A Place of Hope and No Pain
Chapter 40
Matt's POV
"Hopefully I won't be much longer." The security guy told me, heading towards the back door.
I hoped he wasn't much longer too, I was already late.
This was all Lucy's fault, she was meant to move back in today and ever since I told her I didn't want her to she'd been sneaking in when I wasn't home, taking things, not even telling me she'd been. Well she was in for a rude shock now, I'd had all the lock's and codes changed.
I groaned as the guy walked past me again and out to his van, god, it was taking so long. I was meant to be at Chloe's half an hour ago and I knew she'd be pissed, well Chloe was always pissed but at least she was still seeing me, well until now.
I grabbed my phone and messaged her.
I'm running late
I sent it and waited for her to reply, sure enough a message came straight back.
Don't bother coming
I smiled, expecting that response, I would have been shocked if it was any different.
See you soon
She wouldn't reply to that one, I knew that. It seemed my persistence had paid off, Chloe was more accepting of me in her life and I was glad, like I told her, I wasn't going anywhere. She was slowly telling me about herself, although it was hard work getting anything out of her, she was slowly telling me, slowly opening up, very slowly I might add.
I fucking adored her, I really did. I wasn't going to let her get away from me, she made my life a little more interesting. I had a thing for her, and I kind of wanted to ask her on another date or something, one by ourselves, my only problem was I just didn't know how she felt and I already knew I was pushing my limits with her, so if I asked her out she might just well completely cut me off.
"Okay I'm done." Security guy announced, walking back in.
I jumped up, thank god, but unfortunately I had to stand there for another ten minutes while he ran through and explained everything to me.
Finally he was gone and finally I was on my way to Chloe's. I decided to stop and do something, nice. I wanted to buy her a bunch of flowers, maybe soften her up a little before I worked myself up to asking her out.
I pulled up at a florist, glad they were still open and went inside, trying to decide what I wanted. I wanted something big, something flashy, I wanted to impress her, but it was Chloe, she probably wouldn't be impressed.
"Um, Matt is it?" Someone asked, and I turned around to see Chloe's mother standing there.
"Oh yeah hi." I said quickly, noticing she had a little girl with her.
"It's nice to see you again." She said softly. "Are you buying flowers?"
I frowned, this was a florist. "Yeah I am."
"Get those pink roses." She told me. "Chloe loves roses."
"Does she?" I asked her, unsure, but I mean she was her mother, surely she'd know.
"Yes, she always did." She added.
"Well thanks." I said, grabbing the bunch.
"Matt." She asked as I turned to the counter. "Could you do me a favour?"
I looked at her. This was Chloe's mother, Chloe hated her mother and Chloe was my priority. "Um, it depends."
She nodded. "Well, it's Harper's birthday tomorrow and we're having a party." She explained. "And well, we'd really love it if Chloe came."
I smiled. "Oh that's great, how old are you Harper?" I asked, looking at the little girl.
"Six." She snapped, and god her glare, it was a little too familiar.
I nodded. "Um well." The child had anger issues. "I have my kids tomorrow and if I can talk her around we can try and come." That was a lie, I would never talk Chloe around, I knew that and her mother should have too.
"Please try." Chloe's Mom said. "And by all means, bring your children, the more the merrier right Harper?"
Harper glared and shrugged.
"Anyway." I said to them, paying for my flowers. "I'll see you later."
"And Matt, please try and bring her." Chloe's Mom said softly. "I am trying."
I nodded walking out, yeah she was trying but I feared it was a little too late for that.
I still didn't know the whole story, but I did know Chloe's whole family had done some terrible things to her when she was vulnerable and when she needed them the most, if Chloe never forgave them I wouldn't blame her for that.
Finally I got to Chloe's, over an hour late and I took a deep breath before walking up the path.
"Late." She snapped, opening the door and glaring at me.
"I told you I was going to be late." I said smiling widely and walking in, greeting Lucy. "I had to change the locks at home."
"Oh." She said softly, closing the door and looking at me.
"But I got you these." I smiled, shoving the roses at her.
She frowned at them, then at me, but I saw her smile, for just a second she smiled. "What do I want with those?"
"For Christ sake." I snapped, shoving them at her again. "Take them."
"Fine." She mumbled grabbing them and I followed her into the kitchen while she got a vase.
"So." I said standing at the bench, watching her. "I ran into your Mom."
I watched as she frowned, chewed on her lip and straightened her back. "Is that right?"
"Yeah she was talking about a party for Harper." I explained. "And how she wants you there."
Chloe snorted. "Want's me there, what for?"
I shrugged. "I told her we might call by." And I watched as she swung around to look at me. "I mean I have the boy's, we could drop by for an hour."
I stood there and I knew it was coming, Chloe's face got redder, her eye's got bigger, so I knew the yelling was coming.
"HOW DARE YOU." She screamed. "HOW DARE YOU AGREE TO ANYTHING ON MY BEHALF."
"Chloe, please." I said softly, taking a step towards her.
"You know nothing of what I went through." She snapped. "What they put me through, how fucking dare you tell them I will come."
"You're right Chloe." I said calmly. "I don't know, but guess what? You won't fucking tell me."
"Because it's none of your business." She growled. "My life is none of your business, it's nobodies business."
I rolled my eye's, sick of the same fucking excuse. "WELL GUESS WHAT." I yelled at her. "I'M HERE AND I'M MAKING IT MY FUCKING BUSINESS."
"FUCK OFF." She screamed at me.
"NO I WON'T." I YELLED. "I'M HERE CHLOE AND I'M HERE FOR YOU SO FOR FUCK SAKE JUST DEAL WITH IT."
"HOW DARE YOU." She screamed.
"Shut up Chloe." I muttered and then I did what I wanted, what I'd been thinking about doing for days.
I reached out and pulled her to me, kissing her softly. It was the only way to shut her up.
"Hopefully I won't be much longer." The security guy told me, heading towards the back door.
I hoped he wasn't much longer too, I was already late.
This was all Lucy's fault, she was meant to move back in today and ever since I told her I didn't want her to she'd been sneaking in when I wasn't home, taking things, not even telling me she'd been. Well she was in for a rude shock now, I'd had all the lock's and codes changed.
I groaned as the guy walked past me again and out to his van, god, it was taking so long. I was meant to be at Chloe's half an hour ago and I knew she'd be pissed, well Chloe was always pissed but at least she was still seeing me, well until now.
I grabbed my phone and messaged her.
I'm running late
I sent it and waited for her to reply, sure enough a message came straight back.
Don't bother coming
I smiled, expecting that response, I would have been shocked if it was any different.
See you soon
She wouldn't reply to that one, I knew that. It seemed my persistence had paid off, Chloe was more accepting of me in her life and I was glad, like I told her, I wasn't going anywhere. She was slowly telling me about herself, although it was hard work getting anything out of her, she was slowly telling me, slowly opening up, very slowly I might add.
I fucking adored her, I really did. I wasn't going to let her get away from me, she made my life a little more interesting. I had a thing for her, and I kind of wanted to ask her on another date or something, one by ourselves, my only problem was I just didn't know how she felt and I already knew I was pushing my limits with her, so if I asked her out she might just well completely cut me off.
"Okay I'm done." Security guy announced, walking back in.
I jumped up, thank god, but unfortunately I had to stand there for another ten minutes while he ran through and explained everything to me.
Finally he was gone and finally I was on my way to Chloe's. I decided to stop and do something, nice. I wanted to buy her a bunch of flowers, maybe soften her up a little before I worked myself up to asking her out.
I pulled up at a florist, glad they were still open and went inside, trying to decide what I wanted. I wanted something big, something flashy, I wanted to impress her, but it was Chloe, she probably wouldn't be impressed.
"Um, Matt is it?" Someone asked, and I turned around to see Chloe's mother standing there.
"Oh yeah hi." I said quickly, noticing she had a little girl with her.
"It's nice to see you again." She said softly. "Are you buying flowers?"
I frowned, this was a florist. "Yeah I am."
"Get those pink roses." She told me. "Chloe loves roses."
"Does she?" I asked her, unsure, but I mean she was her mother, surely she'd know.
"Yes, she always did." She added.
"Well thanks." I said, grabbing the bunch.
"Matt." She asked as I turned to the counter. "Could you do me a favour?"
I looked at her. This was Chloe's mother, Chloe hated her mother and Chloe was my priority. "Um, it depends."
She nodded. "Well, it's Harper's birthday tomorrow and we're having a party." She explained. "And well, we'd really love it if Chloe came."
I smiled. "Oh that's great, how old are you Harper?" I asked, looking at the little girl.
"Six." She snapped, and god her glare, it was a little too familiar.
I nodded. "Um well." The child had anger issues. "I have my kids tomorrow and if I can talk her around we can try and come." That was a lie, I would never talk Chloe around, I knew that and her mother should have too.
"Please try." Chloe's Mom said. "And by all means, bring your children, the more the merrier right Harper?"
Harper glared and shrugged.
"Anyway." I said to them, paying for my flowers. "I'll see you later."
"And Matt, please try and bring her." Chloe's Mom said softly. "I am trying."
I nodded walking out, yeah she was trying but I feared it was a little too late for that.
I still didn't know the whole story, but I did know Chloe's whole family had done some terrible things to her when she was vulnerable and when she needed them the most, if Chloe never forgave them I wouldn't blame her for that.
Finally I got to Chloe's, over an hour late and I took a deep breath before walking up the path.
"Late." She snapped, opening the door and glaring at me.
"I told you I was going to be late." I said smiling widely and walking in, greeting Lucy. "I had to change the locks at home."
"Oh." She said softly, closing the door and looking at me.
"But I got you these." I smiled, shoving the roses at her.
She frowned at them, then at me, but I saw her smile, for just a second she smiled. "What do I want with those?"
"For Christ sake." I snapped, shoving them at her again. "Take them."
"Fine." She mumbled grabbing them and I followed her into the kitchen while she got a vase.
"So." I said standing at the bench, watching her. "I ran into your Mom."
I watched as she frowned, chewed on her lip and straightened her back. "Is that right?"
"Yeah she was talking about a party for Harper." I explained. "And how she wants you there."
Chloe snorted. "Want's me there, what for?"
I shrugged. "I told her we might call by." And I watched as she swung around to look at me. "I mean I have the boy's, we could drop by for an hour."
I stood there and I knew it was coming, Chloe's face got redder, her eye's got bigger, so I knew the yelling was coming.
"HOW DARE YOU." She screamed. "HOW DARE YOU AGREE TO ANYTHING ON MY BEHALF."
"Chloe, please." I said softly, taking a step towards her.
"You know nothing of what I went through." She snapped. "What they put me through, how fucking dare you tell them I will come."
"You're right Chloe." I said calmly. "I don't know, but guess what? You won't fucking tell me."
"Because it's none of your business." She growled. "My life is none of your business, it's nobodies business."
I rolled my eye's, sick of the same fucking excuse. "WELL GUESS WHAT." I yelled at her. "I'M HERE AND I'M MAKING IT MY FUCKING BUSINESS."
"FUCK OFF." She screamed at me.
"NO I WON'T." I YELLED. "I'M HERE CHLOE AND I'M HERE FOR YOU SO FOR FUCK SAKE JUST DEAL WITH IT."
"HOW DARE YOU." She screamed.
"Shut up Chloe." I muttered and then I did what I wanted, what I'd been thinking about doing for days.
I reached out and pulled her to me, kissing her softly. It was the only way to shut her up.