�Chris! Slow down!� Chloe struggled to keep up with Chris� big strides down the stairs and down a hallway. He laughed and ignored her, still pulling her along behind him. She sighed, exasperated, and allowed him to drag her, to where? She had no idea.
�We�re here!� Chris finally released the hold on her arm and knocked on the hotel door.
�Where exactly is here?� Chloe glanced down the hallway and tensed when she noticed the large black man standing in the corner, his arms crossed over his chest. Chris glanced over and noticed the wide-eyed look Chloe was giving the man.
�It�s okay, that�s Lonnie, he�s one of our body guards.� He explained. Chloe nodded and eyed him once more before the door swung open.
�Hey Chris! What you�..hey, you�re that girl from before!�
�Yea Joe, that girl. Her name is Chloe.� Chris rolled his eyes and pulled Chloe into the room where all the guys were hanging out. They all briefly said hi, not moving their eyes away from the movie they were watching.
�Hey, Joe?� Chris called over to another tall black man sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. He looked up, and smiled.
�Yeas Chris, lemme guess, I gotta take you and your girlfriend somewhere?�
Chloe blushed profusely and began to shake her head.
�No, You�ve got it all wrong, you see�.I, umm�.� She babbled on, amusing everyone in the room.
�Give her a break Joe! You�re scaring her!� Chris offered, pretending to shield Chloe from him. Joe rolled his eyes and walked past Chris and Chloe and opened the door.
�You coming?� He asked, holding the door open for the two. Chris nodded and took Chloe by the hand, once again pulling her out the door.
�So, where are you two going?� Joe looked over his shoulder as he lead them out the back of the hotel. Chris shrugged and turned to Chloe.
�So�.any idea of where you want to go to eat?�
�No, I really don�t mind.� She said softly, tucking some loose hair behind her ear. Chris frowned. The Chloe he remembered was never this soft spoken. She was always throwing out her opinions left and right.
�Okay�.Hey Joe, how bout you take us to that Italian place we always go to?� Chris suggested as they approached a black limo. Chris opened the door and helped Chloe in before hopping in himself. Joe slipped into the drivers� seat and nodded.
�Whatever you want, pops.�
�Pops?� Chloe raised an eyebrow. Chris blushed and shook his head.
�Nothing, ignore it. Pretend you never heard it.� He jokingly placed his hands over her ears. She laughed as she swatted them away.
�You never change, do you?� Chloe shook her head, still amazed she was best friends with this man.
�You did though, Clover.� Chris muttered softly. Chloe froze, unsure of what to do. No one ever brought up her past, but then again, she never talked to anyone besides Mike and Tina, a friend who sometimes came up to see her. But other than them, nobody else knew.
�No, I didn�t�.I just matured.� Chloe mumbled under her breath as she turned to look out the window. The rest of the ride to the restaurant was quiet, with Chris giving an occasional glance towards Chloe every now and then.
�Okay kids, we�re here.� Joe announced, pulling up in front of a small Italian restaurant.
�I don�t thin we�ll get mobbed here, Joe, can we call you when we need a ride back?� Chris pulled on a baseball cap and sunglasses before getting out of the car and offering his hand to Chloe. Joe nodded.
�Sure, just give me a call when you need to be picked up. Have fun.� Joe waved before pulling out and disappearing down the street.
�C�mon.� Chris led Chloe into the restaurant, where they were seated in the back, upon Chris� request. A waitress soon came over to take their drink order.
�Water , please.�
�Dr. Pepper.�
The waitress nodded and left without saying anything else. Chris watched her leave, smug.
�She didn�t recognize me. Maybe I am the master of disguise!� Chris grinned and raised his eyebrows. Chloe giggled lightly and shook her head.
�You cease to amaze me, Chris.�
�So, Chloe, how have you been?� Chris watched her carefully for any signs of hesitation.
She shrugged.
�Okay, I guess. Not much has happened��
�Not much!?� Chris interrupted her, shock evident on his face.
�You wanted to become a professional violinist, didn�t you? And look where you are now!� He protested.
�Yes, but�.� She paused as the waitress came back and placed their drinks down.
�Can I get you something to eat?� She asked politely, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen.
�Can I have a chicken parmesan?� Chloe asked as she handed the menu back to the girl. She nodded and turned to Chris.
�Can I have the same thing?�
She nodded and scribbled down what could only be described as waitress writing, which consisted of a bunch of loopy lines and crosses, before turning and heading off to the kitchen.
�So, how have you been?� Chloe reversed the question, trying to get off the topic of her as much as possible. She took a sip of her water and waited for an answer.
�I�ve been great, I�m in this vocal group��
�Nsync, right? At least that�s what I think you said before. Sorry, my memory�s going.� Chloe laughed nervously. He nodded, grinning.
�Yeah, it�s cool. It takes a lot out of us, but it�s cool. So, can I ask why you left?� Chris lowered his voice, afraid that someone would overhear their conversation. Chloe, who had been drinking her water, proceeded to choke. Chris immediately jumped to her aid and began to lightly hit her back.
�You okay?� He sat back down, eyeing the now bright red girl in front of him. She nodded, coughing lightly.
�Yea, sorry about that�.I�..I can�t tell you.� She muttered, running a hand back through her hair.
�Why not?� Chris frowned and studied her nervous habits.
�Because, if he finds out you know, he�ll hurt you too.�
�I just can�t. It�s too hard.� Chloe massaged her temples, which were now aching with confusion.
�Will you tell me when you�re ready? I want to help you.� Chris took her hands away from her head and gently ran his thumbs over the back. She looked up, and was shocked by the concern evident in his eyes. She offered a shaky smile and nodded.
�I�ll tell you when I�m ready.� She agreed quietly, pulling her hands away and placing them in her lap. She had to struggle not to just jump up and tell Chris all about Frank and the things he did to her. How he wanted to humiliate and kill her. She shuddered lightly at the thought, which Chris mistook as her being cold. He took his jacket off the back of his chair and leaned over, draping it over her shoulders. She jumped slightly.
�T-thanks.�
�No problem.�
Their food arrived shortly after and the rest of the meal consisted of small talk and memories of their times back in high school. Within an hour, they were outside waiting for Joe to come and pick them up. Chloe was sitting next to Chris on a small bench in front of the restaurant. She sighed softly and tightened Chris� coat, which was still around her shoulders, around her.
�It�s nice out tonight.� Chris muttered, wishing he could whip off the cap and glasses. Chloe nodded in silent agreement.
�Hey guys, ready to go?� Joe, who had just pulled up in front of them, had rolled down the window and was leaning over to project his voice more. They nodded and stood, hopping into the limo.
�You kids have fun?� Joe looked over his shoulder as they settled into comfortable positions.
�Yea, it was great.� Chris tore off the hat and glasses and ran his hands through his hair.
�Ugh, I hate hat hair.� He whined and continued to push his hair forward. Chloe giggled and yawned lightly. Chris looked over and soon found himself yawning.
�Man, I hate that. Whenever one person yawns, everybody else does too.� He rested his head against the plush leather interior and closed his eyes. It would take a while to get back to the hotel with all the traffic. Chloe smiled and leaned back before closing her eyes and falling asleep. It had been a long day.
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(About 45 minutes later)
Chloe heard a car door shut and she cracked open her eyes. Where was she again? She sat up and stretched her arms over her head. She winced as her wrists smacked the roof of the limo. Some incoherent mumbling could be heard to her side and she giggled, watching as Chris turned over in his sleep. It was then she noticed the small white piece of paper pinned to the back of the drivers� seat, just in her view. She pulled it off and read.
�Hey Sleepyheads, ran into the market to grab some food, request from Justin, I�ll be back soon. Stay put. ~Joe.�
Chloe placed the note on the seat next to her and turned to face Chris. He had found a strange position to sleep in, and had his legs were up on the seat. She smiled and gently shook his shoulder, knowing that the drive from the market to the hotel wouldn�t be long.
�Chris, we�ll be at the hotel soon, get up.�
He groaned and mumbled something before turning away from her. She rolled her eyes and hit him lightly on the shoulder.
�Get up.�
��Five more minutes fro boy��
�Look, I don�t know who �fro boy� is, but you gotta get up.� She held back laughter as she listened to him whine some more, apparently half asleep. She grinned evilly and reached an arm over his shoulder and towards his stomach. If he was still the same Chris she knew from so long ago, then he would still be ticklish. Her fingers met his side and he jerked away, moaning in protest.
�C�mon Chris, up.� She instructed as she reached her other arm over and continued her assault.
�Chloe�stop!� He whined, biting back laughter.
�Nuh uh, get up.� She shook her head and continued tickling. Her attack was stopped, however, when a strong hand grabbed both of hers�. She gasped, her eyes wide, as Chris sat up, glaring playfully at her. With his free hand, he unbuckled his seat belt so he would have more space to move in.
�C-Chris? I don�t like that face. Stop it�.I was just kidding.� She laughed nervously and tried to back away, only finding herself restrained by the middle seat belt around her waist.
�Trapped.� Chris whispered as he began to attack her, one hand holding both of hers and the other one tickling.
�Stop!� She screamed, squirming to get out of his grasp. She was sure that the whole limo was shaking now from the two of them rolling around, leaving everyone outside to have their own imagination of what was going on in the backseat. Chris continued his attack for another couple of minutes until Chloe started looking like a tomato.
�That�..was not�.cool.� Chloe rasped, still trying to catch her breath. Chris chuckled and leaned back against the seat. Chloe glared at him, angry he wasn�t a mess like she was.
�Hey, you started it�.� Chris shrugged and smiled smugly.
�Well, I was only waking you up because Joe went to go get some food and the drive back to the hotel is only five minutes� She explained as she tried to calm down her statically challenged hair. Chris nodded.
�What, no thanks?� Chloe asked, folding her arms across her chest playfully. Chris shook his head.
�Nope.�
�And just why not?� She raised an eyebrow. He looked over at her, feigning shock, and placed a hand over his heart.
�After what you did to me?�
�I�m surprised, you know where your heart is after all.� Chloe clapped, a playful smile on her lips. Chris glared at her, then crossed his arms across his chest and turned away from her.
�I�m not talking to you.� He hid the smile on his lips. Chloe just laughed and shook her head.
�Aww, but I love you Chris.� She patted his shoulder and he turned to face her, a smile lighting up his face.
�I wuv you too.� He said in a baby voice before pinching her cheek.
�Ouch! That hurt!� She whined, pulling away. The front door of the limo was pulled open and Joe looked in.
�Good, you�re awake.�
�No we�re not, pretend your sleeping!� Chris threw his head back and faked a loud snore. Chloe burst out laughing. Joe rolled his eyes and hopped into the limo and started it up.
�Okay, we�re going back to the hotel.� Joe announced, knowing they weren�t listening anyway.
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�Thanks Chris, I really needed to get my mind off of everything for a while.�
Chris and Chloe were both standing in front of her hotel door. She was fidgeting nervously, pulling on the loose string at the bottom of her shirt.
�No problem, here, this is my hotel number. We�ll be here for another two days. Call me if you need anything.� Chris handed her a sheet of paper with some numbers scrawled on it. Chloe nodded and gripped it tightly in her hand.
�Bye.�
�Bye.�
Chloe watched him turn and disappear around the corner before sighing and opening her door. She quietly closed it behind her, not wanting to wake any neighbors, and slipped off her shoes. She threw her purse on the floor and went to her suitcase, where she pulled out some pajamas. Chloe couldn�t help but smile as she slipped out of her clothes and started a hot shower. She hadn�t had much time for fun recently, and Chris had taken her out for a hell of a time. She shook away the thoughts and hopped in the shower.
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