Emma's POV
Lily came back to sit with me, but it was too late.
I watched Chase scream at everyone in his way as he approached.
I was prepared to get away, but he told the girls in my way to stop me.
"Please, please Emma." We were making a show the crowd was only dying to see. I didn't like it.
Chase was embarrassing me, us.
"Chase, please." I had just a little break from crying, and that was the classes.
I cried through the night, I cried myself to sleep, same thing when I was preparing for school.
"Emma, no. Please. Don't do this to us." The crowd was 'oohing' and "awing", I had never been in the public eye so much.
It looked so similar to the Kevin issue, just that I couldn't run.
"We can do this somewhere else." I said, shaking my head.
"No, Emma." Chase replied. He was already holding my hand in his.
I didn't want to embarrass him.
What I didn't understand is why he was still doing this after last night.
I thought running to me at the car park in the morning was gonna be the height of it.
"You can't blame me for finally putting a face to the girl of my dreams." Chase was sweating, too visibly. His eyes were red too. "You keep sending my thoughts in circles, Emma. You're messing with my head, with my heart too. But I'll continue to hold on. Everytime we talk about this, it hurts so bad because I don't even know what we are, and we keep fighting over what we do. This is the only way we can put a name to what we do, please."
"Chase this is the wrong place." A tuft of his hair was already covering his eyes
"I know what you mean when you act like this and you know it's breaking my heart. I'm tired of playing the part, Emma. We say we're siblings but I'm catching you across the room." He confessed. Tears had started to stream down his eyes.
I had never seen him that way before, ever.
"Chase, no!" I said, insisting, even trying to pull him away.
"It has to be here, Emma. I want the world to know. I'm not hiding you, and I don't know why you're ashamed of me. I have my faults Emma, but I'm willing to fix them for you." He continued.
"That's the problem." I screamed. Since he didn't want to take the discussion out of there, I had to participate. "You should be fixing up for you, not for me, or 'us'." I said, sniffing.
"For whatever reason, Emma, I'm fixing up." He squeezed my hands tighter. "You can't blame me for being selfish with the one person that brings me happiness. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I wish I planned all this better, I'd have said all those eternal love bullshit I see you fall for on TV, but I didn't Emma. I want to keep you, and I want to do that as soon as possible."
Chase fetched a box from his pocket.
I closed my eyes in pain. I wanted this. If I wanted to be honest, I wanted a proposal this public. But we were having issues, and I didn't think a proposal could patch them all.
"I got this just yesterday. It was in the car you drove. Emma, I'm serious about this. You picked my wretched heart apart last night when you said all those things. They can't stop me though, no, Emma, even you can't stop me from loving you. I'm selfish and I can't let you go." Chase was expressing all raw emotions.
I didn't have to look around to know that some girls had started crying.
There was more light around us, from the flashlight of over twenty devices.
It was a large crowd already.
I knew Chase had to have done something to prevent interruption. That's the thing with rich kids in a rich school.
Thinking about it was cracking me, breaking my resolve.
Thoughts of how he had been hinting at a forever in our conversations too came flooding back.
I just never wanted someone who'd check out of my heart like a hotel. I wanted an actual forever, and I still didn't know if Chase was that guy.
There were many things that were wrong.
"You're doing that thing where you overthink, Emma. Stop." He said.
I say Gray come up behind him, teary too.
I sniffed and looked away. It was bringing me so much pain.
"Emma. I love you. I love you, I really do not know how else to say it. I want to have you, with me, for as long as forever is, and beyond. I want to give you the world if showing you isn't gonna be enough." Gray squeezed his shoulder, but he shrugged. "Emma, you can't deny the butterflies in your belly when you see me. You can't deny the wetness between your legs, even now." He said. That part was a bit embarrassing and true.
"I live for you, Emma,"Chase said.
"But…Chase, people are staring." I said, pleading with him to save us from the public eye.
"I don't care!" He screamed, the tears sliding down his face. I had never seen Chase cry. "I swear on my life, I've never been more sure of someone. I love you, Emma"
"Can we do this at home?" I asked, for the last time.
"Emma, you'd be killing me slowly then. Please. There's nothing to prolong this for. Put an end to my misery. I took all you said to heart and I swear I'd work on them. I want to be yours, Emma. Make me your man." Tears and sweat were streaming down his face. His hair was a mess and he had already almost punched Gray in the face for asking him to quit it.
I stuck my hand out and the whole crowd went wild with cheer.
The noise was so much, if not for the adrenalin from the experience, I'd have passed out.
Chase took out the ring first. It was perfectly cut and sparkly from every angle. It kept sending lights all over the room.
He slid it on my finger. I could feel myself blush beneath the tears.
Chase was beaming, smiling so wide.
He stood up and put the necklace around my neck. They were the same cut.
I could never have seen the day calm.
I jumped on him, and he caught me.
I loved him too, I was just being careful. Plus there were actually things we had to fix. But at that point, it really did feel like Chase's hand was the one I was meant to hold.
He put me down finally and kissed me. Chase was only too blatant. He was so sensual about it, I felt embarrassed and started to wonder how I'd ever face anyone in County High again.
"You look beautiful, always did." He said, wiping the tears on my face with the back of his hand.
"You need to fix your face too." I said, laughing at him.
I bet no one there had ever seen Chase so expressive.
He had always been that handsome, Greek God in the form of a high school kid. A bully too. Girls literally were dying to have his attention. And I knew what I had coming with what had just happened.
I pushed all those thoughts outta my mind and decided to enjoy my moment. Hopefully, Lily took pictures and videos I could see later.
"You don't want to walk through this crowd, do you?" He asked, laughing.
"No, I don't." I confessed.
He lifted me up and carried me out. I was shocked at how much power Chase actually wielded in the school.
They cleared the way for us and soon we were alone again, leaving their chatter behind.
"I love you too." I confessed to him. "I've loved you since I knew you." I said, initiating the kiss this time around. Chase let me control him, and I loved it.