Claimed By Chase

AMELIA’S POV

For twelve years, I have been in love with one man. Nate.

I met him in high school. When I was young, ugly and wearing braces. He saved me from the bullies who had nothing better to do than to pick on a girl who just moved into town with her mom.

A girl they believed was a freak, always avoiding human interaction, head bowed and nose planted in a book. A girl who wanted to pass through school unnoticed. A girl that was me.

I remember that day. The day it all started. Our epic love story. I was in the hallways, getting harassed by some males who thought it’d be fun to see how far my arm could bend backwards.

Newsflash. It wasn’t fun. It hurt like a bitch.

My bullies however thought differently. They laughed me to scorn, alongside onlookers who made a comic of my existence. Until he showed up and changed everything.

Nate was my knight in shining armour. Saved me from the hands of my bullies, by beating the shit out of them, earning himself a bloodied nose and a week of detention.

I never saw him after that. But I felt him. The impact he made in my life. My bullies stopped. They flat-out went the other way when they saw me, allowing me to live my life in peace.

One would think I would be content with that. I got what I wanted after all. To go through high school without attention. To live in peace. But I wasn’t.

I felt restless as the time passed without a sight of my knight in shining armour. Unknown to me, I started looking out for him, meeting the eyes of every male who passed with hopes that it would be him.

Only to feel the sag of disappointment when I found it wasn’t him. I didn’t know what came over me. It was the last day of the week when I made a decision that changed my life. I sought him out.

After school, I remained on the school premises against every bone in my body that begged for me to chicken out and leave. I waited till everyone was gone before I made my way to the detention.

I needed to see him. To catch a glimpse of his face one more time. And perhaps thank him for what he did. I never got a chance to spare a word before he was dragged to the principal's office for judgment.

I wanted to meet him but he met me first. As I trudged the fields and headed back into the school building, I met him at the doorway, looking intense with a football in his hands.

His hair was damp, and his lips chap. He looked like he had just hit the shower. As expected, I froze. Unable to get the words past my throat. This was not how I envisioned our meeting.

But as usual, he came through. Spared me the agony of looking like a fool and placed in the first word. Breaking the ice with a word that sent flutters down my spine.

“I really hope you are here to see me, Amelia.” He said with a smirk that was suddenly my most favourite thing in the world. “I was thinking I’d have to find you myself and get a decent conversation with you.”

“What?” My brain decided to freeze at the wrongest time.

“I got detention because of you, sweetcheeks. Forgive me if I feel a little burned by your ignoring my existence.” Nate spoke with a charisma that drew me in. “Do you even know my name?”

A blush spotted my cheeks. I did. But I didn’t know if I wanted him to know that yet. Awkward me and all.

“As much as I’d like to tell you to find out, I figured you probably won’t so I’d save you the drama. It’s Nate. Nate Biggers.”

I let a smile pass through my face. “Amelia Delway.” I stretched my hands to him for a handshake.

My heart pounded against its cages and I saw the little jittering of my palm as I awaited him to take it. When our hands connected, I felt it. Our hearts joining together.

“I know.” He said with a charming smile, then whispered, “I don’t fight for just any girl, Amelia.”

My face couldn’t be redder than it was. “T-thank you.” I managed to speak while he held my hand in a handshake, softly touching the nape of my skin, and squeezing lightly. “For fighting for me when you could have looked the other way.”

“I was only doing what a man who saw a beautiful girl being harassed by some dimwits would do.” The words rolled off his lips like silk, and I felt my heart melt.

“You got bruised and made detention,” I said, feeling bad. “I know that has not been sweet.”

He nodded, “True. It hasn’t but seeing you here, talking to me right now, has made it worth it.”

He was a sweet talker. My little heart was putty in his hands.

“I don’t know what to say..”

“You don’t need to say anything, beautiful.” He squeezed my hand, and our eyes fixated on each other. Tension sizzling between us.

“Okay..” I said, awkwardly withdrawing my hand from him. “I guess I should be on my way.”

His eyes widened a bit. “Wait!” He called and I was rooted in place.

Nate dropped his football on the floor, as well as his backpack, dug out a flier and handed it over. It looked like an invite to a soccer game.

“What is this?”

He scratched his beautiful blonde hair. “It’s an invite. This weekend. I want you to come watch.” For the first time since our interaction, he looked unsure of himself. “That’s if you have nothing on your schedule, I’d totally understand,”

“I’ll be there.” I didn’t know when the words fell out of my mouth, sounding a bit desperate. “I mean, that’s the least I could do for someone who took a seat in detention for me.”

A smile stretched his face. “That’s right.” He picked up his bag. “I’ll see you around then?”

I nodded with an equal smile, and that marked the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Until he cheated. Over and over again.