Wait and Hope

Note: This is the third and fourth chapter of a larger story. I strongly recommend checking out the other ones before reading this one.

Note 2: This is a slow-burn, slice-of-life romance story first and foremost. There will be erotica, but not for a long, long time.

Huge thanks to Chaotic twunk and Dave for their help on editing Ch.03 and Ch.03 & Ch.04, respectively.

*****

Wait and hope Ch. 3 -Memories

As we drive off, Chloe seems to relax a bit, as if all the pressure she's been through is starting to wind down. It makes sense. I'm pretty sure I would also be tense as hell if I had been through what she had...

On the freeway, I take a look at Chloe every chance I get. Well, I try to be at least a little sneaky about it, not wanting to disturb her. My friend is looking at the road in front of her, without saying a word. I don't think she notices me sneaking a few glances here and there

To be honest, I'm surprised she didn't fall asleep already, seeing how exhausted she looks. And I don't know about her, but I find the sound of a car driving along in the rain one of the most soothing things there is. Still, she looks pretty relaxed, and that's more than good enough for me.

Driving slowly and under heavy rain, it takes us nearly 40 minutes to get to my house. And during all this time, I can't wipe this stupid grin off my face, even though my friend's life has just been smashed to pieces, it feels like some sort of weird sleepover. Technically, it is. Just not for the good reasons, sadly.

When I turn off the engine, Chloe jumps a bit, looking almost surprised.

"Welcome back, sleepyhead," I jokingly say

She looks around, slightly confused. "That's--?"

"Yup, welcome to my humble house."

"Guess I got lost in my thoughts... Sorry"

I smile gently. "No worries, it happens. It's not like I was the chattiest driver around anyway..."

I then get out of the car as my friend does as well, stretching herself a bit while doing so.

She looks around. "It's a nice place, I like it!"

"Thank you! I like it a lot. It's really quiet here."

"I can see that." Apart from us, the street is empty. The only sounds we can hear are each other's voices and the slight rain on the pavement.

"You never came here, right?"

"Nope," She answers, maybe a bit nostalgic." We never saw each other again since you moved."

"Yeah, life sneaks up on ya... I guess," My thoughts trail off for a moment to the past few years, and how we just didn't see each other for 4 years.

Chloe chuckles a bit. "Don't worry about it. I never visited either"

After a bit of fumbling, I finally find the right key and manage to open the door.

I wave her in, "Please."

She shyly enters the house, looking inside from the doorframe before stepping in. "It's even nicer on the inside!" She takes a few steps inside before suddenly stopping. Before I can ask what's going on, she blurts, "Oh my god, I'm making a mess! I'm dripping everywhere..."

"I'll clean that up"

Mom would surely kill me if I didn't.

I point at the stairs on the right. "The bathroom's upstairs. You can even take a shower if you want!"

Very hesitantly, Chloe answers, "Well, if it's not too much to ask... Yeah, that would be great."

"Of course! Consider yourself home for as long as you're staying here!" I happily say, while heading for the stairs. Chloe follows me.

"Thank you... I don't know how to thank you!".

I stop when reaching the top, the hallway stretching on either side of the staircase. "Nah, you don't have to. You would do the same."

My friend doesn't answer, but she smiles at me, her gaze filled with kindness.

"So the bathroom is the second door on the right. If you need it, the restroom is just before." I say while pointing to the doors in question.

The young woman nods and heads that way, probably eager to warm up after standing in the cold winter rain for so long.

"Well, if you need anything, I'll be down­stairs!" I cheerfully add, before going back down to the living room to clean what little water dripped from my soaked friend.

Phone in hand, I collapse on the couch after cleaning up. Boy, what a day. If you'd told me this morning, I'd pick up a soaked Chloe in front of old middle school, I would've laughed. And it's not the craziest part of the day... Maybe I would have cried...

Might as well call Mom to update her on Chloe. It's almost noon, so she should be on her lunch break. At least I hope so. She picks up after a few rings. "Jesse? Is everything okay?"

"Yup, everything's fine, don't worry. I'm just calling to keep you updated,"

"Oh! Okay. So what happened? How is Chloe doing?" Mom asks, her voice filled with genuine concern for someone she pretty much forgot about up until today.

"Not... great. She's not hurt physically, at least not that she told me, but she's still pretty roughed up."

For a moment, my mind goes back to earlier this morning. I still can't believe what I saw back there. My friend, standing defeated for the world to see, while the rain soaked her to the bones. A chill goes through my mind from just recalling that sight.

"Yeah, I can see why..." Moms says

I keep on going, recalling the past hour or so. "And she accepted our... well, your offer to stay here for a bit."

"Ah! I'm relieved to hear that! I wouldn't have been comfortable knowing she had to sleep in some kind of refuge, or worse, on the street..."

"Yeah, me neither, honestly. She was soaked from the rain, so she went up to take a shower."

"Okay, great. When she's done, tell her to feel at home for however long she wants to stay. And not to hesitate to ask if she needs anything."

I answer, a smile growing on my face. "That's pretty much what I said, yeah... But I will say it again, just in case."

"Oh, and do you know if she has any dry clothes? If not, she's more than welcome to dig around mine. She should find something that fits."

"Good point." My throat closes a bit. "I wouldn't be surprised if everything she has is as soaked as her. I'll make sure to let her know."

"What are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

"I thought I would go back to school after-- After doing whatever she needed me to do, but since she's staying... Yeah, I'm not gonna let her alone."

"I figured... I'll call the school to excuse you for today, but you will have to go back tomorrow. You're worried about your friend, and that's okay, but you can't forget about school."

The simple thought of schools seems so far away right now.... She's right, I will have to go tomorrow. But that means Chloe will have to spend the day alone. That won't be fun...

"I won't. I promise"

"I know you won't. I should get back to work, it's already past my lunchtime.. Thank you for updating me. I'll forward that to Dad. See you both tonight!"

Once the call is over, silence falls on the house, only disturbed by the distant sounds of a shower. Guess I have some time to update Thomas and Ruby. Class is over for now, and they are probably worried.

No need to call them, just a text will be enough. "Picked up Chloe. She's not hurt but very shaken. She's staying at my place for now."

Almost immediately, Ruby answers. "That's probably the best thing to do. Say hi to her for me, will ya?"

"Will do"

Ruby has never met Chloe in her life, and I barely ever mention her, usually. And yet, she's also genuinely worried for her. I'm lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people...

A bit later, Thomas also texts back. Well, texting might be a bit exaggerated. His only answer is the side eye emojis. I need a second to understand what he's saying, when it suddenly hits me: Right, a girl is sleeping at my place. I'm willing to bet that my friends are bickering like an old couple over that tasteless joke.

Chloe's definitely taking her sweet time up there. And I can't blame her. I'm not sure how long she stood in the rain for, but it's most certainly long enough to justify a long shower. As long as she wants. And maybe she needs a bit of me time too...

So I just wait for her, mindlessly scrolling through Reddit as one does when they're waiting for their long lost friend to finish taking a shower to warm up after getting kicked out by their parent--Wait, you're telling me no one does that?

Ten minutes or so later, I hear Chloe's voice calling me from upstairs. Once I make it upstairs, I see Chloe's head popp­ing out of the bathroom, steam escaping from the interstice between the door and the wall.

She speaks, barely loudly enough for me to hear her, even though the house is quiet. "Huh, I have an issue..."

"Yeah?" I step a bit closer, curious as to why my friend is acting strangely.

"All of my other clothes are wet from the rain, even the ones in my backpack," Chloe says, visibly embarrassed.

As she speaks, I catch a mirror behind her. Is she--

Yes. She is.

I laugh nervously. "Yeah, I figured that might happen... Well, my mom did. She said that you're free to dig around in her stuff. Grab whatever you want.

I try to keep my eye on her face, but the damn mirror's giving me the whole view. I manage... mostly

God, she's hot. Not that I didn't notice before, but this is something else.

And that's just from the back. I wonder what--

Jesus, stop it, shut up, brain. You're not supposed to think stuff like this about a friend.

She pulls me back to reality. "Oh! That's nice of her... I don't know what to say..."

"You don't have to say anything, it's normal." Focusing on her face, "my parents' room is the one right across from the bathr­oom." My friend smiles a little, visibly relieved that she'll have something to wear that's not soaked.

I hope she didn't notice my eyes wandering... "I'll let you get on with it then!"

"Thanks!" She says as I hurry a bit downstairs, my body having reacted to what I just saw.

A few minutes later, I hear her coming down the stairs. Luckily, she spent just enough time getting dressed for me to calm down. I'm not sure I'll be able to ever forget what I just saw up there...

I shake my head to get those thoughts out of my mind before looking behind me to see Chloe stepping down the last few steps. She's now wearing some old outfit I haven't seen my mom wear in years. It's not a perfect fit... My mother is a bit taller than her, but it's close enough that it doesn't look too awkward.

She looks much happier than a few hours ago. While not quite back to normal, or at least what I'm used to, it's much closer than how I found her.

"What are you smiling about? Do I look funny?" Chloe says, glancing at her outfit.

"Oh no! No, no, not at all! It just feels like some kind of weird sleepover... And I guess it makes me happy, seeing you here."

My friend seems to relax a bit as she comes to sit beside me on the couch.

"That's--That's funny... 'Cause I had the same thought earlier. If I can get past the whole 'I got kicked out' part, it does feel like a sleepover." Chloe explains, smiling slightly.

I check the time on my phone before asking, "Wanna eat something? I don't know about you, but I'm pretty damn hungry."

"You read my mind!"

"What would you like? "I ask, getting ready to cook behind the bar, separating the living room from the kitchen.

Chloe comes near me, probably wanting to help out."I'm not sure... What's the most convenient for you?"

I grin when I see her standing next to me. "You go relax over there while I do the cooking."

She pouts a bit but gives in. Once she's seated at the bar facing me, she teases me a bit. "So you do know how to cook?"

"I'm no expert, but it's edible, at least! What would you like?"

I hope she relaxes a bit. It seems like she doesn't want to bother me for anything. I mean, I get it, I would behave the same if I were in her shoes...

She thinks about it for a moment before answering. "I think I wouldn't be against some Mac 'n cheese."

"Ahh! Now that's a good idea!" I say, smiling. Without waiting any longer, I begin to make some. In the meantime, we chat about anything and everything.

"And what about you? How is it going?" My friend asks, as she did so often via text, but this time in the same room as me.

"Me?" I ponder for a bit," Same old, same old. I guess." Chloe raises an eyebrow, not satisfied with my answer. "No, but really. School's going fine, family too."

"Nothing interesting? Your life is that boring?" Says the young woman, a little disappointed. "And what about your friends?"

"Yeah, they are fine too! They are worr­ied about you, actually." I grin. "Well, mostly Ruby, but hey-- she counts."

"Really?" She exclaims, surprised.

"Yup! Even though they don't know you, they are worried. They are wonderful friends to have."

She pouts and looks sad for a few moments before saying, her voice gloomy. "I wish I had such good friends." She looks up and almost immediately says, "I mean, apart from you obviously!"

"Phew, I was worried there for a second!"

My joke was enough to bring her smile back. Still, she keeps on going. "Ruby and...Ah--Thomas. Yeah, they seem like really good friends. Every time you told me about them, they seemed so nice."

I nod. "They are!"

Chloe stares at her plate for a second.

"I can tell them to swing by while you are here if you want to meet them," I ask, unsure.

She doesn't answer right away, probably thinking about the next few days. A shadow travels across her face. "I don't... I don't know, to be honest. I would like to focus on whatever I do next to be honest. Maybe after I figure it out?"

"Fair enough. But why don't we focus on eating right now?" I say right as I put her plate in front of her. She looks at it happily. She doesn't even wait for me to sit in front of her before digging into her food.

"Wow," I say, surprised, "you were hungry!"

"Mmmm, sorry," she says between two bites of her meal

"Nah, don't worry about it". I dig in as well, just now noticing I'm also famished. I guess emotions take a lot out of you...

"And what about girls?"

"Well, still nothing..." Now that I think about it, if I ended up in a relationship, she would have been one of the first to know...

Seeing my obvious embarrassment on the subject, she keeps on going, while trying not to laugh. "Don't tell me there isn't a single cute girl in your school?"

I shrug... "Not really..." My friends know I hate talking about this stuff... And that's why she's asking. I'd probably do the same, to be honest."Well, I mean, there is, but I don't know, I'm not really interested in any of them."

"What about Ruby?"

"Not happening. Seriously. Ruby's great, but--God no. And even if, that would be soooo awkward, you know with Thomas and everything"

"You're no fun, Jesse, do you know that?" Chloe says teasingly.

"So I'm told..."

Chloe continues. "So, nothing at all?"

I simply nod before adding. "To be honest, I think I'm not looking for... That. Or at least no one has caught my attention in any meaningful way yet."

Honestly, it's not just that I'm not interested in any of them. I don't think I could date at my school, it would just feel wrong for some reason. Maybe I'm just waiting for someone like her. Someone who makes everything feel easy. And on that front, no one else even comes close.

I get up to fetch us some drinks from the fridge. After grabbing some soda, I sit back in front of my friend. She's almost done with her plate of food, so my cooking must have been at least decent. Maybe I'm not that bad of a cook after all.

"And what about you, heh? You never talk about your love life," I ask her, equally teasingly

Chloe's face grows a bit somber. "I haven't... seen anyone from school or otherwise for months..."

"Mhh, that's a bummer indeed. And what about before?" A smile grows on my face as she gets somewhat embarrassed.

Love and relationships have always been a subject we mostly avoided. I guess being teens is hard enough as it is, and considering we are guy/girl friends... But since she asked about my love life, I'm not gonna pretend I'm not interested in hers.

Once she finishes her mac 'n cheese, she lies back on her chair before answering my question. "Mostly the same, pretty quiet. A few friends kept teasing me about it, and even pointing out single boys I could be into... But yeah, they didn't really pique my interest in the slightest."

Having also finished my pasta, I pick up both of our plates and bring them to the dishwas­her. Of course, my friend tries to help me, but a single look convinces her to take it easy.

"Guess we both like the single lifestyle then!" I try being cheerful, but it fails, and I end up sounding almost sad.

My fail gets a chuckle out of Chloe." Yeah, me neither." She then says in a comedic way," Maybe a cute boy is going to drop into my life, who knows?"

"Who knows!"

We spend the rest of our lunch catching up on the rest, but it's mainly about me. I can feel her getting a bit sad every time I ask her about her family or friends or whatnot, so I almost don't. And I think she's more than happy to listen to me.

Once we are done, I get up and say, "Would you like a tour of the house? You've seen most of it, but still"

"I would love that!" She gets up, ready to follow me around.

"So as you can see, here's the living space. Kitchen, living room, and dining space - all open."

Chloe smiles as I give her a guided tour, and she quietly listens to everything I say. And I can't help but smile too. It's almost surreal seeing her in my house after not seeing each other for years.

"And then, upstairs...." I wave to the staircase in the back of the living room.

We both go up, and once up there, I resume,

"So as you know, on the right there are the bathrooms, toilets, and my parents' room, which means on the left there is my room."

I wave to my door while saying that. I'm about to head over when Chloe asks, "And what's that?"

She's looking at the door right in front of mine. I'm so used to it, I didn't even consider talking about it

"Oh, that? It's supposed to be a guest room or a second bedroom or whatever, but we never bothered using it. So it's a storage room. I'm pretty sure there's still some boxes left over from the move, collecting dust..."

Chloe nods along, "And so that's your room?" A grin grows on her face. "I wonder how messy it is...."

Thinking back to when I left in the morning, my room was pretty messy. Not that bad, but not perfect either.

My cheeks blush slightly as I push open the door. "I wasn't expecting visitors anytime soon, sorry about that."

A quiet laugh escapes Chloe's lips right before she enters my room.

Bang in the middle of it is my messy bed. Sheets ruffled, a few dirty clothes lying on the floor, along with some plushies. Pushed against the opposite wall, to our left, is my desk. The whole thing is a disorganised mess, apart from the laptop in the center. Finally, against the wall opposite the door, my couch. It's the only place mostly free of mess, apart maybe from a blanket just lying there, unfolded.

"It's not that bad! Could have been way worse." Chloe walks around my room for a bit, dodging the occasional clothes lying on the floor. "It's huge!" she says, amazed. She even spins around, extending her arms away from her.

Standing back a bit, I stand in the doorway, casually leaning against the frame. Yup! It's so nice, too. My old room was so small."

Chloe tries out my couch, seemingly satisfied. She settles down." Yeah, I remember you showed me once."

A smile on my lips, I ask, "Do you like it?"

My friend looks around a bit more before answering, "I do! Seems like a cool bedroom to have!" She then adds, "Why do you ask? You look like you have an idea in mind."

That's because I do," I say, smiling. I was hoping you'd like it cause that's where you'll be sleeping!"