Down For Me ENGLISH

Chapter 7 - Chloe's POV

September

I woke up late the day after the party, looked around my room, and was one hundred percent willing to stay locked in there as long as possible, but I knew my father wouldn't let me do that, and neither would my mother. No doubt in a few minutes my brother would be there to tell me about the end of the party with Julia, and I couldn't run away from society as I had planned.

I was disgusted with the way I'd reacted to Matt and Lilith's kiss, and I was even more disgusted that I hadn't managed to stay strong in the moment. I remembered how Josh had been extremely attentive to me, and had made a point of walking me home.

After I left the party in tears and was followed by Josh, I cried for a while until I finally pulled myself together and was able to explain the situation to Josh, who listened carefully to every detail of the story, without frowning or having a bad reaction to what I had told him. Josh smiled when I finished, hugged me, and told me he understood. That gesture made me see him in a different light, realizing how much he had matured during the time we had been out of touch, and I allowed myself to see things in Josh that I had often missed during our relationship.

And that morning, after a night together, I found myself remembering how comforting it was when he dropped me off at home. A soft kiss on the cheek, a warm hug. Josh didn't make any big promises or demand that I keep in touch. He simply wished me a good night and asked me to rest. It was in those moments that I truly understood what it meant to have someone by your side who understood your needs without you having to say them out loud. It was comforting, in a way.

I watched him as he walked away, losing himself in the darkness of the dimly lit street. A discreet smile appeared on my lips before I retreated into the house. I was careful not to make a sound as I entered, I didn't want to wake my parents. In the darkness of my room, I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes, letting myself fall asleep without shedding any tears.

"Oh no James, stop, stop! Ah!" I was roused from my thoughts by a girl's scream.

I got up and walked over to the window overlooking the pool, where I spotted James and, to my surprise, Julia. They were both in the water, James laughing while Julia seemed to mumble something to him. Soon, the housekeeper appeared with a tray and two glasses of juice. James thanked her and approached Julia. She said something, he smiled and nodded, looking around before kissing her softly. A smile formed on my lips as I witnessed the scene. Before I could get lost in my thoughts, I heard someone knocking on my bedroom door, and I quickly went to answer it.

"Hey, princess!" It was my mother, who was smiling and holding two cups.

"Hi, Mom! Good morning!" I smiled, and Charlotte handed me one of the cups.

"Good afternoon, actually, it's about three in the afternoon. Your brother's in the pool with a girl, your father's locked himself in that studio, and it's just us. I thought maybe you'd tell me how the party went!" We went into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. "I saw that Josh brought you home!"

"Oh yes! He came with me." I took a sip of my drink and discovered it was chamomile tea. "The party was... terrible!" Charlotte's eyes widened and she swallowed her drink.

"What do you mean? Why?" I shrugged and took a deep breath, preparing to explain.

I told my mother everything. Every detail, without omitting anything. I told her about the deal I made with James, about the kiss between Lilith and Matt, and even about my sudden nausea. I vented about the kiss I had with Josh while we were dancing, about the painful conversation I had with Matt, and how it hurt me. And I explained why Josh had brought me home.