#NoFilter

-Chapter 19-

I wake up with a small start, my eyes flutter open for a moment, letting in small bits of light.

I yawn and stretch out like a cat.there's music playing from somewhere downstairs, making it hard to fall back to sleep.

Fuck it, I think, rolling over to lay flat on my back, my eyes once again scanning the interior of Chloe's room.

Last night is a blur, all my memories are mixed and fuzzy.

After Chloe and I had our quick make-out session, we both headed downstairs to join Joyce and David for Christmas dinner.

I remember barely eating anything, my anxiety and paranoia getting the best of me.

Heh, nerves are a bitch, eh?

*sigh* then things just shifted into awkward town when Chloe and her parents invited me to the living room to open presents.

At first politely declined, opting just to go to bed.

Huh, Joyce said it was nonsense and that I was required to be involved as their honorary guest. She wasn't really forcing me or anything... I- I think she just didn't want me to be alone with my thoughts or something.

Anyways, as promised, Chloe gave me a pack of film, which she said she bought months ago, and the rest of her father's photography equipment.

I felt bad that I had nothing to give her or her parents who gratefully opened to me, but they all said that my safety was the priority.

David had given Chloe and expensive looking Chemistry textbook which she tried to pass off as a gag gift, but we all knew that she secretly loved it.

After all, Chloe does have the highest grade in our science class for a reason.

Anyways, it was weird, you know.... Being so close to an actual family, yet feeling so far away.

In other words someone was fucking jealous. Okay,

I admit that yea, I was jealous... but thankful at the same time

Tick Tick Tick

Chloe groans from somewhere within the room, making me remember she kindly gave up her bed for me and slept on the floor.

(The bed's big enough for two people but... I um, I don't think we're quite ready for sharing a bed. Hopefully, we can get over ourselves soon... I really want to know where our relationship leads.)

Heaving herself up, Chloe pops her head up from the edge of the bed, "Ugh, sorry for the noise," she says, "David's up working on his car and that damn blue jay is attacking the window again".

I smile softly and scoot over as she lays on the bed beside me, "You okay?".

I nod, "Yeah. I am now that you're here".

Chloe rolls her eyes and chuckles, "You're adorable, Caulfield, heh, never change".

My smile grows bigger when she leans in and kisses my forehead.

"I'll go scared the bird away so you can catch a few more z's, m'kay?" Chloe says as she gets up again and trots over to the window.

I watch her step over some discarded trash and papers she left lying around and tug on her boy shorts, complaining about something under her breath.

I hum dumbly to myself, still kinda trying to get the whole "We're a couple now" thing wrapped around my head. I mean, to be a hundred percent honest, I never expected her to reciprocate my feeling... I thought it was all in my head.