I Love You Like…

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At age five, he was a bit of bully. He had just finished wrestling another boy for his bag of candy, leaving him on the ground as he walked away with a triumphant smile. That's when he saw her, the prettiest girl on the playground that numerous kids crowded during recess. Her red dress, the matching red ribbons holding up her curled black hair, and her wide smile that appeared when she started to laugh.

He was in love right there and then.

He dropped his stolen bag of candy, ignorant to the fact the boy he stole it from was now crying to a teacher. He was in a trance, watching as her small hands patted down some more sand on their sand castle, a few of the girls surrounding her wiping sand on their clothes, some sticking dandelions here in there on the castle.

Realizing his candy was long gone and scattered on the cement; he quickly retrieved a few pieces from the graveled cement. Placing one of the small round pieces in his mouth, spitting it out when he tasted dirt. Taking a deep breathe, he ran to the girl in red with confidence after dropping the candies back on the ground. He trampled the sand castle, surprising all of them He fisted his hand as the girl looked up at him in shock, confused as to why he just destroyed their marvelous creation that was taking all recess to complete. He didn't realize he was standing in the middle of their 'masterpiece'.

"I love you," he declared, "I love you like my gramma loves her medication!"

He ignored the others that giggled, and that was the beginning of the friendship between Chas and Jillian.

-

At age ten, they were both fairly popular among the opposite sex. Chas was loud, sociable, and always enjoyed entertaining people with silly exaggerated stories. Jillian was that rare pretty, a girl that didn't have to put on any make up to be attractive. They shared the same set of friends, something that pleased Chas immensely since he already saw a few friends that drifted off to their own clique once they entered middle school. Now, there was such a thing as popular, nerdy, or outsider, when they were all just friends in elementary school!

Sitting in the noisy cafeteria, Chas chewed on a carrot as his bored eyes drifted around, some of his friends talking about a new video game that came out, and the girls talking about their own little problems. He faintly heard one of the girls mentioning that they recently "started" and was finally becoming a "woman". What she was starting, he didn't know. Jillian sat next to him, like always, her curly black hair that was once long now cut into a short little bob. She said she wanted to look different since they were entering a new school. Chas didn't change except growing a few inches. He left his blonde hair alone, coming to school each day looking like he didn't take a comb to it. He never did brush his hair since he had the habit of waking up late and just rolling out of bed. Jillian always teased him about his messy hair, trying to brush it with her own baby blue comb she brought to school in her purse. He let her do it, no matter how silly it looked in the hallway.

His blue eyes landed on a table of nerds playing with actions figures and reading thick books. He smiled, looking at Jillian, "Jill?"

She put her milk carton down, looking at him. "Hm?"

"I love you like a nerd loves his books."

Giggles were heard around the table, much to Jillian's embarrassment. He constantly said such things to her no matter who was around them or where they were. He really had no shame. She looked away from her, her cheeks pink, "Stop saying that!"

"Why?"

"Because people will start thinking you're serious, Chas."

He just smiled. She'd come around, someday.

-

At age thirteen, Chas became increasingly popular with the female classmates, but no matter how much make up they wore, how much clothing they didn't care to wear, or if puberty was treating them well, he only kept his attention on Jillian.

"Dude, you got a love letter from Rose Patrick. The Rose Patrick!"

Chas looked away from his video game briefly, temporarily neglecting his homework and the love letter he had received after school. "Rose…I don't even have any classes with her. I only see her for a second at lunch sometimes."

"So?! It's Rose-"

"Yeah, heard you the first time. What's the big deal anyway?" He reached into a bag of chips, returning his sight back to the television, "Other than she's Rose."

His friend slapped his forehead, groaning before waving his arms around madly. "Uh, hello, she handed the letter right to you! Did you not see how stunning she is?! She has boobs—some of our classmates are still stuffing! And she made out with Eddie Stanley and he said she was amazing at kissing. She's experienced."

Chas tilted his head as he paused his action filled game, glancing around his room as he tried his very best to actually recall a few things about the girl. In all honesty, he heard the part 'read this when you get home', but he was sidetracked when he saw Jillian talking to some other guy. All he could really remember was that her skin was terrifyingly orange and her bright pink lipstick somewhat clashed. "Oh…yeah, she's the blonde."

"Well, you're going to say yes, Chas."

"I am?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Because I have Jillian."

"You're not even dating her! She turns you down every time you profess your undying love for her or her face gets red. Move on. You embarrass her."

"Look, I don't care about some blonde haired carrot."

"She is not that orange..."

"Jillian will realize her feelings for me! Sooner…or later, maybe later…she's acting like all of the other girls having crushes on a lot of boys. It's a phase…"

"So while she's going through her phase…have a phase with Rose."

He rolled his eyes, grinning, "If you like her so much, then you date her, Chris."

"I would," he waved the love letter, "if I was the one she wrote this for!"

"Christ, Chris. Then just wait for Rose to get over her phase of liking me and maybe, just maybe, she'll start finding you remotely attractive and worth her time to draw your name with huge hearts surrounding it."

"No offense, but Jillian is like…an eight on a one to ten scale. Rose? A ten—no, twelve."

Chas threw chips at him, "Shut up! Enough about your orange goddess!"

"Hey!"

Chas smiled, closing his eyes, "I love Jillian like a rock star loves his guitar-"

Chris groaned, rolling his eyes as he sighed dramatically, "Here we go again. Where do you come up with this stuff, Chas?"

He ignored him, "And a rock star cannot live without his guitar. I'm willing to sit and wait patiently for Jill."

-

Entering high school, Jillian and Chas made sure to match their schedules, not wanting to experience the division that often took place. Chas was her best friend, her support. If she was having family problems, she could go to his house and just sit in a relaxing area. If she was having guy trouble, he didn't complain as she did all of the sobbing and dismal complaining. She didn't want their bond to ever change.

Jillian looked up from the poster when she felt his eyes on her, giving him a smile, "What?"

Chas had long ago gotten sick with the coloring of their poster for a presentation. "Since when have you started wearing make-up?"

"Since I noticed that I look a lot better with it on!" She dropped her marker, tucking hair behind her ears, "Chas, help me! Don't slack. I'm not afraid to tell the teacher that you don't deserve any points." Picking another marker up, she leaned close to continue coloring, hearing Chas' bored sigh despite the volume of the classroom.

"Jillian, there's no need for you to wear make-up. Are you wearing it because of that butt plug of a boyfriend?"

"Chas!"

"I'm sorry…" He shook his head, "No, I'm not."

She smiled, outlining a letter, "He said he likes it. He says it makes me look better."

He worried that she would soon turn into a girl obsessed with covering every inch of her face with loads of make-up. He cringed, looking around at the girls that looked as if they just couldn't put the blush and eyeliner down. He shuddered when the memory of a girl hugging him and leaving foundation on his white shirt came to mind.

"You don't like it?"

"I didn't say that. I just think you've always looked great without make-up. Don't change for some douche bag."

"Chas!"

"I'm sorry," he grumbled, looking at the teacher when she returned to the classroom, announcing that everyone had fifteen minutes to finish and present. He picked up a black marker, finally helping, "Has he told you he loves you yet?"

"No. Maybe it's too early for that word."

"I knew right away!"

"We were five…"

He gave her a smile; "I love you like a stalker loves victim."

She grinned, "That's a bit creepy."

He threw a marker at her, "It was all I could think of. Last night I was watching a news special on stalkers and shit. I'll come up with something better next time."

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Jillian bit her fingernail fretfully as she sat in class next to Chas, hating how calm he looked for the big test. She expected it. He was at the top of their class after all. He had helped her study, but she had the routine of blanking when the tests or quizzes were placed directly in front of her. She turned to look at Chas, "Chas, can I see some of your notes?"

He picked up on her uneasy habit of biting her nails; though he was surprised she had anything left to bite on. He looked at the clock, seeing they had five minutes before the teacher even arrived, but most of the class was early to look over notes and quiz each other. He handed her two sheets of lined paper, "Jillian?"

She bit her lip, reading over the facts and dates, "Yeah?"

"I love you."

Her shoulders slouched, her teeth released her full lower lip, and she played along, "Like what?"

"I love you like a dog loves licking his own crotch."

She burst into laughter, receiving a few looks from their classmates for taking their attention away from studying. With a large smile on her face, she glanced at the 'school heart throb' sitting a few inches away from her. "You're so stupid," she murmured.

"Yet you keep me around!"

"And I still don't know why I do," she said with a smile, her eyes returning to the notes.

He put a hand on his chest, "Uh, because I'm awesome, hot as fuck, smart, funny, and I have a big—"

"Chas!"

-

Chas rolled up his sleeves when he reached the bottom of a ladder, getting a thankful smile from an underclassman that had asked him to help with the Sweetheart Dance banners. He wasn't one to express his absent artistic side, but he couldn't turn them down when they said they didn't have enough people to get everything done for the Valentine's Day Dance.

"Um…can I ask who you're taking to the dance, Chas?"

He looked to the brunette underclassman, his blonde bangs pulled into a ponytail several of them found amusing He didn't care; they continued to get in his view when he was painting or hanging things up. He touched the tip of his short ponytail, taking note to get his bangs cut. His blue eyes went down the hall where he saw Jillian, her new boyfriend handing her a bouquet of red roses. "I don't know. No one has asked me."

The girl gasped, bringing his eyes back to her, "Girls don't ask!"

An amused smile came, "Oh, right, how silly of me to forget. The guys have to do all the work." Onlookers that were helping watched, astounded that the girl had enough guts to even start a conversation with the goofy, but gorgeous upperclassman. "How about we go together?"

"What?!"

Jillian heard the screech from her locker, her boyfriend long gone to head home. She raised a brow, the girl Chas was speaking to practically glowing red in the hallway. Doing her combination, she opened her locker, a note falling out and on her feet. Bending down and flipping it open once she was standing straight, her eyes roamed over the familiar handwriting.

I love you like…

A pimp loves his hoes.

There was no signature; there was clearly no need for one. When she approached the group of students, she smiled at Chas, feeling the ponytail, "That note wasn't romantic at all! Will you send those kind of things to a girlfriend when you get a new one?"

"What?? No way—that's our thing." He placed his hand on his chest, "I thought it was very romantic. It says a lot."

She shrugged good-humoredly, "I guess it's a little sweet."

The underclassman that Chas asked to the dance watched the two interact, her smile slowly sliding from her face with her excitement slowly dying down. Chas was a nice guy, he treated everyone fairly, but there was something different with Jillian. The way he looked at her, the way he smiled so cheerfully—even the way his voice softened.

It didn't take a genius to see how he felt about Jillian. It hurt her feelings that her fantasy of having a chance with Chas was now impractical. She suddenly didn't want to go with him anymore.

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At age seventeen, after Jillian's handful of guys that didn't appreciate her and only left her with a broken heart, she was seeking comfort once again from her best friend. He gave her a bowl of her favorite ice cream, sitting with her on his bed. He watched as she slowly ate small bites, sniffling every now and then. "Sorry to bother you so late…but I didn't feel like going home, because my dad…you know him. He would've just said it's my fault that guys are always dumping me."

"You should already know that I don't care. You've been running over here ever since we were eleven…and Nick Johnson gave the candy hearts you gave him to some other girl…"

"…I remember that. Chas, what's wrong with me? These guys tell me they like me so much, and all of these other things, and then they leave me for some…whore. He left me for that Rose girl, the girl who tans way too much in my opinion, has freakishly white teeth, and…platinum blonde hair." She paused, "Maybe I should go tanning, bleach my teeth, and try a new hair color."

"God, no…please." He sighed, "Look, people generally don't realize when they have a great person right in front of them. There's absolutely nothing wrong with you, Jill. People at our school are immature right now, and all they really want is to have sex with as many people as possible."

"You're the same age as them."

"True, but I when I look at the girl I want to be with, sex is the last thing on my mind. I just want her to be mine and nobody's else's, and I want her to want me by her side as much as I want her to be by mine."

For a split second, the sniffling and tears stopped as her eyes darted to Chas, never hearing something so romantic coming from him. It was always joking with him. He never did anything she wanted him to do. Sure, the little 'I love you like' jokes were entertaining, and she loved the fact that it was just between them, but for once, it wouldn't hurt the guy just to say three words without any joking behind it.

It wouldn't hurt him to go beat up her ex-boyfriends.

It wouldn't hurt him to stop acting so composed when she announced she had a new guy…and he only reacted with a smile or a 'cool'.

It wouldn't hurt him to make the first move and kiss her already.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt her to stop being so shy and confess her feelings…

'…Yeah, right.' "…Chas, don't sit here and tell me you don't think about sex, because that's absolute bullshit."

"…I may fantasize, but not a lot!" He laughed, "Jillian, like I tell my older sister, don't let those assholes get to you. In a few years, they'll be overweight, bald, and maybe have a strange funk to them…and then they'll see you and wonder why they let you get away. They'll regret leaving you for girls like…that orange chick that'll get wrinkles and sunspots before hitting thirty probably."

"Maybe," she murmured, handing him the half-eaten bowl of ice cream. He placed it on his dresser, "Nine months, that bastard wasted my time. I had no idea he was screwing around with other girls. Why even bother dating me when he wanted other girls and went after them during our stupid relationship?"

Chas couldn't answer that question; it also puzzled him.

They sat in comfortable silence, occasionally the sound of Jillian blowing her nose being heard. "I would never deliberately hurt you and make you cry, Jillian," he said softly, "and the only reason you would be crying would be because I was making you laugh so hard."

Her eyes tentatively went to the blonde when she heard his rarely used serious tone.

"I know that people always think that I'm kidding around when I say what I say, and I play along, but ever since seeing you on the playground at school, there's been no one else that makes me feel the way you do."

Suddenly, she couldn't breathe. Jillian feared that her heart would explode in her chest at any moment now.

"I love you, Jillian. I love you like a man loves a woman, and I honestly don't want to wait for you anymore."

Something in him told him that this was the moment to finally make a move, even if she was hurting and just used his entire box of tissue. He practically pounced on the girl, his hands on her cheeks as he kissed her, smiling to himself when he felt that they were as soft as he imagined. In the startling attack, she fell over backwards, feeling his weight on her as he didn't bother letting go.

Her face was unbelievably red as her hand pushed his face away from her, "Chas! Stop—get off, what if your parents come in?!"

"My dad would say," he mocked his father's deep voice, "'way to go, son!'"

"Not funny!"

"I'm dead serious." He smiled, "I've been waiting forever to do that. And I want to do it again."

He watched as she covered her crimson face with both of her hands, her body entirely rigid underneath his. She couldn't think straight, she couldn't calm down, and all she could really focus on was the fact the he had just kissed her and she didn't even kiss him back. Even though he was her best friend, it felt right. Everything felt like it was going to be okay. She separated her fingers, peeking up at him through the cracks. "…Stupid," she murmured bashfully, "I've been waiting forever for you to do that." Removing her hands, she relaxed as he lowered his face to hers, their noses brushing lightly before he took her lips in another, less forceful kiss. Jillian adored the feeling of every nerve in her body going berserk, this kiss being the only kiss to make her feel such a way.

-

At age twenty-two, the two friends were still madly in love.

Jillian parked her car as she reached the airport, a little late in picking up Chas, who attended a bachelor party in Las Vegas. The bachelorette party was also held in Las Vegas, but due to Jillian's boss being stingy, she couldn't get days off to go. Climbing out of the car, she smiled when she spotted Chas standing with a suitcase, obviously freezing in the night air.

Chas noticed her waving, a smile coming to his face as well when he grabbed the handle of his suitcase. She ran up to him, her hair down around her shoulders, a red ribbon tying back several stands in a ponytail. Kissing him quickly, she took his suitcase from him, "Did you have fun?"

"It was Vegas…it was a bachelor party, of course I had fun!"

She eyed him over her shoulder as she headed to her car, "I see…"

Following her, his smile widened, "Never fear, Jillian. I didn't let any strippers give me lap dances or rub their ass all over me. The entire time I just thought about getting back home to my lovely apartment and having my lovely girlfriend dance naked for me instead." While working on getting his suitcase in the backseat of her car, she dropped it, blushing as she sent him a glare for even saying such a thing out loud for people to hear as they walked by.

After closing the door, she turned around to have Chas wrap an arm around her, placing a kiss on her forehead. "I love you."

"No 'like' this time?"

He snapped his fingers.

"Right, I love you like our child will love keeping us up all night."

Leaning down, he kissed her, "And I'm dreading that because I love to sleep. I'll drive."

She was only a few weeks pregnant, but both were ecstatic when they found out.

The situation wasn't planned, and they were still pretty young, but Chas only cared about the fact that it was Jillian having his child. In his teenage years when people would talk about what gender they would want their children to be in the future, he would always wonder what their children would look like…if his lifelong mission of getting Jillian all to himself would turn out right.

As Chas started the car, Jillian tilted her head as she flipped her cell phone open. "What're you smiling about? I bet it's something perverted…"

The smile remained on his lips. In his mind, the thought of hearing Jillian say 'yes' to his proposal that would be taking place in the next few days excited him to no end.

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-fin

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a/n: complete fluff. yikes. but i enjoyed editing it and reading it again. i like chas quite a bit. i apologize for any mistakes in here :}

as always, reviews are appreciated!