Later that evening, with John and Marlena home from work, Belle, Chloe and Brady sat down to a late dinner with the couple.
John and Marlena sat at the ends of the table, making small talk concerning happenings at their jobs and local Salem gossip. Both were completely unaware of the tension that emanated between Brady and Chloe, who sat opposite him on Belle's left side.
"Well, Chloe, it's very nice to have you over this evening," Marlena smiled at her daughter's best friend, who responded in kind.
"Thanks, Dr. Evans," Chloe said. "At least most of you think so," she added with a glare to the other side of the table. Marlena, who had cocked her head to listen to her husband, did not notice. That left two people who certainly did.
"So, Brady, what was up with you all day? I hardly saw you--you were holed up in your room," Belle mentioned to her brother.
"Oh, nothing...just sitting around, over-analyzing this pain in the ass problem," Brady answered, directing his statement across the table, but definitely not to Belle.
"The only thing that's a pain in the ass is the one idiot who's sitting across from me," Chloe mumbled under her breath.
"Yeah, mm, okay...well, Chloe, what movie do you want to see tomorrow?" Belle asked, grasping for words to stall the confrontation that appeared to be unavoidable.
"Oh, I don't know," Chloe told her, "but preferably one where the guy doesn't kiss his sister's best friend and then acts like it was aliens that took over his body when it happened so he doesn't have to deal with it--"
"Doesn't have to deal with it?!?" Brady exclaimed, his fork and knife clattering unexpectedly on the plate. His dad and Marlena looked up with suprise.
"Careful, son. Are you okay? Do you need some medication or something?" John asked with concern. Brady waved it off with an "naw, I'm fine," and the two adults excused themselves to take a short walk.
"Just like he deals with everything else," Chloe shot back suddenly.
"What in the hell do you mean by that?" he answered, suprise registering on his face.
"Well see, you act like nothing ever happened, but it did--you just won't face your feelings!" she stated plainly, glaring across the table at him.
"If I thought I had a reason to face them, I would!" Brady shouted now, "but I'm not about to make a fool of myself if it's not worth it!" Throwing his napkin down next to his plate and shoving his chair back, Brady could be heard hobbling through the family room and out the front door--the slamming of the door was heard throughout the entire house, no doubt.
"Well. Really, Chloe--you ought to come over more often. That's the fastest he's moved since the accident!" Belle tried to lighten the mood with a laugh.
*Great. Nothing better than having him improve--it's just that he improved trying to get away from me,* Chloe thought, a bitter smile showing. "Yeah," she said, turning to Belle before getting up from the table. "Wonderful."
He'd been out on the docks since the episode--no, blow up--at dinner. Brady mentally kicked himself as he ambled back to the house. His temper erupted stupidly, and when he least wanted it to. Showing feelings--any feelings--Brady never did that. *With the exception of with Chloe,* he thought wryly, turning the corner and glimpsing a light on at home, one that he knew to be Belle's room. *No doubt they're up there calling Phillip and Shawn, giggling over the phone and pouring over the newest issue of Seventeen,* Brady said to himself.
"I can't believe I actually said those things!" he said out loud, balling his hands into fists as he neared the house. "How stupid--I might as well have come out and said 'Chloe, I'm in love with you'!"
"But you didn't, Brady."
"What the fri--Chloe?! Wha--wait. How much of that did you hear?" he asked her after peering into the darkness of the porch. Chloe sat on the stoop, her arms wrapped around her knees.
"Why didn't you, Brady?" Chloe asked, not willing to change the subject. "Why didn't you say, 'Chloe, I'm in love with you?' or 'Chloe, I'm really attracted to you,' or 'Would you at least go to the dance with me?' Why didn't you say one of those things, Brady?"
"Because I--because that's not what I think," he lied blatantly. "Because I--"
"Because you're afraid of being rejected? What's your problem with that? Everybody gets rejected, Brady."
"Everybody's not me. I've had enough of that 'everybody this, Brady' and 'everybody that, Brady,' " he said, his mouth twisting into a mimic of those past advisors.
"I won't reject you. I can't promise not to hurt you, but I won't reject you," Chloe told him, taking the iniative and rising to her feet. She walked over to him, looking right up into his eyes.
"What if I reject you?" Brady countered, turning away. "What if I don't really feel that way at all? You'd be hurt--really, truly hurt," he told her.
"And why would you care? Why would you care if I was hurt?" she turned her eyes to his, grabbing onto his shirt sleeve before he could turn away yet again.
"I care." He left it at that.
"So do I. But...well, good night, Brady. Sleep well." The door softly closed, returning the porch and front yard to the darkness of before. And Brady sat down where Chloe had, his head in his hands.
John and Marlena sat at the ends of the table, making small talk concerning happenings at their jobs and local Salem gossip. Both were completely unaware of the tension that emanated between Brady and Chloe, who sat opposite him on Belle's left side.
"Well, Chloe, it's very nice to have you over this evening," Marlena smiled at her daughter's best friend, who responded in kind.
"Thanks, Dr. Evans," Chloe said. "At least most of you think so," she added with a glare to the other side of the table. Marlena, who had cocked her head to listen to her husband, did not notice. That left two people who certainly did.
"So, Brady, what was up with you all day? I hardly saw you--you were holed up in your room," Belle mentioned to her brother.
"Oh, nothing...just sitting around, over-analyzing this pain in the ass problem," Brady answered, directing his statement across the table, but definitely not to Belle.
"The only thing that's a pain in the ass is the one idiot who's sitting across from me," Chloe mumbled under her breath.
"Yeah, mm, okay...well, Chloe, what movie do you want to see tomorrow?" Belle asked, grasping for words to stall the confrontation that appeared to be unavoidable.
"Oh, I don't know," Chloe told her, "but preferably one where the guy doesn't kiss his sister's best friend and then acts like it was aliens that took over his body when it happened so he doesn't have to deal with it--"
"Doesn't have to deal with it?!?" Brady exclaimed, his fork and knife clattering unexpectedly on the plate. His dad and Marlena looked up with suprise.
"Careful, son. Are you okay? Do you need some medication or something?" John asked with concern. Brady waved it off with an "naw, I'm fine," and the two adults excused themselves to take a short walk.
"Just like he deals with everything else," Chloe shot back suddenly.
"What in the hell do you mean by that?" he answered, suprise registering on his face.
"Well see, you act like nothing ever happened, but it did--you just won't face your feelings!" she stated plainly, glaring across the table at him.
"If I thought I had a reason to face them, I would!" Brady shouted now, "but I'm not about to make a fool of myself if it's not worth it!" Throwing his napkin down next to his plate and shoving his chair back, Brady could be heard hobbling through the family room and out the front door--the slamming of the door was heard throughout the entire house, no doubt.
"Well. Really, Chloe--you ought to come over more often. That's the fastest he's moved since the accident!" Belle tried to lighten the mood with a laugh.
*Great. Nothing better than having him improve--it's just that he improved trying to get away from me,* Chloe thought, a bitter smile showing. "Yeah," she said, turning to Belle before getting up from the table. "Wonderful."
He'd been out on the docks since the episode--no, blow up--at dinner. Brady mentally kicked himself as he ambled back to the house. His temper erupted stupidly, and when he least wanted it to. Showing feelings--any feelings--Brady never did that. *With the exception of with Chloe,* he thought wryly, turning the corner and glimpsing a light on at home, one that he knew to be Belle's room. *No doubt they're up there calling Phillip and Shawn, giggling over the phone and pouring over the newest issue of Seventeen,* Brady said to himself.
"I can't believe I actually said those things!" he said out loud, balling his hands into fists as he neared the house. "How stupid--I might as well have come out and said 'Chloe, I'm in love with you'!"
"But you didn't, Brady."
"What the fri--Chloe?! Wha--wait. How much of that did you hear?" he asked her after peering into the darkness of the porch. Chloe sat on the stoop, her arms wrapped around her knees.
"Why didn't you, Brady?" Chloe asked, not willing to change the subject. "Why didn't you say, 'Chloe, I'm in love with you?' or 'Chloe, I'm really attracted to you,' or 'Would you at least go to the dance with me?' Why didn't you say one of those things, Brady?"
"Because I--because that's not what I think," he lied blatantly. "Because I--"
"Because you're afraid of being rejected? What's your problem with that? Everybody gets rejected, Brady."
"Everybody's not me. I've had enough of that 'everybody this, Brady' and 'everybody that, Brady,' " he said, his mouth twisting into a mimic of those past advisors.
"I won't reject you. I can't promise not to hurt you, but I won't reject you," Chloe told him, taking the iniative and rising to her feet. She walked over to him, looking right up into his eyes.
"What if I reject you?" Brady countered, turning away. "What if I don't really feel that way at all? You'd be hurt--really, truly hurt," he told her.
"And why would you care? Why would you care if I was hurt?" she turned her eyes to his, grabbing onto his shirt sleeve before he could turn away yet again.
"I care." He left it at that.
"So do I. But...well, good night, Brady. Sleep well." The door softly closed, returning the porch and front yard to the darkness of before. And Brady sat down where Chloe had, his head in his hands.