Thanks EC Brenway & Kelly for your reviews!
Kelly - it sure was pierce who cut the brake lines! Hope you enjoy this one!
EC - Yoga or something completely innocent and normal? It could happen! Chelly feels getting more intense in future chapters...? I have a feeling that could happen! We always need flirty, happy Chloe on account of Elly!
The Chemistry In Darkness
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Friday 29th November 2024
Chloe turned around to Elly, who had unbeknownst to her broken the lock on her front door as she was worried something was wrong with her friend, "Uh…hi…"
Elly stood there staring at Chloe for a moment, trying to keep her breathing under control as she once more asked, "Whatcha doing?"
Chloe shrugged then folded her arms in front of her, "I thought the door was locked…I normally hear Pierce or the kids walking up the stairs…"
"Door must've been unlocked," Elly lied, pausing, "I…guess I was quiet when I came up the stairs…forgot to knock on the door…so if you had heard someone coming to the front door…you'd have…moved the couch back to where it should be without making a sound and gotten dressed into something more…"
"No one's ever caught me before," Chloe admitted, "If I had heard you coming up the stairs…I probably would've grabbed the vacuum cleaner over there to pretend that's why I moved the couch out of my way…and that I…clean my house in this if I couldn't have grabbed a shirt in time."
Elly licked her lips, "And how long have you been doing…this?"
Chloe placed her hands on her hips, "Two years now."
"And this is a form of…?" Elly trailed off; her eyes mesmerized by Chloe.
Chloe stared deeply at Elly, "It's tai chi, a form of martial arts."
"You look like you know what you're doing," Elly acknowledged.
"I'm a 3rd level black belt in tai chi," Chloe revealed.
Elly couldn't stop her eyes from roaming all over Chloe's body and the tight gym shorts and sports bra she was wearing, "And when you said…no one's ever caught you before…?"
Okay these clothes Chloe is wearing is way less work out gear that Chloe has been wearing each morning on our runs…I can't not picture Chloe like this as often as possible now. Chloe knows martial arts, no wonder she was breathing so deeply…and maybe if Pierce is as controlling as what Mark says he is…this is Chloe's way of keeping control in her own hands…
"Pierce doesn't know I'm trained in martial arts," Chloe admitted, "Neither do my brothers…or anyone…really."
"No one knows?" Elly was surprised.
Chloe shrugged, "Well not 'no one,' my instructor at the dojo fitness center knows as she taught me everything that I need to know to have achieved the black belts I hold. I also teach a class at the center. The fitness center is run by a really strong woman, my instructor, as a not-for-profit business as they work to help women in need of…protection and strength from…the men in their lives."
So, Chloe needs protection and strength from the man in her life…?
"That sounds quite inspiring that your instructor has created that for women," Elly decided, before addressing what she wanted to do, "And is that why you found yourself at the fitness center…you need protection and strength from…the men in your life…? Or man?"
Chloe shook her head, "It's not like that at all. Pierce isn't someone I need protection from, if he was my brothers couldn't be closer to me, living across the street. Pierce likes to know everything about every situation…it's just who he is. Some might label it controlling. For me…training myself in martial arts these past two years…what can I say? It's like I have something that Pierce doesn't know everything about…that he doesn't know anything about at all. Does that make sense at all?"
Elly took a few steps forward towards Chloe, "Are you sure Pierce doesn't know about this?"
Chloe nodded, "Yeah, he doesn't have a clue. Benefits of being unemployed since I married him. I have a lot of free time during the days when I'm not looking after my niece or nephews. I don't know if you recall, but I do a lot of painting and I have a small art studio here at home…Pierce just thinks it takes me way longer than it does to actually create my works of art."
"Because he thinks you're here working on your art, not at the fitness center, training in martial arts. Or here at home in your living room where you shift your couch and coffee table out of the way and you practice your tai chi right here in your house," Elly realized.
"Yes and no," Chloe shrugged, "Part of it is that Pierce thinks I'm working on my art when I'm at home here working on my tai chi for an hour or two each weekday but the other part, I've come up with a pretty reasonable excuse as to where he thinks I'm going when I do go out to the fitness center to run my classes twice a week."
"Care to enlighten me," Elly pressed.
Chloe glanced down at her watch, "I have a class I have to go to now, I kinda missed my Tuesday class on account of the car accident. I don't want to let my girls down again. Can we talk about this another time? What did you come over here for anyway?"
"Aster and I are going over to your brothers for dinner again to make it a bit of a regular thing, help Aster make friends with the other kids to help her fit in a bit more. Last week you said you'd join us…with Pierce. I figured with the car accident and all you probably forgot so I thought I'd check if you could join us all…even though it's last minute again. Aaron said Hendrix would be there tonight…which might be a sore subject for Pierce if he joins us but Aaron said Hendrix is more than happy to have you both join all of us so he can catch up with you…and might…probably ignore Pierce at the same time…but you never know, Hendrix and Pierce spending a couple hours together every week…might finally break the ice between them," Elly explained.
"I did forget," Chloe realized, "I'm sorry. I can't just change Pierce's plans last minute as I almost did last Friday evening, he's just such a stickler for knowing things in advance. I'll ask him tonight over dinner that we can start joining you all on a regular basis every Friday evening. I appreciate Hendrix finally wanting to make what effort he can with Pierce. Hopefully Hendrix can be there on other Friday evenings we can be there."
"Except for Friday two weeks from now," Elly smiled.
"Ah, our famously planned engagement party for Bea and Yashvi," Chloe recalled, "Yes, aside from that one, I will make sure Pierce and I make more of an effort to spend time with everyone Friday evenings as of next week."
"Sounds great, I think your brothers really miss you and want to spend more time with you," Elly couldn't help but grin, then as her eyes roamed Chloe's body once more, trying hard to hide it, unsure if she was, "You're seriously a black belt in tai chi?"
"No, I'm 3rd level black belt," Chloe corrected with a smirk, "What? Do you not believe me? Just because you kick my ass every morning in our run?"
Elly stepped forwards once more til she was standing in front of Chloe, "It's not that I don't believe you, it's more…that level of martial arts…for no one to have noticed you have that kind of strength and power. That's a big secret to keep and I don't see you being the type for keeping secrets, Chlo."
"You've been away longer than you think," Chloe reminded her, with a smile, not wanting to upset her friend by reminding her of the decision to leave her family and friends wondering what had happened to her for years, "I can keep secrets now, y'know."
"Prove it," Elly challenged the blonde.
Before Chloe could respond, Elly struck out her fist to Chloe's right cheek to gently strike it, not as hard as her strength allowed as she didn't want to hurt the woman she was in love with. But Elly was surprised when Chloe struck out her own hand, blocking her strike, twisting her hand around, then as she was wondering what Chloe was going to do with it, didn't see Chloe swing her foot to the back of her knee.
Before Elly knew it, she was flat on the carpet of the living room in Chloe's house. With Chloe lying on top of her.
Chloe had forgotten to release Elly's hand when Elly was falling to the floor and Elly had dragged her down with her by accident.
Elly stared up at the woman lying on her, surprised her own strength wasn't enough to stop Chloe from flipping her to the floor, "Sure proved it, Chlo."
Damn, look at her! The way she's lying on my body…Chloe's only wearing a sports bra…her body it's so close to mine. I want this, Chloe entangled with me every moment I don't need to spend focusing on Aster.
Why did you trip Elly to the ground? You stopped her attack; you didn't need to go this extra step and fall over on top of Elly. Why am I breathing so heavily? Is that Elly's hands holding my hips? What is it that you feel for Elly? You can't still have feelings for Elly, you got over Elly years ago…you married Pierce! This is just…I don't know what this is…
"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to kick you to the ground. I forgot you weren't one of my students who know to expect me to do that," Chloe blushed, lifting herself gently but not enough to make a move to shift from lying on Elly.
Elly continued clinging her hands to Chloe's hips, "Train me?"
Chloe frowned, "What do you mean?"
Elly reluctantly squeezed Chloe's hips, letting Chloe lift upwards and rise to her feet. Elly grudgingly joined Chloe standing back upright in the living room, wanting nothing more than to hold Chloe like that for hours but knowing she couldn't.
"I want you to train me," Elly whispered.
"In tai chi?" Chloe raised her eyebrow.
"Yes, I want to learn from you," Elly decided, running her hand through her hair, "I've only gotten a sneak peek but you're good at what you do, Chloe. Train me in tai chi with you…this could be our thing. I know we go running every morning but if you train here at home on your martial arts on your own…maybe you wouldn't mind me joining you."
"I'd like that," Chloe nodded, "It'd be nice to…not keep this a secret and have at least one other person I can…share my martial arts with. What about Aster? Spending extra time with me, that won't…be a problem with Aster…or would you need to bring her with you?"
"I think Aster would be over the moon at me spending time with you…learning the craft of martial arts. I might not be able to train with you every day but when I can get someone to mind Aster for me…or Aster's kinda used to being without me watching over everything she does. I can make time for this," Elly promised, "Now…you have a class your teaching at the fitness center soon…can I join you?"
"I'll just get us a couple of bottles of sports drink to take with us and I'll be right back. I'll change into something more casual as I generally prefer to get changed into my martial arts gear there. I don't usually bother with the full outfit at home. Do you want to borrow some of my sports clothes to change into there too? If you take a liking to martial arts, then we can get you fitted out for a set of your own gear next week," Chloe offered.
"Sure, saves me having to go home to change then explaining to Suze I'm going out again. I'll text her to let her know I'll be home in an hour or so," Elly smiled.
"Is two hours okay to get there and take a 1-hour class?" Chloe asked.
Elly shrugged, "Sure, of course. Sounds like you're taking me far away."
"Not really," Chloe replied cryptically before turning around and getting the things Elly and her needed.
This is fine, right? Spending extra time with Elly without Pierce knowing.
Chloe training you in tai chi? Could you be more obvious you want to spend as much time with Chloe as you possibly can…whilst she's wearing really tiny shorts and a sports bra and just the feel of her body against mine… Training with Chloe in martial arts…this will end well!
Next time - Elly joins Chloe at the fitness center for a class in martial arts, learning more of Chloe's past and the friends she's made away from Ramsay Street