Blurred Lines 1: CHASE
Chapter 52

Sofia~

Between my siblings, I had always been much closer to Derek. There were four of us, Leo, Derek, me, and Miles. After our parents passed, the four of us hadn't had a meal together, or at least been in one place at the same time. We stayed in touch, but it was hard to keep track of Derek when he was out on tour.

Leo, our eldest, was a retired Navy SEAL. He bought a farm in Michigan and resides there permanently. Derek was a year younger than Leo. He was his hero. He followed our eldest brother's footsteps and enlisted in the military right after Leo. Then there was me, the only girl in the Collins siblings, and Miles, our youngest. He was a free-spirited lad and inherited our father's good eye and hands for fixing things, especially cars and motorcycles. He's into motorcycle racing, but last time we talked, he said he wanted to open a garage and go back home to Boston. He misses home.

"You didn't call!" I exhaled, passing over a cup of coffee to Derek.

Good thing he only arrived a few minutes before I did. Somehow, I felt better that my weekend plans had been canceled. Because then Derek would've waited for hours.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I called," Derek smirked.

I shook my head and rummaged through the fridge for a quick breakfast.

Maria was a total sweetheart. She offered breakfast, but really wanted my alone time with Derek. In his line of work, we rarely get to spend time together like this.

I miss him.

"Well, I'm surprised!" I giggled, pulling out sweet potatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, poblano, chorizos, and eggs from the fridge. I laid the ingredients on the counter and preheated the oven to 425°F.

Derek hummed. "What brought you this far from home? Your neighbor said you're working overseas. I had to call Jessica and ask your whereabouts."

While I chopped the veggies and arranged them on a rimmed baking sheet, I told him about my breakup with Kyle. Derek was furious; there was no surprise in that. "There's no use in shoving your fist in his face," I shrugged, placed a skillet on the stove, and started cooking the chorizo. "Don't waste your energy on him. Plus, I'm broke. I can't bail you out," I giggled.

Derek groaned. I didn't have to look over my shoulder to know he had his 'no one get away with messing with my little sister' look. And I love him for that. No matter how old I get, I will still be his younger sister. I learned to live with my siblings' over-protectiveness. "Jail time will be fucking worth it," he grumbled, came over to my side, and took a whiff of what was cooking on the skillet. His stomach grumbled. "But feed me first," he teased and messed up my hair.

"Not the hair!" I elbowed him, but I was the one who winced. He was as solid as a concrete wall.

Derek had always been conscious of his body, but he's grown bigger and more muscular. He used to have long hair, wavy like mine, draping past his shoulder. He had to cut it short, which he said was 'the toughest part of his training!'

"People in Rio treating you good?" he asked and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket. The crunch as he bit on it echoed.

I nodded a 'yes,' transferred the chorizo to a bowl, and cracked an egg in the skillet. Derek loved his egg a bit runny, so I made sure to watch while it cooked. I was eager to tell him about Chase, but decided I'd return his surprise. I bet he'd have the same enthusiasm as I did to see his best friend again after ten years.

"I made new friends, and my client is not that hard to handle." I tossed the chorizo with the vegetables, scattered cheddar on top, and put it back in the oven to melt.

"Yeah?" Derek took a large plate from the dispenser while I prepared the tortillas. "I thought only billionaire brats need your services," he said, reminding me of my statement every time he'd asked me about my clients. It's true, though. But Chase was an exception to the rule, guess. I'm sleeping with him, for crying out loud. My cheeks warmed as I remembered our date and busy night in bed. 'Will Derek be disappointed that I am sleeping with his best friend? Bro code and all.' I bit my lip as this thought jurnped back and forth in my head. 'I need to talk to Chase about this."

Derek and I ate our roasted potato and chorizo hash over safe topics. I mostly asked Derek about his tour and if and when he plans to retire. Serving our country was a very honorable job. But when he's on tour, I fear answering phone calls from unknown callers, thinking it would be news about Derek getting hurt or worse.... "One more tour," Derek said, sipping his glass of orange juice. "I promised our CO one more tour, and then I'll retire."

I sighed as if a huge boulder had been lifted off my shoulder. "Got any plans after then?"

"I'll stay at our old home for a while," he murmured wistfully. "That's the plan."

I hummed and collected the dishes. Derek volunteered to wash them. While he did, I sneaked into my room. and shot Chase a message, asking if he could call me when he was free.

Derek and I spent the entire day catching up. I asked him to stay, but he had already booked a hotel five minutes away from my apartment.

We made plans for the coming weeks. I'd show him around Rio while he's here, and I was already looking forward to him meeting Chase again.

I didn't get a response from Chase that night or the next, and on Monday, too. I was starting to worry. There was this nagging feeling in my gut that something was not right. No matter how busy Chase was, he found time to send me a message or call me daily.