Half an hour later, we're standing in the living room with Jerry, his face much more serious than when he'd answered the door.
"Are you sure you don't want to wait for Nathanial?" he asked soberly. "I know how close you are, Chase."
"He's gone and we don't know when he'll be back. He's got the Elders arriving. I just… we don't want to wait anymore, Jer." Chase looked tense, and gripped my hand.
"And you, Kate?"
I shrugged. "I don't care who does it, I just want to be with Chase," I said lamely. I feel desperately self-conscious, but Chase's eyes follow my every twitch, and there's an intensity to him that makes my heart race.
I want this, more badly than I know how to say, and it's making me tongue-tied.
