly sat up and stretched my arms over my head. Turning to look down at him, I let my eyes roam over his bare upper body and a smile played over my lips. “You know, you’re in pretty good shape.” I traced my fingers lightly over his abs and my smile widened when he shuddered. “I kind of like it.”

His eyes were wary when they met mine. “What about the ugly scars?”

I remembered something he’s said to me when he’d come to my physical therapy with me for the first time. “Scars don’t bother me.” I bent my head and kissed his marred shoulder. “They give you a dangerous quality.”

He snorted. “Yeah, because having coffee poured over me makes me really dangerous,” he said dryly.

I trailed my lips along the line of scars. “I think they’re kind of sexy.”

He grasped my chin and pulled my mouth up to his for a long kiss. “I think you’re kind of sexy,” he murmured against my lips.

It was my turn to shiver and I pulled away from him. “I think we should go upstairs and find Starlight,” I said in a slightly breathless voice.

            A grin stretched across his face as he sat up. “I embarrassed you, didn’t I?”

            “Maybe,” I mumbled, knowing that my face was slightly red.

            He chuckled and kissed my cheek. “You’re kind of cute when you blush.”

            I rolled my eyes and got to my feet. “Come on, let’s go up.”

            He gave me a piggy back ride up the stairs and then set me down. We went into the kitchen and found Bev at the stove flipping pancakes while music flowed out of a small radio. She turned when we came in and smiled at us. “Good morning.”

            “Morning,” Chase muttered. “Where’s the cat?”

            Her eyes lit up. “Oh, you mean that adorable little ball of fur? Carson has him in the den. Where did you find him?”

            “Under the deck last night,” I replied. “We couldn’t just leave him out there.”

            “Goodness, of course you couldn’t. Will you be taking him home?” she asked.

            I hesitated. “I was hoping he could stay here, actually. All our cats stay down at the barn and I think he’s too little to be down there.”

            Relief flashed across her face. “Oh good, because I already went out and bought some stuff for him this morning. Does he have a name yet?”

            “Starlight, since there were so many stars out last night.” I took a seat at the table and Chase sat next to me.

            “That’s a good name for him.” She flipped another pancake. “Your breakfast will be ready shortly.”

            I leaned my elbows on the table and dropped my chin onto my hands. “Did you put the blanket on us last night?”

            “Actually, Carson did that. He went down to watch some TV and found you guys down there. I hope you don’t mind Dana, but I called your parents and let them know where you were.”

            My eyes widened and I straightened in my seat. “I didn’t even think about that. Thanks for calling them. They would have been really worried otherwise.”

            “You’re welcome dear,” she said, setting a plate of pancakes in front of each of us. “Enjoy.”

            Chase and I ate our breakfast in silence and then I called my parents. They weren’t upset about me being out overnight, which surprised me a little. But then I realized that they were probably just happy that I was socializing so much again. I let them know that I’d be home later and then hung up the phone. “Well, I think they’ve decided they like you,” I informed Chase.

            He raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

            “They didn’t freak out about the fact that I stayed the night with you,” I replied. “If they didn’t like you, I would’ve gotten yelled at.”

            “Huh.” He looked down at his hands. “I didn’t think they’d approve of me. I’m not exactly a parents ideal choice for their daughter.”

            “You’re the perfect choice for me, and they know that. They’ve seen how much I’ve improved since I met you.”

            He placed a hand over mine. “Bev and Carson really like you to, and I have a feeling it’s for the same reason. I actually had a full conversation with Carson the other day.”

            “Really? About what?” I asked curiously.

            His cheeks turned a little red and he turned away from me. “I didn’t know what to get you for Christmas,” he mumbled. “So I asked Carson for some ideas.”

            “What did you decide on?”

            His eyes flicked back over to me and a smile tugged at his lips. “I’m not telling you.”

            I pouted a little. “Meanie.”

            “What did you get me?” he challenged.

            “Not telling,” I responded, sticking my tongue out at him.

            He laughed and shook his head. “That was really mature.”

            I grinned. “I know.” I glanced at the clock. “So, what do you want to do today?”

            I was in a great mood on Monday when I got to school. I’d spent the rest of the day yesterday just hanging out with Chase and his foster parents, mainly playing with Starlight who was already being spoiled rotten. The morning went by like it normally did, but when lunch came around, I found Chase waiting for me outside the cafeteria with a scowl on his face. “I hope that look isn’t for me,” I said.

            His expression lightened slightly when he saw me. “No, it’s not for you.”

            I was surprised that he’d actually answered me, since there were people around. I took his hand and led him to an empty stairwell. “What’s wrong?”

            He sighed and leaned back against the wall. “I got paired with someone for a project last period,” he muttered.

            I frowned. “But they don’t usually do that.” The teachers in the school usually allowed Chase to do projects on his own, since he wouldn’t speak to anyone. “Why did you get paired with someone?”

            “There were an uneven number of students in this class, and the project has to be done in pairs. It can’t be done alone or in groups of three.”

            “That sucks. What are you going to do?”

            He ran his hands over his face in a gesture of frustration. “I don’t know. How the hell am I supposed to do a project with someone when I won’t talk to them?”

            I chewed on my lower lip as I thought about it. “Are you supposed to work on it outside of school?” When he nodded, I moved a little closer to him. “Would it help if I was there whenever you had to do that? It won’t help during your class, but it might make it easier for you at home.”

            He visibly relaxed his posture and put his arms around me. “That would definitely help.” He brushed his lips over my temple. “I’ll make sure any after school work is done at my place. It doesn't start until after the holidays, so at least I don't have to worry about it until then.”

            “Now that we’ve got that settled, can we go eat? I’m kind of hungry.”

            He grinned and nodded, pushing us away from the wall and heading back to the cafeteria. “You’re a pretty awesome girlfriend,” he stated as we walked.

            “You’re not too bad as a boyfriend, either,” I replied. “Who’d you get paired with for the project?”

            “A girl named Vicky Morgan.”

            I stopped dead and turned towards him. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

            “I wish I could, but I’m not. Why?”

            I grimaced. “Vicky and I have never really gotten along that well. She had a thing for Luke and he didn’t reciprocate. For some reason, she always blamed me and has been nasty to me ever since.”

            Chase groaned. “Something tells me that this after school work is going to be very interesting.”

            “Oh yeah. It’ll be a laugh a minute,” I replied dryly. “Let’s go eat.”

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This chapter was supposed to be a LOT longer, but one of my family members is in critical condition in the hospital, and I'm flying out in under 48 hours to be with everyone. I decided to just give you guys what I had, and I wanted to let you know that I have no idea when the next update will be. I'm not overly impressed with this chapter, since it seems rushed and not up to my usual standards. I apologize for that, but again, I just wanted to give you something. There's a good chance I'll re-write this chapter to make it flow better eventually.

I'd appreciate any votes and comments, though I don't know if this chapter really deserves them. I don't have a question for you guys this time, since my brain is kind of whirling with everything that's happening. Anyone who wants to send prayers or well wishes to my cousin are greatly appreciated.