"Chloe? What are you doing here?" she said with a smile.
Despite Sylvia's quick reaction, Chloe, who was used to hanging out with a very observant person, had some of Harmonie's quirks, so she didn't miss anything, no change escaped her, and she had a little idea what the expression was instead.
"I need to talk to you. Can I come in?" she asked, smiling slightly. Sylvia watched her silently, then stepped aside and let her in.
She couldn't know what was on her mind because Chloe hid her emotions very well.
...
Sylvia's living room
Chloé was sitting on the sofa and Sylvia was facing her in the armchair.
Chloé's head was down, her eyes on her fingers, which she couldn't stop moving.
There was silence in the living room as Sylvia waited to find out why she was there.
Chloé stopped moving her fingers and wiped the palm of her hand on her jeans, letting out a soft sigh.
She lifted her head and looked at Sylvia. Their eyes met and despite the situation, Chloé once again felt lost in Sylvia's deep blue eyes.
It was as if every time their eyes met, she fell even more under their spell.
It was a strange feeling she wasn't used to. And the unknown tends to scare her.
She knows she's screwed up. In fact, just like her best friend, she tends to run away from her feelings, and that's why they both remind each other of the need to face the thing that scares them. But that's easier said than done.
Sylvia looked away. Panicked, Chloe suddenly said, "I'm sorry!"
Sylvia reconnected them and Chloe continued without looking away, "I shouldn't have done what I did to that lady earlier. I should have considered that you could be hurt by my behavior as well. I'm sorry, terribly sorry."
She looked at Sylvia and tried to show with her eyes and expression how sorry she was for her behavior.
Sylvia looked away again without saying a word and Chloé felt a pang of remorse.
She, too, lowered her head and went back to playing with her fingers. Trying to find the right words, she said, "I know that the way I was before will always be a part of my past, and even if I pretend it doesn't exist, it will be a lie to myself and the person I love."
Hearing the end of her sentence, Sylvia's head turned quickly to Chloé with a surprised expression on her face, but with her head still down, she didn't notice.
"I'm not trying to deny it or hide it. I'm someone who tends to flirt very easily with people I appreciate, even if there's no reason to be ambiguous with the person. It's just the way I am. And now it's probably become a flaw."
"To tell you the truth, um..." Chloe could feel the stress building with what she was about to say. She didn't have to open up, but she felt the need to, "You know, earlier Harmonie confided in me that she didn't know how to love. I told her, no, she does know."
Sylvia didn't understand what she was getting at, but she didn't stop her.
"And now that I think about it, I think I finally understand what she meant, because I don't know how to love either." She lifted her head and looked at Sylvia. The latter noticed that Chloe's expression had become one of weariness.
"Maybe it's confusing because we tell you we love you, which isn't a lie. So why say we don't know how to love?"
Chloe leaned back on the sofa and ran her trembling fingers through her hair, letting out a shaky sigh.
She rested her head on the back of the sofa and looked up at Sylvia's ceiling.
"You know, I...um... I never told you about my parents. The only times I ever told you about my mom, I was talking about Harmonie's mother, who became my second mom." Chloé felt tears well up in her eyes. She tried to stop herself from crying, but nothing worked. And the tears began to fall. She stopped fighting and let go.
Her arm covered her eyes and she tried to catch her breath. "I-I..." she breathed, then continued, "I can't thank her enough for what she's done for me. Always accepting me and supporting me no matter what," Chloe said in a tearful voice.
She felt Sylvia sit down next to her and put an arm around her thigh.
Chloe took her arms away from her eyes and leaned forward, her fingers intertwined and Sylvia took the opportunity to put her hand on her back. She could feel how the subject was affecting Chloé. Her body shook with pain.
"I-" Her voice cracked, her emotions so strong that she felt pain in her throat. It felt like her throat was being strangled. The pain was there as she tried again to control herself, but it was futile, and she began to sob, her hands covering her face.
Sylvia wrapped her arms around her and hugged her. Chloe's head rested on Sylvia's shoulder. And Chloe continued to sob, hugging Sylvia tightly.
She was crying, she was just in pain. She told herself she was hurting those she loved for no reason. She felt useless.
The tears weren't just for one reason, it was the accumulation of everything that took over.
Sylvia heard Chloé crying and felt Chloé trembling in her arms, it was the first time she'd seen the one who smiled so much in the group, who was always mocking and cheerful, crying so much. She wondered how she had failed to notice that the one she loved was so much in pain.
She didn't like to see her so sad, but she knew Chloe needed it. So her tears flowed silently as Chloe sobbed on her shoulder.
She tightened her grip to hold her closer. She heard Chloe gasp for breath as she cried out.
This caused her to panic, but she remained calm and began to stroke her back, saying soft words and showering Chloe's face with kisses to calm her down.
Chloe managed to catch her breath, of course, but- "I so don't deserve all this love..."
Sylvia felt Chloe's body relax, and her head rested on her shoulder. Her panic returned, but she quickly calmed down when she felt Chloe's breath on her neck and heard the soft snoring.
She kissed Chloe's neck and shifted position to make sure Chloe didn't wake up.
...
One hour later
Chloe's eyes slowly opened. She was blinded by the light, but after blinking a few times, she felt better.
However, she felt a little pain in her eyes, probably from crying herself to sleep.
Sylvia, noticing that her eyes were open, leaned over and said softly to Chloe, "Are you awake?"
Chloe realized that her head was resting on Sylvia's legs after she came to her senses.
"Hm." she hummed in reply to Sylvia.
Sylvia's hand came to rest on Chloe's hair, and she began to stroke her head. And she heard a hum of satisfaction from Chloé. Then she smiled.
A few minutes later
Chloé was sitting on her head, a blanket around her, and the beginning of a movie was playing on the TV.
She heard footsteps approaching but didn't turn her head in it. She looked lost, staring into space.
Sylvia put the tray on the coffee table and put the two cups of tea on the table next to the large bowl of popcorn.
She walked over and sat down next to Chloé, who still didn't seem to want to come out of her daze.
Sylvia put on the blanket and took Chloé in her arms. She felt Chloé's head rest on her chest and tightened her grip.
When Chloé seemed better, they began to enjoy the comedy movie.
2 hours later
The movie was finally over. Sylvia was about to get up to make more popcorn and put the teacups on the sink, but then she heard Chloe say, "Do you have an ice pack?"
She turned and replied, "Yeah, why?"
Chloe's eyes were still glued to the ending tape playing on the TV.
"My eyes... hurt."
Sylvia understood and told her she would go get one.
When Sylvia left, Chloe was once again distracted and thought she'd have to open up to Sylvia.
Unaware that she had been out of it for a while, she was startled out of her thoughts by a cold sensation.
Sylvia laughed at her reaction, "Sorry...sorry..." she said several times, still laughing.
Chloe, seeing her laughter, smiled, 'She really does have the ability to make me happy so easily.'
Sylvia saw Chloe get up, put the blanket down on the sofa, and come over to her.
Her laughter faded and she froze. Chloe put her hands around Sylvia's waist and pulled her closer.
"You have a beautiful laugh," Chloe said softly, looking Sylvia straight in the eye to show her sincerity.
"What are you trying to say again?" Sylvia laughed, and then her eyes fell on Chloé's. The two looked at each other for a long moment.
The two looked at each other for a long time, their bodies swaying gently from side to side to the soft ost background music of the movie without breaking eye contact.
Then Sylvia put her arms around Chloé's neck, holding the ice pack she hadn't let go of in one of her arms.
Sylvia's eyes began to mentally trace Chloé's face, starting with her neck and working her way up.
Her neck.
Her chin, her jaw.
Her lips.
Her nose, her cheeks.
Her cheekbone. And then from up to down.
Her forehead.
Her eyebrows and eyelashes.
And finally, her eyes.
Eyes that made her feel like she could see right through them.
'Her eyes are so expressive.'
Chloé hadn't missed a beat, as she hadn't taken her eyes off Sylvia's.
The intensity of Chloé's gaze was too much for Sylvia, so she put the ice pack over them.
Chloé was a little surprised by her action but realized that it was her gaze that was bothering Sylvia. She decided to tease her about it but suddenly froze.
She felt something soft caress her lips. The ice pack was removed from her eyes and she felt it being placed on her hand.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at her hand to see that it was indeed in her hand.
Then she remembered that she had a more important thing to think about than the ice pack and saw Sylvia heading for her kitchen.
She felt like following her, and so she did.
A smile appeared on her face.
She found Sylvia in front of her lever, and as she approached, she saw Sylvia's body freeze.
Arriving behind Sylvia, she lifted her hands, which she could see were trembling slightly, and placed them on Sylvia's hips.
She expected Sylvia to reject her, but the opposite happened. Sylvia leaned into Chloe's touch and that was enough consent for Chloe to wrap her arms around Sylvia's waist.
She moved her front closer to Sylvia's back so that she had her completely in her arms. She felt one of Sylvia's hands rest on her stomach and rested her chin on Sylvia's shoulder. They stayed like that for several seconds, saying nothing to each other.
Finally, Chloé broke the silence.
"I lost my parents when I was only 10," she began, shakily. Sylvia felt her grip tighten and she then began to caress her hands to bring her some comfort.
"My uncle... h-he separated me from my best friend, supposedly to protect me, when she was my only true support..."
"I started not caring about my studies, my life, or my health. So I started hanging out with the wrong crowd. Said bad company, said of course bad behavior, said lots of trouble..."
"Let's just say that my uncle never stopped me - on the contrary, I felt that he encouraged me." Chloé now found it easier to communicate.
"A few years later, he told me that I was going to be reunited with my childhood friend, and to tell you the truth, I wasn't too happy about it, because I was afraid she would hate the new me."
"And when I found out that she was being bullied, it was the perfect opportunity for me to show my bad side. I wasn't participating in the harassment per se, but I wasn't necessarily helping."
"It was the understanding that no matter what was going on, she was treating me as her friend. I started to realize the bullshit I was doing and to this day to my dying day, I'll always blame myself for my bad treatment of her."
"When we left 3 years ago, I met a girl a month later, I thought I was finally going to have a relationship with a healthier attitude compared to my other relationships before..."
"But let's just say I got a dirty trick right after I finally managed to open up to her. So I said never again and started my "Playgirl" career."
"It wasn't until later that I realized It was a newfound shell, but at least one that didn't hurt anyone, so I carried on."
"I'm not going to lie and tell you that at first, I had no intention of making you one of my one-night stands, but let's just say that the more I got to know you, the more I realized that I was dancing around you and I couldn't stop myself."
"I was paying attention to every little thing about you. And I confess, it's the first time I've felt something like this, so strong that it soothed my pain."
"I'm scared, but I'm willing to take a risk for you, but you don't have to take a risk for me."
"I'll wait until you tell me you're ready. Even though I want to make you mine, I'll wait."
"And if you really don't want me to, tell me clearly, even if it hurts. I'd rather be hurt by you than make you feel uncomfortable with me."
After her long speech, she loosened her grip on Sylvia, helping her up, so she wouldn't fall, before turning and walking out of the kitchen.
Sylvia looked frozen.
....
On the bus
Chloe slowly opened her eyes, she didn't know when she had fallen asleep.
She reached for her phone, unlocked it, and saw Sylvia's number on it. Since before she'd fallen asleep, she'd been struggling to decide whether she should call Sylvia before getting back on the road after the next stop.
'I see,' She understood why she'd been dreaming about that night.
"What is it?" Chloe heard Harmonie ask, looked at her, and saw Harmonie slowly opening her eyes with a small trace of sleep on her face.
Harmonie didn't look at her right away, Chloe had the impression that she needed some time to come to her senses.
"Did I wake you? Sorry," Chloe said, knowing how long drives could be an ordeal for her friend.
"No, not really. I was between sleep and wakefulness, so I could hear what was going on around me. But hey..." She turned back to Chloe and looked at her, "You didn't answer my question."
Chloe sighed, "It's just... I had a dream about Sylvia."
Harmonie watched her silently as if she wanted to understand something, "Oh... About that night?"
Chloe realized that Harmonie had guessed what she was talking about and nodded.
Harmonie turned her head back to the scenery, "Congratulations."
Chloe turned back to her, and Harmonie saw her action out of the corner of her eye, her head tilted towards the window and continued.
"You managed to open up to her..."
Chloe understood what she meant and said, "You can do it too, you know?"
"I know, but you know we tend to run away from our sentimental problems, but I promised myself I'd do it for Cassandra and our relationship, especially for me."
Chloe smiled at the look Harmonie gave her before looking away, that was her way of saying she was serious.
"As long as the intention is there, all you need is the courage, and I know you've got that."
"How's it going to be with you and her?" asked Harmonie, ignoring what Chloe had told her.
"Huh?"
"You slept together..."
Chloe reached for Harmonie's neck and began to play with her hair.
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't wanted, but since what happened and the last time I talked to you about it, I got the impression that she was ignoring me, that she regretted it, and so I thought I'd give her time to think about it, and then I'll go see her next week to find out what she thinks."
Harmonie looked at her, then closed her eyes and enjoyed the head massage Chloé was giving her, "Did she tell you she needed time or did she regret it? Because if not, she might be telling herself the same thing... The point is, you should have gone to her."
Harmonie felt Chloé's fingers pause, then continue.
It was her way to pass the time or to calm down.
Harmonie realized that after her words, Chloé was doing it to calm herself down, no longer to pass the time because of stress.
Harmonie sighed, "We'll stop in about 10 minutes. Call her and stop hesitating."
Chloe looked at Harmonie who had her eyes closed.
"Okay."
Harmonie smiled slightly and said quietly, "A little courage is enough."
And Chloe smiled back.