Chapter 16

(The following day...)

Chloe had decided to stop by Dot.Com to grab a cup of coffee and see what new CD's had come out this week. As she stood at the door, she hesitated to go in. It had been a week and a half since the dance, and she dreaded having to face her classmates. She stood there, paused for a moment, until she noticed Belle and Shawn looking at some magazines. Oh thank God... safety in numbers.

Chloe went inside and greeted her two friends, "Heyyyyyy guys."

Belle and Shawn turned abruptly to face her and spoke nearly in unison, "Chloe!"

Belle smiled widely and gave Chloe a quick hug, "Wow. I'm so glad you're here. I was going to call you later anyway."

Chloe smiled back at her, "Well, now I've saved you the trouble of all that dialing."

Shawn grinned at them both, "Thank God for you Chloe... now she doesn't have to worry about breaking a nail on the speed dial button."

Belle gasped and punched Shawn in the side, "SHAWN!"

Shawn reeled back in mock pain, "Geez... sorry about that Queen B."

Chloe rolled her eyes and laughed, "Ok, that's so cute it's almost sickening."

Belle and Shawn nodded fervently in agreement and the group made their way over to an empty booth. Shawn and Belle sat together on one side, and Chloe on the other.

Chloe directed herself towards Belle, "So, Belle, what were you going call me about?

"Well...a LOT of things actually. I mean, I wanted to find out what happened with Phillip yesterday for starters..."

Chloe looked a bit perplexed, "You mean, you guys haven't talked to him?"

Belle shook her head no, and Shawn shrugged and replied, "Nope. I called his house this morning to talk, but Henderson said he left early this morning and he didn't know when he'd be back."

"Well. Okay then. Quick play-by-play? Phillip tried to apologize some more, and tell me how he's here for me as a friend, and anything I need...blah blah blah. I told him that I really appreciate it, and I do accept the apology, but...I can't be near him right now. I just... It's hard to look at him without remembering the bad things."

Shawn looked at her pleadingly, "Chloe...he's trying so hard. He really is. He doesn't expect to get you back, he just wants to be a friend. That's all."

"I know. I do. I can see how much he's changing and growing up, but it still hurts. I have to let it fade before I can safely be in the same room as him. You know, without wanting to smack him or something."

Belle nodded in sympathy, "It's okay, Chloe. I think I understand. The hurt can't just go away in such a short time. My family has much experience in lingering pain...Really lingering."

Shawn continued, "Just don't rule it out, okay? Please? You guys shared something really special, and I would hate to see you not even be friends."

"Me too. I really do want to try and be friends...someday. I really did love Phillip, even though I never told him, and he loved me. You just don't forget about your first love. No matter what he did to me, I will always care about him and I really want to see him be happy."

Shawn looked at her very seriously, "And you know, Chloe... that's what Phillip wants for you too. He worries about you constantly, he just wants to know if you're okay and if you're going to come through this okay. What can I tell him?"

Chloe was silent for a moment, and then smiled weakly at Shawn. "You can tell him...that I'm okay. I'm going to come through this just fine, Shawn. What happened yesterday...was...amazingly helpful. I know that I can't let what happened to me get me down, and I won't. Yesterday's meeting with Mimi and talking with Phillip was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Now, I feel kinda 'talked out' about the whole thing, and I'm ready to start moving on."

Belle smiled widely, "Oh Chloe... I'm so glad."

Chloe smiled back at her, "Me too. Besides, I have nothing to worry about; I have the greatest friends in the world. You and Shawn have been so great for me, and if I've forgotten to thank you, I'm sorry. Without you and Shawn and Brady..." Chloe broke off and hesitated at the mention of Brady. "I...uhm....I don't know what I would do without you. That's all."

Belle paused for a moment and shifted gears. "Hmm. Well, that leads me to my second line of questioning..."

Shawn interrupted with a wicked grin, "Yeah. What is up with you and Brady?"

Chloe dropped her jaw in shock, but inside she could feel her face getting warm and prayed to God that they wouldn't notice her blushing. "What ever do you mean, Shawn Brady?"

Shawn waved his finger at Chloe, "Uh uh uh. For shame, Chloe... I mean, your lips are saying one thing, but your rosy red cheeks are saying another."

Chloe didn't think her jaw could drop any further, but it did. "Oh My God... What are you talking about?"

Shawn wanted to laugh, but repressed it and continued. "It's okay, you can close your mouth. Don't be so shocked. I mean, Brady is just so obvious."

Chloe sputtered out two words, "He is?"

Belle nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yeah. I was blind to not notice it a LONG time ago, but it's totally obvious. He's got it bad for you..."

Chloe cringed in fear and put one hand on her forehead. "Oh nooooo..."

Shawn nodded, "We know how it works. All that teasing and insulting? It's playground kiddie games. But, we didn't really start to notice until recently."

Belle continued, "It's true, Chloe. After the dance that night, Brady was beside himself with worry. All he could talk about was 'Is she okay?' 'Should I go see her?', 'I hope she knows it wasn't me', and on and on and on."

Shawn kept it going, "Not to mention... Yesterday at Uncle Mickey's office...That boy practically threw the rest of us out of the building so he could drive you home."

"Right, and when he got home from your house. I said, 'Brady, how is Chloe holding up?' and all he could do was, 'Uhmmmmm...uhh...uhh...fine.' and walk away."

Shawn leaned forward closer to Chloe and stared her down, "Soooo... Chloe Lane, don't you find that weeeeeeird?"

Chloe looked at her friends in amazement, "Wow. You two are good. Maybe they should give you a job with the Salem PD interrogating the suspects."

Shawn and Belle sat back in their seats with satisfied grins. Chloe bit her lip nervously and decided it was now or never, time to spill the beans.

"Well, I'm gonna tell you. But, do NOT freak out on me. Brady kissed me. Twice."

Belle's eyes opened widely, "TWICE? And did you kiss him back?"

Chloe wrinkled up her forehead, "Ohhhh yeah.

Belle looked slightly in shock, "Aaaaand...what does it mean, Chloe?"

Chloe sighed deeply. "I... I don't know. Brady has admitted to me that he has feelings for me, and I... well I'm pretty confused."

Shawn tried to urge her on, "And, what are you confused about? Do you not feel the same for him?"

Chloe sunk deeper into her seat and sighed again, "Well... It's not that. I... I guess I do. Errr. Actually, I *know* I do. I'm just not ready for this all. It's not the right time."

Belle looked at her quizzically, "Because you're not over Phillip?"

Chloe shook her head, "No, that's not it. I am as over Phillip as I can be. I mean, I know that I don't want to get back together with him. But, it's too soon to get involved in another relationship. I have to wait until I'm ready again. I just hope that Brady will wait for that to happen."

Belle replied, "He'll wait. I'm sure of that. But, what about you? What if you're never ready?"

"No, I'll be ready someday. I just need to fully close off the part of my life where I was the girlfriend of Phillip Kiriakis...You know, get on that path of 'being just friends again' with him. And, more than that... I need to know myself before I can even attempt to be somebody's girlfriend. There's a lot about my own life that I don't know. More than anything... I just want to know who my father is. I want to know that he's out there somewhere." Chloe fought back tears for a moment, and continued. "So, are you guys totally grossed out about me and Brady?"

Shawn and Belle shook their heads, and Belle leaned forward and grabbed Chloe's hand to reassure her. "Not at ALL, Chloe. In fact, I think it would be good for the both of you. You're the only two people in the world who seem to understand each other, and I know that Brady would be so good to you. And, I know you would be so good for him, Chloe... He needs something good in his life, and so do you."

Chloe smiled at Belle, "Thanks Belle. I just, y'know, when I'm ready... I want to take it slow. Especially with my previous track record in mind..."

Belle let go of her hand and sat back in her seat looking somewhat distracted. "Yup. Slow. I gotcha there. I know what 'slow' means."

Chloe paused and a wicked grin began to form on her own face, "Speaking of slow..." Chloe paused and started to mock Shawn's earlier questioning of her, "What is up with you *two*? Hmm?"

Shawn matched her mocking with his own and spoke in a high-pitched impression of Chloe's voice, "Oh, what ever do you mean Chloe Lane?"

Chloe shrugged innocently, "Ohhh... I don't know, Mr. Brady. I just thought that maybe you could fill me in on the defintion of 'slow'? I'm not sure what it means, exactly... can ya help?"

Shawn looked a tad bit flummoxed, "Well... it means..."

Chloe interrupted, "It means that you can go out once a week and kiss her whenever you feel like it, but other than that... it's like the same old thing."

Shawn looked nervous now, "Well... it just means that Belle and I are good friends, very good friends. And, we don't want to ruin that friendship by moving too quickly. That's what it means. Yup. Right, Belle?" Shawn looked at Belle, hoping that she would bail him out of the situation.

Belle threw her hands in the air and shrugged, "Whatever you say, Shawn." Belle stood up and patted him on the head like a puppy, accentuating each word with a pat, "Whatever. You. Say."

Shawn frowned and tried to speak up to defend himself, but Belle grabbed Chloe's hand and dragged her away from the booth before he had a chance. "Come on, Chloe. I am all talked out. It's time for caffeine." Belle threw a quick wink and glance Shawn's way before running off to the counter with Chloe, laughing all the way.

Probably laughing at you, Shawn. You and your suave way with words. Shawn groaned and put covered his face with both hands. Ohh Shawn, you are soooo smooth with the ladies, aren't ya? You really hit that one out of the park, kid. Why can't you just tell her how you feel, you idiot?
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