Love seeing your reviews pop up every chapter EC Brenway, appreciate them so much!
Not knowing what to expect is a good thing! Means my writing of angsty surprises keeps working lol! Shaun could indeed return and make this complicated for Chelly - we'll have to see if he will... This sure could be a slow burn for Chelly with lots of drama goodness!
The Chemistry In Darkness
Chapter Seventeen
Tuesday 19th November 2024
Lexa smiled at Elly's words that she had met her mate, "Aw, you so have, haven't you? I can hear it in your voice, Fresh Meat. So, what's the problem? You do know finding your mate is a good thing."
"She's married," Elly answered quietly, even though her bedroom door was closed she was afraid anyone could walk past and hear her.
Lexa nodded to herself, "It's a complication but not the first time a werewolf's mate has been entangled in a prior marriage at the time they met. Divorce exists for a reason."
"I don't want to break up a marriage…even though her husband is an absolute douche," Elly admitted.
"Chloe, huh? Yeah that guy I saw hanging off her on the few occasions I checked up on your family, he really did seem to be a douche," Lexa replied.
"How did you know I was talking about Chloe?" Elly wondered.
"Just a feeling," Lexa shrugged.
"Chloe can't be my mate…least of all because it's complicated as anything. I still don't believe your lil folklore that werewolves have mates and that person is the only person they will love for the rest of their life," Elly resolved.
"Yet you know we're werewolves and the supernatural world exists but the idea of someone being the one and only person you'll ever love for the rest of your life and we've simply coined the term of 'mates' for them can't possibly be real?" Lexa scoffed.
"Well, mine can't be Chloe, that's all I know cause of how much of a problem that could end up being," Elly decided.
"And how did you feel when you saw Chloe for the first time since you were turned?" Lexa asked simply.
Elly chewed on her lip, "Like my world was spinning."
"And all you wanted was to hold her in your arms?" Lexa concluded.
"Yes," Elly admitted, "And then Chloe was holding Aster and I just wanted it to be the three of us forever."
"You got it bad, girl," Lexa teased.
"What am I supposed to do? Chloe's married, she's not going to leave Pierce for me," Elly insisted.
"The world works in mysterious ways," Lexa told Elly cryptically, "If Chloe's your mate then you'll end up together one way or another no matter how long it takes but honestly…it won't take as long as you think. You know the feelings of Chloe being your mate goes both ways. Even as a human, Chloe will feel a pull to you. It may not be as strong as yours to her and she won't get what it means but she'll feel it and she'll know she has to be with you too. But seeing as though she's married…she might try to fight it a bit more."
"Did you feel that way about Clarke when you met her?" Elly asked.
"Yes, I was human and I still felt the pull of being Clarke's mate. It just all made sense once she explained it to me like it will when you tell Chloe," Lexa advised.
"I can't tell Chloe. Are you kidding? Chloe can never find out what I am, she'll be in danger if she learns the truth," Elly declared.
"Fresh Meat, if Chloe's your mate, she's gonna have to know once your together, remember you don't age, pretty sure Chloe will notice that," Lexa pointed out.
Elly shook her head at the thought, "No, Chloe is too good and pure to be mixed up into this dangerous life and my darkness. You know what…I have this all wrong. There's no way what I'm feeling for Chloe is that she's my mate and nothing in the world will stop us from being together. It's just…a strong feeling that I've missed my best friend."
"Keep telling yourself that, Fresh Meat. You'll accept it sooner or later," Lexa sniggered, "Now, anything else you want to tell me about how your family reunion has gone?"
Elly groaned, "I'm not the only one who came back from the dead so to speak. Aster's father, Shaun, survived that avalanche we thought had killed him. I have to tell Aster before anyone else does and maybe I'm a total bitch but I really don't want to have to involve Shaun back in our lives…for now. I just want to get Aster settled into living here with everyone and have some semblance of a normal life without complicating it with someone like Shaun around…even though he is her Dad. Any advice?"
"Chloe's your mate, focus on her instead of Shaun," Lexa chuckled.
"That's not what I meant," Elly shook her head as she realized before she'd even said the words, Lexa had hung up on her, "Ugh."
Chloe cannot be my mate…what the hell do I do about Shaun?
The following morning, Chloe sighed softly as she jogged down the steps out the front of her house. She soon yelped when walking down the end of her driveway and Elly was leaning against the fence out the front, "You have got to stop doing that, Elly!"
Elly smirked at the blonde, "I'm getting used to spooking you, Chlo, it's fun."
"You know you could just come to the front door like a normal person," Chloe pointed out.
I'm not a normal person anymore…and that would involve bumping into Pierce…
"Nah, I'd rather hang here waiting for you for our run so you can expect me here every morning and not be so spooked anymore," Elly decided.
Chloe placed her hands on her hips, "I wasn't sure you were going to turn up this morning after you ran off yesterday."
"How come?" Elly frowned.
"Well…after Pierce spilt the…Shaun's alive beans…I thought maybe…" Chloe trailed off.
You'd rush off to Switzerland last night to reunite with Shaun and I'd never see you again…
Sensing Chloe's worry, Elly smiled, "What? That I'd rush to the airport with Aster to get on the first flight to Switzerland? Hardly. Aster and I just got back here; she needs to be settled here as I want this to be her home for as much of her childhood as possible. I sat down with Aster last night and I explained about Shaun being alive, that had I known I wouldn't have kept her away from this place for so long."
"How'd Aster take the news?" Chloe asked.
Elly smiled at Chloe's concern for her daughter, "Confused mostly but she doesn't want us rushing off to Switzerland either…"
Aster knows I can't…we can't risk travelling like that cause I could get stuck over there when the full moon cycle comes around.
"Aster knows we need to settle down here properly and that it's not like her parents need to be together so there's no rush for us to get in contact with Shaun to let him know we're alive," Elly continued.
Aster's sold on Chloe being my mate so she's already accepted Shaun and I would never be anything other than co-parents.
"Besides, Shaun could have a whole new life that maybe he'd prefer us not to announce our presence or maybe that's just me being selfish and not wanting Aster to be rejected by him if he's not in a place to want her in his life. We will get in contact with Shaun eventually to let him know so he can come out here to meet Aster if he wants to…but we're in no rush to do so. I need Aster to get used to living here and I need to focus on settling the pair of us back into normal life here," Elly concluded.
"So…you're not taking off anytime soon?" Chloe asked anxiously.
Elly winked at the blonde, "Only taking off in front of you on our run and waiting for you to catch up to me."
Chloe rolled her eyes, then groaned as Elly immediately took off down the path, leaving her already rushing to try and keep up with the brunette.
Seriously, how is Elly this fit? She likes outrunning me…and I can't say I dislike it…cause…wow just look at her…
An hour later, Elly and Chloe both returned to Ramsay Street from their run. Together as Elly had generously not outpaced Chloe during their run this time, mostly because as they weren't running to a location like Grease Monkey's the previous day, Elly quickly realized she didn't know exactly what route Chloe usually took for her run and also because she was getting used to running at a slower pace than normal. Having Chloe running beside her and so close to her could never be a downside.
As they finished their run, Elly couldn't help but smirk at how exhausted the blonde looked compared to how she herself had barely broken a sweat, "We still on for lunch today?"
Chloe nodded, out of breath.
"Hey, what time do your brother's drop their kids off to your place as I thought maybe if I hung around a bit that I could catch Aaron or Mark to organize when would be a good time for Aster and I to meet up with them and their families? I'm sure Aster would love to get to know Mark and Paige's lil girl. You should join us in catching up with all of them," Elly offered.
Chloe took a deep breath, "Oh, the kids just walk across the road and come over to our place once they are ready for school. I don't see Mark and Aaron all that much. You should definitely catch up with them all for a meal this week. Rose is a year younger than Aster but she'll get on with your lil girl easily. I don't want to interrupt your time with your friends, you should catch up with them on your own with Aster. You don't need me there."
Elly frowned at Chloe turning her down as well as saying she doesn't see her brothers much when they live across the road, Chloe takes their kids to and from school and no longer spends all her days at the hotel. Before Elly could ask Chloe about it, like the previous day, Hendrix exited Aaron and David's house across the road, waved to the pair of them, yelled out a 'Good Morning' and then was on his way to work.
Okay…I need to ask Chloe about that...why is Hendrix living at Aaron and David's? And Mark and Paige's if they live there too…with their four children between them…isn't Chloe and Pierce's house…kinda empty and it's just…Chloe and Pierce?
Before Elly could open her mouth, Chloe spoke up, "I gotta run to the shower and get ready to take my niece and nephews' to school. Lunch today at midday? Pierce and I will see you and Aster at ours then?"
"Any chance we could get there early? There's still a few things…okay kinda everything I haven't really told you about for the past few years of my life and…you know chatting over lunch…I feel like we'll get distracted from all that," Elly asked.
Chloe paused for a moment, leading Elly to frown again at her hesitation, before she finally nodded, "Sure…I guess. Not too early. Say quarter to midday? Pierce will be home at midday; we'll have lunch prepared and dropped off to us soon by our chef. Pierce won't want to take that much time from the office."
"Ah…sure, sounds good. I'll see you then," Elly agreed, then as Chloe turned to head inside, Elly couldn't help but wonder why Chloe seemed hesitant to spend time with her without Pierce around except when she had talked Chloe into letting her join her each morning for her run.
Hendrix not living with Chloe and Pierce, Chloe not seeing her brothers very often when they live across the street…what is going on in Chloe's life that she's not telling me…? And what right do you even have to ask that question when you can't ever tell Chloe the truth about yourself…whether she's your mate or not…Chloe can't ever find out. I'd rather not ever be with my mate then ever hurt Chloe…
Next time - Lunch at Chloe and Pierce's with Elly and Aster gets underway. How will the littlest Conway react to meeting Pierce?