“Take a chance with me,” he whispered as he pushed my hair behind my ear. Our foreheads were touching, we were breathing in each other’s scent. He probably could feel my heart trying to break out of its cage inside my chest.


“Are you trying to seduce me?” I asked, creasing my eyebrows. At least I could still think straight.


He chuckled lightly, moving his hand to my cheek. “Only if you want me to.”


“I’m still thinking fairly straight, Chase, you know I’m against that.” The purity ring on my finger seemed to burn with that thought.


“I know, I wouldn’t do that,” he said, moving his thumb lightly on my cheek. If my heart could pound any harder, it was now.


I bit my lip lightly, “Chase, what are you doing? What are you talking about, taking a chance?”


“Sierra, you don’t always have to be so scared. You don’t have to be holding back. You don’t need to worry. You can be yourself with me.”


The next words sort of spilled out of my mouth, “Chase, you know that I am myself with you. I’ve told you before that you are one of the only people who I feel like I can just be me with.” I said the words quickly, almost as fast as my heart was beating. I was this close to Chase Byron… this had to be unreal… His hand was truly on my cheek.


“Good,” he grabbed my left hand, and gave me a wry smile, “Come with me Sierra Brice.”


He ran off towards the trees, away from the meadow we had been standing in. This felt fishy… But I laughed like a blissful and fearless young girl… I was truly myself now. Truly the girl who I wish I could show off more often.


Chase found a tree that had low hanging branches, easy to climb up. “Come on, Sierra,” he said as he sat on one of the lowest branches, he reached down, our hands reaching out to each other our fingertips touching.


“I’m such a klutz, I’ll fall!” I said shaking my head slowly, wishing I could be cat like and climb the tree as swift as he just did.


“I won’t let you. Just take my hand, Sierra.”


“You sure?”


“Of course. Just take a chance with me.”


“It’s your fault if I fall in any way.”


“I’ll take every blame for it then,” Chase nodded proudly. “And I’ll catch you.”


I smiled at him and climbed to the branch he was also sitting on. “I didn’t fall yet,” I said holding his hand tight as I scooted next to him.


“Let’s keep it that way,” he wiped some dirt off my cheek with his thumb, and left his free hand on my cheek.


“I think I’d like it that way also. I don’t want a broken leg.” I bit my lip again as our faces got closer, our foreheads touching again, my heart beating at the speed of a race car.


“That doesn’t sound very fun,” Chase said quietly with humor, but not breaking the mood.


“No it does not.”


“Would you really take a chance with me now?” Chase said, his words were just loud enough to hear.


“Yes,” I said holding my breath.


Our lips touched for a second, shyly pulled away for a half second, then pressed together with a tender passion. My heart was surely pounding harder than I could have ever imagined. I wasn’t sure how to breathe. My eyes closed, my breathing shallow if any at all, my heart pounding, my lips pressed against Chase Byron’s, us alone in this patch of beautiful green trees, that’s all I need to this moment to be perfect, to want this moment to last forever.


We pulled away, our faces still only inches away from each other’s, “I fell.” I whispered. “And I blame you.”


“You took a chance, and you let me catch you,” Chase said smiling.


I returned the smile, thankful for the faith to just take this chance.