Two days later, Belle sat on her bed, pondering what she had seen between her brother and Chloe. Unfortunately, she definitely noticed that Chloe and Brady had since avoided each other like the cliched plague.
She had invited Chloe to dinner the night before...but it was declined after Chloe heard that Brady would be there, too.
"Uh, Chloe, he sorta lives here too..." Belle had said.
It was just the same with Brady. Even when Belle was only on the phone with Chloe, he hid out in his room until the conversation had been finished for at least an hour, Belle could swear.
What is with these two? Belle asked herself. I know what I saw...they were so happy for that one moment. Now what's the problem?
Chloe knew exactly what the problem was. She had even admitted it to herself. She had one thing on her mind: she was afraid of Brady Black.
Sure, it sounded silly when she said it out loud, that she knew. But she couldn't help being scared of him. He was so much bigger than her--older, stronger, and much more willful. Formidable just about began to describe him. Everytime she was around him, Chloe felt as if he silently taunted her, as if his every move cried out 'I'm better than you are! I'm better than you are!'
And yet she liked him so much...could she get this to work out? Chloe sighed as she laid back on her bed. She hoped she could--oh, she hoped she could.
The object of Chloe's worries was also considering a lot of issues, too. Brady struggled to always keep his "Tough-Guy" attitude and to always maintain his control of anything. But Chloe...God, Chloe made him want to gather her in his arms and act like some teenager in love. Which was stupid. Man, like he had thought...before the kiss...a traitorous little voice in his head said...she's only a kid. His kid sister's best friend, at that. After he had broken away from the embrace...and pried the offending zipper from her sweater without looking in her eyes...he had only looked back once before rushing from the house. The look in Chloe's eyes was enough to kill him.
But was he dumb enough to get into a relationship? He didn't need one, that was for certain. And not with someone who hung out with Belle, probably spending her time pouring over fashion magazines while sharing the latest high school gossip.
He also...knew that, contrary to what his mind said, he wanted a relationship, and with Chloe. How could his heart and his mind disagree? It was practically driving him crazy....she drove him crazy...
Belle didn't knock, only slid in the open doorway to Brady's temporary room. Her brother was so deep in thought, peering into the corner of the ceiling, that he didn't notice her entrance.
"Brady...Brady?" she said, announcing her presence and giving him a shock. "What were you thinking about?" Belle asked softly.
"I...uh...thinki...oh, nothing really...yeah, nothing," Brady gave his jumbled answer quickly, his face turning red.
"OK..." Belle took a minute, staring at him intently before walking back to the door. "Brady...you're...well, maybe I'm overstepping my boundaries...but Brady, you're over analyzing it. If you like her...why not show it?" Belle ducked out the doorway as her groaning big brother hit the closing door with pillows.
But, considering it futile, Brady merely leaned back and stared at the ceiling once again.
Maybe I am...what did she say?...over analyzing it. Maybe.
Unfortunately for Brady, he didn't have much of a choice where Chloe was concerned.
It was only an hour later when, from his room, he heard the doorbell ring.
"BRADY!!!" Belle's voice rang out from the bathroom down the hall. "Can you get that?" Her voiced dripped with the classic Belle sweetness. Brady groaned, pulling himself off the bed and ambling down the stairs to the front door.
"Hel--oh," he said, stopping abruptly as the door opened to admit Chloe. "What do you want?"
Chloe snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Oh yeah, Chloe, that was real lady-like," Brady mocked her.
"About as lady-like as you are, Brady," she answered, rolling her eyes once again as stepped past him into the house. Chloe turned back to look at him before she started to ascend the stairwell.
"Wait, Chlo--" Brady started, then stopped suddenly.
He could clearly see the emotions in Chloe's eyes. "What...what is it, Brady?"
"God, Chlo..."
"I hate that name, Brady," Chloe told him plainly.
"Fine, *Chlo*, look--I just wanted to talk to you about...whatever it was that..."
The bland look Chloe shot him did nothing to mask the feelings she was obviously feeling inside, but Brady had to give it to her--she certainly tried hard. "Well, most of the time, Brady, people call it a kiss. Of course, then we hugged, but those are just the technical terms..." she trailed off as Brady's long strides ate up the distance between them. His face was soon a mere inches from hers--Chloe couldn't breathe. It was too eerily like the days before.
"Whatever it was...I...Chlo...Chloe"
"CHLOE!!!" Belle practically tumbled down the stairs and into the family room. She surveyed the tableu she saw. Chloe's face was flushed, her breathing shallow and her face a breath away from Brady's. "Oh, uh...I'm sorry. I'll just go back upstairs. I have to, mm, clean the bathroom counter anyway..."
Chloe broke her gaze away from Belle's brother's. "No, Belle. It's okay." She shot a last look at the boy...man...in front of her. "It looks like there's nothing down here anyway."
She had invited Chloe to dinner the night before...but it was declined after Chloe heard that Brady would be there, too.
"Uh, Chloe, he sorta lives here too..." Belle had said.
It was just the same with Brady. Even when Belle was only on the phone with Chloe, he hid out in his room until the conversation had been finished for at least an hour, Belle could swear.
What is with these two? Belle asked herself. I know what I saw...they were so happy for that one moment. Now what's the problem?
Chloe knew exactly what the problem was. She had even admitted it to herself. She had one thing on her mind: she was afraid of Brady Black.
Sure, it sounded silly when she said it out loud, that she knew. But she couldn't help being scared of him. He was so much bigger than her--older, stronger, and much more willful. Formidable just about began to describe him. Everytime she was around him, Chloe felt as if he silently taunted her, as if his every move cried out 'I'm better than you are! I'm better than you are!'
And yet she liked him so much...could she get this to work out? Chloe sighed as she laid back on her bed. She hoped she could--oh, she hoped she could.
The object of Chloe's worries was also considering a lot of issues, too. Brady struggled to always keep his "Tough-Guy" attitude and to always maintain his control of anything. But Chloe...God, Chloe made him want to gather her in his arms and act like some teenager in love. Which was stupid. Man, like he had thought...before the kiss...a traitorous little voice in his head said...she's only a kid. His kid sister's best friend, at that. After he had broken away from the embrace...and pried the offending zipper from her sweater without looking in her eyes...he had only looked back once before rushing from the house. The look in Chloe's eyes was enough to kill him.
But was he dumb enough to get into a relationship? He didn't need one, that was for certain. And not with someone who hung out with Belle, probably spending her time pouring over fashion magazines while sharing the latest high school gossip.
He also...knew that, contrary to what his mind said, he wanted a relationship, and with Chloe. How could his heart and his mind disagree? It was practically driving him crazy....she drove him crazy...
Belle didn't knock, only slid in the open doorway to Brady's temporary room. Her brother was so deep in thought, peering into the corner of the ceiling, that he didn't notice her entrance.
"Brady...Brady?" she said, announcing her presence and giving him a shock. "What were you thinking about?" Belle asked softly.
"I...uh...thinki...oh, nothing really...yeah, nothing," Brady gave his jumbled answer quickly, his face turning red.
"OK..." Belle took a minute, staring at him intently before walking back to the door. "Brady...you're...well, maybe I'm overstepping my boundaries...but Brady, you're over analyzing it. If you like her...why not show it?" Belle ducked out the doorway as her groaning big brother hit the closing door with pillows.
But, considering it futile, Brady merely leaned back and stared at the ceiling once again.
Maybe I am...what did she say?...over analyzing it. Maybe.
Unfortunately for Brady, he didn't have much of a choice where Chloe was concerned.
It was only an hour later when, from his room, he heard the doorbell ring.
"BRADY!!!" Belle's voice rang out from the bathroom down the hall. "Can you get that?" Her voiced dripped with the classic Belle sweetness. Brady groaned, pulling himself off the bed and ambling down the stairs to the front door.
"Hel--oh," he said, stopping abruptly as the door opened to admit Chloe. "What do you want?"
Chloe snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Oh yeah, Chloe, that was real lady-like," Brady mocked her.
"About as lady-like as you are, Brady," she answered, rolling her eyes once again as stepped past him into the house. Chloe turned back to look at him before she started to ascend the stairwell.
"Wait, Chlo--" Brady started, then stopped suddenly.
He could clearly see the emotions in Chloe's eyes. "What...what is it, Brady?"
"God, Chlo..."
"I hate that name, Brady," Chloe told him plainly.
"Fine, *Chlo*, look--I just wanted to talk to you about...whatever it was that..."
The bland look Chloe shot him did nothing to mask the feelings she was obviously feeling inside, but Brady had to give it to her--she certainly tried hard. "Well, most of the time, Brady, people call it a kiss. Of course, then we hugged, but those are just the technical terms..." she trailed off as Brady's long strides ate up the distance between them. His face was soon a mere inches from hers--Chloe couldn't breathe. It was too eerily like the days before.
"Whatever it was...I...Chlo...Chloe"
"CHLOE!!!" Belle practically tumbled down the stairs and into the family room. She surveyed the tableu she saw. Chloe's face was flushed, her breathing shallow and her face a breath away from Brady's. "Oh, uh...I'm sorry. I'll just go back upstairs. I have to, mm, clean the bathroom counter anyway..."
Chloe broke her gaze away from Belle's brother's. "No, Belle. It's okay." She shot a last look at the boy...man...in front of her. "It looks like there's nothing down here anyway."