Break Your Little Heart

The girls went to bed early that night. Chloe had packed almost everything that needed to be packed. She had kept out only the bare essentials as well as her planned outfits for the next two days. Holiday had ordered Chinese food and sat on the bed in the room Chloe had been using, watching with sad eyes as the blonde packed away everything that had made the room seem like it belonged to Chloe again. Chloe hadn’t touched the food, but Holiday had shoveled it down in order to avoid all types of conversation.

So the very first minute it was possible, Chloe kicked her brunette friend out and went to bed. She didn’t want to leave Holiday just as badly as Holiday didn’t want her to leave, but neither one of them had a choice.

Chloe wasn’t at all surprised to find Holiday asleep in her bed when she woke up the next morning. The brunette was staring at her, a sad smile on her plump lips. Chloe mirrored her expression. With a sigh, Holiday sat up, pulling Chloe with her, and forced her smile to become more cheerful.

“C’mon my little scrumpet, we’ve got a big day ahead of us.” Chloe raised an eyebrow and let out a giggle.

“Scrumpet? That’s a new one.” Holiday beamed, this time not forcing anything.

“Well I’m an original, baby. Normal pet names are just too mainstream for me.”

“You dirty hipster, you.”

“Bite your tongue!” Holiday cried, jumping out of the bed. “Now get up and get dressed!” She tugged the blankets off of Chloe, throwing them into a heap in the corner, and disappeared into her own room. “Oh, and don’t shower! We’re having some major beach time right after Lulu’s!” Holiday’s shout came from the hallway.

Chloe didn’t respond as she pulled herself out of the bed and hunted down the few clothes she hadn’t packed last night. Though she was trying to avoid it, her mind was swimming with the possibilities of what could happen once she landed in Baltimore tomorrow. Alex’s image flashed across her mind before Chloe shoved it back inside the vault she kept her past locked inside. Holiday appeared at the doorway, startling Chloe with a light knock. Chloe forced all thoughts from her mind as she smiled at her best friend.

“Ready?”

Chloe nodded and looped her arm through the thin brunette’s as they exited the building and began the walk to the diner. Holiday chattered away about anything and everything while Chloe stayed silent. It was one of the reasons the girls worked so well together, and currently the reason neither one was dwelling on the fact that Chloe would be on a plane far away from LA in less than 24 hours.

Lulu pulled them into a syrup smelling hug the minute they were in the door and ushered them to their usual table, yelling towards the kitchen that the girls had arrived, which immediately had Louis, the chef, pulling together their food. That was Chloe’s absolute favorite part of being a regular here, and she gladly accepted the cup of coffee Lulu poured for her, placing a soft kiss on the woman’s slightly wrinkled cheek. Holiday was still talking and Chloe finally placed a hand on her arm to shut her up. Holiday met those clear blue eyes and blushed lightly.

“Sorry. I was rambling wasn’t I?” Chloe nodded, a grin playing on her lips. Holiday grimaced for a moment, but was soon speaking again, attempting to keep her emotions at bay. This time, however, her words were actually relevant. “So after breakfast we’re headed to the beach and then shopping because Lord knows it’s going to be cold in Baltimore and I know that you forgot to pack anything remotely warm besides Oli’s jacket since you were too excited about the sun here to remember its actually winter and then back to the apartment to change before visiting Dale and Crew one last time and I promise none of the other girls will be there –”

“Holiday.” Chloe cut the girl off with a slight giggle. Holiday’s cheeks tinted pink again.

“Rambling, right, sorry.”

“It’s okay. And that sounds absolutely perfect. Really.”

Chloe was saved from another rant by Lulu placing their food down in front of them. Chloe picked at her food, but Holiday dug in. The two things that Chloe knew for sure would calm Holiday down was a Tinkerbell or Eggs Benedict from Lulu’s, and Chloe was extremely grateful that Holiday was getting both of those things today. Chloe had years learning how to properly deal with her emotions alone, but Holiday was not nearly as guarded and her heart tended to find itself stitched onto her sleeve.

From that moment on, there was relative silence. Somehow, Chloe suspected it was Holiday’s doing, Lulu had found out today was the blonde’s last day in the city and had insisted on not only comping their meal, but sending Chloe off with her favorite mushroom and spinach egg white omelet that she could eat on the way to the airport the next morning since her flight was so early. She also slipped Chloe a box of chocolate chip cookies that she knew Zack happened to love, though that was only based off of Chloe’s testimony since Lulu had never met the boy. For a few hours they wandered around the shops near the diner, Chloe ending up with more clothing that her suitcase could probably hold. Although, she couldn’t bring herself to feel bad about spending so much when she realized Holiday had been right about the clothing she had brought with her. Nothing in her bag would have been remotely suited to the Baltimore weather she would be enduring in less than 24 hours.

They stopped back at Holiday’s flat just long enough to store the food, drop off their bags, and grab the drinks that Holiday had, once again, forgotten, before driving to the beach and setting up camp a few meters back from the waves. There was silence again as the girls soaked in the UV rays, both dozing on and off with a timer set to remind them when to alternate sides. But their fingers were linked together, resting in the few inches of sand that separated their towels, and Chloe felt a rush of sadness attack her as she realized she was going to be leaving her true home again.

It was moments like these that Chloe tried her hardest to avoid. She didn’t regret her decision to move from LA to Sheffield, she didn’t think she ever would especially now that she had Oli, but California was really, truly where she belonged. The sand and the surf and the sun caressed her in ways not even Alex had managed to. LA had, literally, saved her. The rehabilitation center Chloe had spent her first six months in may not have been exactly helpful, but meeting Holiday there had been.

The brunette had spent one single weekend sharing a room with Chloe simply because she had stopped to visit her brother and happened to catch a glimpse of the blonde. After talking for ten minutes, Holiday had made a deal with Chloe. If Chloe would give her a chance, just three days, Holiday would be the best friend Chloe could ever hope for. And though the girl had simply stared at her with those almost see through blue eyes, Chloe’s therapist thought it might actually help and signed off on the plan. Even with a skeptical Chloe trying her hardest to resist, Holiday had managed to win her over. Five years later, lying here on her old beach towel with her best friend’s hand intertwined so perfectly with her own, Chloe felt a sharp pang of heartache that she hadn’t experienced since a month or so after leaving Alex Baltimore.

Tears sprang up out of nowhere and Chloe sniffed quietly, trying to suck them back in. But when she felt a pressure on her hand, she looked over to see that Holiday’s eyes were brimming with them as well. They flew into each other’s arms, holding tightly and refusing to cry. It was a solid five minutes before they released each other simultaneously. Chloe coughed a bit before laughing at the ridiculous of it all. Neither one of them had even been this emotional when Chloe first moved away. After calming down, they began to gather their things, estimating the time to be about 4:00. It wasn’t surprising considering they hadn’t gotten to Lulu’s until nearly ten that morning and had spent at least three hours shopping, not even making it to the beach until two in the afternoon, but Chloe felt as if the clocks were spinning faster today, her time left in LA ticking away far too quickly. Holiday was rushing now, obviously excited for the clubbing she had planned for the two of them that night. Chloe just followed after the skinny brunette. Chloe allowed Holiday to shower first since she needed to pack all of her new clothing away and pull out an outfit for the plane tomorrow. She knew for a fact there was no way she'd remember to do either tonight nor would she have time tomorrow morning. Once Chloe had managed to shove everything away, she made a drink for each of them, downing hers once Holiday stepped out of the bathroom. She slipped into the dress Holiday had laid out for her without complaint and then they were off.

In all honesty, the night passed Chloe by in a blur of bright colors, loud music, too many drinks and the sound of Holiday’s infectious giggle. At nearly three o’clock in the morning she found herself back at Holiday’s flat, snuggled deep into the blankets on Holiday’s bed. Her drunken mind stumbled over the events as she laid in bed next to Holiday, who was already passed out cold. She remembered being given a fancy glass emblazoned with a delicate looking silver fairy and faintly recalled Dale telling her the club had now decided to put her and Holiday’s Tinkerbell drink on their specialty menu and these were their new glasses, specially ordered just for that purpose. He had given Holiday one as well. Chloe and Holiday had squealed at his news, forcing Dale out from behind the counter to give them each a proper hug after they all downed a few celebration shots. He had even allowed the girls to drag him to the dance floor for a couple of songs before kissing both of their cheeks and making Chloe promise to come back more often. At some point after that, Holiday had pulled her out of the club, for once the one that was more sober. Crew had, of course, loaded them into a cab, tweaking Chloe’s nose with that dimpled smile of his gracing his lips as he told her he’d see her soon. And then they had gotten home and somehow managed to safely make their way to bed.

Chloe let out a deep sigh, the alcohol in her brain cutting off all memories and shrouding everything in a heavy fog. Her eyelids slipped shut. Her body curled around Holiday’s. All thoughts of going back to Baltimore for the first time in a long time vanished, and Chloe fell asleep without a care in the world.