Summary: Chloe is confused. Her life has taken one dramatic turn after another, and honestly, she's just wishing she could be a normal teenage girl again. One night, however, when Brian shows up at her front door unannounced, she finds that maybe, just maybe, her life could turn out to be exactly what she wants.

Disclaimer: Don't like Chloe/Brian? Well then, I'll have to suggest you look elsewhere for entertainment. Don't like, don't read.

I hope you all enjoy this! :)


Just a Kiss

CHAPTER ONE: A SHOT IN THE DARK

"Chloe?" Meredith called up the stairs on her way to the front door.

When I finally surfaced at the top of the stairs, my mother already had her hand on the doorknob, seemingly in a rush. "Frank is outside, so I'll see you later. Please just stay in the house tonight, ok?"

I sighed, but betrayed the tortured expression I was trying to school my features into when an unwanted smile came to my lips. I couldn't help but smile when I saw how happy my mom finally looked, so I settled on just agreeing with her and letting her enjoy her night out without worrying about my whereabouts. "Yeah, mom, I'll stay inside. Have fun."

"And Chloe?" my mom said, turning to face me one last time before leaving. When I nodded, she continued, "I love you."

"Implied," I giggled, "Now get out of here, stop keeping your boyfriend waiting!"

I laughed as she scurried through the door in a rush of nervous excitement. It'd been a long time since I'd had seen my mother like that, and it was a nice change. She deserved to be happy.

I shook my head, still smiling as I turned to walk back up the stairs to my bedroom. It was bound to be a long and lonely night, but I had no intention of leaving the house. I needed a little space to think anyway, considering the unexpected turns my life had taken as of late. It would be nice to get a chance to relax. Or at least try to relax.

However, I didn't make it past the fifth stair before the doorbell rang, jarring me out of the thoughts that had already consumed my mind. Figuring that my mother must have forgotten something in her mad dash out of the house, I turned on my heel and sauntered back to the door, looking around the entryway as I walked for whatever my mother had forgotten, but nothing of the sort was in plain sight.

As I pulled the door open, my heartbeat quickened immediately. It was not my mother standing on the front porch. It was Brian.

"Uh hey Chloe," he said with a sweet smile, "I... Well we need to talk."

I bit my lip, trying to think of some excuse that would send him away. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't as if I wanted him to leave, because trust me, I didn't. I just couldn't for the life of me think of one good thing to tell him. He undoubtedly wanted to talk about our relationship, or lack thereof, and I still had no idea what to do about that.

I was going to send him away, tell him I was busy, or leaving, or grounded, or anything, but the words I heard myself say instead didn't quite make him turn around. Actually, they did quite the opposite. "Uh, sure, come in."

And before I knew it, Brian was sitting in a chair at my kitchen table and I was handing him a cold glass of lemonade. Damn it.

"So," I mumbled as I took a seat across from him, "What was it that you wanted to talk ab-"

"I love you." He cut me off before I could even finish my question.

I coughed, trying to buy myself some time to think of a way to divert his comment. But no excuse came to mind. "I... I can't. Brian, I can't," I responded, refusing to meet his eyes and diverting my gaze down to the table instead. I felt tears fill my eyes as I held back the words I had truly wanted to say. More than anything, I wanted to tell him that I loved him too.

"You can't what Chloe?" he questioned, his voice louder than I had expected it to be, "You always tell me you 'can't'. Every time I try to get closer to you, that is always your answer, but I don't think that's the truth. Your words are telling me you can't, but your eyes, they have a different tale to tell. So look at me Chloe, look me dead in the eyes, and tell me the truth. I think I deserve at least that."

I don't know exactly what it was that came over me in that moment, but I suddenly found my resolve. I tore my gaze up and away from the table, and as my eyes met his, I no longer had a choice. Brian was right. He did deserve the truth. And that was exactly what he'd get. I couldn't keep giving him the runaround any longer; there was no more hiding it.

"I can't kiss you, ok? Because if I do, you'll be paralyzed. Or die. Probably all of the above."

There it was. His mouth dropped open in shock as he tried to figure out what to say next. One second ticked by, then two, three, four... Then finally, he spoke, "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I mean that I am not human. I'm something else, something called Mai. It's kind of a really long story, and I know it's a lot to handle, but Mai can't kiss humans. If we do, the human dies."

"This is not funny, Chloe." He shook his head, sadness spreading over his pretty face. "If you don't like me, you can just tell me you know..."

So I told him the whole story- everything. I watched as his face moved from sadness to disbelief to shock, and finally, after about an hour, to something reminiscent of acceptance. He sat through the entire story, keeping our eye contact for reassurance and listening quietly, making me wonder why I hadn't told him earlier. As I spoke I realized more and more that I could trust him, that he had more than earned that.

"Woah..." he murmured when I finished, at a loss for words.

"Yeah," I returned, bracing myself for what I thought was an inevitable goodbye. I didn't see how he could do anything but leave.

"Sorry, I just... I need a minute," he said, cradling his head in his hands and closing his eyes.

"It's alright Brian, I understand. You can go." I stood and pushed my chair in as I spoke, readying myself to go open the door for him.

"Go?" he asked, his eyes shooting open again, "Why would I do that?"

"Because I basically just told you I'm a monster? I'm a freak who can kill you with a kiss, why would you stay?"

"Because I love you." He was so sure in his response that it caught me off guard, making me lean my weight on the back of my chair. "I wasn't bluffing when I said that Chloe; I meant it. I love you."

"But... But I'm not human..." I couldn't understand where he was going with this.

He laughed. "Yeah, I get that. Doesn't change anything. Chloe, nothing could make me love you any less, why don't you understand that?"

I wasn't even sure what to do next, so I simply stood there, still resting the weight I simply couldn't hold up on the back of my chair, staring at him.

After a couple minutes of that, he broke the silence, "But I have a question."

"Shoot," I responded.

"Do you know why it is that you can't kiss me? What about that scenario would kill me?"

"I- I don't know," I answered, yet again caught off guard by his question.

"Well, you can touch me right? Like we can hold hands or hug or just brush against each other?" he asked.

"Yes..."

"Okay, so it's not just a simple touch. Then it must just be mouth-to-mouth contact."

"I guess..."

"Fair enough. So Chloe, how do you feel about me? I mean truthfully, with complete and utter disregard for the no kissing rule."

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding as I decided that I might as well continue on the path of truth. "Well, if we're being honest... I think I completely underestimated you. I can't believe you're even still here, but I'm glad you are. I'm so glad. And I'm glad that you now know what's been tearing us apart," I paused and smiled at him, and he returned a small smile as I continued, "And Brain, I love you, too."

His smile grew as he spoke again, "Then one last question."

"Mhm?"

"Can you please get me a piece of plastic wrap?" he asked with a sly smile.

"Pl-plastic wrap? Like what you put over containers when you put them in the fridge?" I was beyond reason at that point, ambivalent as to what this boy could possibly have needed plastic wrap for.

"Yep, that's the stuff."

I walked over to a cabinet above my stove, reaching upward to grab the container and sliding to him across the table. I stood, utterly confounded, as he pulled some of the clear wrapping from the container, ripped a piece cleanly from the roll, and slid the container back toward me.

"Come here," he commanded, struggling with the clingy piece of thin plastic in his hands.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I walked toward him on weak legs.

He simply smiled and held the plastic wrap closer to his face. "Kiss me."

And then I understood. I smiled as I got closer to him, losing myself in his perfect green eyes. I threw my hands around his hips, keeping perfect eye contact as our lips met.

Soon, I was losing myself in the kiss, forgetting the plastic wrap even existed between us. Our lips moved together in perfect, passionate synchronization as I pulled him closer to me. Brian kept a firm grip on the thin layer of plastic the whole long, blissful time.

When he pulled away, he dropped his shield right away, smiling and looking down. "Wow."

"Wow," I repeated, smiling and running my fingers across the side of his face.

He looked up and met my eyes again, "See, just a kiss. And everything is fine."

I couldn't help but laugh, feeling the sparks fly between us. "Yeah, just a kiss," I whispered, glad we were finally on the same page. For once.

He threw his arm around my waist, leading me toward my living room. When we got there, he sat down gracefully on the couch, switching his arm to put it around my shoulders and angling himself so that he could look at me.

"I really, truly meant what I said earlier you know," he said, his face close to mine.

"What would that be?" I asked, hardly able to remember how I'd gotten to my living room.

"That I love you, Chloe, and I'd like to add that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this work," he gestured between us as he spoke.

"Good," I smiled, "Because I just so happen to love you too, Brian. No matter what it takes."

He wrapped me in a hug just as the phone rang. I jumped, startled by the sudden noise piercing through our perfect moment. When I realized it was the phone, I reached for it, grasping it from the coffee table in front of us easily.

"Hello?"

"Hey Chloe, I just wanted to let you know that Frank and I are on our way back to the house now." It was my mom.

"Oh, ok," I answered into the receiver, "See you in a few then. Bye!"

And with that, I hung up, turning my attention back to Brian. As I readied myself to speak, he cut me off, "I should go, right?"

I bit my lip, regretting the fact that I had to kick him out now. "Yeah, probably..."

"Well, do I get a kiss goodnight?" He asked as he stood, picking up the plastic wrap from where he'd left it on the table.

I pulled him to me without answering, pressing my lips against his through the thin barrier once more.

He took off for the door when we finished, handing me the plastic wrap so I could dispose of it, which I wasn't sure I would even do. It seemed rather a memorable keepsake, a perfect memory of the first night of the rest of our lives.

As he jogged out the door, he turned back to me. "And Chloe," he said, "We'll be alright."

I smiled as I watched him retreat, his last words sticking with me. Yes, finally, we really would be just fine.


So that's that. Thanks for reading, & I really hope you enjoyed it!

I just wanted to give Chloe/Brian their fair share of the love. I'm fully aware that many of you much prefer to ship Chloe/Alek, and I have absolutely nothing against that; this is just my own personal preference. It's perfectly understandable, and I can absolutely respect that. So please respect this in the same way. I'm not particularly interested in the whole Brian vs. Alek shipwar, so let's just coexist peacefully and play nicely. Ok? Ok.

I always love feeback! So much love to the reviewers. :)