Reasons Why - 5

Chapter 5

Despite the amount of times she'd heard the term 'jaw hitting floor', Chloe realised at that very second that she'd never witnessed it before. Didi was...astounded...amazed...completely dumbfounded.

Chloe chuckled, "am I that unlikely a candidate?"

Didi shook her head as she fought to focus on Chloe, "of course not! It's just he's...so well known around here. And you were so sure you weren't going to see him again!"

"I'm not! I'm here for a few weeks. I'm not going to turn daft over some good looking bloke!"

Didi glanced at Chris, then back to Chloe, "damn girl, he's hotter that hot. You've got better resolve than me!"

"All I want is to get out of here without him seeing me!"

Twenty minutes later Phil was back with the boys. If he noticed the tension between the women he said nothing.

"Lunch? On me? I promised the guys some salmon fishcakes!"

Chloe stared at him, "salmon fishcakes? Surely kids want McDonalds as a treat?"

Didi laughed, "our favourite waterfront bar," Chloe took that to mean the pub they'd visited earlier in the week, "sells the best fishcakes, and an all-you-can-eat ice cream dessert! It's a boys special in our house!"

"So let's go!" Phil insisted, Carter dancing up and down beside him, his eyes already glazed over at the thought of unlimited ice cream.

Chloe darted her eyes nervously around the yard, there was no sign of Chris, so she nodded. But none of them moved that quickly, and she could barely hide her frustration at their ambling gait.

"Meet us at the car," Didi offered, noticing her discomfort. And as Chloe nodded and jogged for the car park, she turned to Phil. "You will never believe what I'm about to tell you!"

The car park was the other side of the field that fronted the school, and she jogged until she was out of view of the yard and everyone associated with bloody lacrosse. It was the last thing her hangover needed, and she slowed to  a stroll making her way to the minivan.

Leaning against the hot metal she covered her eyes, this was a disastrous day all round. All she could envisage was falling asleep in the gingham covered bed in the well ventilated loft that classed as home for the next few weeks. And she wanted to be there now.

"Come on Neimi, you blonde bastard! I am dying here - official!" A voice called out across the car park.

Chris.

Her escape was thwarted. Chloe didn't know where to hide her face as an open topped classic American car - a mustang? she wondered, roared across the carpark, the back seat was loaded with equipment, sports bags, and driving was the owner of the voice. As he pulled to a stop, his face mirrored Didi's expression just a little earlier as he spotted the red faced Chloe leaning against the car.

Cutting the engine, he literally leapt over the closed door to stand in front of her, "Chloe?" Despite his bravado and the arrogance she'd witnessed the previous night, as he stood there, he looked nervous, vulnerable. Ignoring the catcalls from his blonde friend who'd finally climbed into the car, he walked towards her.

She nodded her head, "can't believe you didn't let on, didn't say what you did. Made me look a right fool today!"

He was taken aback, "what do you mean? We hardly got down to shoe size and employer last night!"

"You know that I'm taking time from my law career to travel, you know I'm here for a few weeks staying with my brother. How hard was it to say 'I play sport and I'm a bit of a big deal'?"

Chris sighed, wondering how the hell it had suddenly got so aggressive. Seeing her leaning against the car was like a gift from the gods, he could hardly tell his friends that it wasn't the lack of sleep making him so distracted and lethargic today, it was dreams and visions of a tall blonde goddess. And now she was here, in front of him, dressed SO sexily in a cute straw haat and ridiculously short shorts. "It was nice to meet someone who doesn't know who I am..."

She shook her head, still angry, "too little, too late." Suddenly the memory of her collar bone rushed back, "and you gave me a hickie? Who does that at our age?" In her own head she sounded as petty and childish as she labelled him. But she didn't seem to be able to control herself.

He burst out laughing, "I did not!"

Tugging the neck of her t-shirt over her shoulder she waved the offending area in his face, "explain that then Mister!"

Groaning, he shook his head, "blame it on exhuberance?"

As he watched Chloe turn away, he reached for her, "meet me, tonight? So we can talk?"

Shaking her head she snatched her hand free, "No, I told you that last night!"

"I think you'll find that was this morning!" he attempted a smirk despite her animosity.

"Semantics Chris. It was a laugh, game over!"

As he watched her ruffle her defensive feathers he couldn't let her get away, not without a chance to talk to her. Hell all he wanted at that moment was to kiss her...again. Stepping forward he fought the anger and frustration inside him, "we got on last night Chloe, even if it was just as friends. There's no vaild reason for you not to agree to come out with me, so I don't know what you're scared of, but I am not it. Ok?" 

"That sounds fair!" They both spun around to the deep voice that added to the conversation to see Phil, Carter on his shoulders, Didi just behind him pushing Mikey. "Can't think there's anything better than Chloe having fun with someone her own age! I'm her brother Phil...I obviously know who you are! Pleased to meet you Chris!"

The two men shook hands, "cool. You too! I recognise you," he shook Carter's hand, still on top of his Dad's shoulders, "as the best player from our training earlier!" Carter beamed as Chris turned back to Phil, "I'll pick your sister up at eight?"

As Phil nodded giving his address, Chloe who'd been silently fuming exploded, "don't make plans as though I'm not here! I'll go out if I want to!"

Phil grinned, "great! Eight o'clock it is then!"

Chris smiled apologetically realising that the last thing he wanted was a hostile and forced encounter with Chloe, "do you mind if I just have a moment with your sister Sir?"

Phil's eyes widended at the respect and propriety in the statement, "of course! We'll just put the kids in the car!"

Chris gestured towards his car, and despite how angry Chloe was feeling, she followed, not wanting any more of her dirty laundry to be aired so publicly.

"Chloe, I'm sorry...I just want us to go out, a movie, a bite to eat...anything." He ran a hand through his hair.

"You think the way to woo a woman is to force her in to dating you?"

Chris laughed, "No! But I do think that rescuing her from an awkward situation, taking her dancing, walking her home...I'm not saying that warrants another date, but we had fun. That's all!"

He was flustered and she suddenly saw that vulnerability again. It was a long time since she'd had such fun, he was right about that much. "One date. That is it."

Grinning, he shook her hand in agreement, then perched against the door of his car, and watched her bundle into the car after her family.

Three hours sleep had made the day seem a whole lot brighter, and Chloe woke early evening aware of two things, one that she was a lot happier now that she was refreshed, and two that she owed a vast amount of aapologies. She'd been more than rude to her brother and Didi over lunch and she was mortified for that. Stretching she made for the shower, smiling at the sounds of the boys playing in the garden as she revitalised her body under the hot jets of water.

She'd bought a blue sundress when she'd shopped with Didi in the week, so she pulled that on. It was beautiful, she'd fallen in love with it when she'd seen it, bright blue with thin straps, fitted around the bodice then floating to mid thigh. It was dressy, but she dressed it down somewhat by adding her white converse with it. Her new short hair was dry almost immediately, so she drew some hairclay through it, teasing the locks in to a style she liked. Then taking a deep breath, she headed downstairs.

Phil was in the corner of the room, radio on listening to some sports show, and his emails open on the desktop in fronr of him. He obviosuly hadn't heard her come in, because when she spoke, he jumped.

"So have you told my dad? About my date?"

He finished typing for a few moments, his head still bowed, then he turned around, "Chloe..."

"Don't 'Chloe' me! I know what this is about. Poor old mad Chloe, let's all save her and spoon feed her!"

Phil's eyes widened, and Chloe suddenly realised that the apology she'd intended had disappeared.

"Your father is worried, of course I've told him you're ok. And of course this whole venture was me trying to help out. No one thinks you're mad, no one pities you. We all just want you to have whatever you need to make things good."

"Do you think that is falling in to a relationship with some local sportstar?"

Phil sighed, "no. I think that taking a break from life might start that, and then there's you remembering you're a young woman with no commitments who deserves some fun. He's a good looking guy...Look Chloe, don't hate us over all this."

He stood and walked towards her, "I just want to see you have fun!"

Chloe nodded, "I know, and I'm sorry for being so stroppy and moody earlier."

Grinning, he placed his large hands on her upper arms, "and I'm sorry I took the dad role with him, and with you. I just worry about you..."

She hugged him feeling the bristles of his goatee as he kissed the top of her head, "Phil I have to make my own decisions, I know that I stressed out my Mum and Dad, but I'm not a child who can be controlled. And you can't make it all good, just like that." She clicked her fingers to demonstrate.

"But you are going on the date?" When she nodded he grinned, "you look amazing! Just don't let him drink, there's an important game tomorrow night! Two thousand fans rely on him!"

She didn't deserve this chance from her brother, he'd done all this for her, and had no gratitude. And she knew she'd been unbearable the last few months. Her poor parents. But losing Owen was...the worst thing that had ever happened to her. And any time she was laughing, enjoying herself, having fun, then images of him, as she'd last seen him, bruised and battered, pale and grey on the slab in the hospital mortuary would flash in her mind. She couldn't laugh knowing that he wasn't there to laugh with her. Couldn't enjoy herself knowing that he wasn't at the end of the phone with his own versions of his whacky weekend antics to compare notes. Until the last few weeks she didn't see how she could live without him...no she corrected herself, INSTEAD of him. It should have been her on the slab, and the guilt of the situation would stay with her forever. 

Chloe shook her head trying to draw herself back into the here and now, but it was hard. Owen had been everything. She remembered the last time she'd seen him. A Friday, three days after New Year. He'd called her begging her to rescue him from the date from hell. As was a usual occurence, he'd been unable to say no to a colleagues daughter and was on an illfated date with either an over zealous vixen, or equally as likely a shy retiring librarian. So she'd burst into the restaurant playing the part of the jilted lover, then stormed out, only to be followed by an apologetic Owen. Around the corner they burst out laughing at their antics.

"But you really need to stop this Owen. You never say no, you don't want to hurt them, but abandoning them like tonight is more painful."

He'd dropped his head, his floppy blond hair covering his eyes, "but Nigel my boss said she was so lonely. I didn't realise that meant clingy. I swear she'd be stalking me if I didn't give her the brush off today." 

In a bar a few miles away, a safe enough distance, she'd accepted a gin and tonic and sat next to him in the window of the wine bar, her legs crossed, her prim two piece suit looking the worse for wear. As usual she'd been working late when his plea had come in. After a few drinks she was more relaxed, but was still berating her brother for his behaviour when they parted in taxi's later. 

The next time she saw him, two days later, he'd been dead, beaten to a pulp literally on her doorstep. 

A trip to the bathroom helped her hide the emotions that revisited her, it had been a few weeks since she'd felt so emotional about her brother. Maybe she was turning a corner. But Chris, this handsome stranger was upsetting her equilibrium. 

An hour later, the same open topped car pulled up outside the house, by the time Chris had emerged and made his way to the door, she was waiting for him.

"Hi!" he exclaimed as the door opened, "you look amazing!" He wasn't lying, the dress seemed to bring out the blue of her eyes, and it flattered her figure amazingly.

Chloe smiled at Chris, "you too." He was wearing charcoal grey trousers, with a snug black t-shirt, his short dark hair immaculate, mirrored aviator shades fighting the early evening glare. He looked well presented, smart and successful, any woman's ideal date even if he wasn't handsome, fit and  funny. Shaking her head she had to stop those thoughts. 

Phil shouted a "Hi Chris!" from the lounge, but Chloe groaned and slammed the door behind her before Chris responded.

The City traffic was light for the time of day, but he pulled on to the main road and headed away from town. Chloe peered at her from under her own shades but his confident profile as he powered the car along the road didn't give anything away.

"Where are we going?"

Grinning he turned to her briefly, "a nice restaurant I know out of town. Quiet, well it'll be busy, but not chaotic. Then the choice is up to you."

As he hit the highway the wind whistling past them negated the need for conversations, and she sat back ans enjoyed the view.