Chapter 13
(Brady's Jeep, right where we left off.)
Brady closed the driver's door behind him and fastened his seatbelt tightly. Chloe did the same and then waited for him to turn the key in the ignition, but he did not. He paused to look at her, and Chloe could see by the mischievous gleam in his eyes, that another part of his secret plan was about to be revealed.
"So, Brady... Are we going to leave? Or are we going to sit in my driveway and play the formalwear version of the staring game?"
Brady was not flustered by her sarcasm, he just made one quick head motion towards the glove box. "There's something for you in the glove box."
Chloe's brow furrowed in confusion and she gave him one meaningful glance before opening the glove box. Inside, on top of his owners manual and other documents, was a silky white scarf. Chloe pulled it out with the tips of her fingers and held it in front of her, staring at it strangely.
"It's a scarf. I guess the appropriate response would be thank you, but all I'm coming up with is; Huh?"
"Put it on."
Chloe stared at the scarf and then back at Brady. "On my what? My neck? My head? My hands? Is this some sort of weird kidnapper game that we're going to play?"
Brady seemed completely nonplussed by her questions and answered her with complete seriousness. "It's a blindfold. Put it on."
"A blindfold?"
"Yes, that's what I said. I don't want you to see where we're going until we get there. It's a surprise." Brady laid his hand on hers and smiled reassuringly. "Do you trust me?"
Chloe looked down at their hands and then back up into his deep pools of blue. "I trust you with my life. You know that."
"Then please... trust me now. You won't be sorry."
Chloe nodded, giving him one last suspicious glance before tying the blindfold over her eyes. Brady helped her secure the knot in back and then turned the car on. Chloe sighed, left in complete and total darkness, and leaned her head on the back of her seat.
She tried to listen to the sounds around her and figure out where they might be headed. She recognized the motion of turning off of her own street, but it only took a few minutes for her to become completely confused.
"Brady... Are you making extra turns so I can't figure out where we're going?"
Brady chuckled softly and denied her accusations. "Definitely not. You're just disoriented because of the blindfold."
Chloe tried to adjust the scarf on her head and sighed. "At least it's a nice blindfold. Comfy, and silky."
"It came with the tux actually..."
Chloe shrugged and began quietly humming a song that had been running through her head all day. Brady did not stop her from doing so, nor did he ask what she was humming. Their destination must not have been very far because after only 10 minutes more of Brady's silence and Chloe's humming, the car came to a stop and Brady turned it off.
"Stay right where you are. I'll come around and help you out."
Chloe could hear Brady step out of the vehicle and shut his door. She felt the warm evening air come in from her right side and Brady's cool hand on her arm. He gently guided her out of the vehicle, making sure she didn't have a repeat performance of her trip down the stairs.
Brady closed her door for her and wrapped one strong arm around her back. Chloe latched on to him as tightly as possible, fearing that she would definitely fall flat on her face if she wasn't being guided by him.
"Can I take the scarf off now?" She asked hopefully.
"Not until I say. It'll be just another minute."
Chloe felt herself being led through a door and down some sort of hallway. She heard the noise of an elevator and Brady led her inside, but kept his hold on her. Chloe may not have had the privilege of being able to admire Brady with her eyes right then, but she paused to inhale his familiar scent.
Brady was never the type of guy who would drown himself in cologne, and Chloe appreciated that. She had noticed so many men his age that you could smell coming from a mile away. Brady was one of those guys who you only knew what kind of cologne he was wearing after he hugged you or stood very closely to you. He always smelled fresh and clean to her, and even two hours after they had parted she could still smell his fragrance on her clothing.
Chloe felt the elevator come to a stop and the door slide open. Brady kept his tight grasp on her and led her off of the elevator slowly. She could hear a key turn in a lock and the a metal door sliding open, and she knew she was at Brady's loft. Chloe couldn't figure out why a blindfold was needed for that, she had certainly been to this place on many occasions.
Brady led her to the center of the room and then let go of her. She heard him walk across the floor, perhaps to turn a switch on or something. He returned to her quickly and stood directly behind her. Chloe melted when he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. He leaned forward into her and whispered into her hear.
"Are you ready?"
Chloe nodded, his warm breath on her neck was driving her crazy, making her tingle from head to toe. "I'm ready..."
Brady undid her blindfold and let the white scarf flutter to the floor. Chloe's eyes widened and she drew in a loud gasp of amazement. "Oh my God..."
Brady had draped his normally cluttered loft in prom decorations in ever corner. The ceiling was covered in white and silver balloons, and the walls were decorated with crepe paper and white twinkling lights throughout. He had even gone through the trouble of putting up a banner that read 'Salem High Last Blast 2002', and installing a disco ball in the middle of his ceiling. The usual bright lights in his loft were dimmed, and the room was only lit by the glow of the twinkling lights and the spinning light of the disco ball. All of his living room furniture had been moved out, leaving only his stereo system in the corner. His dining room table was intact, but was draped in a white tablecloth, with a centerpiece of candles and ivory roses in the middle.
Chloe turned to face Brady and stared at him in shock. "You did all of this?"
Brady nodded proudly. "I did."
"For me?"
"Well, it's not for the guy who fixed my plumbing last week."
"I know. But, why?"
Brady smiled and grabbed both of Chloe's hands, wrapping his fingers around hers. "Because, no girl should miss out on her senior prom. And, I know that you said you didn't want to go to yours, so I made it come to you. It's as close to the real thing as it gets, but without pig's blood and naked slideshows."
Chloe laughed loudly, still in a slight daze from what Brady had done. "I don't know what to say. Nobody has ever done something like this for me."
"Then it's been a long time coming. Somebody should do these kind of things for you all the time because you deserve them, Chloe."
"I wouldn't say that. I certainly don't know what I did to deserve all of this."
Brady frowned and placed his index finger on her lips to silence her. "Shhh. I'll tell you exactly why you deserve this."
Brady paused and Chloe looked into his eyes expectantly. He moved his finger away and began leading her towards the table. He flashed a brief grin at her and continued, "But not until later."
Chloe growled in protest as he dragged her close to the table. "Brady... You really like to build the suspense up, don't you?"
Brady pulled out a chair for her and Chloe begrudgingly sat down. He grinned as he lit the candles in the middle of the table. "Hey, I don't want to blow all of the surprises at once. You'll have to be patient."
Chloe nodded and sighed softly. "Alright, alright... What next?"
"Dinner."
Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Dinner? Let me guess, you got takeout from everybody's favorite five-star establishment; Tuscany."
Brady shook his head in denial. "Oh no... This may be your prom night, Chloe Lane, but this it will not be predictable like everyone else's."
Chloe muttered under her breath. "Obviously not."
Brady winked at her and headed to the kitchen. A moment later he returned with a platter covered by a lid. "I, uhhh... made this before I left, and I've been keeping it warm while I was gone. I happen to think you'll like it much better than that snob food they have at Tuscany."
Brady removed the lid and Chloe giggled girlishly. There were two hamburgers in the center of the platter, surrounded by french fries.
"Hamburgers?"
"Nope, turkey burgers. I know how sensitive you are about food that moos."
Chloe laughed at him as Brady put one of the burgers and half of the fries on the plate in front of her. He did the same to his own place and then walked towards his refrigerator.
"Wow, Brady. I'm surprised you didn't make one of your famous BLT's."
Brady returned with two glasses of soda and shook his head. "This night is not about what I like, or what my favorite food is... This night is about you."
Chloe smiled sweetly and held her burger up. "You sure do know me pretty well. The food at Tuscany is good, but nothing beats a burger and fries. I'm just surprised yours is turkey too."
Brady nodded and sat across from her, lifting his glass of soda in to his hand. "What can I say? You've started to rub off on me."
Chloe laid her burger down and smiled gratefully at him. "As long as my healthy habits rub off on you, and not the bad ones."
"I sincerely doubt your bad habits are as bad as mine. I think I can handle it." Brady paused and then held his glass towards her. "Chloe Lane, I propose a toast."
"Alright..." Chloe lifted her own glass and held it close to his. "What do we toast to?"
Brady smiled and spoke without hesitation. "To us. You and me."
Chloe nodded and tapped his glass with her own. "To us."
Brady took a sip of his soda, but Chloe just held hers in her hand and watched him for a moment. She smiled proudly, happy to finally have something worthwhile to drink to.
***
(Brady's Jeep, right where we left off.)
Brady closed the driver's door behind him and fastened his seatbelt tightly. Chloe did the same and then waited for him to turn the key in the ignition, but he did not. He paused to look at her, and Chloe could see by the mischievous gleam in his eyes, that another part of his secret plan was about to be revealed.
"So, Brady... Are we going to leave? Or are we going to sit in my driveway and play the formalwear version of the staring game?"
Brady was not flustered by her sarcasm, he just made one quick head motion towards the glove box. "There's something for you in the glove box."
Chloe's brow furrowed in confusion and she gave him one meaningful glance before opening the glove box. Inside, on top of his owners manual and other documents, was a silky white scarf. Chloe pulled it out with the tips of her fingers and held it in front of her, staring at it strangely.
"It's a scarf. I guess the appropriate response would be thank you, but all I'm coming up with is; Huh?"
"Put it on."
Chloe stared at the scarf and then back at Brady. "On my what? My neck? My head? My hands? Is this some sort of weird kidnapper game that we're going to play?"
Brady seemed completely nonplussed by her questions and answered her with complete seriousness. "It's a blindfold. Put it on."
"A blindfold?"
"Yes, that's what I said. I don't want you to see where we're going until we get there. It's a surprise." Brady laid his hand on hers and smiled reassuringly. "Do you trust me?"
Chloe looked down at their hands and then back up into his deep pools of blue. "I trust you with my life. You know that."
"Then please... trust me now. You won't be sorry."
Chloe nodded, giving him one last suspicious glance before tying the blindfold over her eyes. Brady helped her secure the knot in back and then turned the car on. Chloe sighed, left in complete and total darkness, and leaned her head on the back of her seat.
She tried to listen to the sounds around her and figure out where they might be headed. She recognized the motion of turning off of her own street, but it only took a few minutes for her to become completely confused.
"Brady... Are you making extra turns so I can't figure out where we're going?"
Brady chuckled softly and denied her accusations. "Definitely not. You're just disoriented because of the blindfold."
Chloe tried to adjust the scarf on her head and sighed. "At least it's a nice blindfold. Comfy, and silky."
"It came with the tux actually..."
Chloe shrugged and began quietly humming a song that had been running through her head all day. Brady did not stop her from doing so, nor did he ask what she was humming. Their destination must not have been very far because after only 10 minutes more of Brady's silence and Chloe's humming, the car came to a stop and Brady turned it off.
"Stay right where you are. I'll come around and help you out."
Chloe could hear Brady step out of the vehicle and shut his door. She felt the warm evening air come in from her right side and Brady's cool hand on her arm. He gently guided her out of the vehicle, making sure she didn't have a repeat performance of her trip down the stairs.
Brady closed her door for her and wrapped one strong arm around her back. Chloe latched on to him as tightly as possible, fearing that she would definitely fall flat on her face if she wasn't being guided by him.
"Can I take the scarf off now?" She asked hopefully.
"Not until I say. It'll be just another minute."
Chloe felt herself being led through a door and down some sort of hallway. She heard the noise of an elevator and Brady led her inside, but kept his hold on her. Chloe may not have had the privilege of being able to admire Brady with her eyes right then, but she paused to inhale his familiar scent.
Brady was never the type of guy who would drown himself in cologne, and Chloe appreciated that. She had noticed so many men his age that you could smell coming from a mile away. Brady was one of those guys who you only knew what kind of cologne he was wearing after he hugged you or stood very closely to you. He always smelled fresh and clean to her, and even two hours after they had parted she could still smell his fragrance on her clothing.
Chloe felt the elevator come to a stop and the door slide open. Brady kept his tight grasp on her and led her off of the elevator slowly. She could hear a key turn in a lock and the a metal door sliding open, and she knew she was at Brady's loft. Chloe couldn't figure out why a blindfold was needed for that, she had certainly been to this place on many occasions.
Brady led her to the center of the room and then let go of her. She heard him walk across the floor, perhaps to turn a switch on or something. He returned to her quickly and stood directly behind her. Chloe melted when he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. He leaned forward into her and whispered into her hear.
"Are you ready?"
Chloe nodded, his warm breath on her neck was driving her crazy, making her tingle from head to toe. "I'm ready..."
Brady undid her blindfold and let the white scarf flutter to the floor. Chloe's eyes widened and she drew in a loud gasp of amazement. "Oh my God..."
Brady had draped his normally cluttered loft in prom decorations in ever corner. The ceiling was covered in white and silver balloons, and the walls were decorated with crepe paper and white twinkling lights throughout. He had even gone through the trouble of putting up a banner that read 'Salem High Last Blast 2002', and installing a disco ball in the middle of his ceiling. The usual bright lights in his loft were dimmed, and the room was only lit by the glow of the twinkling lights and the spinning light of the disco ball. All of his living room furniture had been moved out, leaving only his stereo system in the corner. His dining room table was intact, but was draped in a white tablecloth, with a centerpiece of candles and ivory roses in the middle.
Chloe turned to face Brady and stared at him in shock. "You did all of this?"
Brady nodded proudly. "I did."
"For me?"
"Well, it's not for the guy who fixed my plumbing last week."
"I know. But, why?"
Brady smiled and grabbed both of Chloe's hands, wrapping his fingers around hers. "Because, no girl should miss out on her senior prom. And, I know that you said you didn't want to go to yours, so I made it come to you. It's as close to the real thing as it gets, but without pig's blood and naked slideshows."
Chloe laughed loudly, still in a slight daze from what Brady had done. "I don't know what to say. Nobody has ever done something like this for me."
"Then it's been a long time coming. Somebody should do these kind of things for you all the time because you deserve them, Chloe."
"I wouldn't say that. I certainly don't know what I did to deserve all of this."
Brady frowned and placed his index finger on her lips to silence her. "Shhh. I'll tell you exactly why you deserve this."
Brady paused and Chloe looked into his eyes expectantly. He moved his finger away and began leading her towards the table. He flashed a brief grin at her and continued, "But not until later."
Chloe growled in protest as he dragged her close to the table. "Brady... You really like to build the suspense up, don't you?"
Brady pulled out a chair for her and Chloe begrudgingly sat down. He grinned as he lit the candles in the middle of the table. "Hey, I don't want to blow all of the surprises at once. You'll have to be patient."
Chloe nodded and sighed softly. "Alright, alright... What next?"
"Dinner."
Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Dinner? Let me guess, you got takeout from everybody's favorite five-star establishment; Tuscany."
Brady shook his head in denial. "Oh no... This may be your prom night, Chloe Lane, but this it will not be predictable like everyone else's."
Chloe muttered under her breath. "Obviously not."
Brady winked at her and headed to the kitchen. A moment later he returned with a platter covered by a lid. "I, uhhh... made this before I left, and I've been keeping it warm while I was gone. I happen to think you'll like it much better than that snob food they have at Tuscany."
Brady removed the lid and Chloe giggled girlishly. There were two hamburgers in the center of the platter, surrounded by french fries.
"Hamburgers?"
"Nope, turkey burgers. I know how sensitive you are about food that moos."
Chloe laughed at him as Brady put one of the burgers and half of the fries on the plate in front of her. He did the same to his own place and then walked towards his refrigerator.
"Wow, Brady. I'm surprised you didn't make one of your famous BLT's."
Brady returned with two glasses of soda and shook his head. "This night is not about what I like, or what my favorite food is... This night is about you."
Chloe smiled sweetly and held her burger up. "You sure do know me pretty well. The food at Tuscany is good, but nothing beats a burger and fries. I'm just surprised yours is turkey too."
Brady nodded and sat across from her, lifting his glass of soda in to his hand. "What can I say? You've started to rub off on me."
Chloe laid her burger down and smiled gratefully at him. "As long as my healthy habits rub off on you, and not the bad ones."
"I sincerely doubt your bad habits are as bad as mine. I think I can handle it." Brady paused and then held his glass towards her. "Chloe Lane, I propose a toast."
"Alright..." Chloe lifted her own glass and held it close to his. "What do we toast to?"
Brady smiled and spoke without hesitation. "To us. You and me."
Chloe nodded and tapped his glass with her own. "To us."
Brady took a sip of his soda, but Chloe just held hers in her hand and watched him for a moment. She smiled proudly, happy to finally have something worthwhile to drink to.
***
