[Complete]
Chloe's world is shattered when her parents' long-standing marriage comes to an abrupt end. Determined to shield herself from the pain of love, she vows to never allow her heart to be entangled, even if it means severing ties with Henry...
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"You can have the bed. I'll take the floor," I offer as we both stand in front of the bed, uncertainty lingering in the air.
She bites her bottom lip and looks up at me, her eyes searching mine before she speaks, "We're adults, right? We can share a bed. It's not like we haven't slept next to each other before anyways..." Her words trailing off as she scrunches her nose, rethinking what she just said.
Yes, but we were also doing a lot of other things besides sleeping.
"You sure?" I ask, trying to gauge her comfort level.
"Yeah," she shrugs, a hint of nervousness in her voice, "I mean, it's just a bed, right?"
Her somewhat casual response eases some of my apprehension, but a part of me still wonders if this is the right decision. While she walks over to her suitcase, digging through it for her things, I try to keep my thoughts in check.
"You can use the bathroom first if you want," I offer. She smiles and nods, gathering her essentials before heading towards the en-suite bathroom to get ready for bed.
As she disappears behind the door, I sit on the bed, taking a moment to collect my thoughts. I run my hand through my hair, feeling the weight of the evening's events swirling in my mind. I'm slightly flustered, unable to shake the thought that I almost kissed her.
The memories of Sophie's wedding linger, casting a shadow of doubt over this current situation. I don't want to make the same mistake, getting involved only for her to walk away again. But the lines between what is fake and what is real are quickly starting to blur for me. Her presence feels so genuine, and the way she looks at me, smiles at me—it all feels so real that it's hard to distinguish if it's true or not. And now I'm second-guessing everything.
I hear the door creak open, and as I turn my gaze towards Chloe, I find myself momentarily speechless. She's wearing those black silky pajamas she always wears—the ones with the delicate spaghetti straps and shorts that seem just a little too short.
Chloe notices my gaze on her, and a soft blush colors her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she says, a hint of playfulness in her voice. "If I knew we were going to be sharing a bed, I would have brought a more... modest set of pajamas." She glances down at her pajamas, and despite her teasing, she seems a bit self-conscious.
My heart races in my chest as I try to keep my composure. Every fiber of my being wants to close the gaps between us and kiss her.
"That's okay," I say quickly, looking away. I stand up abruptly, feeling the need to put some distance between us. "I'm going to..." I trail off, motioning towards the bathroom door that she's standing in front of.
"Oh yeah, sorry," she responds, her voice slightly apologetic. She scoots out of my way, and I quickly make my way past her into the bathroom. Once inside, I take a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil inside me.
