The Sound of Music
Chapter One
"Oh wow, it's…wow." Chloe stared up in awe. She could not believe that it was standing right in front of them, on top of many stone steps, merely yards away from them. She saw the words that had been carved into the classically styled building and read them aloud.
"The Julliard School of New York"
She and Brady stood silently side-by-side and just stared at the mammoth structure. Chloe struggled to find the words to express how she felt at that moment.
"I can't believe it. That I'm really here. At Julliard, getting ready to start school. Brady, this has been my dream for so long and just last summer I didn't think that I would live to see this day."
Brady's eyes sparkled with joy as he gazed down at her. "Hey, you're going to live to see and do a lot of things."
"Yeah. Thanks to you." Chloe gazed up at him, into his blue eyes, unable to express her immense gratitude for the man who had saved her life. Her mind traveled back to last summer, when she had received the devastating news that she had cancer in the form of leukemia. Painful chemotherapy treatments had brought her into remission, but she still needed a bone marrow transplant in order to stay healthy. Which meant finding a bone marrow match.
Brady had somehow, miraculously tracked her long-lost father to a little backwater town in North Dakota and the two of them left on a journey to find him. Despite Phillip's damaging interference they did manage to find him again. Dr. Sykes had been quite stunned by the news that he had a daughter, and was especially ashamed to realize that her mother was Nancy Miller, a woman that he had raped once in the darker years of his past.
Chloe blinked rapidly to keep back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. Learning that she was the product of a rape had been the worst moment of her life, even worse than learning of her cancer. She was still dealing with the shame and self-loathing that the knowledge brought.
Brady quickly noticed Chloe's abrupt shift in mood. "Hey, what's wrong? Today's a happy day." He said as he gifted her with a hopeful smile.
Chloe shook off the pain of the last few months. Brady was right. Today was a happy day. She flashed him a small smile. Instead of dwelling on the pain and sadness, she tried to focus on the good things in her life. Her father had been all too eager to amend the sins of his past and agreed to help her in anyway. He unfortunately wasn't a match for Chloe. But his five-year-old granddaughter, Michele, was. The operation went smoothly and was a complete success. Chloe was now as healthy as she ever was, with her entire future before her.
"I can't believe they're going to let me make up my audition for the master class." Chloe repeated softly in disbelief of her good fortune.
"Speaking of which," Brady spoke up as he checked his watch, "the audition is not for another hour yet. Why don't we go check out your dorm and get you settled in?"
As they walked across the campus toward the student dorms, their hands found their way to each other, fingers automatically intertwining. Chloe looked down in wonder at their clasped hands. They always seemed to be holding hands lately. She marveled at the way their hands fit so perfectly together, kind of like they were made for each other.
{Not like with Phillip.} she thought. She had thought that breaking up with Phillip would have hurt more than it did. Wasn't he her first love? Instead, she rarely thought of him, especially now that he had joined the military.
When Phillip had nearly ruined Chloe's chances of finding her father, he realized that his jealousy was dangerously out of control. The knowledge that Chloe might have died from his actions was like a bucket full of ice water crashing in his face. It was the wake up call that he had desperately needed. While his father, Victor had wanted him to go to college; Phillip realized that what he really needed was to get away from his father's money and the benefits it brought. Mainly, though he wanted to know what it was like to be the hero. So he left town and Chloe cordially, wishing her well on her bright future as he looked forward to his own.
Chloe remembered her last conversation with Phillip and recalled his last words to her. "I can't believe that I'm actually saying this," he had begun with a wry smile that flashed his dimples, "but I feel kind of good leaving you in Brady's hands. I know he won't hurt you, not like I did."
Chloe had frowned at his cryptic words. "Phillip, you know Brady and I are just friends."
He had looked at her strangely then and she wondered to see the sadness in his eyes. "Yeah, you are. And that's the tragedy. I wonder if either one of you will ever realize it."
"Realize what?"
But Phillip just shook his head. "Nothing. You'll figure it out, eventually."
Chloe shook her head as she and Brady walked toward her room. She had yet to decipher Phillip's meaning. Was he saying that there was more to her relationship to Brady than just friendship? {Does Brady think of me as more than a friend?} she pondered as she glanced at his beautiful face.
Certainly, she and Brady were much closer than they ever had been. Coming close to death will do that to people. But now that she was out of danger, their relationship had changed yet again, becoming more like their friendship of old. Chloe was a little saddened by it, but she couldn't really understand why. It just felt like she had lost something. Once she and Brady had been so close they were on the verge of becoming something more, a new level to their relationship. Several times, she had thought that Brady was going to tell her something. Something momentous, that would forever change how they felt about each other. But he never did.
And now months later, they stood here at Julliard, getting ready to part ways. She would be going to school, embarking on her dream as an opera star. And he would be going back to Salem, to continue his own bright career at Basic Black. He did say that BB would be opening up offices in NY. But that was still years away. So for now, they would be going their separate ways.
"Today's a happy day." Brady's voice echoed in her mind. It was supposed to be. Here she was, getting ready to make all her dreams come true, yet inside she felt a gaping hole twisting in her heart. She looked over at Brady for reassurance, and also to see how he was feeling.
Brady felt even worse than she did. He was torn by the utter sadness he felt at leaving her and the need to be upbeat for her sake. This was her dream; he would never come between that. Because of that he had decided not to tell her of his feelings.
It was only months ago that Brady had finally realized what others had known so long. He was in love with Chloe. Utterly and hopelessly in love with her. He loved her with everything he had and everything he was. He loved her so much he knew when to hold on to her, like this last summer when she was facing her death. And he knew when to let go, like right now.
A relationship now would only hold her back, keep her from fully reaching out for her dream. That's what he told himself anyway. The truth was, he was more than a little scared to admit his love for her. What if she didn't feel the same way? Or what if it didn't work between them? He would lose both her love and her friendship.
{Better to just keep smiling brightly, Brady} he told himself as he gave Chloe's hand a friendly squeeze. {Who knows what the future will bring?}
Chapter One
"Oh wow, it's…wow." Chloe stared up in awe. She could not believe that it was standing right in front of them, on top of many stone steps, merely yards away from them. She saw the words that had been carved into the classically styled building and read them aloud.
"The Julliard School of New York"
She and Brady stood silently side-by-side and just stared at the mammoth structure. Chloe struggled to find the words to express how she felt at that moment.
"I can't believe it. That I'm really here. At Julliard, getting ready to start school. Brady, this has been my dream for so long and just last summer I didn't think that I would live to see this day."
Brady's eyes sparkled with joy as he gazed down at her. "Hey, you're going to live to see and do a lot of things."
"Yeah. Thanks to you." Chloe gazed up at him, into his blue eyes, unable to express her immense gratitude for the man who had saved her life. Her mind traveled back to last summer, when she had received the devastating news that she had cancer in the form of leukemia. Painful chemotherapy treatments had brought her into remission, but she still needed a bone marrow transplant in order to stay healthy. Which meant finding a bone marrow match.
Brady had somehow, miraculously tracked her long-lost father to a little backwater town in North Dakota and the two of them left on a journey to find him. Despite Phillip's damaging interference they did manage to find him again. Dr. Sykes had been quite stunned by the news that he had a daughter, and was especially ashamed to realize that her mother was Nancy Miller, a woman that he had raped once in the darker years of his past.
Chloe blinked rapidly to keep back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. Learning that she was the product of a rape had been the worst moment of her life, even worse than learning of her cancer. She was still dealing with the shame and self-loathing that the knowledge brought.
Brady quickly noticed Chloe's abrupt shift in mood. "Hey, what's wrong? Today's a happy day." He said as he gifted her with a hopeful smile.
Chloe shook off the pain of the last few months. Brady was right. Today was a happy day. She flashed him a small smile. Instead of dwelling on the pain and sadness, she tried to focus on the good things in her life. Her father had been all too eager to amend the sins of his past and agreed to help her in anyway. He unfortunately wasn't a match for Chloe. But his five-year-old granddaughter, Michele, was. The operation went smoothly and was a complete success. Chloe was now as healthy as she ever was, with her entire future before her.
"I can't believe they're going to let me make up my audition for the master class." Chloe repeated softly in disbelief of her good fortune.
"Speaking of which," Brady spoke up as he checked his watch, "the audition is not for another hour yet. Why don't we go check out your dorm and get you settled in?"
As they walked across the campus toward the student dorms, their hands found their way to each other, fingers automatically intertwining. Chloe looked down in wonder at their clasped hands. They always seemed to be holding hands lately. She marveled at the way their hands fit so perfectly together, kind of like they were made for each other.
{Not like with Phillip.} she thought. She had thought that breaking up with Phillip would have hurt more than it did. Wasn't he her first love? Instead, she rarely thought of him, especially now that he had joined the military.
When Phillip had nearly ruined Chloe's chances of finding her father, he realized that his jealousy was dangerously out of control. The knowledge that Chloe might have died from his actions was like a bucket full of ice water crashing in his face. It was the wake up call that he had desperately needed. While his father, Victor had wanted him to go to college; Phillip realized that what he really needed was to get away from his father's money and the benefits it brought. Mainly, though he wanted to know what it was like to be the hero. So he left town and Chloe cordially, wishing her well on her bright future as he looked forward to his own.
Chloe remembered her last conversation with Phillip and recalled his last words to her. "I can't believe that I'm actually saying this," he had begun with a wry smile that flashed his dimples, "but I feel kind of good leaving you in Brady's hands. I know he won't hurt you, not like I did."
Chloe had frowned at his cryptic words. "Phillip, you know Brady and I are just friends."
He had looked at her strangely then and she wondered to see the sadness in his eyes. "Yeah, you are. And that's the tragedy. I wonder if either one of you will ever realize it."
"Realize what?"
But Phillip just shook his head. "Nothing. You'll figure it out, eventually."
Chloe shook her head as she and Brady walked toward her room. She had yet to decipher Phillip's meaning. Was he saying that there was more to her relationship to Brady than just friendship? {Does Brady think of me as more than a friend?} she pondered as she glanced at his beautiful face.
Certainly, she and Brady were much closer than they ever had been. Coming close to death will do that to people. But now that she was out of danger, their relationship had changed yet again, becoming more like their friendship of old. Chloe was a little saddened by it, but she couldn't really understand why. It just felt like she had lost something. Once she and Brady had been so close they were on the verge of becoming something more, a new level to their relationship. Several times, she had thought that Brady was going to tell her something. Something momentous, that would forever change how they felt about each other. But he never did.
And now months later, they stood here at Julliard, getting ready to part ways. She would be going to school, embarking on her dream as an opera star. And he would be going back to Salem, to continue his own bright career at Basic Black. He did say that BB would be opening up offices in NY. But that was still years away. So for now, they would be going their separate ways.
"Today's a happy day." Brady's voice echoed in her mind. It was supposed to be. Here she was, getting ready to make all her dreams come true, yet inside she felt a gaping hole twisting in her heart. She looked over at Brady for reassurance, and also to see how he was feeling.
Brady felt even worse than she did. He was torn by the utter sadness he felt at leaving her and the need to be upbeat for her sake. This was her dream; he would never come between that. Because of that he had decided not to tell her of his feelings.
It was only months ago that Brady had finally realized what others had known so long. He was in love with Chloe. Utterly and hopelessly in love with her. He loved her with everything he had and everything he was. He loved her so much he knew when to hold on to her, like this last summer when she was facing her death. And he knew when to let go, like right now.
A relationship now would only hold her back, keep her from fully reaching out for her dream. That's what he told himself anyway. The truth was, he was more than a little scared to admit his love for her. What if she didn't feel the same way? Or what if it didn't work between them? He would lose both her love and her friendship.
{Better to just keep smiling brightly, Brady} he told himself as he gave Chloe's hand a friendly squeeze. {Who knows what the future will bring?}
