VII - Enchanted (Red's POV)
As the week went by the stares and mean text messages settled down. Plus it didn't help that Chloe practically sent out death stares to everyone who gave us looks or whispered about us. There was one time that she almost fought someone that shoulder-checked me in the hallway on Thursday and I had to hold her back to keep her from getting into trouble.
We walked each other to our classes and held hands now. She kisses me, too. I love when she dotes on me in public, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I never would've imagined that Chloe would make me feel this way.
It was finally Saturday and the day of mine and Chloe's date. Internally, I was panicking, and I hoped Chloe couldn't tell. When I woke up this morning she wasn't in our room and I haven't seen her all day. All she told me was to be ready by five o'clock and here it was three and I couldn't find anything I wanted to wear. I tore my side of the closet apart looking for something, anything, that would make me look somewhat presentable.
I sigh, exasperated, and throw myself onto my bed. I scream into a pillow, stress taking over my entire body. After about five minutes of a mental breakdown, I look back at all the clothes strewn everywhere. I scanned the floor again and picked up a black dress but I decided against it. Then I pick up my black leather skirt and a bright red crop top. I add my black fishnet tights and a gold chunky belt before looking in the mirror. It looks okay, and it's the best thing I've come up with all day. I do my makeup and comb through my wavy hair.
I sit down and take a breath, trying to calm myself. My heart feels like it's beating out of my chest and my lungs won't breathe air. It's just Chloe, I remind myself. We've been friends and roommates for months now, it shouldn't be any different than any other time we hang out. But this time it was different, we weren't hanging out as friends anymore but as a potential couple. The thought made my head spin.
When five o'clock rolls around there's a knock on my door. My heart skips a beat at the knock but I get up, take in a breath, and open the door. Chloe stands in front of me wearing a pale blue dress with silver detailing on it. Her wild blue curls are tamed with a bow at the back of her head. My breath catches in my throat and her eyes are sparkling.
"Hey," Chloe breathes. "You look beautiful. Ready for our date?" She holds out her hand and I take it, closing the door behind me.
"So, where are we going?" I ask her. We hold hands as she guides me to our date.
"It's a surprise," she replies. "You'll find out in a little bit." I sigh, not particularly liking not knowing where I'm going. We stop abruptly and in front us sits a black limo.
"Chloe, what is this?" I ask her, not believing she set all this up in such a short amount of time.
"Your chariot awaits, princess," is all she says before ushering me toward the car. She opens the door for me and all I can think of is how much she spoils me already. Chloe slides in after me and we buckle our seatbelts. The ride is quiet and doesn't last long. We pass by a large stone tower and a sign that reads Welcome to Tangletown. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was bleeding shades of orange and pink.
The car stops and we get out. Chloe thanks the driver and the car pulls off. She grabs my hand and we walk toward a massive lake at the bottom of a hill. There's a dock with a boat floating beside it.
"Chloe, what is all of this?" I ask her, looking at everything with bewilderment.
"This… is our date," Chloe says as we approach the dock. "It's a picnic. I hope you'll like it."
"Chloe," I breathe. "I love it. It…it's perfect." We sit down on a blanket and Chloe starts setting up food for us. She lays out a spread of sandwiches, fruit, and chocolate chip cookies. Soon the sun sets and the sky turns dark, stars twinkling on the blackness like spilled glitter. I rest my head on Chloe's shoulder while we're holding hands, her thumb rubbing gentle circles on my hand. The soft sound of the lake waves is soothing and makes me want to fall asleep. Bright lanterns begin to light up the night so bright it's almost like day time again. So many different shapes and sizes of lanterns swirl around us.
"Chloe," I lift my head up from her shoulder to look at her face; she's smiling at me and I can't help but smile back. "It's wonderful."
"Did you like it?" Chloe asks.
"Yes, I loved it," I told her. I glance down at her lips wanting to kiss her again. Instead, Chloe leans in, closing her eyes, and plants a kiss on my lips. I let her take whatever she wants from me, she planned an amazing date and I want to give her everything she deserves and more.
She slides her tongue over my bottom lip and I open my mouth for her and soon our tongues are in each other's mouths. One of her hands slides up from cupping my face into my hair while the other hand cradles my hip. We break away for a moment, each of us catching our breaths, and I move to straddle her lap.
"Red," she breathes, still breathing heavily. "Are you sure? Are you okay with this?"
"Yeah," I let out. "I want this."
"Okay." She kisses me again and it's like we never stopped. Her hands are holding me to her, resting on my hips and I wrap my arms around her neck and shoulders. We keep kissing, but soon she pulls away from me again and when she does I pout and sigh. A devilish smirk forms on her lips before she starts kissing the side of my neck. My heart flutters and my stomach does somersaults. She kisses where my pulse is and I'm sure she can feel my erratic heartbeat. Chloe bites that spot gently and giggles afterward. Her kisses trail down from my neck to my collarbone. I feel her left hand trail up my right side under my shirt, tenderly cupping my breast in her hand. I let out a quiet moan, my breath quickening.
"Chloe," I moan. "Fuck." She returns her mouth to mine.
"Such a dirty mouth all the time. We'll have to fix that," Chloe says when she pulls away. My heart skips another beat.
"Did you just…did you just dirty talk to me? Never thought I'd hear that before." I tease her.
She laughs, "Well it worked didn't it?"
I roll my eyes before sighing wistfully, "I can't believe you planned such an amazing date. As much as I wish it would never end, we should probably head back to our dorm soon."
Chloe smirks before she responds, "Actually, we get to stay the whole weekend. We have a room at the Sundrop Inn."
"What?" I gasp. "Chloe, how did you do this?"
"Well if I told you I'd have to kill you, and I'm quite fond of you if you haven't figured it out yet. I guess you'll never know," Chloe giggles, planting a kiss on my cheek. I don't know how she manages to turn from us making out and shoving our tongues down each other's throat to sweet and flirty. It's like she can turn her sweetness on and off like a faucet. "Come on, let's get to our room."
I get off of her lap and we both start cleaning up our picnic. As we walk back the way we came I carry the wrapped up blanket and Chloe holds the basket. I grab her hand out of habit, I'm just used to it always being there and when it isn't it feels empty. We walk down the paths of Tangletown and I can't help but admire the scenery. Cobblestone paths lie beneath my feet, the buildings are all painted in pastel versions of the rainbow, warm glowing lights peeking out of open windows. Chloe guides me through a door, seemingly to the Sundrop Inn and she's greeted with enthusiasm by the front desk worker.
"Princess Chloe! How have you been darling?" the older man working comes out from behind the counter and gives Chloe a quick hug before returning back to his post. Even though they act like they've known each other for years, he should know that she hates being called princess, unless it's by me in an endearing way. Anyone who knows Chloe knows that she hates when people acknowledge her royalty status.
"I've been okay. School's going well. I'm captain of the Swords and Shields team now," Chloe answered.
The man smiles, "Your parents must be very proud of you, I know I am. Now, go have fun girls, but don't get too rowdy." I notice he has a certain kindness about him that I wished I was familiar with. He seemed like someone's sweet grandpa who always let them win at checkers. When he smiled the lines around his eyes crinkled, and it felt like his happiness was genuine.
He slid Chloe a key with a slip of paper tied to it that read our room number. We walk down the hallway to our left and stop about halfway down the hallway when Chloe slides the key into the lock and opens the door. The first thing I see is a massive bed, with more pillows than one could ever ask for. To the left of the bed sits a large dresser, a mirror hangs over it but neither Chloe or I would be tall enough to see anything in the reflection. On the right sat a small, lilac crushed velvet couch.
I walk around the room in wonder. Everything is so beautiful in Tangletown I could just stay here forever. The colors weren't bright and overbearing, no obnoxious noise, and best of all, no guards constantly patrolling the city. I sit down on the bed and I sink into the mattress.
"Chloe, I didn't bring any clothes with me for tomorrow," I said.
"That's okay, I brought some for both of us," Chole answered. I wonder if she meant some of both of our clothes or just hers; either way, I'd figure it out later. Chloe goes to the dresser and pulls out black shorts and a red tank top and tosses it to me. Out of habit I just start changing out of my outfit into my pajamas, not even thinking about the new relationship between me and Chloe. When I look back at her I see she's staring at me out of the corners of her eyes, and I can't read the expression on her face. I think it's somewhere between hungry and concerned. She turns to face me, biting her lip before she speaks.
"Red, where are those scars from?" she asked tenderly as she walked over to me. There's a mirror on the front of the bathroom door and she stands behind me, gazing intently into my eyes in the mirror. She brushes my hair off of my back and onto my left shoulder so she can really see the scars. Her arm snakes around my abdomen and her head rests on my shoulder. I suck in a breath before answering her question.
"When I was little, I asked my mom why she was so mean all the time," I swallow, holding back tears at the memory. "She said she wasn't mean, she only gave people what they deserved. She told me that one day I'd understand, that I'd be just like her. I told her a little boy didn't deserve to have his head cut off for eating a piece of cake on his birthday. She told me to show her who my friend was that ate the cake, and I refused to tell her. So, she got mad, really mad, and she said if I didn't tell her who it was then I would get his punishment instead. That's how I got the scars."
I feel wet drops on my shoulder and it's from Chloe's tears. She's crying. I hated that I made her cry so much when I told her about my childhood. It's so different from hers, so much more violent, more bloody. I don't think I could ever tell her about how many people I've seen die, how many heads I've seen fall from the rest of their bodies and the way the blood spills from the cut veins and arteries. Chloe sniffs and swallows back more tears before she kisses my shoulder, and the action is so intimate that I feel warmth in my belly. I smile a little, every time Chloe kisses me I smile.
"It's okay now, baby," I say as I turn and face her. I put my hand under her chin, making her look at me. "It's not like that now." I plant a kiss at the top of her nose.
"But it should've never been that way in the first place," she says, sadness heavy in her voice.
"I'm okay. I'll be okay," I reassure her.
"You don't always have to be strong, Red. You can feel big emotions. It's okay to hurt." It's time like this that I realize I truly need Chloe. She lets me feel things, she makes me feel things whether I want to or not.
Chloe kisses me again, soft and loving. I wonder how many times she's wanted to kiss me before now and hasn't been able to. I wonder what made her kiss me the night of Castlecoming, what sudden impulse was fired in her brain that all the judgment calls were halted. The feel of her lips on mine makes me feel light and airy. When she pulls away I can feel the coldness lingering from where she was.
"Red, I know emotions and feelings can be hard for you sometimes. I don't want you to feel like I'm rushing you to say or do anything. Do you like this? Is it okay for me to give you this much affection?" Chloe says, concern etched in her eyes.
"Chloe," I say as I grab hold of her hands. "If I didn't want to do something, I wouldn't do it. You could never make me uncomfortable, Chloe. You're the person who knows me the most."
A smile creeps its way onto her face, "Okay, because I really like kissing you." I giggle and she shakes her head as if clearing her mind. "Wait. No. I like kissing you but I'm not just using you for physical affection. Oh my gosh, I'm making it worse, aren't I?" Worry comes over her face again.
"Calm down, I know what you mean. Now go put on your pajamas so we can sleep." I said. She does as I tell her to for once and puts on a pair of baby blue and white pajamas before taking some pillows from the bed and pulling back the covers.
There's a window on the right side of the bed and I open it just a crack. The night is cool as it's finally the end of November. I could still see some of the floating lanterns lingering in the sky. I wanted to keep this weekend fresh in mind, so I tried to commit every image to memory. Chloe gets into bed but doesn't draw up the covers yet, waiting for me to get in next to her. When I do, Chloe leans over and kisses my neck, right over my throbbing pulse.
I muffle a laugh, "Chlo, don't start something you can't finish."
She quirks an eyebrow, "What is that supposed to mean?" she asks before she returns her lips to my neck. She bites the spot where my neck and shoulder meet before kissing it as if she were trying to make it feel better. She starts on my collarbones, working down to my chest. She kisses the crevice between my breasts, making my heart pound and my head feel light.
It's then that I realize I took off my bra when I got ready for bed, and Chloe can see the immediate effects of her lips on my body. I feel my face flush and I bite my lip in nervousness.
"Can we maybe slow down? I don't feel ready for this yet," I tell Chloe. I want to let her have this, but I don't feel like I'm ready yet. My body is ready, but my mind isn't.
"Yes, Red. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do," Chloe says lovingly.
"I'm sorry," I say. "I know you want to touch me and love me, and I love when you do, it's just…I don't feel ready for that yet."
"Red, you don't have to apologize for anything. You said no, and that's that. If anyone ever made you feel uncomfortable by making you do something you don't want to do, they're wrong, not you." Chloe said. I love how she wants to help me, show what it's like when someone actually cares about you, but I'm not used to it yet. I'm used to being alone, doing everything by myself.
"Chloe, will you hold me?" I ask without even realizing my request. I just want to feel safe right now, and the only place that I ever do is when I'm in her arms.
"Of course," Chloe wraps her arms around me and I almost curl into a ball in her lap. I close my eyes, not wanting to remember anything else but her, only her, and soon enough, I fall into a deep, dark sleep.
Lightning cracks overhead, and the boom shakes the ground. My heart is pounding and I can't seem to catch my breath. My mother sits on her throne, the room around us nothing but red and black. The stone floor beneath us is covered in red splatters. I feel my face turn to a horrified expression as I realize what's happening before me.
My mother stands up from her throne, walking so painfully slow, to where her mortified subject kneels down, begging for mercy.
"Please, please your majesty. I promise I'll treat your daughter right!" I turn my head, looking toward the person kneeling on the cobblestone before my mother.
"Mom, no!" I shout, but it's like she never hears me. It's like I'm just a ghost, merely watching the scene play out in front of me. "Please!" I beg, and my words are never heard.
"What makes you so worthy of my daughter?" my mother asks Chloe. "Why should I let you love her? Hm? If you're anything like your mother, who's to say you won't embarrass her like she did me?"
"Please!" Chloe begs. "I—I love her!"
"Love isn't good enough!" My mother shouts, her eyes wild. "Off with her head!"
I scream, falling to my knees as I watch one of the guards roughly grabs Chloe and throws her onto the stone. I watch in frozen horror as the guard picks up an axe as Chloe struggles underneath him. The guard raises the axe above his head and Chloe is begging for her life. I can't move, it's like my feet are glued to the ground. He swings the axe down and I watch as Chloe's head falls from her body, blood gushing down onto the cobblestone ground. A guttural scream rips from my throat as I fall to my knees, clutching at my chest after having seen Chloe die. My mother walks up toward me, her face turned to a sickeningly sweet expression
"It's okay dear, she didn't deserve you anyway. I'm just protecting you from what's to come, darling," My mother said. I feel my body rocking back and forth from my sobs and she just pets my hair.
I wake up screaming. Tears stream down my face and I'm covered in cold sweat. Chloe wakes almost instantly. "No, no, no, no, no, no," is all I can say and I repeat it like a prayer. I'm rocking back and forth in anxiety and the tears keep coming like a fountain that never runs dry. I can't catch my breath and soon I start hyperventilating.
"Red," Chloe says calmly, and it brings me back down a little. She's alive. Her head is on her body, she's not dead. "Red, breathe with me, you're having a panic attack. You're okay. You're safe. I'm here. Follow my breathing with me."
With each word she says, I get calmer. I match my breathing pattern to hers and it slows me down. Chloe gently brushes some hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. It doesn't take long and soon enough I've come back down from my panic. The tears are gone, my breathing returns to normal, there's no sweat on my body.
"It's okay, my love. You're safe," Chloe says, planting a tender kiss on my forehead.
"Thank you," I told her. "I'm sorry I woke you up, I just…I had a bad dream again."
"You don't have to apologize. Come here," Chloe says, motioning for me to cuddle her. For the rest of that night, she cradles me against her, her arm wrapped around my belly.