The Perfect Play by Cookie O’Gorman

CHAPTER 11: Chase

My gut clenched as I watched Charlie walk away.

She didn't look back once.

Turning to my brothers, I said, "Thanks for that."

My voice was full of sarcasm, but of course, they ignored it.

"No problem," Baylor said.

"Happy to help," Dex said.

Baylor rubbed his hands together, moving his gaze over the room. "So, do you see anyone? That girl over there by the door looks like a solid choice."

"You mean the one in the glasses?" Dex said. "Yeah, she's cute. A little bookworm-ish for my taste."

"Well, we're not looking for you. We're looking for Chase."

"Oh then, totally. I could see her and Chase together."

They both glanced to me, but I shook my head.

"No?" Bay said. "That's okay, man. We'll find you someone."

Dex shrugged. "Maybe he likes brunettes."

"You guys are something else," I mumbled.

"What about that one, over by the stairs? Dark hair, red shirt, nice-fitting jeans?"

I scoffed.

"Not her either, huh?"

"Just stop. My problem isn't with them," I said, looking from Dex to my twin. "I'm pissed at both of you. Why the heck did you do that?"

"Do what?" Baylor held up his hands. "Listen, I know books are your thing, and that's cool. But you can't just block everyone out. You've been pouting all night, and we thought you could use a little fun and some female company."

"I was having fun."

He lifted a brow. "Oh really?"

"Yeah," I said. "And I had a girl—before you scared her off."

Baylor's forehead pinched as he looked to Dex. "Hey D, you know what he's talking about?"

Dex's eyes were on me as he said, "I think he means Charlie."

"No way." Baylor laughed. "Chase, you can't be serious."

Feeling my blood cool, I cocked my head. "Why not?"

My twin stared at me for a long moment. His voice was completely serious when he said, "Because that girl will chew you up and spit you out without a second thought."

"You don't even know her," I said.

"Like you do?" he challenged.

"No," I said, "but I want to."

Baylor shook his head. "That's not a good idea, bro."

"I think it is."

Dex tried playing intermediary. "Hey guys, how about we get back on track. Bay's right—for once. There are a lot of fine women here. Just pick one, Chase, and go get her."

"Thanks, I will," I said.

Patting them on the shoulders, I turned and started walking, following the same direction Charlie had gone minutes before. She was easy to find. It took me less than five seconds to spot her in the crowd. Part of that was because she hadn't gone far. But even if she had, I knew it wouldn't be hard. Something drew my eyes right to her.

And I wasn't the only one.

Several guys, at least three by my count, were gazing at Charlie from afar. They seemed to be working up the courage to go and talk to her.

My steps didn't falter.

"Hey," I said as I stopped at her side.

"Hey," Charlie said. "Didn't think I'd see you again so soon."

I shrugged, stuffed my hands into my pockets. "Well, here I am. My brothers held me up, but—"

Another voice cut in before I could finish.

"Oh Chase, I'm so glad I found you."

Charlie and I both turned to look at the girl who'd spoken. She was standing next to me, had light brown hair and was wearing a white tank top and jean skirt. I couldn't remember ever seeing her before. But I must've, right, because she knew my name? Ugh.

"I've been looking all over," she added. "I had a question about Dr. Harrington's philosophy class. Do you know what pages he assigned earlier this week?"

Okay, now I didn't feel so bad. That class had stadium seats, dim lighting and like a hundred people in it. I couldn’t possibly remember everyone.

"Ah no," I said. "Not off the top of my head. Sorry."

"Darn," she said, looking down and then up at me from beneath her lashes. "I was really hoping you could help me out. You seem like you'd take really good notes."

How could she possibly know that? I wondered.

Charlie bit back a smile as I glanced to her then to the girl-whose-name-I-still-didn't-know.

"I think Dr. Harrington puts the assignments online," I offered, hoping to help her but also not wanting to look like a jerk in front of Charlie.

"Maybe I can call you sometime," she said. "We could discuss the class, form our own private study group."

"Uh, I have a lot going on with ball."

"Still. Let's exchange numbers," she said with a smile. "In case you change your mind."

"Sorry again," I said. "I just don't have a lot of free time. Plus, I've got an A in that class, so no real need for a study group."

The girl blinked. "Okay…well, bye, Chase."

"Bye." To her back, I said, "And hey, good luck."

Charlie coughed, and when I looked at her, she was laughing silently.

"What?" I asked.

"You really don't know?" she said.

I shook my head. "Seriously, what's so funny?"

Charlie pulled herself together then squinted at my face. "You truly don't get it. Chase, that girl was hitting on you."

"Nah," I said, "she just needed the assignment."

She raised her brows. "And how many people are in that class?"

"A lot," I said slowly. "So?"

"She could've asked anyone," Charlie said. "And she wanted to form a private study group with you. Even though you couldn't remember her name."

I winced. "Was it that obvious?"

"Yeah," she said, "not that I think she cared. She would've been happy as a clam just to get your number."

Looking through the crowd, I was thinking about going to apologize, when I found the girl standing with Baylor and Dex across the way. They were chatting. Probably about me.

"Pretty sure my brothers set that up," I said to Charlie. "Jerks."

As if he'd heard, Baylor lifted his head and our eyes clashed. He gave me a little salute, and I rolled my eyes, resisting the urge to flip him off. Nice try, Bay.

"Can you blame them?" Charlie said and I felt her tap the book in my hand. "I didn't think anyone besides my best friend brought books to parties."

I looked back at her with a grin. "Honor's cool."

"That she is," Charlie murmured. "She's over there with your other brother now—he's like what the first of a thousand of you O'Briens? June and your sister are there, too, watching us."

"Hey, I'm sorry for what happened earlier," I said. "My family is the best, but they like to meddle."

"You don't say."

I ran a hand over my hair. "It's the only drawback of having a big family. We're all up in each other's business."

"Having people care for you and worry about how you're doing," she said drily. "Sounds awful."

A small smile found my lips. "More like annoying. Like Baylor and Dex. They wanted me to distract myself with a girl."

Charlie lifted a brow. "Who? Miss study group?"

"Nah, it could be anyone."

I definitely didn't mention Bay warning me away from her. He was full of it. Plus, I didn't want to hurt Charlie's feelings.

"The issue is they think I need help in that area."

"Again, can you blame them? Look at what happened with that girl just now."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You're so oblivious," Charlie said. "I'd be worried, too, if we were friends."

"Charlie, you've kissed me, seen me with my shirt off and talked books with me for at least five minutes. I'd say we're friends now. Wouldn't you?"

Her smile was slow. "I guess."

Baylor and Dex started walking this way, and Emmy looked like she was about to head over, too.

"Speaking of family," I said, "I think we're about to be interrupted again."

"You don't sound too happy about it," she said.

"Honestly? I'm partied out. I just want to go back to my room."

Charlie smiled, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes.

"Want to shock them?" she asked.

"I'd love to," I said.

"Then follow me, O'Brien."

Charlie took my hand, and it was like a jolt ran through me. She gave no sign that she felt it, too. But how could she miss it? Electricity ran from the place where our palms connected all the way up my arm. I could've sworn it even hit my heart. Trying to ignore the feeling and reveling in it at the same time, I walked behind Charlie as she led me through the crowd, all the way to the stairs and up them. Before they were lost from view, I noticed the surprised looks on my family's faces.

We reached the landing, and Charlie glanced at me in question.

"Which one's yours?" she asked.

"Second door on the right," I said.

"Awesome."

When we got there, Charlie didn't stop. She walked right in, pulled me inside and shut the door behind us. Of course, that meant, we ended up close together. Like super close. She was facing me now, her hand on the doorknob, and my body was between her and the door. If she leaned forward an inch, she'd be resting against my chest.

"There," she said. "No more party. It's just you and me."

I cleared my throat. "I'm good with that."

Charlie turned her wrist, and the lock slid into place.

"So we won't be disturbed," she said.

I nodded. "Thanks for the save back there."

"Eh, no problem. There's something I wanted to ask you about."

"Oh yeah?" I said, trying not to think about the fact that she was so close. It was hard, though, because with every inhale, I breathed her in.

"Hmm. You seem nervous, Chase," she said. "It's almost like you've never had a girl up here before."

I laughed. "Am I that transparent?"

"So, you haven't?"

"Nope. Only you."

Charlie stepped away, and I resisted the urge to pull her back. She kept walking and then sat on the edge of my bed, crossed her legs. I had no idea how she knew which one was mine—though I guess there were some tells. Dex's side of the room was messier, his bed unmade, and darker with a few posters of the fighters and bands he liked. Mine looked a little plainer by comparison, mostly sports oriented, three banners on the wall (Yankees, Mets and my personal favorite the Braves) and multiple stacks of books on the floor, taking up most of the space. Both of us had pictures of the family on our desks, though we'd picked different ones to feature.

Any questions I had flew out of my head as Charlie eased her hands behind her and leaned back against them. If I didn't know better, I'd say that pose was designed to draw my gaze to her breasts. I did my best not to look.

"Well, now that you have me up here," she said, and my breath caught as her eyes met mine. "What do you want to do?"

Anything, I thought. Anything that involves you and me, alone, with you looking at me like that. Not going to lie. I was a gentleman, and yes, a virgin. But I had an active imagination. My mind ran through a ton of scenarios, all of them involving Charlie and me and that bed. None of them I could say out loud.

"I…whatever you want," I said finally. "You said you had something to ask me."

"I do," she said.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Sex."

The word made my throat run dry, and though I was usually well-spoken, I stood there speechless.

Charlie smiled. "You should see your face right now. I'd give anything to know what you're thinking."

"I'm not," I admitted. "My brain went blank for a second."

She laughed outright then. "Chase, it's just a word."

I ran a hand over my neck. "Ah, but it's not. There's a lot of meaning behind that word, and honestly, I didn't expect you to come out and say it like that."

"Get used to it," Charlie said. "If we're going to be friends, you should know I say what I mean 99.9 percent of the time."

"And the other tenth of a percent?"

She waved that off. "Mostly just niceties, pretty little lies to save people's feelings."

"Very considerate of you," I said.

"Thanks." Charlie threw me a smile. "Now, back to the matter at hand. Chase, do you honestly believe in soulmates?"

The question took me aback but so had a lot of this conversation, so I decided to roll with it.

"Yeah." I said. "Don't you?"

"No," she said emphatically. "Soulmates are a made-up concept, a fairytale designed to give couples something to feel smug about and at the same time make single people feel like they're incomplete on their own."

"Wow. You sound pretty sure there."

"I am. I mean think about it," she added. "It's so unbelievable. That our souls are searching for their missing piece? It sounds like something straight out of a romance novel."

"Hey, don't knock it," I said. "There's a lot of truth in romance novels. Trust me. If more people read books, there'd be a lot more love, understanding and kindness in the world."

"Okay, but still. The idea of two souls being destined for each other." Charlie shook her head. "Don't you think it's a little too perfect?"

I shrugged. "Just because something seems impossible doesn't mean it's not real. True love happens all the time."

Charlie tilted her head then said, "I didn't think jocks went so deep into their mind space."

"Some of us do."

"I should've known you were different."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Please do. I've dated my fair share of athletes, and they've never said anything nearly as insightful as that. Also," she added, "they definitely weren't pining away for the One."

Charlie sat forward.

"So, the virgin thing, the celibacy? It's not an act?"

I let out a long exhale. "Nope. I guess you read that article Honor wrote?"

"Yes," she said. "And I want to help."

I was confused. "Help me with what exactly?"

"Chase, I know you're waiting and all." Charlie gave me a nod. "And I totally respect that."

"Okay…"

"But it might help if you practiced."

I shook my head. "Sorry, you lost me."

"To make sure you're prepared. For her."

I must've still looked as confused as I felt because Charlie sighed then went on to explain.

"Stop me if I get any of this wrong," she said. "You believe in soulmates, and you're waiting for the One."

I gave a short nod.

"That's why you turn girls away left and right"—I opened my mouth to argue, but she held up a hand—"and it's also why your family feels the need to get involved. The latest example, Baylor and Dex downstairs."

"Yeah, I guess," I said.

"They worry about you being anti-social, but in your mind, you're saving yourself."

I felt heat surge to my cheeks but nodded again.

"Well, are you actively looking for your soulmate?" she asked.

"Not really," I said.

"Ah, so you expect fate to deliver her right into your arms. Dream girl is just going to appear one day out of thin air, and poof. Happily-ever-after."

My brows furrowed as I saw her grin. "Yeah, something like that."

"One question: what will you do when you find her?"

"What?"

"You heard me." Charlie shrugged. "If she walked up to you now, what would you say? How would you act?"

"I'll know what to do when it happens," I said.

"Prove it."

I blinked. "How?"

"Practice on me. Pretend I'm the girl, your soulmate and one true love, and sweep me off my feet."

A smile tugged at my lips. "You're kidding, right?"

But Charlie just shook her head.

"Everyone needs to practice, Chase," she said. "I think that's why your brothers are worried. To be honest, I can kind of see their point."

"Hey, I've got game. I just don't use it."

"Well?" She lifted a brow. "Go ahead then. Woo me."

I laughed. "Come on, Charlie. Be serious."

"Flirting, foreplay and kissing are important skills to master," she said. "I'm guessing you don't have much experience in these areas."

"Not a lot," I said. "But I know enough."

"But is it enough for the One?" she said. "Don't you want to impress your soulmate?"

"Of course."

Charlie nodded. "Then let's go."

The horrible thing was…I was starting to see where Charlie was coming from. Almost all the books I read had romance in them, but I didn't have much experience—next to none actually. And I did want to make a good first impression. Feeling like an idiot, wanting to laugh at the same time, I did as she asked.

"The wooing is about to commence," I said. "Prepare yourself."

Charlie rolled her eyes, but I could tell she was amused.

"I can hardly wait."

I turned around then back to her, pretending as if I was seeing her for the first time.

"Oh hey," I said. "I'm Chase."

Charlie dipped her chin. "Hey."

"And who might you be?"

"I don't usually give my name out to strangers," she said, flipping her hair back. "Even the good-looking ones."

I smiled. Oh, she was good. "Funny you should say that. I think you're gorgeous, too, and would really love to know your name. Can you make an exception just this once?"

"Sorry, no."

"Okay," I said. "Well, again, my name's Chase O'Brien. I'm the third oldest of six siblings. I have an identical twin, but we couldn't be more different if we tried. I'm an Aquarius who loves baseball, books, and my family—even when they're annoying. My favorite season is Fall. Favorite book is Outlander. I took a Harry Potter quiz, and they put me in Ravenclaw though I see myself as Gryffindor. I prefer dogs. My dream is to play in the MLB and to grow up to be an awesome dad like mine was. My mom raised me to be a gentleman, but if you really don't want to give me your name after all this, that's fine. I'll go lick my wounds in private."

Charlie's lips were twitching by the time I finished.

"Nice speech," she said. "I'm Charlie."

Score!

"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl," I said.

"Really, you think so?"

"Oh yeah, and I love the fact that our names go together so well."

A line appeared between her brows at that.

"Charlie and Chase," I said. "Our couple name would be ChaCha. It's clearly meant to be."

"Ennnd scene," Charlie said on a laugh. She stood and walked over to meet me in the middle of the room. "You were doing alright until the couple name thing."

"Too much?"

"Yeah, I don't think you should go there until at least the second date."

"Thanks for the tip," I said.

"You're cute, O'Brien," she said. "I'll give you that. Your flirting wasn't intense or in-your-face sexy, but for you, it worked."

"You think I can't do intense?"

"I never said that. And I still think you should practice. You want this girl to leave knowing she is it. You want her to be thinking about you for days afterward. If you can do that, you're golden."

I followed Charlie as she walked past me.

"Hey Charlie," I said.

"Yeah?"

Putting my hand against the doorframe, leaning down so I was speaking into her ear from behind, I said softly, "You don't have to worry. When I find my soulmate, there won't be any hesitation on my end. My girl will know she's the one for me. I've waited a lifetime to meet her. When I do, I'm never letting go."

Charlie swallowed.

"That intense enough for you?" I asked.

"Yeah. That was…yeah," she said again.

"You know, I think you're right. I could use some more practice. Maybe we should add that in with our PT sessions."

"Sure, I'll see you later, Chase. Sweet dreams."

Charlie's voice sounded slightly breathless, and that made me smile.

"You, too," I said.

Strangely, even after she was gone, my thoughts didn't once turn to baseball or my less than stellar performance. I was still thinking about her and our time together when I went to bed that night. ChaCha must've been a good omen because my dreams were definitely sweet.