DPOV
For the first time, Chloe actually looked like the strong, confident girl she really was. I was proud of her.
"You're doing the right thing, Chloe. I'm proud of you." I smiled at her and she blushed and gave me a shy smile in return.
"There's something else I want you to consider. Chloe, I know things have been hard for you and that's why I'm suggesting this." Dad paused, probably for dramatic effect. "Would you be open to seeing a therapist? To help you get over this?"
"Talking to someone could really help. It's good for you to have someone to talk to. Besides, everything you say there will be confidential. No one's going to know except you and your therapist unless you decide to tell someone." Simon sounded like he was close to pleading. If Chloe refused, he'd be down on his hands and knees in no time. And judging from the way Tori was staring at Chloe, she wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"Well, Chloe? What do you say?"
I glanced at her and she looked a little nervous but she must have come to the conclusion that she wasn't going to win this one if she said no because she nodded a bit reluctantly. "Okay, I'll go. I don't think Simon or Tori's going to take no for an answer, anyway."
I laughed, surprised. It seems we were on the same page. "Did you read my mind or something? That's what I was thinking."
Chloe blushed again and looked up at my shyly. "Well, Tori's expression and Simon's tone said everything. It was kind of obvious."
This time, it was Dad's turn to laugh. "She's got a point there, Derek."
After this, the atmosphere dissolved to a less serious one and Dad went and got dinner from the kitchen. Apparently Andrew had left us food. At six, Andrew came home and apologized for being late, we ate dinner while Dad gave him an abbreviated version of why we were here and introduced Chloe. After which, we all dispersed to get some time alone after this, for lack of a better word, eventful day.
Sitting in my room, all I really wanted was to be left alone for a while. Of course, this was when someone decided to knock on the door. Honestly, why can I never get any time for myself? Opening the door, I was fully ready to give whoever was on the other side a piece of my mind when I actually saw who it was and all my complaints went out the window.
"Hey."
She fidgeted, "Um, hi. Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Yeah, sure. Come in." I closed the door behind her and watched while she took in the room that wasn't really mine.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?"
She sat down on the bed and gestured for me to do the same so I did, a little wary of what she could possibly have to say. I guess her nerves where contagious because now I was nervous, too.
"Um, well, I don't know how to say this so…do you, um doyoulikeme?"
Whoa, did she just ask me… No way. Argh! Tori, I'm going to kill you!
"Wh-why do you think that? Did Tori say something?" Of course she did the meddling pest.
"Well, sort of. Um, does this mean she was wrong?" DEAD meddling pest!
"No! Yeah, yeah I-Ilikeyou."God this is so awkward.
"Oh, um, okay. Well, um I think…I think I like you, too." No way. She keeps taking me by surprise. Did she just say she liked me?
"You like me?"Yeah, way to sound smart, Derek.
"Yeah, I like you." What are we? In elementary school?
I smiled at her. "So maybe when this is all over, you want to go on a date?"
"Really? Yeah, I'd like that." Her smile was radiant. It made her seem so much more carefree, happy. Stunning.
"Good. Because I'd like that, too." Just then the door opened and Tori and Simon walked in grinning like fools. Way to ruin a moment.
"Why wait till after all this is over? Why not go see a movie or something now? Well, not now but tomorrow." Tori's voice indicated she was up to trouble. There's no stopping this girl when she set her mind on something.
"Tomorrow? But don't you need to get the papers for the divorce or something?" Chloe really seemed confused but there was an undertone of excitement there, too.
"Yeah but that's going to take a few days and you really don't need to be there. Dad called a therapist that I know from work and set up an appointment for you on Saturday at one in the afternoon. So you really don't have anything to do tomorrow." She had this all planned out.
"Besides, why would you want to stay here all day when you could go out with Derek and have fun? And before you ask, Derek's got a couple weeks off work right now. So he's all yours." Whenever Simon and Tori on the same side, I knew I was going to lose.
"You know, Chloe, I'm okay with going to see a movie tomorrow if you're okay with it. If it's too soon for you to be going out with me, I get it. It's okay."
"N-no. I'd like to see a movie with you. If you're okay with it."
"Yeah, that's fine. So tomorrow, then?" Here we go, sounding like high school kids all over again.
"Okay, tomorrow." She gave me a small, shy smile. Always so shy; it was cute.
"Great! Come on, Chloe. We need to pick out clothes for you." With that, Tori dragged Chloe from the room, leaving me with Simon.
"So you're going on a date." Simon smirked at me. "Have fun." He left, closing the door behind him and leaving me at the mercy of my thoughts.
I have a date with Chloe tomorrow.
A short filler chapter. I've got something planned but I need to build up to it, so hang in there. Thank you to everyone who pointed out that Kit's hair is black!