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

i

"What are you scared of?" He asked her. She fidgeted and resisted the urge to grab his hand. He has a girlfriend, goddammit, she thought.

"Pretty girls. Starting a conversation. Machines falling out of the sky. Terrorists, and other affiliated things. Drowninig. And cats attacking me." She answered truthfully. He must think she's a weirdo.

"So you're scared of yourself?" He questioned. She turned her head, New York beach air whipping her blond hair to her cheeks like raindrops onto asphalt.

He chuckled. "You're scared of pretty girls when you are one." He then started to laugh hysterically, like she was an idiot.

She grew mad, her face reddening. It wasn't dumb! She wasn't very pretty, in her eyes, and prettier girls intimidated her for reasons she couldn't describe."Dude, you sound like a book character. Stop. And thanks, but I'm like, eh."

He ceased, his face calm with a twinge if concern. "Chloe, you're actually really pretty."

"Can we please stop talking about my supposed beauty? I thought we were here to enjoy the beach before you and Kalani vacationed in Ireland."

Lucas gnawed on the inside of his lip. "Okay, okay."

Damn he was annoying but she really wanted to kiss him.

They sat in silence for a bit, Chloe rustling her long legs on the nubby terry cloth towel, next to Lucas's short ones. "I'll miss you." She murmured.

He nodded. A seagull cawed. Why does he only nod? Chloe thinks. No "I'll miss you, too." No hug or friendly kiss on the cheek. A nod. A curt nod. That hurt.

"Why are you even going to Ireland? I thought you hated it." She kicked up some sand, wanting to make him mad. Lucas had been to Ireland with his family a few years back, and had despised it.

"I wanna make Kali happy. We went to the Graceland last year when I wanted to go and she didn't..." Lucas laid back, holding Chloe's hand as his back swung to the pinky towel. A warmness swam in her hand.

Chloe deplored that they had cute nicknames for each other. She hated how long they had been dating (three interminable years), she hated that they went on vacations together, and hated how she never got a chance with Lucas while she could.

Chloe and Lucas met when she was twelve and him eleven at a dance event. She had been wearing a watery-blue costume and he a pair of white knee-length shorts. He was the most talented male dancer she had ever seen. He did a lyrical piece to a song she didn't know the name of. She did a contemporary dance to Warwick Avenue by Duffy.

"Hi. I'm Chloe." She stuck out her hand, tongue anxiously tracking across her braces. It was a habit ever since she had gotten them back on.

He shook it. "Lucas Triana. Dance Moms?"

Chloe nodded, stifling a giggle. "Dance Moms Miami?"

Lucas threw open his arms. "Worst reality television show this side of Florida!" They laughed. Often their shows had been called the trash of TV. Chloe didn't blame them. All there was was fighting, blah, momma drama, blah, three second clips of dancing, blah, someone walking out, blah, Chloe getting yelled at for a ridiculous thing, blah. It was really really tiring.

So their friendship began.

And now, they were twenty-three and twenty-two. Chloe was an in-and-out-of-work performer and Lucas was in school. Berkley, baby. Kalani was in some show in L.A., so she and Lucas lived there while Chloe lived in NYC, and they got their little breaks to go see one another.

"When is your flight leaving?" Chloe asked.

"Two days."

Let's try this again. "I'll miss you."

A pregnant pause drifted in, waiting for Lucas to reply. "I'll miss you too." His phone dinged, and he reached beside his thigh to answer it. "I gotta go."

Chloe felt a pang of disappointment. "Alright. Bye."

Lucas kissed the top of her blond head, sending tingles through Chloe's body.

"Bye."

(a/n: yay new chlocas (chloexlucas) fanfic. i hope you like it.

xx colleen)