The room is in a state of almost dead silence when Chloe breaks it, speaking in something like a whisper. "Rach," She starts, saying her name softly, like she's trying not to mess up something beautiful. "We're going to leave this shithole together, right?"
It's not really the question that comes as a surprise to Rachel. They've spoken about it before, each time more serious than the last.
The first time, she remembers brown bottles of beer and the setting sun amongst the waves. It was a joking proclamation, and Chloe was absolutely wild from the joint in her hand and the beer on the sand. "We should just fucking leave this place! We can go somewhere hella cool together, and we wouldn't have to deal with any of this bullshit."
Rachel remembers laughing through the buzz in her mind, sipping at her beer. "Yeah? That's a nice idea you've got there, Priceless." She'd said, clearly brushing off her joke. But in the back of her mind it had festered, and all she'd done is lay on the sand and stare at he orange hued sky, listening to the sound of Chloe's grumbling.
The second time, they'd been sitting in their hideaway, their home away from hell. Chloe had a full box of pizza on her lap, legs kicked up on the table, with Rachel leaning against her side. The air is smoky with tobacco and marijuana, and the sound of Chloe's mixtape for Rachel flows through the air. This time, Rachel had been the one to speak first. "We should do it."
Chloe chokes on her smoke and coughs, and stares at Rachel in confusion, dirty blond eyebrows tugged together. "Huh? What?"
"Run away." Rachel leans up and touches Chloe's nose, silently pondering over the notion that Chloe looks much like a confused puppy, head tilted. It's cute. It's charming. She wonders if these thoughts only come to her because she's stoned and Chloe's shoulder is warm and soft. Chloe scrunches up her nose and then brightens up.
"Yeah? Really?"
"Yeah. Really." And Rachel smiles, and Chloe feels her heart melt in her chest. And what she doesn't know is that Rachel feels the same, warm and flushed and happy she's got this idiotic punk as her friend.
They're sober, next, and this seems to really solidify it. The chatter of people surrounds them in Two Whales, conversations from people that don't matter to them. So when Rachel brings it up, she expects it to matter to no one else around them as well; which wouldn't be far from the truth. No one normally cares about them.
(Chloe would disagree, but Rachel would disagree more. No one's ever bothered to understand her for who she is. She's a drifter, much like Chloe, but the sole difference is her ability to twist people's hearts.)
"We should start saving." Rachel wipes at her mouth, eyes twinkling at Chloe, who's in the middle of tearing up a Belgian waffle. Chloe pauses and licks her sticky lips. "For what, more pot?"
Rachel laughs, a gentle, twinkling noise in the midst of rough voices. "C'mon, Priceless. I know you can think harder than that. Pot's not all you think about, do you?"
"... nnnoo." Chloe draws out and smiles mischievously at Rachel. "You're on that list too."
"Oh? I never knew. It's not as if I've ever noticed." She counters, twirling her straw in her drink and watching the flush of pink dance on Chloe's cheeks. The punk scoffs and reaches over to take Rachel's drink, sipping from the straw. "Yeah, whatever."
"I'm still waiting, Chlo."
Chloe frowns for a moment and then looks out the window. "We're really gonna do it?" There's something strangely pensive in her tone. It's moments like these that Rachel is reminded of how complex Chloe is. She's not just a rebellious punk stomping through the streets; there's a being in there, with too much pain and hurt and a lot of intelligence. Rachel's expression softens, and she picks up a bacon strip. "I'd love to do it."
"... if it's with you, then yeah. I'm hella down." Chloe admits, and focuses on Rachel again, blue eyes intense in the way that makes Rachel's heart twist fiercely in her chest. They return to quietly picking at their food, minds full of fresh promises. "Los Angeles," Chloe whispers.
"Los Angeles." Rachel breathes out in agreement, looking aside to see Frank stroll in, clad in his beat up leather jacket and dusty boots. His eyes catch her's, crinkling up at the corners, and her throat tightens, something constricting in her chest.
"Los Angeles," She repeats.
"Hey. Fuck, you even listening?"
The blond is broken out of her thoughts by Chloe's voice once more, tinged with a little bit of anger this time around. Rachel certainly knows Chloe well enough to know the anger is a defense mechanism for the anxiety that runs through her bones. "Mm, sorry. I spaced out."
"Yeah, when I was asking you something fucking important," Chloe grinds out and puffs angrily at her cigarette. She turns away from Rachel on the stained couch, knees bumping into the table. The pizza box from ages ago threatens to fall and Rachel calmly leans forward to straighten it out.
"Don't be like that, Chlo. It's a little harder to think when I'm this stoned."
"You've never had a problem before." Chloe grumbles and crosses her arms, pouting like a child. If there's one thing that exasperates Rachel, it's this. But this is the same thing that makes her smile, raising both her brows in amusement. She gently reaches over to touch Chloe's arm. "Hey, don't be mad. It's not like I'm going to tell you no."
"... Really?" Chloe eases up, lowering her defenses. Rachel hums in agreement and stubs out the joint, instead opting to reach out for Chloe's cigarette.
"Unless you want me to." The blond smiles coyly at her, slipping the stick between her lips and taking a slow drag. Chloe looks like she's about to argue when Rachel slips her free hand over Chloe's mouth and laughs softly at the oddly desperate gaze the younger girl is giving her. It's the same gaze that shows the same fear as always; the fear that Rachel is being just as honest as everyone else who's promised to stay by her side. "Yes, really."
"... You promise?" Chloe murmurs against her hand, watching dubiously as Rachel smokes. She curls her fingers around her hand, gently prying it off her mouth.
"Yes. I promise." Rachel inhales softly as Chloe settles against her side, head on her shoulder. It feels like a switch from the last time they'd talked about this here, when she was comfortably pressed up against Chloe. Chloe's hand searches for her free one, and Rachel takes it just to ease the girl.
When everything goes wrong, Chloe's warmth against her side is the last thing she thinks about.