Stubborn and Clueless
Chapter 11
by Fidomom
Brady waited impatiently for Chloe to answer the door. He was really looking forward to spending time with her. He intended to do whatever he could to help her feel secure enough to admit to him that she loved him. He didn't know what he was expecting to see when the door opened but he knew it wasn't the sight that actually did greet his eyes. He was rendered speechless as he took in Chloe's appearance from feet to hair. Chloe batted innocent eyelashes at Brady from behind her monstrous-sized flat round rainbow colored lollipop, as she twirled one of her long ringletted pigtails around her finger. She moved the candy from in front of her mouth and smiled,
"Hi, Brady! Come on in!"
Brady's face seemed frozen as he allowed her to lead him into the house by the hand. He watched dumbfounded as she twirled herself round once,
"Do you like it? It's brand new."
Brady took in what could only be described as a Chloe-sized flowergirl dress. Lavender chiffon, scoop necked with a rose accent under the hollow of the throat, ruffled short-sleeves, ankle-length, with an attached sash which was tied into a bow at the back. The ribbons tied around her curled pigtails matched the dress as did the satin flats she wore. When Brady still hadn't spoken Chloe prompted him.
"Brady? Are you okay? Don't you like my outfit?"
He looked at her finally, trying to determine why she had dressed like this and for once he could not read her.
"I'm sorry. I think I've made a mistake."
He turned to go. Chloe panicked~Have I gone too far? Have I instead convinced him that I am a kid?~,
"Wait. What do you mean you've made a mistake? Why are you leaving? Have I done something wrong, Brady? Are you angry at me?".
He stilled and then slowly turned to face her. The worried concern on her face troubled him.
"No, Chloe I'm not mad at you. I'm confused. I don't understand why you would wear the outfit you're wearing to go out to dinner with me. No offense Chloe but it reminds me of a dress Belle wore to a wedding once- when she was 4 years old! What are you trying to tell me here? Are you rebelling against me asking you out to dinner? Am I pushing you to behave more maturely than you feel or something?"
Chloe let out a derisive snort as she crossed her arms shaking her head,
"That'd be the day! Don't I wish! No. You continually shove in my face that I'm just a kid, just a little teeny bopper, a little girl. Oh, but at least I'm a 'very special girl'. So I finally dress how you treat me and you have the audacity to complain and wonder if you're pushing me to be more mature?! Arrrgggh! I swear Brady Black you can be the most obnoxious, insufferable, pig-headed, frustrating, arrogant, clueless, egotistical, pomp ... " Chloe's words caught in her throat as Brady walked slowly over to her and put his arm around her waist facing her. He pulled her in close and leaned in to bite off a piece of her lollipop. He tried to speak around the candy but couldn't so he chewed and swallowed it before beginning again,
"Mmm, that's a great tasting lollipop! Next time I do or say something that hurts your feelings, Diva or offends you in some way, would you do us both a favor and just come right out and say it? This really was a rather unnecessary stunt. Truth be told I'm a little hurt by all the things you just said about me. I thought we were close, I thought you actually liked me now. To find out you still have such a low opinion of me makes me wonder if we really are as close as I thought." Chloe looked contrite but determined, as she tried to defend the stunt she'd pulled.
"Brady I'm sorry for saying all those mean things about you. Mostly I don't think that about you at all. Just sometimes, like when you do things that make me feel frustrated. Brady I have tried to tell you that I don't like being treated like a kid or called a kid; by anyone but especially not by you. You nod your head like you get it and then soon after you make yet another comment about me being such a kid or teenager or whatever. I wanted to show you what you were projecting onto me; hence the outfit and the pigtails. You still act like you're humoring me by doing things with me. I don't want to spend time with you unless I know you enjoy my company. Unless I can believe that you actually get something from our relationship too. You said you missed me Brady, but did you? Did you really? Or did you just miss feeling good about the charitable work you were doing by hanging out with me, at all?"
Brady looked into her eyes as she spoke and for once he really listened to how she perceived his treatment of her.
"This is why you walked out of my life isn't it? You really thought it wouldn't matter much to me. I can't believe how stupid I've been. Listen, Chloe we do need to discuss this some more but our dinner reservations are for 8 pm. Are you really coming to Tuscany with me dressed like this?"
"Would you be seen with me?"
"Even if you were wearing last year's burlap sack."
She smiled.
"Then I'd like to go change into something more appropriate for our date."
Brady smiled liking her use of the word date and undid the ribbons in her hair. He fluffed out the ringlets from the released pigtails with his fingers, and surveyed his handiwork,
"Ah. That's much better. Can you be ready in 10 or less?"
She nodded unable to speak. He let go of her waist, and she headed towards the stairs. She stopped walked back over to Brady and said blushing delicately,
"I won't be able to get the zipper, would you mind?"
He smirked and made a hand gesture she should turn around. She obliged and felt him carefully caress her hair away from the zipper, before he slowly tugged it all the way down to the bow tied sash. Chloe looked over her shoulder at Brady to smile her thanks. On the spur of the moment she handed him the lollipop he'd bitten,
"Here, Brady, you can have the rest. It'll give you something to do while you're waiting!"
He chuckled as he accepted the candy and then watched as she hurried off to her room to change.
To be continued ....
Chapter 11
by Fidomom
Brady waited impatiently for Chloe to answer the door. He was really looking forward to spending time with her. He intended to do whatever he could to help her feel secure enough to admit to him that she loved him. He didn't know what he was expecting to see when the door opened but he knew it wasn't the sight that actually did greet his eyes. He was rendered speechless as he took in Chloe's appearance from feet to hair. Chloe batted innocent eyelashes at Brady from behind her monstrous-sized flat round rainbow colored lollipop, as she twirled one of her long ringletted pigtails around her finger. She moved the candy from in front of her mouth and smiled,
"Hi, Brady! Come on in!"
Brady's face seemed frozen as he allowed her to lead him into the house by the hand. He watched dumbfounded as she twirled herself round once,
"Do you like it? It's brand new."
Brady took in what could only be described as a Chloe-sized flowergirl dress. Lavender chiffon, scoop necked with a rose accent under the hollow of the throat, ruffled short-sleeves, ankle-length, with an attached sash which was tied into a bow at the back. The ribbons tied around her curled pigtails matched the dress as did the satin flats she wore. When Brady still hadn't spoken Chloe prompted him.
"Brady? Are you okay? Don't you like my outfit?"
He looked at her finally, trying to determine why she had dressed like this and for once he could not read her.
"I'm sorry. I think I've made a mistake."
He turned to go. Chloe panicked~Have I gone too far? Have I instead convinced him that I am a kid?~,
"Wait. What do you mean you've made a mistake? Why are you leaving? Have I done something wrong, Brady? Are you angry at me?".
He stilled and then slowly turned to face her. The worried concern on her face troubled him.
"No, Chloe I'm not mad at you. I'm confused. I don't understand why you would wear the outfit you're wearing to go out to dinner with me. No offense Chloe but it reminds me of a dress Belle wore to a wedding once- when she was 4 years old! What are you trying to tell me here? Are you rebelling against me asking you out to dinner? Am I pushing you to behave more maturely than you feel or something?"
Chloe let out a derisive snort as she crossed her arms shaking her head,
"That'd be the day! Don't I wish! No. You continually shove in my face that I'm just a kid, just a little teeny bopper, a little girl. Oh, but at least I'm a 'very special girl'. So I finally dress how you treat me and you have the audacity to complain and wonder if you're pushing me to be more mature?! Arrrgggh! I swear Brady Black you can be the most obnoxious, insufferable, pig-headed, frustrating, arrogant, clueless, egotistical, pomp ... " Chloe's words caught in her throat as Brady walked slowly over to her and put his arm around her waist facing her. He pulled her in close and leaned in to bite off a piece of her lollipop. He tried to speak around the candy but couldn't so he chewed and swallowed it before beginning again,
"Mmm, that's a great tasting lollipop! Next time I do or say something that hurts your feelings, Diva or offends you in some way, would you do us both a favor and just come right out and say it? This really was a rather unnecessary stunt. Truth be told I'm a little hurt by all the things you just said about me. I thought we were close, I thought you actually liked me now. To find out you still have such a low opinion of me makes me wonder if we really are as close as I thought." Chloe looked contrite but determined, as she tried to defend the stunt she'd pulled.
"Brady I'm sorry for saying all those mean things about you. Mostly I don't think that about you at all. Just sometimes, like when you do things that make me feel frustrated. Brady I have tried to tell you that I don't like being treated like a kid or called a kid; by anyone but especially not by you. You nod your head like you get it and then soon after you make yet another comment about me being such a kid or teenager or whatever. I wanted to show you what you were projecting onto me; hence the outfit and the pigtails. You still act like you're humoring me by doing things with me. I don't want to spend time with you unless I know you enjoy my company. Unless I can believe that you actually get something from our relationship too. You said you missed me Brady, but did you? Did you really? Or did you just miss feeling good about the charitable work you were doing by hanging out with me, at all?"
Brady looked into her eyes as she spoke and for once he really listened to how she perceived his treatment of her.
"This is why you walked out of my life isn't it? You really thought it wouldn't matter much to me. I can't believe how stupid I've been. Listen, Chloe we do need to discuss this some more but our dinner reservations are for 8 pm. Are you really coming to Tuscany with me dressed like this?"
"Would you be seen with me?"
"Even if you were wearing last year's burlap sack."
She smiled.
"Then I'd like to go change into something more appropriate for our date."
Brady smiled liking her use of the word date and undid the ribbons in her hair. He fluffed out the ringlets from the released pigtails with his fingers, and surveyed his handiwork,
"Ah. That's much better. Can you be ready in 10 or less?"
She nodded unable to speak. He let go of her waist, and she headed towards the stairs. She stopped walked back over to Brady and said blushing delicately,
"I won't be able to get the zipper, would you mind?"
He smirked and made a hand gesture she should turn around. She obliged and felt him carefully caress her hair away from the zipper, before he slowly tugged it all the way down to the bow tied sash. Chloe looked over her shoulder at Brady to smile her thanks. On the spur of the moment she handed him the lollipop he'd bitten,
"Here, Brady, you can have the rest. It'll give you something to do while you're waiting!"
He chuckled as he accepted the candy and then watched as she hurried off to her room to change.
To be continued ....