Chapter 10
Chloe stood at the edge of the pier and stared into the black water. She had her arms wrapped around herself and shivered at the cool night air. She heard Brady's footsteps behind her, and turned to see Brady. He had returned to the van to get his jacket for her. He handed it over and she wrapped the warm black leather around her shoulders.
"Thanks Brady... I appreciate it."
"No problem... so... are we going to stand her all night and enjoy the wondrous fog, or are we going to talk?"
Chloe put one hand out in front of her as if to stop him from speaking. "Please, don't be smarmy right now. What I have to say is extremely serious."
Brady's grin faded and he looked at her with complete seriousness. "Okay, sorry about that."
Chloe shook her head slightly. "No, don't be. It's just... what I'm gonna say is very hard and I don't want to be all jokey about it."
Brady looked at her nervously but motioned for her continue. "Alright, Chloe... go ahead. I'm listening."
Chloe sighed once and took a deep breath before continuing. "You see, Brady. I have to talk to you because... I need your help with something. I haven't been myself lately at all. I've been doing things that are normally considered out of character for me. And, I need closure about something before I can go back to being the regular Chloe. You see, I've been... oh geez, what's the best word for it? Uhm... pining. I've been pathetically pathetically pining. It's not at all like me to mope over something as silly as...a guy. And, I need to stop."
Brady looked completely confused. "What is it? Is it Phillip? How am I supposed to help you with that? I mean, I'll do whatever I can... but..."
Chloe sighed. "Oh Brady... you have no idea... do you?"
Brady shook his head in confusion. "Obviously not..."
"It's not Phillip... it's not a guy from school. It's you."
Brady nearly jumped back in shock. "Wha...what?"
Chloe put her hands over her face for a moment, and realized that there was no turning back now. She brought her hands down and continued.
"Brady... it's you. You're the guy. Now, don't say anything... let me finish. I know that our relationship in the past was a bit... volatile. But, it never mattered whether you said negative or positive things to me. Because, I always knew that you were telling me the truth. You are the only person who has always been straight with me. And, when you pushed me it was because you cared."
Chloe paused and tried to watch his reactions but she couldn't pick up anything.
"Brady, when I'm with you... I feel better about myself. You make me laugh, you make me think, you challenge me in ways that nobody else does. When I was with Phillip, I didn't feel like I was being the real me. I felt like I was being the Chloe that Phillip wanted me to be. But, with you... it's different. You accept me for what I am, and you don't expect me to be anything more. So, what I'm trying to say is that I've only recently realized what I should have known a long time ago..."
Chloe took another pause, and thought about the words she was about to say, the words that she could never really say before, but suddenly seemed right.
"I... I love you, Brady." Chloe drew in a deep breath, and all of a sudden it felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She smiled at how free it felt to say it and decided to repeat it once more for good measure. "I love you. I love you for a million different reasons that you'll never even know. I've never really been able to say this to someone, but I had to tell you, because I couldn't bear the thought of you never knowing how I felt. So... this is where you come in. I said I needed your help. Take your time if you want, but I need to know how you feel so that I can move on with or without you."
Brady was completely silent and stared down at his feet. After what seemed like an eternity, he walked over to Chloe and looked in her eyes. Chloe felt her own warm salty tears rolling down her face. Hold on, Chloe. Here it comes. He's gonna tell you how sorry he is, but he's moved on. But, don't worry, he'll say, we can just be friends.
Brady reached one hand up and wiped a few tears away for her. "Chloe... look in my eyes right now. What do you see in them?"
Chloe sniffled quietly and stared into the pools of blue in his eyes. She thought she saw love, but she figured it might be a figment of her imagination. A few more tears fell and she spoke in a voice that was just barely above a whisper. "I know what I think I see... but I don't know if it's what is really there."
Brady kissed one of her tearstains softly and smiled. "Chloe... why do you really think I wasn't at the club with Michelle tonight?"
"I don't know..."
"I wasn't there with her, because I wanted to be with you. I broke up with her last night. I had to because I'm totally hooked on another girl, you see. I wasn't being fair to her or myself. It just seemed that every time she made a suggestion, like, 'Let's go to a movie.' or 'Let's go to a concert', or the park or the lake or ANYWHERE else... All I could think was how those things sounded fine, but I didn't want to be there with her. I wanted to be there with you."
"Really?"
"Yes. Really. Chloe, what I'm trying to say is that you CAN move on now. You were so brave to tell me what you told me tonight, and now I have to be just as brave as you are. Because... the truth is... I love you. That is what you see in my eyes right now. I have loved you for almost as long as I have known you. I thought that I hated you at first, but I finally saw through that and began to see what an amazing person you are. A person that I want in my life always. You are the ONLY person who understands me, and accepts me and the only one I want to be with. So, it is time to move on... together."
Chloe breathed a huge sigh of relief and began to smile at Brady. "Brady... you have NO idea how relieved I am to hear that."
Brady nodded. "No, I do. I've been wanting to say it to you for a long time, but the timing was never right. And, then all of a sudden... I was with you tonight and it was perfect. The best night I've had in a long time. I'm glad you said what you did, because it made it so much easier on me."
Chloe chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah... lay all the responsibility on me. *I* get the hard part..."
"Chloe."
"Hmm?"
Brady placed his index finger on her lips and whispered. "Shhhhh."
Chloe's eyes opened wider than usual and she muttered through Brady's finger. "What? Do you hear somebody coming?"
Brady shook his head and grinned. "No, Chloe... I need you to stop talking, because there's something that people normally do after they tell someone they love them, and I've been waiting to do this for a long time. So, as much as I love to hear you speak... it's going to intrude on what I plan to do"
Chloe flushed red with embarrassed and tried not to laugh. Brady smiled at her and pulled her closer to him. She took a breath as she felt one strong lean arm wrap around her waist. He took one hand and brushed her face with it, bringing it from her cheek and resting it in her hair. He tilted his head and moved in closer to her. She felt his warm breath on her face and closed her eyes. The next thing she felt was his warm soft lips on hers. She felt jolts of electricity shoot through her entire body touching every part of her. Every sense was alive at one time and she had never felt this amazing in her entire life. If she hadn't known it before, she knew that Brady truly loved her. She could taste it in his kiss, and felt it with every touch of his hands. The kiss intensified as she leaned into him and pressed herself nearer to him. After what seemed like an eternity, Brady broke off from her and softly kissed the dried tearstains on her face and gave her another quick kiss on the lips. He whispered softly. "Chloe... you're... perfect."
Chloe smiled and looked up at him. "Only because you make me feel that way."
Brady shook his head. "No... you are. I love you, Chloe Lane."
Chloe smiled again and lightly brushed his lips with hers. "I love you too..."
Brady sighed deeply. "Oh Chloe... it's getting late. You have to be home. I just don't want to let you go..."
"And I don't want you to. But Nancy will have my head on a platter if I stay out all night. She's even more protective of me than usual lately." Chloe sighed as Brady led her away towards the van. They rode in silence the entire way to the Wesley house, hand in hand with Chloe's head resting on his shoulder.
Brady walked Chloe to the front door of her house, and they held on to each other's hands and stared at each other for what felt like minutes. Chloe finally broke the silence. "Brady... you know, I was really worried that tonight would end in disaster."
Brady brushed a piece of hair off her face and smiled. "Far from it... Now, you know that this has changed everything, right?"
Chloe laughed and winked at him. "Well, thank God. I was getting so tired of the way it was before.
Brady laughed with her, and smiled. "And this is just the beginning..."
Chloe smiled sweetly at him. "Well, if this is just the beginning, I can't wait to see how great the rest of it will be."
Brady grinned and leaned in to kiss Chloe once more before he left. "Good night, Chloe...Sweet dreams."
"You too, Brady."
Brady lingered for a moment, then slowly turned and headed towards his van. Chloe smiled as she watched him go, the thoughts of this night forever etched in her memory. She knew the memory of it would go with her for the rest of her life, and no matter what happened, she now knew that she could love with all of her being, and that someone could feel the same way for her.
The End (please see Author's Notes on next page...)
Chloe stood at the edge of the pier and stared into the black water. She had her arms wrapped around herself and shivered at the cool night air. She heard Brady's footsteps behind her, and turned to see Brady. He had returned to the van to get his jacket for her. He handed it over and she wrapped the warm black leather around her shoulders.
"Thanks Brady... I appreciate it."
"No problem... so... are we going to stand her all night and enjoy the wondrous fog, or are we going to talk?"
Chloe put one hand out in front of her as if to stop him from speaking. "Please, don't be smarmy right now. What I have to say is extremely serious."
Brady's grin faded and he looked at her with complete seriousness. "Okay, sorry about that."
Chloe shook her head slightly. "No, don't be. It's just... what I'm gonna say is very hard and I don't want to be all jokey about it."
Brady looked at her nervously but motioned for her continue. "Alright, Chloe... go ahead. I'm listening."
Chloe sighed once and took a deep breath before continuing. "You see, Brady. I have to talk to you because... I need your help with something. I haven't been myself lately at all. I've been doing things that are normally considered out of character for me. And, I need closure about something before I can go back to being the regular Chloe. You see, I've been... oh geez, what's the best word for it? Uhm... pining. I've been pathetically pathetically pining. It's not at all like me to mope over something as silly as...a guy. And, I need to stop."
Brady looked completely confused. "What is it? Is it Phillip? How am I supposed to help you with that? I mean, I'll do whatever I can... but..."
Chloe sighed. "Oh Brady... you have no idea... do you?"
Brady shook his head in confusion. "Obviously not..."
"It's not Phillip... it's not a guy from school. It's you."
Brady nearly jumped back in shock. "Wha...what?"
Chloe put her hands over her face for a moment, and realized that there was no turning back now. She brought her hands down and continued.
"Brady... it's you. You're the guy. Now, don't say anything... let me finish. I know that our relationship in the past was a bit... volatile. But, it never mattered whether you said negative or positive things to me. Because, I always knew that you were telling me the truth. You are the only person who has always been straight with me. And, when you pushed me it was because you cared."
Chloe paused and tried to watch his reactions but she couldn't pick up anything.
"Brady, when I'm with you... I feel better about myself. You make me laugh, you make me think, you challenge me in ways that nobody else does. When I was with Phillip, I didn't feel like I was being the real me. I felt like I was being the Chloe that Phillip wanted me to be. But, with you... it's different. You accept me for what I am, and you don't expect me to be anything more. So, what I'm trying to say is that I've only recently realized what I should have known a long time ago..."
Chloe took another pause, and thought about the words she was about to say, the words that she could never really say before, but suddenly seemed right.
"I... I love you, Brady." Chloe drew in a deep breath, and all of a sudden it felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She smiled at how free it felt to say it and decided to repeat it once more for good measure. "I love you. I love you for a million different reasons that you'll never even know. I've never really been able to say this to someone, but I had to tell you, because I couldn't bear the thought of you never knowing how I felt. So... this is where you come in. I said I needed your help. Take your time if you want, but I need to know how you feel so that I can move on with or without you."
Brady was completely silent and stared down at his feet. After what seemed like an eternity, he walked over to Chloe and looked in her eyes. Chloe felt her own warm salty tears rolling down her face. Hold on, Chloe. Here it comes. He's gonna tell you how sorry he is, but he's moved on. But, don't worry, he'll say, we can just be friends.
Brady reached one hand up and wiped a few tears away for her. "Chloe... look in my eyes right now. What do you see in them?"
Chloe sniffled quietly and stared into the pools of blue in his eyes. She thought she saw love, but she figured it might be a figment of her imagination. A few more tears fell and she spoke in a voice that was just barely above a whisper. "I know what I think I see... but I don't know if it's what is really there."
Brady kissed one of her tearstains softly and smiled. "Chloe... why do you really think I wasn't at the club with Michelle tonight?"
"I don't know..."
"I wasn't there with her, because I wanted to be with you. I broke up with her last night. I had to because I'm totally hooked on another girl, you see. I wasn't being fair to her or myself. It just seemed that every time she made a suggestion, like, 'Let's go to a movie.' or 'Let's go to a concert', or the park or the lake or ANYWHERE else... All I could think was how those things sounded fine, but I didn't want to be there with her. I wanted to be there with you."
"Really?"
"Yes. Really. Chloe, what I'm trying to say is that you CAN move on now. You were so brave to tell me what you told me tonight, and now I have to be just as brave as you are. Because... the truth is... I love you. That is what you see in my eyes right now. I have loved you for almost as long as I have known you. I thought that I hated you at first, but I finally saw through that and began to see what an amazing person you are. A person that I want in my life always. You are the ONLY person who understands me, and accepts me and the only one I want to be with. So, it is time to move on... together."
Chloe breathed a huge sigh of relief and began to smile at Brady. "Brady... you have NO idea how relieved I am to hear that."
Brady nodded. "No, I do. I've been wanting to say it to you for a long time, but the timing was never right. And, then all of a sudden... I was with you tonight and it was perfect. The best night I've had in a long time. I'm glad you said what you did, because it made it so much easier on me."
Chloe chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah... lay all the responsibility on me. *I* get the hard part..."
"Chloe."
"Hmm?"
Brady placed his index finger on her lips and whispered. "Shhhhh."
Chloe's eyes opened wider than usual and she muttered through Brady's finger. "What? Do you hear somebody coming?"
Brady shook his head and grinned. "No, Chloe... I need you to stop talking, because there's something that people normally do after they tell someone they love them, and I've been waiting to do this for a long time. So, as much as I love to hear you speak... it's going to intrude on what I plan to do"
Chloe flushed red with embarrassed and tried not to laugh. Brady smiled at her and pulled her closer to him. She took a breath as she felt one strong lean arm wrap around her waist. He took one hand and brushed her face with it, bringing it from her cheek and resting it in her hair. He tilted his head and moved in closer to her. She felt his warm breath on her face and closed her eyes. The next thing she felt was his warm soft lips on hers. She felt jolts of electricity shoot through her entire body touching every part of her. Every sense was alive at one time and she had never felt this amazing in her entire life. If she hadn't known it before, she knew that Brady truly loved her. She could taste it in his kiss, and felt it with every touch of his hands. The kiss intensified as she leaned into him and pressed herself nearer to him. After what seemed like an eternity, Brady broke off from her and softly kissed the dried tearstains on her face and gave her another quick kiss on the lips. He whispered softly. "Chloe... you're... perfect."
Chloe smiled and looked up at him. "Only because you make me feel that way."
Brady shook his head. "No... you are. I love you, Chloe Lane."
Chloe smiled again and lightly brushed his lips with hers. "I love you too..."
Brady sighed deeply. "Oh Chloe... it's getting late. You have to be home. I just don't want to let you go..."
"And I don't want you to. But Nancy will have my head on a platter if I stay out all night. She's even more protective of me than usual lately." Chloe sighed as Brady led her away towards the van. They rode in silence the entire way to the Wesley house, hand in hand with Chloe's head resting on his shoulder.
Brady walked Chloe to the front door of her house, and they held on to each other's hands and stared at each other for what felt like minutes. Chloe finally broke the silence. "Brady... you know, I was really worried that tonight would end in disaster."
Brady brushed a piece of hair off her face and smiled. "Far from it... Now, you know that this has changed everything, right?"
Chloe laughed and winked at him. "Well, thank God. I was getting so tired of the way it was before.
Brady laughed with her, and smiled. "And this is just the beginning..."
Chloe smiled sweetly at him. "Well, if this is just the beginning, I can't wait to see how great the rest of it will be."
Brady grinned and leaned in to kiss Chloe once more before he left. "Good night, Chloe...Sweet dreams."
"You too, Brady."
Brady lingered for a moment, then slowly turned and headed towards his van. Chloe smiled as she watched him go, the thoughts of this night forever etched in her memory. She knew the memory of it would go with her for the rest of her life, and no matter what happened, she now knew that she could love with all of her being, and that someone could feel the same way for her.
The End (please see Author's Notes on next page...)