17
Cloe was lying on her bed, resting on her elbows while reading a book that Ved had got her. She looked up when there was a knock at the door.
"Yes," she said, giving the person permission to come in. The door opened and K.C's smiling face appeared.
"Hi," she said and gave him a smile.
"Hey Clo," K.C said, standing in the doorway, "I was gonna go grab a bite. You wanna come?" He jerked his thump in the direction of the kitchen.
"Yeah, sure. Let me just read to the end of this page. Come in."
K.C came in and closed the door behind him. He walked around in her room, looking at her things while she read.
"Done," Cloe said after a while and closed the book with a snap. She put it on her nightstand and got up.
"Oh K.C, I totally forgot to tell you," she suddenly said, holding a hand to her forehead, "Ebony was here. They got her too."
"What!" K.C exclaimed, looking at her alarmed.
"But they set her free again," Cloe said quickly, "I think. That's what Ved told me anyway."
K.C sunk down at the bed beside her and looked at her darkly, "And you believe him?"
Cloe thought about this for a while, then simply said, "Yes." She couldn't explain why, but she trusted that Ved told her the truth. She could just feel it in her gut.
"He said she was important to the program somehow."
"Well," K.C then said after some thinking and a smile spread across his face, "If anyone can get themselves out of trouble - it's Ebony."
Cloe grinned back at him, "Exactly."
Just then there was a noise at the door as it opened and Ved walked in. He never bothered to knock or ask permission to enter - he simply just entered. He had a smile on his face, which vanished the moment he saw K.C. His face was hard and dark as he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, arms crossed. His eyes went into their usual slits as he said, "Conspiring, are we?"
"What?" Cloe said, feeling panic in her stomach. Was he on to them?
"Two Mallrats, sticking their little heads together. It's not rocket science."
K.C rolled his eyes and got up, "Look, we were just talking. We're good friends - we go way back."
"Exactly my point."
"We're just hanging out - nothing sketchy about that," Cloe said.
"Well that's exactly the problem Cloe," Ved said, icily, "I thought I told you to finish that work I gave you. Ram's been on my back with those numbers for ages now, so will you just get on with it!"
"Alright!" Cloe snapped, "I'll get it done tomorrow - calm down."
Ved gave the both of them one final devastating glare, before turning on his heel and stalking out of the room.
"Why are he acting like this? He's such a jerk!" Cloe fumed a few moments later as she and K.C walked down the corridor towards the kitchen. She pushed the door open and walked inside. She headed towards the refrigerator and looked inside it, taking out various foods as KC found plates.
"I just don't get him sometimes," she continued as she handed K.C a bottle of water. K.C turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you really not get it, Clo?"
Cloe looked up at him, surprised, "No, I really don't. Why? Do you?"
"Come on, you can't be that blind."
Cloe just looked perplex and K.C smiled and sighed, rolling his eyes at her, "He's jealous."
Cloe who was taking a big slurp of her water choked and began spluttering and coughing violently.
"What!" she choked out hoarsly.
"He likes you," K.C said simply.
Cloe gawked at him, her mouth open, "Have you lost your mind? We hate each other!"
K.C smiled and shook his head at her dramatic reaction, "I don't know about you, but Ved certainly doesn't hate you. And he feels threathened by me."
Cloe couldn't believe what she was hearing. Okay she didn't hate Ved all the time, but she just couldn't believe that Ved could like her in any way. If he did, he certainly had a funny way of showing it.
They ate in silence as Cloe tried to wrap her mind around this new unlikely information. After a while she glanced sideways at K.C.
"Does he have reason to be felling threathened by you?"
K.C smiled, "No. Sorry Clo, you're great and all, but I just don't have that kind of feelings for you. Maybe once. But that was a long time ago."
Cloe was relieved. She saw K.C as a kind of a brother and she didn't want anything to ruin thier friendship.
"How do you know? That he has...feelings...for me?" This was such a new and strange concept to her.
K.C finished his meal and put the plate in the dishwasher. "It's kinda obvious," he said, "You'd have to be pretty daft not to notice," he grinned at her and she threw her empty bottle at him, which he caught.
"You suck," she said, laughing.
"Come on, airhead," K.C said, "Let's get back."
They walked back to their rooms and bade each other goodnight. Cloe walked into her room and let herself fall down on her back onto the bed. She folded her hands on her stomach and stared at the ceiling, in deep thought. When she eventually went to bed it was a long time before she fell into a disturbed and restless sleep.
The next day Cloe didn't see Ved for the entire day. She finished the work like she had promised him and in the late afternoon turned off the computer and went to her room to rest. She hadn't really had time to think things from last night through as the work took all of her concentration. Now that she had finished, it left her plenty of time to dwell on things - especially the things K.C had said about Ved having feelings for her.
She lay down her her bed as she always did when she needed to think things over. After some time there was a knock at the door and Ved poked his head in, "Hey Clo."
Cloe sat up abruptly, all stiff, as he walked in. This new information was making her feel weird and uncomfortable and she didn't know quite how to handle it. Ved threw himself down onto the bed beside her, face down, groaning, "I'm totally wrecked."
After a few seconds he turned his head to look at her at the total lack of response, "Hey, Clo. Why are you ignoring me? What's up with you?" he demanded.
"Nothing," Cloe mumbled.
Ved got up on his elbows to glare at her, "You're mad at me," he said and then sighed, "What did I do this time?"
"Nothing," Cloe said, not looking at him, "I'm not mad."
"Well you're something," Ved said, screwing up his eyes suspeciously, "What is it? C'morn - spit it out."
"I said it's nothing," Cloe snapped. She didn't know why she has snapping at him, so she got up and walked towards the bathroom. She could feel his eyes on ther back like burning lasers. When she had closed the door behind her she let out the breath she'd been holding in. She put her hands on either side of the sink, dropping her head down between her shoulders and stood like this for some time. Then she turned the faucet on and splashed water into her hot face to cool it down.
What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she just play it cool? she thought, angry at herself. She brushed her teeth and changed into the t-shirt she was sleeping in. When she put her hand on the handle to open the door she hesitated. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself. Then she pushed it open and walked out.
Ved was lying at the same spot he had dropped down and had fallen asleep. His mouth was slightly open and he drooled at bit. Cloe sighed, relieved that he was asleep and then giggled soundlessly at his drooling face. She walked over to the bed and crept under the covers with some diffeculty, as Ved was lying across the bed. She didn't want to wake him up and make him leave her room. What if he insisted on staying to find out why she was acting weird, demanding to hear what she was thinking. She would be absolutely mortified if he knew what she and K.C had talked about, about him having feelings for her. What if it wasn't true? He would be laughing so hard at her that tears would fall down his cheeks. And she would be horrified.
She still wasn't completely convinced that what K.C had said last night was true. Was it really possible that Ved had developed some kind of feelings for her? He was always so mean to her and snappy. Sure she felt attracted to him, he was a very goodlooking guy, Cloe had to admit. She lay thinking about things for a while, until sleep eventually found her and took her to dreamland.
