Freeing Katie

Ch. 15 Casey?

CHASE POV

Katie in leather pants is a wet dream I didn’t know I needed in my life.  I was really hoping she would buy one of those costumes with the fluffy short skirt since I’ve never seen her in one, but this is definitely better… and very much a ‘Katie’ outfit. 

As soon as we approached the house, I think I was more excited than her to be there.  Every time her jaw drops or forms and ‘o’ shape, I beam on the inside.

J.R.’s parents are both top lawyers- his mom gained almost everything out of her divorce, and it shows in this fancy house that she never stays in.   It has more than six bedrooms, plus a very open living space.  By the time J.R.’s older brother showed him what drinking was, he holds parties as often as his mom is out of town to get rid of the loneliness. 

I pull out of Katie’s hand and snake my arm around her waist as we move through the crowd.  Music is blaring and people are dancing everywhere.  I can hear Katie sing to the beat as Taylor and Brenna dance their way in front of us.  They turn and grab one of Katie’s hands and haul her over to living room/dancefloor.  When she turns to me, I smile and shoo her to go.

As much as I would want her by my side the entire night, I want her to experience the fun party life too.

I head towards the kitchen, seeing if I can find the host.  I hi-five a few faces I recognize and grab a couple of solo cups, trying to figure out what drinks Katie might like.  I don’t want to go too hard myself.  I want to make sure she has a good time.

“Beer or punch?” I turn just in time to see Bethany smile at me, taking the cups out of my hand and set them on the island.

“One of each, thanks.”  Katie will probably prefer the punch.

She gives me a wink and fills up the cups.  “Haven’t see you in a while, Chase.  Where have you been hiding?”

This is her routine.  Small talk/flirting then going for the kill.  We haven’t hooked up since the beginning of the year, and I’ve dodged her advances at each party.  “Been hanging out with Katie Roberts lately.  Haven’t felt like going to many parties.”  Even though her frown makes me feel like an ass, I know it’s for the best.  Ever since Katie left for that date and ended up in my arms, I decided to pursue her- slowly but surely, and I think it’s time to advance us to be official.

I grab the cups and thank Bethany, then head out to the dancefloor.  I look around but still haven’t seen J.R.

After saying hi to some and laughing at some stupid s**t others are doing, I finally scan the dancefloor.  This whole side of the house is floor-to-wall windows, giving us a view of the backyard and lit up pool.  The doors are open to let the cool night air in and expand the crowd space.  My eyes finally land on my girl as she bumps hips with Josh’s alien and shimming her ass to the music.  I bite my lip, staring at her ass too closely.

“My man!” A hand slaps on my shoulder and I turn, grinning widely seeing J.R.  I hug him without sloshing my drinks all over the place.

“Great turn out!” I basically yell out.  Being this close to the DJ does have its disadvantages.  I then check out his costume with a s**t eating grin.  “What the f**k are you supposed to be?!”  He has on a top hat on top of a poorly done bald cap.  Not to mention, holding a cane.

He holds his coat out, showing out.  “I’m Mr. Monopoly man!”  He then shuffles through his pockets and pulls out some fake money and a spectacle, holding it over his eye.  “I look great, huh?!”

“Definitely dude!”  I span out and find Katie again, and elbow him in the ribs.  “Let me introduce you to my girl!”  He puts on a big smile, knowing it’s been too long.  He hears me talk about her all the time, and if she’s in the same room when I’m on the phone with him, I include her in the conversation. He knows I have it bad.  

We make it through the crowd, having Taylor and Brenna steal my drinks with winks on the way.  I laugh and shake my head.  I get up close to Katie, and pull on her elbow.  She smiles out and throws her arms around me, thinking I want to dance.  “I’m having a blast!” she says in my ear. 

Knowing that makes me happy, and I turn her slightly to finally meet my best friend.  “Katie, this is J.R.!”

She looks to my friend and he looks at her, both pausing for a second as if they are gobsmacked.  I look between them, wondering what’s the hold up.  “Jeremy?”

“Casey?!”

They both ‘AAAHHH!’ and she rushes into his arms.  He picks her up and spins her and I’m just standing there confused.  It took me months just to get a simple hug from her.

When he puts her down they are both standing there with a dumbstruck looks, but smiling just the same.  “What are you doing here Casey?!”  J.R. asks.

Casey?  “Casey?!”

They both finally turn to me.  Yes, I’m still here.  “Katie Charlotte- K.C.- my initials,” Katie says with a smile on her face, but somehow it seems to have dimmed a bit.  She shakes her head then turns to J.R., returning to her full happy face again.  “I can’t believe it’s you!”

“Small world, right!?”

They continue to talk about her moving into town, and how great his house is.  I feel like the third wheel and I don’t like it.  She called him Jeremy.  Only his family members call him that- he hates it.  And how the hell do they know each other?

Just as I was about to interject, Taylor plops by, already seeming tipsy.  “Katie!!! Come to the bathroom with me!”  Katie smiles at J.R. and grabs Taylor’s hand, not even looking back at me.  J.R. keeps his eyes on her until she’s out of sight, and that pisses me off even more.  He then turns to look at me, finally, and I just raise a brow at him.  I think he can see the irritation on my face.

He comes to over and throws an arm around my shoulder, ushering us to a quieter part of the house.  “Don’t look like that, bro.”

We end up in the hall by the kitchen where there’s less traffic flow.  “Mind telling me what it was then?  Seemed pretty cozy to me.”  I hate the jealousy that drips from my mouth.  If this was the guy that she lost her virginity to, I don’t know how I’ll take that.  This is my best friend after all.

He looks like he’s trying to think of an answer then shrugs his shoulders uncomfortably.  “We met each other years ago…  Remember the rents first split, and I ran away to your house a few times, then my grades dropped?”  I nodded my head, not sure where this was going.  “Then mom sent me away for half a year to that counseling center?”

“Yea, the one to help you get ‘back on track with life’,” I say with air quotes.  “It sucked trying to get a hold of you.  Where are you taking this?”

He puts his hands in his pockets and leans against the wall.  “That’s where we met.  Katie was a patient like me, and we had group counseling sessions together.  We became friends.”

“How come you never mentioned her?”

He shrugs his shoulders.  “We couldn’t give each other’s contact information.  I don’t know man.  We were younger.  No one knew what I was going through and she was easy to talk to.  We spent five or so months hanging out in the rec area when genders were allowed to socialize, and once you hear everyone’s stories in group, you just form a bond.”  He laughs without humor.  “My problems seemed so damn petty compared to others.”

The gears are turning in my head, trying to figure everything out.  “What was Katie there for?”

He stands a little straighter, a serious façade taking over his face.  “Sorry bro, but that’s her business to tell.  I wouldn’t feel right talking about it.  There’s bro code, then there’s institution code.”  He’s never looked so serious, and I don’t have a response.  After a beat of silence, he tries to laugh it off and punches my shoulder.  “She’s a cool chick though, right?”

I fake out a laugh.  For whatever reason, none of this information makes me feel any better.  “Yea.  I like her a lot.”  The cheers, music, and excitement echo all around us, but suddenly, I’m not in the mood to party.  “Hey man, I’m gonna check downstairs and see what’s happening there.”

He can tell my mood is off and we split ways, with promises of seeing each other in a bit.  I go down to the basement and see the gamers are already mid-battle on the big screen.  I spend an hour chatting up and getting a few rounds in- just to distract why I feel off.  After the third time I die, I realize that I was an ass to leave Katie for so long.  I know the girls would take care of her, but I should have shown her around and been by her side.

I call her cell, but she doesn’t answer so I head up to search for her.  Taylor was in line for the bathroom, but without the assistance of her friends this time.  Josh found another guy with the same inflatable costume, and were both ‘bro-ing’ out in beer pong.  I look around the dancefloor and still don’t see Katie.  I call her again, then spot Brenna dancing with Nate, who surprisingly dressed up as ‘Chucky’- overalls and everything.  I squeeze by people and have to scream just to get them to hear me.  “Where’s Katie?!”

Nate shrugs as Brenna scopes out the room.  “I think she went to the kitchen with J.R.!”

I nod and head that way.  When I get to the kitchen, I want to roll my eyes, seeing that they’re not there.  I pull out my phone again and call, but still no answer.  Just as I head out the side porch to leave her a voicemail, I see the two through the window on the door.  Their backs are to me as they sit on the steps.  Her head on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around her.

I don’t know what emotion is rolling through me.  Jealousy?  Envy?  Loneliness?  All I can think about are the times that she’s flinched or frozen from my touch, and he gets it so freely.  She turns her face and smiles at him with a full blush on.  My stomach sinks. 

If she’s found another guy to make her smile and blush, and happens to already have a bond with… where does that leave me? 

All of the sudden, I don’t want to be here anymore.