Chapter 14: Chapter Twelve—Chloe: Part III

We arrived at the cafe that I had visited a few times. It was always the group’s default location for food. Considering we were exhausted after class, this often happened. However, my day was far from over as I would go to Jolene for hand-to-hand combat and anima training with Beatrice… Until The experts arrived. This concerned me with how Edwin acted, saying their names. I could never get an answer of who they were from him.

I opened the cafe door for Chloe, motioning her in as she shyly smiled, entering. The waiter seated us, and I sat across from her as she took in the restaurant. If she didn’t have a bed, it was unlikely she would spend money eating out.

“I expected more than a hamburger,” Chloe said with the menu in front of her face before she lowered it, grinning, and I saw her canines were a little longer than humans. Her teeth were unnaturally white, like her groomed nails. Chloe’s personal hygiene was exceptional, which was a positive considering I was a germaphobe—unlike Danelle, who came stumbling into class at times looking like she rolled out of bed, and it was a turn off. How someone presented themselves, was telling.

“You broke the bank at Écho,” I said, staring down at the menu. There were a few new things, but I was a boring person and would just end up picking the same thing as I always do.

There was an awkward pause before Chloe said anything. “Cyrus, I was kidding.”

I glanced up. “I know,” I replied, giving a slight grin before going back to the menu.

She grabbed a napkin from the table, balling it up before throwing it at me aggressively. “You’re such an ass,” Chloe pouted.

“Get used to it. This is how I socialise,” I replied, handing the menu to the waiter ordering food. Chloe stared at me like she wanted to talk, but had nothing to say. “So you seem pretty concerned about not getting in trouble earlier, but you seemed confident when you cleaned my room. What was that about?” I questioned, resting my chin on my hand.

Chloe put her hand to her forehead, “Oh lord, that was just a bad day, and I took it out on you—I wanted to be friends, but I also cleaned your room every day because it scared me you might be upset.”

“So you did the thing that upset me the first time, every day?” I said with a grin.

“Listen, I didn’t know what I was doing. It was the only excuse, and I figured you'd be less irritable if you had a clean room.”

“That is an impossible task,” I said as Chloe laughed, smiling at me.

She touched her cheeks. “I am not used to smiling so much. They hurt.”

Our food came, and we both ate in silence. Honestly, Chloe’s and my personalities mould well together. She didn’t constantly talk, giving me time to recharge for more conversation. Initially, this was exhausting, but now it was feeling natural. I think this was the first time I had ever genuinely relaxed around another person.

We finished and walked the rest of the way back to the academy, and the sunset was completed before we arrived. We made small talk the whole way, which comprised nothing serious. I mostly asked her about herself. Chloe left out a lot and seemed to dance around subjects, but that didn’t bother me. She was entitled to her privacy.

Before I knew it, we were at my door, and we both stopped in front of it, not sure how to end the night. Chloe stood awkwardly, waiting for me to say something, but I was unsure what to say. I tossed around the idea in my head of inviting her in or awkwardly ending the night; sleep deprivation was building.

“So I’ll hear from Edwin or something?” Chloe asked, rubbing her forearm nervously.

“Do you want me to bring your things to your room?” I said, averting my eyes from hers.

Anxiety mode on.

She shook her head, “No, not yet,” Chloe said, falling quiet. If this conversation didn’t find its destination soon, I would have an anxiety attack.

“Do you want to spend the night?” I asked, pointing to my door, and I instantly realised how that came out.

“Um, Cyrus. I appreciate—”

“I mean to talk more. You can sleep in my bed. I mean, I’ll take the couch. Then, I can take you directly to Edwin in the morning,” I floundered around, feeling my heart speed up like it never has before, “I mean, wouldn’t it look suspicious to go back now?”

Chloe looked down at her watch. “It’s only eight.”

“I’m just gonna go jump out my window now, bye,” I said, opening the door, and Chloe snuck in behind me into my disastrous apartment.

I had forgotten about the mess, and it was embarrassing. It looked like someone let the delivery man in as white bags were sitting against the wall. This made me extremely nervous, as I looked around for May. Maybe giving her a spare key was not the best idea. This could be easily misunderstood. I abruptly check around as I pretend to clean. Chloe moved through the living room, staring out the massive glass walls to the city below.

She put her hand on the glass. “So, Cyrus, are you going to tell me who you are?” Chloe said, turning around as she removed her hat, and her ears shook a little.

“You still haven’t shown me your tail,” I mentioned with a smirk as I picked up the trash, tossing it into a bag.

Chloe shook her head. “Do you always ask girls to show themselves to you?”

After tossing the last can into the trash bag, I dropped it by the door. “What do you think?”

Chloe glanced over to the bags of clothes. “It depends if you do this for other girls,” she stated, leaning against the glass window with her back, “You left with two girls on your birthday.”

“I assure you I’ve not bought them clothes at Écho’s.”

“Okay,” she mumbled, glancing towards my room door. I see her slight button nose twitching—there is no way she smells May.

“Can I use the guest bathroom to shower if possible?” Chloe asked as she anxiously rubbed her forearm again. “That wouldn’t be weird, right? Being naked in your apartment?”

“You’d be in the shower, so I think that’s acceptable, but go ahead and use my bathroom. I never use the guestroom’s. So there are no toiletries in there.”

“Right, right,” Chloe nodded a couple of times. “ Why would I say that…” She mumbled.

You are reading story Shattered Darkness at novel35.com

“It’s to the left in my room,” I said, and she walked over, picking clothes out of the bags before making her way to my room.

I spent the next hour waiting for her to come out on the couch. She was taking an unnecessary amount of time, and I was getting distressed for the hundredth time. So, this was my life now—a constant state of fear.

Who opened my door to let the delivery guys in? If May had seen women’s clothes, she might have gotten stressed and left. I sat just chewing my nails, tapping my leg at the speed of light. If it was Edwin… gods I hope it was Edwin because I didn’t care about his response that much.

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed, “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?” Chloe asked, peeking through my door crack.

“Nothing, sorry.”

She stepped out in a lace and pink silk nightgown. “Is this too much?”

“If you find it okay, it’s fine,” I replied, not okay with it but the view was… nice—this is a complex feeling. This wasn’t an ordinary nightgown; it was an intimate one. The type you would wear to seduce someone. I knew Chloe wasn’t doing that, but I don’t think she fully grasped how seductive it was—it left very little to the imagination.

I stood up and went to the kitchen as she watched me from the door frame. Chloe ended up sitting on the chair on the other side of the counter as I filled a cup of water from the sink, drinking as I kept my back to her. After getting my thoughts together, I started towards my room to change, but Chloe grabbed my wrist, stopping me as I walked by and the chair swivelled in my direction. She pulled me towards her as I put my hands on the counter behind her, looking down at her as she sat in the chair between my arms.

“Who's the girl?” she said, as her golden eyes stared at me. “I can smell her in your room. Is she your girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Do you do this with other girls a lot? Invite them in and ask them to talk more?” Chloe questioned, tilting her head.

“No, I’ve never invited a girl in,” I said as I saw her black tail swaying behind the chair. It was longer than I expected, and I wondered how she hid it so well.

“Is my tail more appealing than my face?” she questioned as I looked back at her eyes. “It's weird, I know. But, unfortunately, I don’t have money to remove it, yet.”

“You shouldn’t do that.” I fired back.

“Why?” She asked, tilting her head.

“Because you are modifying your body for others because they don’t accept you. What is their acceptance worth after you had to mutilate yourself for it? The answer to discrimination isn’t to look like the discriminator.”

An expression came over Chloe's face that May had given to me so many times. “I… I want to kiss you… badly,” she stumbled, and I didn’t react as our faces were under a foot apart. “But I feel like I’m being taken advantage of.”

“How so?”

“This day has been a little too good to be true. And I know you’re a good person, but I don’t know if I can believe you about the girl. Her smell is all over your room. Her underwear was under your bed. I’m sorry, but I had to look. My mother taught me at a young age that men will say and do anything to use you.”

I stood up straight, “I’m not using—nothing I say will make you believe me.” I knew trying to be defensive would only dig a deeper grave.

“Are you asking or telling me?” Chloe said, looking at her folded hands.

I sighed, “Asking.”

“Look me in the eye, tell me nothing is going on, and I will believe you, but I don’t give second chances, so be certain how you want this to go,” Chloe said, glancing up at me, worried. “We need to draw a line here, if that is not the case.”

There was a pause that didn't give confidence to my words. “Emotionally, something is going on. Physically, nothing yet. She stayed the night after getting intoxicated, but I had a concussion, and she was wasted. Nothing happened.”

Chloe looked at me suspiciously. “But she was naked in your bed?”

“Okay, Chloe. May and I have an odd relationship. It’s complicated, and I feel like I need to return her feelings because she saved my life and is my best friend—is the possibility of us sleeping together there, yes. But has it happened? No. That is the whole truth.”

“Thanks for being honest,” she said with her ears back. I was unsure what that meant, but she wasn’t happy with that response. Lying or bending the truth was not an option here. I would not be that type of person.

Nothing was said after that, and I departed for my room, showering and changing into comfortable attire for sleeping on the couch. I returned to Chloe sitting on the sofa backboard, watching the city as her tail swayed back and forth. She got down, and I spun the couch around to face the window so she could sit comfortably.

Chloe sat down at the end of the couch. “I’ll stay out here. You can sleep in your bed,” she smiled, leaning against the armrest.

I joined her on the sofa, folding my hands and leaned forward. “I am no one special. Edwin took an interest in me because it seemed I had an unknown element. I was a half-bred native on an island with no-name parents. Beyond that, I can’t discuss other things without Edwin’s permission.”

Chloe’s palm gently touched my back as I turned my head to her. “It's okay, friend. I do not believe you have any ill intention towards me—it’s just that I’ve spent my whole life questioning everyone’s motives, especially men, and it’s hard for me to accept that someone would be nice to me for no reason. But, things are more complicated when I like the person, and I don’t really know them,” Chloe moved closer, cupping my face. “I want to know you a lot more. I am really into you and have been for a while.”

Chloe put her lips on my cheek, letting it linger before coming back to my eyes. I stared at her for a moment before nervously standing up and grabbing a few pillows and a blanket from my room. I returned, making the couch into a bed.

I take the comforter, covering her. “Good night, Chloe,” I said before leaving for my room.

I need to stop making friends.

You can find story with these keywords: Shattered Darkness, Read Shattered Darkness, Shattered Darkness novel, Shattered Darkness book, Shattered Darkness story, Shattered Darkness full, Shattered Darkness Latest Chapter