Chloe and Charlie

"Remind me why you're sitting here on my couch and not on a plane to Yemen." Charlie muttered with his eyes on the television in front of them.

"We are not doing this again, Charlie." Chloe muttered back.
"We most certainly are." He turned to her. "They need you out there."

"No, what they need is to let it go."
"Well that's not going to happen, is it?"

"I'm not dying for Nathan's ego, I said my piece and he wouldn't listen so that's that."
"How can you be so selfish?" He spat.

"Selfish?" She sighed heavily. "Look, you don't know him like I do. He doesn't know when to quit and it's going to him killed, I'm not going to stand by and watch that happen."

"Nah, you're just gonna run and hope for the best because that's what you do."
She slapped him sharply across the face.

"Charlie.." She began to speak but he quickly grabbed his crutches and hobbled out of the room shutting the door behind him. "Shit."

Chloe stood up and switched off the TV then wandered into the small, cluttered kitchen and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, pouring it into the nearest mug. She took a gulp and took a seat by the window. The street was empty outside with the exception of a couple of cars passing by and a few stragglers crossing through the dim streetlights. Chloe tried to ignore the pangs of guilt in the pit of her stomach. She turned her focus to a ginger cat perched on a low wall across the road before closing her eyes and resting her head on the brick wall.

She opened them again and was immediately blinded by the sun beaming down on her.

"Oh dear." She muttered under her breath, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Chloe picked up the mug sat beside her and downed the rest of her drink.
"Bit early in the day, ain't it?" Charlie appeared in the doorway.
"It's tea." She lied setting the mug down beside her.

"Sure, sure. Is there any "tea" left?" He asked.
"Sit down. Wouldn't want you to fall." Chloe slid from the window and patted a cushion on the sofa.

"Oh how thoughtful."

She poured him a cup then sat beside him.

"Cheers." He said.

"Don't mention it."

"Chloe, about last night."

"I didn't mean to hit you if that's what you're about to say."

"Didn't realise you had a temper.. until you hit me in the face that is." He snorted

"I'm not proud of it." She muttered.

"It's alright darlin', it happens."