Ch. 5: Beautiful Dreamer, Wake unto Me

CHLOE PRICE'S POV:

I walked into the guest room; I figured that Aaron slept long enough.

I went over to the bed. He was curled up in the blanket, his head buried underneath it.

I shook his shoulder saying, "Wake up sleeping beauty."

He curled further in on himself.

"Oh you want to play this game, huh? Max always does this. She pretends I am not there. Well, I have some news for you… Chloe Price is not so easily ignored."

I tugged at the blanket, trying to let the cold air into Aaron's self-made blanket cocoon but he wraps it further around himself.

"Ok, time for the big guns. Now do I jump on him or tip cold water over him… decisions, decisions…"

A loud whisper came from behind me, "Jesus Chloe, let the poor boy sleep."

I glanced back and saw mom standing there, her arms crossed. She was dressed in her waitress uniform.

"But I'm boooooored," I whined.

She shook her head, "God, you are like a small child. People aren't here purely for your entertainment."

I placed my hands behind my head and gave her a mischievous grin, "Sure they are."

Mom rolled her eyes at me and walked up to the bed. She took a moment to study Aaron. She turned to me. "So, how do you know this guy?"

I did not tell mom the whole story. She worries too much. I did not think Aaron would appreciate being coddled. Mom would not let him out of her sight if she knew half of the shit he had been through.

I shoved my hand in my pockets.

"You could say through Max, I guess," I said looking at the floor.

It was basically the truth… at least a version of the truth. I was not lying… just simplifying it. "He's going through a… rough patch and needs some place to stay. Since we had the spare room, I thought I would suggest it. It's not like Max has the room."

The rooms at Blackwell are barely big enough for one person. When I came over to escape David's wrath, Rachel and I always tried to squeeze in the bed… most of these attempts inevitably ended up with one of us waking ass up on the floor, with the other sprawled out on the bed. We had to take it in turns for who slept on the edge, share the burden. I got a few interestingly colored bruises from those nights. At least we got a few laughs out of it.

Thinking about Rachel makes my heart hurt, the wound in my heart is still a bit of a tender spot. I think it always will be. Life just is not fucking fair, as Aaron also shows.

"Rachel…" I thought to myself.

Mom nodded, "I see. Well, he seems like a decent young man from what I've seen of him."

Aaron shifted in his sleep. I look over to him, "Yeah, he does."

I took this chance to have a good look at him.

Since his haircut, I could clearly see his features. I knew that his eyes were sky blue and that his hair was amber in color. However, what I did not notice was that he had a rounded jaw that was cleanly shaven, he had a small cut on his cheek, but other than that, his face was free of imperfections; he did have dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep.

I had to admit he is a looker. He was handsome, but there was something else about him that attracted me.

I look up and see Mom smiling at me, "Well, that's a look I haven't seen in a long time."

I raised an eyebrow questioningly, "What do you mean?"

"Oh there is no fooling me," she said "there is only one other person you look at like that, and that's Max."

I look down at the floor, suddenly finding my boots interesting.

Mom had a stare that could extract the truth from even the most evasive person.

"And?" I asked nonchalantly, trying to play her suspicions down, not that it worked.

Mom looked unimpressed by my deflection attempt, "And I know you're sweet on Max."

"Uh…" I was caught off guard.

Mom laughed, "You do lack subtlety, Chloe."

I rubbed my neck, "Yeah. Not my strong point, I guess I need to work on that."

I glanced back at Aaron. His face more relaxed than I have ever seen it before. I said, "I dunno what it is, but I just have a good feeling, like I'm being drawn to him, you know? It's hard to explain."

Mom put a hand on my shoulder, "I know the feeling well." Her eyes showed a flicker of melancholy, "It's how I used to feel around William."

Mom has not talked much about dad before. We had this kind of unspoken rule that we did not discuss him. The memories were too raw and painful for both of us. Looking back on it now, we probably should not have bottled it all up. Mom had rather put the memories to rest. She moved on with her life and met David. I refused to and remained bitter, letting it consume me.

She spoke up after a moment of silence, "Look, there aren't too many people in this world you can truly spend your time with. We are all on borrowed time. You don't know when your last chance will be. You have to take the opportunity while it's there. I wish I had done that more. William and I were both working too much. We didn't really get the most out of our time as we could have. That is my one regret in life."

"I lost count of the people I pushed away in my anger over the past five years. I nearly did the same with Max when she came back. I'm glad Max stayed around, even after all the grief I gave her."

Mom's mood changed on a dime, "Anyway, enough of being morbid. Shall we get some breakfast on?"

++AARON WATSON'S POV++

The smell of pancakes permeated the air, instantly waking me from my slumber. My stomach growled loudly.

I stretched; still a little sore but at least I could semi-walk. I hobbled down the stairs. I saw Joyce with her back facing me, huddled over the oven, flipping pancakes. When she heard me coming, she turned around.

"Mornin,'" she said.

I yawned, covering my mouth with my hand, "Hi."

My stomach grumbled again. Joyce chuckled, "We'll get that sorted out in a minute. Go take a seat."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.

Joyce glances back at me, "That's sweet of you to offer, but I've got this."

I was about to move towards the table when I was almost bowled over. As I was just about to topple over, a hand caught me. I looked around, confused and disoriented. Blue mischievous eyes stare back at me.

"Hey," Chloe said. In Chloe's excitement for pancakes, she obviously was not looking where she was going or saw me.

I smiled, "There's never a dull moment with you around, huh?"

She grinned, "Nope."

I went to take a seat at the table when Chloe stopped me, "That's… that's Dad's seat."

I remember her saying that David was her step-dad. I wonder what happened to her dad. I would not pry. I know what it's like to lose a parent and the last thing I'd want is someone bringing it up. I lost my mom three years ago and it is still hard to talk about. It does not get easier with time.

"Sorry," I said.

Chloe shrugged; her eyes slightly downcast, "No worries. You didn't know."

She looked at me sternly, trying not to smile, "If you do it again, there will be trouble though."

"Duly noted," I said.

She sat down on the opposite side of the table and patted the seat next to her.

"Come sit here beside me," I said "I won't bite… hard."

She winked at me, "Somehow I doubt that."

I sat down beside her. Chloe leaned back in her chair, putting her feet on the table.

I took this chance to get a proper look at Chloe, to admire all of her features. Without her beanie, I noticed that Chloe's hair was not completely blue as I once believed; strawberry blonde roots poked through, and they fade into a light purple and then to the blue I had become accustomed to seeing. This was also the first time I saw Chloe without her black jacket, and I noticed that she had a tattoo on her right arm. But since I was on her left side, I could not make out the design.

She was blushing when she noticed that I was checking her out. I could feel my own cheeks heating up from getting caught.

Joyce came over with the plate stacked with pancakes thankfully distracting both of us from this awkward moment.

"Feet off the table," she said.

Chloe removed her boots from the table as Joyce placed the plate down with a clank.

"Maybe without Max here, you might get a chance to actually have some Aaron," she said laughing.

Chloe smiled, "I wouldn't be so sure. I can pack quite a few away."

Joyce sighed, "Don't I know it. I have no idea where all that food you eat goes."

She walked away and busied herself. Chloe rubbed her hands together, looking at the pile gleefully, "Oh man, I am hungry like the wolf."

She motioned to the pile of pancakes, steam rising from them, "Ladies first."

"Ouch," I said. She offered me an impish grin.

"I'm kidding," she said "but seriously, you go first."

I reached over and took a pancake from the stack. I drowned my pancake in maple syrup and took a bite. It reminded me of when my mom would make Mickey Mouse pancakes for me. It tasted like heaven, with its sweet, buttery taste that made my toes curl.

"Now there's a man with a sweet tooth," Joyce said.

Chloe looked over at me amusedly, her head resting on her hand, her blue eyes piercing mine. "I assume you're enjoying those," she said.

I nodded.

Chloe grabbed a pancake from the stack, covered it in syrup and then descended on it with fervor. She managed to get it all over her face. I let out a hearty chuckle. Chloe looked up from her plate, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"What?" She asked.

I reached out and wiped some of the syrup from her face with my index finger. "You know the idea is not to get it all over your face," I said.

I went to take my finger away, but Chloe grabbed it and licked the syrup off it.

"Can't waste any," she said seductively.

She glanced up at me, gauging my reaction. Her eyes held a mischievous glint. Her hand lingered on mine for a moment, and then she pulled away, returning to her food as if nothing had happened, descending on the remainder of her pancakes. I was speechless. Did she like me?

After a few minutes of silence apart from the clatter for cutlery, I cleared my throat.

"A… anyway…" I stuttered "I was planning on taking a tour through Arcadia Bay."

"How?" Joyce asked.

"A bus," I answered.

Joyce shook her head in disapproval over my suggestion.

"Unacceptable," she said "Chloe can give you a tour."

"Oh come on," I said "surely she has something better to…" I looked at Chloe, and she was staring at me while shaking her head. If Chloe was anything to judge by, I bet Joyce was really stubborn. Sometimes it's better to pick your battles, "… never mind."

Chloe wrapped her arm around my shoulder, grinning widely. The faint scent of cigarettes lingered on her clothing.

"Come on. It'll be fun. Just you, me and the open road, maybe Max if I can convince her to leave her dorm. I'll have you know I'm the best tour guide you will find in Arcadia. I'll take you to all the best places, all have the Price seal of approval."

I wondered what it exactly took for somewhere to get the 'Price seal of approval'. Sometimes it's best not to ask. "Why does that fill me with dread?" I asked.

Chloe scoffed, "Hey, nothing's going to happen to you one my tour, at least nothing you wouldn't want to happen."

She winked me, took my arm and all but dragged me to her truck like an excited puppy. She was talking at a million miles an hour, but I didn't really register what she was saying.

She really was a force of nature, here one minute and gone the next. So unpredictable and impulsive... but I guess that's part of her charm. From what I have seen of Max, she and Chloe seem to be almost polar opposites personality wise, then again that's only on the surface. Everyone has a hidden layer they only show those they trust. Maybe I could uncover that hidden layer eventually.

Thank you all for your support… and your patience. I send my love to all of you. Also thank you co-authors for your help in not only making this chapter a reality, but the story itself.

And as for your suggestion NitroPlusDmCFan... Sorry, but I don't know what Demonbane is, I do like the DMC reboot though. Sorry again.