in the middle of the night ~c.l.~

v

After twoish hours of sulking and turning into a literal prune in the bath, her phone rang.

Chloe looked at it, puzzled. No one ever called her. Who could be calling her at eleven-thirty on a Sunday night?

The picture of the sweet-smiling baby told her: it was Lucas.

Chloe had kept Lucas's contact picture as one of his baby pictures after Chloe had visited him down in Miami a year back when he was on Christmas break. She thought it was too adorable for words; he thought it was dumb.

Chloe wiped her wet hands on the towel laying on the floor and hurriedly swept her fingers across the touchscreen to answer. "Hello?"

"Chloe, what's up?" Lucas's clear voice flooded the speaker. Chloe felt like sinking into the bath water and staying there forever. His voice was deep and sounded like caramel if caramel had a sound.

"Nothing much. What are you doing, calling me so late, or early? It must be like, four in Dublin." She swished the water around her toes. I really need to get out. I have to be in bed soon.

"Yeah, we just got out of a pub." Lucas didn't sound intoxicated at all, but Chloe guessed from their previous expeditions with drinking that it took a lot to get him drunk. Chloe didn't know about Kalani. She didn't have any experience drinking with her.

"Kal's a little wasted, so she's in bed, and I can't sleep - too much Irish coffee. Those things taste fantastic, Chlo, I'm telling you, and especially when they're made over here-"

Chloe listened to him ramble on while she drained the tub, and put him on speaker while she twisted the last bits of water out of her hair, wrapped herself in a ratty towel, and launched into her room. It was small and white, with white bedsheets and flower decals everywhere. It gave the room a nice lighting in the morning.

By the time he finished his spiel, Chloe had already fitted herself into a pair of purple silk pajamas, wiped off all her excess makeup, brushed her chopped short blond hair, and settled herself into bed, her pink iPhone laying on her stomach.

"It's so awesome - I really wish you could be here, Chlobird."

Chlobird. Chloe's stomach regurgitated at the childhood nickname. He hadn't called her that in years.

"Sounds fun." She replied. "Me too."

Lucas yawned. (Oh my god, that was adorable!) "I have to go. We have a big day tomorrow. Thanks for listening to me murmuring all the livelong day." A shuffle of fabric whispered through the speaker. "Love you."

"Love you too." She whispered, hugging a small throw pillow to her chest. Love you too.

Chloe clicked the red end button and curled her long fingers tight around her phone. She was lonely as heck. Her nana once told her that by the time she was twenty-three, she had two kids and was married to a nice husband who had a steady job. Nice one, Nana, but this isn't 1960 anymore.

Chloe thought about delving into all the old fan accounts, most of them abandoned, and searching through the #chlocas tag. Sure, she'd see pictures from her awkward teen years, but she was desperate.

Nope, she thought, not gonna do it.

It took all her willpower to press down on the off button and shut her phone down.

And absolutely none at all to turn it back on and log into Instagram.

Old pictures, new pictures. Manips of them kissing, some bad, some amazingly good. Some video edits.

The last post had been three years ago.

She fixated on a kissing manip. In the picture she must've been around fourteen, Lucas thirteen. The manip itself was on a pink background with yellow polka dots, #Chlocas5ever spelled under it in Comic Sans. It was kind of ew.

But it made her feel beautiful.

(woah this was shit but enjoy)