#robert chase reader insert

Chase ignored his comment and left to go to the restroom. Although the team had just finished a stressful case, he still had enough energy in himself to somewhat socialize and participate in the environment around him. He preferred that to sitting around. It was easier to take his mind off of the events earlier in the day by distractions rather than processing. 

After using the restroom he started heading back to Cameron and House. 

There was a particularly dense area in the room, and as Chase was struggling to get past a woman, she turned her head and he stopped dead in his tracks. 

“Chase?” 

It had been years since you last saw your colleague from the University of Sydney. 

“Wow it’s been forever,” he says, a smile beginning to spread on his face. 

“I was thinking the same thing.”

He laughs. “What the hell are you doing here?” 

It was a long story. “Let’s grab a drink first.” 

Memories start flooding back into Chase’s mind. You two had a few of the same classes together. He wasn’t a great student at the time, he was always distracted and still trying to figure out what his plans in life were. You were constantly there for him and the two of you studied for hours, no, days on end. 

You were smart, pretty, composed, and Chase had always fantasized a life with you. He never had the courage to ask you out. If only he had his current confidence back then, things would be drastically different now, so he thought. He figured that you had wanted to keep things platonic in order to focus on school. 

He had nearly forgotten about you. But occasionally when there was some symptom that House wrote on his old whiteboard that you and him had studied about, he would get a glimpse of your smile. Your hair. The way you threw your head back when you laughed, most of the time at him. 

“What do you want? Wait, let me guess, a beer,” you grin. The light from the neon lights behind the bartender perfectly illuminated your features, and Chase needed a moment to bring his thoughts together. 

“Guess you remember me so well, don’t you, yeah, I’ll have a beer.” 

You ordered something arbitrary, and soon you were both heading to a small booth in the corner of the bar. Chase couldn’t help but stare at your short shiny blue dress that hugged your sides perfectly as you slid into the seat across from him. He said down and took a large sip of his beverage, 

He was going to need it. Liquid courage. 

“Alright. Explain. What are you doing all the way here in Jersey?”

You sighed, shoulders sagging slightly. “I’m living in New York. My parents begged me to come back to the states after school. I wanted to stay in Sydney, but my dad got sick, and I felt guilty for not helping my mom,” you started. Chase simply nodded and continued to look at you with wide eyes. 

“Since I got my undergrad in business, I worked my way up and became a healthcare administrator. Decided being a physician wasn’t the move. Anyways, besides the point. My friend lives out here and I decided to pay her a visit after she got a divorce. Messy, but necessary. I was just with her tonight but I needed to get away from the sobbing on the couch and wallowing in self pity. I needed to just have some fun. This was the nearest place… and now I’m here.” 

Chase felt like there were gaps in your story, but it was enough to explain why you were out here. “Oh. I see.” 

You pick up your glass and tilt it towards him. “Your turn.” 

Chase explained how he was working for House on a team that worked with diagnostics, and that they just finished a large patient case tonight. 

“So you’re celebrating?” You ask. 

“Eh, not exactly. Sometimes we just end up here. Usually we drink to sort of forget. House likes the extreme cases and they’re exhausting and this is how we… cope.” 

“Sounds healthy,” you laugh. 

Chase shakes his head. His eyes flick towards your left hand, taking note of the vacancy on your ring finger. 

“I know it’s been forever, but I have to ask, weren’t you… engaged?”

You nearly spit out your drink. “Can’t believe you remember that. Was. Yes. Turns out he was a douche, was cheating on me with my best friend at the time, and I broke it off.” 

He grimaces. “I’m so sorry.” 

You cut him off with a laugh, throwing your head back in your usual manner. Some things never change, Chase thinks to himself. “That was ages ago. Nothing to be sorry about. I dodged a bullet.”

You notice that Chase’s hand is in a similar state to yours. “No luck on your behalf?” 

It’s strange that you hadn’t seen each other in so long and the first conversation topic is the relationship status of the other. “You don’t think I get lucky?” 

You roll your eyes. “Whatever, Robert.” 

His heart skips a beat. Hearing you say his first name felt so… intimate. He felt transported to a moment of sitting shoulder to shoulder with you, staring at some diagram trying to memorize it. 

“Honestly, House keeps us so busy I feel like I have no time for a social life. It’s just ‘I wake up, work, and go back to bed’ most of the time,” Chase starts to explain. 

You turn your head slightly, giving him a quick side eye, “You, too busy? Not even you have time for a social life? Who have you become, Robert Chase?” 

He runs a hand through his blond locks and looks down at his drink. “I know. I’m not the same person I was in the past. Guess people do change.”

You lift the rest of your drink up to your lips and finish it in one sip. “Too busy for even a fun night,” you mutter under your breath. 

Chase looks up quickly, seeing what seems to be… a slightly disappointed version of yourself. 

“What did you say?” He says, leaning back and folding his arms. 

To his surprise you stand up quickly, grabbing your empty glass. “I’m getting a refill,” you nod down towards his almost empty mug. “Quick, bottoms up.” Before a moment to think, he drinks the rest and hands you the cup. 

Then you were gone. Momentarily. He watches as you move over to the counter, asking the bartender for more. 

Did she really just say a “fun night”? Was she suggesting something happen between us?

A tall figure came up beside you, snapping Chase out of his thoughts. The man grabs your upper arm, and you look over, glaring at him with angry eyes. He was pulling you away, in the direction of the exit, but you were resisting, trying to get away while not causing a large scene in the bar. 

Chase jumps out of his chair and comes nearly running over to you. 

“Hey! What’s your problem?” Chase grips the man by his jacket collar. Clearly the alcohol in his veins was finally giving him some courage, and it was amplified by the rush of adrenaline to protect you. The man seemed extremely drunk, probably had seen the first pretty girl closest to him and wanted to take advantage of the moment. 

He didn’t say anything to Chase, but Chase shook him and bore his blue eyes into his soul and he immediately let go of your arm, turned and walked away. Chase watched intensely, making sure the man didn’t look back. Once he was far enough away, Chase notices how hard he was breathing, and he turns to look at you. You were clearly shaken, but relieved. 

“Oh my gosh, thank you. That was terrifying. That hasn’t happened to me in ages. This is why I never come to bars.”

You instinctively move closer to Chase, and to your surprise, he wraps an arm around you. “Let’s get out of here.”

Not questioning for a second, you let him lead you towards the front of the room. This was closer than you had ever gotten to Robert Chase. You liked him, sure, when you were both students. Liked him as a friend. You kept your distance with him. But you were too caught up with other guys, ignoring the one that was always by your side, figuratively. And now Chase was literally by your side, protecting you from danger and offering company after a somewhat miserable weekend with your friend. 

It felt, bubbly. Maybe that was the drink settling in your stomach, or maybe something else. 

Maybe it was the fact that you were being escorted out by a handsome, Australian doctor who had saved you from some trauma. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” 

You both stop. Chase turns and sees Foreman and House at the table from earlier. Cameron must have already gone home. 

“Who’s this lovely lady? My, what a dress,” House begins. 

“Goodnight. Enjoy the rest of your evening,” Chase says, cutting the older man off. 

To you, they just looked like some random men, but you assume this is part of Chase’s team. 

As you begin to walk away, Chase leans and whispers in your ear. “House is the older one. He’s an ass sometimes. He doesn’t mean anything by his… comment.” 

A devilish smile curls at your lips. “What, you don’t agree with him?”

Now he’s flustered. “Wait, hold on. That’s not what I mean. I mean, you do look lovely, and your dress.” His face turns into slight confusion. “Why are you wearing a dress like that anyways?” 

You know It is a bit much for just a casual night out. Your friend had forced you to wear it, claiming that she was going to live vicariously through you since she was too wiped to party and forget about her ex-husband. Craving attention and an interesting night anyways, you agreed to wear it. 

“It’s my… friend’s. She begged me to wear it.” You purposely left out the details that you wanted to be noticed. After a few failed relationships in the last few years and months of what felt like a man-drought, putting on a fun dress and going out to meet strangers seemed like the “right” thing to do. 

As you walk through the exit with him, Chase shrugs his shoulders. It was believable enough. The cold air hits your skin and goosebumps crawl over your neck and arms. 

“Brr,” you say, jokingly. 

Chase was kicking himself internally for not wearing a jacket that he could have taken off to keep you warm. He had left it in his car and was only wearing his slacks and a dark blue button down shirt. He wraps his arm a little more tightly around you. 

“Sorry. My car is just around the corner. Do you want to wait here while I get it?” 

You glance nervously behind you, remembering the big scary man from just moments ago. “Uhh, I’ll walk with you,” you say, looking sheepishly at him. 

Strong, independent woman has been left behind. Your usual stoic disposition had worn off in the presence of Chase. His mere presence was enough to lower your defenses and make you rely on him.

You both are quiet now as you walk to his car. He opens the door to the passenger side, and you slip in, and wait for him to get in the driver’s seat. 

“What now?” Chase asks, turning to you. 

You look at him with wide eyes. “You tell me.” 

“Have you had New Jersey bagels?” He blurts out. 

Ideally, he would have you back at his place, maybe making out on the couch. No, that’s too much. Maybe just watching a movie. Or something else…

But he was far too nervous to even get there first. He needed something else to distract himself. “There’s a place that stays open after midnight and the bagels are discounted.”

“I’ve had New Jersey bagels, this isn’t my first time here,” you laugh, “but I’ve never had bagels after midnight.” Eyeing the car dashboard, you see that it’s just after twelve, and although it is late, you are starving. 

Maybe starving for something else too. 

“Alright.” Chase puts the car in drive and heads down the street. It only takes a few minutes to get there, and on the way you talk about Chase’s team. 

“The older guy is House. The one who commented on your… dress,” Chase begins. 

“He seems charming to work with.”

“Never tell him this, but he’s incredibly smart. And he’s usually right about things. Until he’s not. Then he causes a mess. But he’s usually causing a mess when he’s right. Truth is, the hospital needs him. So he’s able to walk all over us and the rest of the staff, and even the patients to get what he wants.”

“Which is,” 

“I don’t even know… the satisfaction? The answers to his own questions?” 

Chase sighs. 

“Yet you still work with him.”

“Yeah. Alone, I couldn’t do it. At least we have a team. The guy next to him is Foreman. He’s smart too. And a lot more bearable than House is.”

You remember him mentioning one other person on the team in your earlier conversation. “Who’s the other?”

“Cameron. She’s the heart of the team but sometimes it gets in the way. Always questioning the ethics, which pretty much goes against Houses’ standards.” 

You nod. “Sounds like a great team.” 

He scoffs. “They’re interesting all right, but it keeps things rolling. I’d die if I had to take boring cases. At least House always picks the entertaining ones.”

“Boring cases? They’re still people too.”

Chase turns to you and sees that you’re not joking around. Guess I’ve been spending too much time with House. “You’re right. But I don’t think an average doctor could help some of these more bizarre cases that we take.”

You tilt your head. “Hmm. That’s a good way to look at it. Let the other doctors take care of the “normal cases” and you guys can tackle the more complicated ones.” 

He’s relieved that you didn’t keep digging more at what he had said. 

“I knew you’d end up here,” your voice cuts through his thoughts. 

“What does that mean?”

You smile. “Taking on the difficult stuff. Even when you struggled with a problem or memorizing something in school, you stuck to it. I always admired that in you. Most people give up when something gets hard. It’s like the opposite with you. You lean into the challenge. No wonder you can put up with someone as crazy as House. You love it.” 

Chase pulls the car into a parking lot next to a small bakery. The sign above it shines “open” and he sighs. “Ready for the best bagel of your life?”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” 

He continues to think about what you had just said to him. It had been a long time since someone had acknowledged his efforts to work hard. House was not one to give compliments, Foreman was too occupied and maybe too prideful to give any up, and Cameron had shut him out emotionally a long time ago. 

It felt nice to be appreciated for once. 

You order a simple poppy seed bagel with cream cheese and he gets a cinnamon swirl one. 

As you wait for the food to be ready, Chase leans towards you. “Thanks.” 

You turn and look at him puzzled. “Thanks for what?”

“Um,” he looks down at his feet and then back to your eyes, his heart skipping a beat. “Thanks for the compliment?” 

Your face feels warm. Hopefully in the more dim lighting he can’t see your cheeks turning red. “Oh. Yeah of course. You really are hardworking.”

The bagels are ready and Chase grabs the bag. “Wanna take em to go?”

“Yeah.”

You get back in his car with him and he pulls out of the parking lot. 

“I know it’s been forever since we’ve seen each other and I hope this doesn’t come off as weird or too forward, but do you wanna go back to my place and eat them? I’ve been watching Survivor and maybe we could watch some of it. Not sure if you’re keeping up with it or not.”

You open the bagel bag and take a whiff of the bread. “I might not be able to wait till your place,” you laugh, resisting the urge to grab them out of the bag and start eating. 

“Hang on!” He grabs the bag away from you and you throw your head back laughing. “You gotta wait!”

“Oh come on,” you say, reaching out and trying to take the bag back. 

He tucks it on the left side of his seat. “If you want em, you’ll have to come and get them,” he taunts.” 

You unbuckle your seatbelt and suddenly you’re reaching across his lab, arms out, trying to grab the bagels. 

“Hey!” Chase yells as you snatch the bag. “Give it back!”

He reaches and snags your wrist, holding it tightly so it won’t move and with his other arm he attempts to get the bag. 

Your body is halfway over the middle console of the car, and you’re so close to his face, completely at mercy to Chase’s arms holding you. 

There’s a moment of silence cut with both of your exasperated panting. You glance down at his lips, then at his eyes. He’s already looking at you. 

The playfulness simmers between you two, leaving a heavier tension, not uncomfortable. A tension you hadn’t felt since you were last with him years ago. 

“You’re ridiculous,” you whisper, your voice ever so slightly shaky. 

He grins, not taking his eyes off you. “You started it.”

You don’t know who leans in first, maybe it’s both of you at the same time. But time seems to slow down as you magnetically lean in towards each other. His blonde hair brushes your forehead. Your noses nearly bump.

And then he kisses you.

It’s tentative at first, like he’s asking a question, and when you don’t pull away, it deepens, his hand slackens but stays around your wrist. Your fingers relax around the crinkled bag of bagels, forgotten for now, and you reach and place a hand on his chest, feeling his quickened heartbeat. 

When you finally part, he’s smiling again, but his eyes are soft and he’s a little breathless. 

“Told you you'd have to come and get them.”

You blush. “Worth it.”

"Why not?"

"Because," She had nothing to say. No excuse, no reason.

Haley whined at her friend's daftness. "Okay, there's no real reason for you to not go for it. He likes you, you like him. So what if he was married?"

The doctor froze. "Married?"

"Yeah. He and Dr. Cameron were married. Not for long, though."

"Allison Cameron?"

"This is weird, I thought you knew." Haley looked to her watch. "I better get going, you have to start your shift."

-

Y/N had taken extreme measures to ensure that Robert Chase stayed a mile away at all times, by declining his coffee offer, to rescheduling her surgeries for earlier times. She'd successfully gone 3 days with little to no contact with him.

She wasn't sure which was more disheartening, the fact that he has an ex-wife, or that his ex-wife is a doctor.

"Is Y/N avoiding me?" Chase called after Haley who was finally working a day shift.

The woman shrugged, near a pout. "I don't know. She may just be a little on edge about things."

With a frustrated sigh, he ran a hand through his blond hair. "What do I do?"

"Take her out to dinner, show her a nice time."

That's what he'd do, he decided.

It took another day for him to hunt her down again, finding her giggling at the nurse's station with a coffee in her hand. "Y/N."

She practically jumped at his presence, nearly spilling the hot liquid contents of her cup. "Sorry, ladies, I gotta go. I have a consult with a patient. Julie, tell me how that dinner goes." Y/N began walking away, her colleague not far behind as his long legs took very long strides, soon walking right next to her. "Sorry, Robert, I'm busy."

"Where have you been?"

"What? Did you chase me down?"

Robert couldn't help but crack a smile at the pun, before remembering the matter at hand. "Why don't you go to dinner with me tomorrow? A date."

They'd only been on a couple of dates, coffee dates, breakfast, but somehow dinner seemed like a step so large it loomed over her like a shadow. They reached her office, her hand wrapping around the handle bar of her door as she turned to face him. "I want to, I really do, but I can't."

He frowned, defeated. "Why? Did I say something? Am I not good enough?"

"No, no! You're great, you're amazing, you really are." She'd let go of the door now, wringing her hands. "It's just, we could never work. I'm a doctor, you're a doctor. That's a concoction for distaster."

"Loads of couples here who are doctors work! Julie and her husband, John from the ER and his spouse are doing great."

"What about you and your ex-wife?" The question had caught him off guard as his mouth was left agape. She took his silence as confirmation, entering her office. "Exactly."

Chase followed her in, finally regaining his voice. "We didn't divorce because we were doctors. We divorced because," His head hung low. "she didn't like the impact House had on me. It was either I leave the hospital with her, or she leaves me."

Y/N's silence had left him anxious. "I'm sorry you went through that."

He nodded. "I really like you, Y/N, and nothing so trivial will ever stop me from wanting to be with you."

"I like you too, Robert." She readjusted his lab coat. "Dinner, tomorrow night?"

"Sounds good, I'll pick you up."

"Where are we going?"

He pondered for a moment. "Italian?"

She shook her head. "Indian?"

"Chinese?"

As two of the hospital's most renowned surgeons, the rivalry between the pair was unwavering despite them maintaining a civil manner in the workplace. "Got a date for the benefit gala?"

She resisted the urge to quirk a brow at his choice in conversation. "Yes." Lie, she didn't. She hadn't even thought about it. "What about you? I'm sure you've got hundreds of women at your feet."

"Of course I have a date." Lie, he didn't. "I look forward to meeting your date."

"Feeling's mutual."

-

"I see it. Removing the tumor and nearby tissue."

Soft music played in the background of the operating room as Y/N poked and prodded at the patient before her. "Sally, any idea who Chase's date to the benefit is?"

The assisting shook her head. "Why?"

In truth, she didn't know why she was so interested in his date. She'd never shown any interest in that part of his life, and she swore she never would. Was his date prettier than her? Smarter? Or even worse, was she a pediatrician? A kind doctor with a heart of gold and soft spot for children would be a potential cliche that Robert Chase would fall for.

"Doesn't matter."

The surgery had been successful, which lead to Y/N bursting into the office of a certain James Wilson. "I need you to tell me who Chase's date is."

Wilson pouted at her abruptness. "So, I guess we've moved past the 'Hey, James. How are you, James? How was your evening?'"

"Hey, you're fine, your evening was great. Who is Chase's date to the benefit?"

He stood, too used to her behavior to be baffled. "I don't know. Why does it matter unless you're asking him yourself?" His eyes widened at his own words. "Are you?"

Her mouth fell agape. "Absolutely not! Why would I? I have a date."

"Really? Who?"

"You. Pick me up at 6." She huffed, exiting the office.

-

"Forgetfulness, nausea, paralysis on one side,"

House continued to list the symptoms of their newest patient before waving his cane in front of the blonde's face. "I don't pay you to sit there, Aussie. Give me something."

Chase sighed, blurting out his first diagnosis. "Bell's palsy."

"Did you hear anything? Doesn't explain the forgetfulness, nausea, spasms and paralysis." Foreman retaliated.

"Fine, then. A clot near the brain. Explains the weakness which has progressed to paralysis and everything else."

The cripple pursed his lips. "Boring. Go CT his head."

The three fellows scurried out of the office. "Who is L/N's date to the benefit?"

Thirteen nearly snorted. "Why do you care, are you like in love with her or something?"

"What? No. She's a fellow surgeon who I respect and have a genuine curiosity about."

"Oh, L/N, make sweet, sweet love to me in the OR. Oh, suction! Scalpel!" She teased, her drama eliciting a chuckle from Foreman.

Rolling his eyes, Chase parted ways from his colleagues, leaning against the nurses station. "Hey, Janet." He smiled.

"Hello?"

"Just wondering if you had any idea as to who Dr. L/N's date to the benefit is?" He made sure to make his smile wider in hopes of charming the poor woman.

Janet only raised her eyebrows with a half hearted shrug. "I don't know."

His smile dropped. "Sorry?"

"I mean, I don't know. Better luck next time, lover boy."

"I'm not in love-"

-

"This is House's patient, right?"

Y/N began directing the catheter toward's the blood clot as the nurse beside her confirmed that it was in fact, House's patient. "I hope Chase isn't scrubbing in."

"Well, too bad he is." The spoken of surgeon entered with a smug smirk painted on his face.

She nearly sighed in frustration. "Dr. Chase, how nice of you to join us."

"It's a pleasure, as always."

They got to work, Y/N's brow furrowing within minutes. "I thought there was supposed to be a clot here."

"There should be, CT showed one."

"Well, there isn't."

"Then get the catheter out!"

The machines around them had began a painful chorus of loud beeping. "I'd already injected the heparin, we've got a bleed!"

"BP is dropping!"

She raised hand, eyes closed, silencing those around her, the beeping still incessant. "Can somebody just get a suction in here, a sponge and a harmonic scalpel."

Chase watched the woman in such awe as she silently worked at the problem before her, machines slowing down as she concluded the operation. "Your patient has a brain tumor."

It had taken him a full minute to catch up to her in the hallway after her curt departure, thanks to him standing in the silent OR in shock. "L/N! Hey, Y/N!" His calls had finally gotten through to her as she turned, arms crossed. "That was amazing. Thank you."

"I was just doing my job."

-

"What's your current salary?"

House had rudely barged into Y/N's office, mortifying both her and the patient she'd been breaking bad news to. "I'm with a patient, House."

"I need a consult, but seeing as your appointment is taking too long," The older man snatched the file from her, skimming through it. "Well, Mrs. Garner, Your brain is too big so this gorgeous lady is going to remove a piece of your skull so you feel better."

Mrs. Garner looked to her doctor mortified, waiting for confirmation. "I'm afraid Dr. House is right, Mrs. Garner. It's a highly invasive surgery." Before Y/N could finish, she ran out of the room, sobs escaping her lips. "You know, sometimes I want to shove my foot so far up your ass-"

"Oh, I didn't know you were such a masochist. What's your salary?"

"None of your business."

The older man rolled his eyes. "Patient is a 19 year old female, sensitivity to cold, fatigue, weight gain, slowed movements due to muscle ache and weakness, and carpal tunnel syndrome."

Her eyes landing back on to her documents. "Sounds like depression, she's a 19 year old trying to pave her way in the world. This isn't my department, and it isn't yours either."

House pursed his lips. "Yeah, she's got depression, who doesn't? Mental illness does not cause anemia, slowed heart rate or hearing loss."

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows, finally looking at him as he sat himself down before her. "Did you say sensitivity to cold?" He nodded. "Go get her tested for an underactive thyroid."

"Hypothyroidism?"

"Just do it."

It would be a few hours later when he stood at her doorway again, his cane hitting the floor catching her attention. "She'd been taking lithium for her depression, it's been linked to causing an underactive thyroid. Soon after she stopped, her immune system began attacking the thyroid gland, damaging it, so she couldn't produce enough thyroxine. We're starting her on a low dose of levothyroxine, and will adjust as needed." He sighed. "Thank you."

She smiled at him, her hands interlocking. "I'm glad to help."

"There's a spot open on my team."

"Are you asking me to join your team?" His silence was the only answer she needed. "I'm sorry, House, I can't afford a 140,000 dollar salary cut right now. My place is in the OR, not in a conference room."

"Yeah, I get it."

"I'll join if you tell me who Chase is taking to the benefit."

"Nice try, piner."

-

The hall was crowded in men clad in tuxes and women in the most fabulous gowns, the best a doctor's money could buy.

Y/N sipped at her champagne, arm looped with Wilson's as he whispered in her ear. "I don't understand why you didn't ask Chase to be your date."

"I can't fraternize with the enemy."

"How is he the enemy?"

"He started it."

Their whisper match had ended as a certain Australian approached them, a sweet old nurse a week away from retirement named Edith on his arm. "Dr. L/N, Dr. Wilson."

"Dr. Chase, Edith."

The atmosphere had shifted between the four, the oncologist instantly pitying the oblivious old woman. "Edith, why don't we go for a dance?" Wilson suggested, extending his arm, relieved when she happily agreed.

"I'm surprised you brought Edith."

He shrugged. "A retirement gift to her. I'm surprised you brought Wilson."

She, too, shrugged. "A general gift to him."

"Would you care for a dance?"

With a tentative stare, she placed her empty champagne flute on a nearby table, accepting his hand and graciously falling into a smooth dance. The tingle his hand left on her waist was not a welcome distraction from their interlocked hands, the ends of his blond locks tickling her fingertips that rested at the back of his neck. "I'm surprised its taken you so long to crack."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Chase chuckled. "We're both adults here, Y/N. I can understand why you'd like me."

Y/N scoffed at his confidence. "If anything, you're the one who likes me."

"And so what if I do?" The soft rumble in his chest from the quiet laugh had sent a shiver down her spine and she realized what he found so humorous.

He'd rendered her speechless. "You alright there?"

"If you do like me, then why the sly remarks and subtle rivalry?"

"You started it, I was just pushing back to send a message."

"How is pushing back your way of telling me you like me?"

He pouted, amused. "I don't know, I thought it was yours!"

She burst into a quiet fit of laughter, mindful not to disturb the other couples during the slow dance, her dazzling smile leaving him to gaze down at her.

Their eyes met, cerulean blue had never looked so bright. "So, are you going to kiss me or not?" Y/N challenged.