Chapter Five

(Back at Chloe's)

After Phillip left, Chloe quickly did her nightly routine and got ready for bed. She threw herself on the bed with a sigh. Chloe rolled on to her side and grabbed her phone, dialing the numbers to Belle's house quickly. She waited through several rings, until the answering machine picked up.

"Hey, this is Belle. Leave me a message."

Chloe sighed and waited for the beep. "Hey Belle, it's Chloe. You said to call you, so I am. Everything is okay... I guess I'll tell you about it tomorrow. Good night."

Chloe tapped the off button and frowned at the phone. "Hmm... She must not be home yet. Weird..."

She reached over to put the phone back on the charger but suddenly changed her mind. Her fingers tapped out the seven numbers that she had only recently memorized, and waited for an answer.

"Hello..."

"Brady..."

"Chloe... What's up?"

Chloe sat up and leaned against her headboard. "I'm not calling too late, am I?"

Brady chuckled softly through the phone. "It's only eleven, so definitely not. What's going on?"

"Well, why does something have to be going on for me to call you? We're friends, friends sometimes just call each other to say hey."

"Yes, but you don't usually call at eleven o'clock on a Wednesday to just say 'hey'. Especially when I've already talked to you twice today."

Chloe paused and bit her lip nervously. "It's Phillip."

Brady groaned softly, and Chloe could almost imagine the expression on his face. "What did he do to you now?"

"He let me go."

There was a long pause on Brady's end, until he asked in confusion. "What? What do you mean?"

"I almost can't believe it, Brady. He came over, he didn't pull any of his old crap with me... and he let me go. He told me he was moving on, and that he knew it was over for us for good."

"So, it's officially over?"

Chloe nodded and smiled. "Yeah... It has been for awhile, I was just waiting for him to realize that."

"I have a feeling he had a little help with that, don't you?"

"A LITTLE help? More like a LOT of help. Your sister... Whatever she has been telling him, it's worked. He's like a totally different person... He's finally being honest with me, and more importantly, with himself."

"That's my sister... She always brings out the best in people, and she's always the first one to tell you what an idiot you are."

Chloe laughed softly. "Well, that's what she did for Phillip, apparently. He finally realizes what he's done, and he sincerely feels sorry about it. That's a big change from how he usually acts."

"So, is that really it?" Brady paused, his tone of voice changed somewhat, but Chloe couldn't figure out why. "You're not going to like fall in love with the new and improved Phillip, are you?"

Chloe laughed again and shook her head. "No, definitely not. I'm always going to care about Phillip, but it's just not meant to be for the two of us. No matter how much he's changed, it would never work out for us. We're way too different."

"I was just checking... I know you've said 'it's over' before, and then you two would try to work things out again."

"It's completely over. And, that's a promise. Belle and I had a long talk earlier about moving on with our lives, and I think we both agree that moving to New York is going to help us both move on."

Brady sighed softly at the mention of it. "I'm going to miss the both of you. I won't have anyone left to pick on."

"Well, you can always pick on us through e-mails, phone calls and weekend visits. But... I am worried about Belle. I know she said she never wants to see SHawn again, and she wants to forget about all of it... But..."

Brady interrupted and finished Chloe's thought for her. "But, that's a chapter in her life that will never be closed, no matter how much she says it is. Those two... it's a lifelong story... I just didn't think it would turn out like this."

"Nobody did, Brady. I didn't think Shawn was capable of causing that much pain to anyone, much less Belle. I still can't believe it. I always thought that they would be the ones who would always be together. I never believed in soulmates until I got to know them. If there is such a thing, it's those two. I only wish there was something I could do."

Brady took a breath in, then exhaled slowly. "She's pretty adamant about there being no chance for them to reconcile. If they're meant to be together, they'll find their way back to each other. The only thing we can do is stand by her and support her."


Chloe sighed and nodded in agreement. "You're right. I just hope that Shawn will come to his senses some day, and when he does, maybe she can find it in her heart to forgive him."

"So do I. As much as I can't stand the guy for what he's done... My sister has been in love with him her entire life. I can't imagine the two of them apart."

"Me either... Anyway, I better go. I have to get up early. Thanks for talking to me."

"Anytime... Thanks for calling me. Good night."

"Good night, Brady." Chloe smiled as she hung up the phone. She turned the light off and slipped under her covers with a yawn. Things may be over for her and Phillip, but she hoped that Brady was right. If two people were really meant to be, they would always find their way to each other. She prayed that Belle and Shawn could someday rediscover what they had once shared. As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered if she would ever find that kind of love herself or if she had already passed it by without even noticing it. A soul that would fit perfectly with her own.

***

(Back at Belle's)

Belle turned away from her closed bedroom door and sat down on her bed. The light on her answering machine was flashing red, so she leaned over and tapped the play button.

"Hey Belle, it's Chloe. You said to call you, so I am. Everything is okay... I guess I'll tell you about it tomorrow. Good night."

Belle sighed and hit the speed dial button that would dial Chloe's house. There was a brief pause and a busy signal. Belle frowned and put the phone back on it's base.

"I wonder who you're on the phone with, Chloe."

She shrugged slightly and opened the drawer on the table next to her bed. There was a photo lying inside of her and Shawn together. It was the only one she hadn't packed away. They were smiling and hugging, and she realized it was taken only a year ago when he came to pick her up for the Last Blast.

Belle held back her tears and shook her head. "Things can really change in a year..."

Belle grabbed the photo from the drawer and placed her fingers on it as if to rip it in two. She paused for only a moment, but it felt like an eternity. One single tear slowly made it's way down her right cheek and Belle moved one hand to wipe it away.

"I can't do it..." She threw the picture back in the drawer and slammed it shut. "I don't know why I can't just get rid of it."

Belle lied down and put her head on the pillow. She knew why she couldn't do it; she just couldn't say it out loud. Part of her would always belong to Shawn, and part of him would always belong to her. She knew that she could move on and live her life without him, but part of her kept wondering why she should.

***