All That I Wanted

Chapter 3:Purgatory

Sleep, the true hero of time.

It was a place where she didn't have to think. To move. She could just let time pass naturally and let her mind rest. Or she could've if she wasn't so damn hot.

Chloe had always been like her own personal, portable heater, and she'd appreciated that. Especially in the colder months, but right now was a different story. It was honestly extremely cute that Chloe was curled up so close to her, but she could feel her dirty clothes sticking to her skin even more as her body temperature rose.

She could see sunlight peeking under the curtain of the small window by the door, and seeing the grocery bag of food by said door made her stomach ache.

Chloe, I love you, but please get off.

She wished she could say those words out loud, but she couldn't bring herself to wake Chloe, who'd so graciously let her sleep up until now. She should be nice and just deal with it. The food would still be there later, whenever she did wake up.

Some food, a shower, and then...another day on the road I guess?

If she was completely honest with herself, she wasn't ready to see her parents. It's not like they'd know...everything, but it would be awkward. Without a doubt.

She flinched when Chloe took a deep breath, jostling both of them and making the bed squeak. Her breathing picked up, and she reached blindly towards Max. When her hand found the brunettes shoulder, it squeezed. Hard.

Max grunted, covering said hand with her own and trying to gently remove it. Instead, Chloe's hand curled into hers, holding it.

"Don't...go.."

Her heart lurched. Those words had become so very familiar, to the point where they were carved in her brain. She heard them in Chloe's voice, because who else? She's the one who Max abandoned.

She swallowed, trying not to tear up. She did anyway, but she didn't start crying like she wanted to because Chloe looked so scared. Her face was twisted up, worried and oh so open.

She wouldn't want me to see this..

Chloe had become very reserved while she was away, no longer wearing her heart on her sleeve. Even then, in her youth, she had worn armour. Years of pain and confusion had only hardened that armour, and caused her to guard herself to the point where she even shut Max out. About anything and everything.

"I'm not going anywhere, Che."

That seemed to calm the punk, who sunk back down by Maxs side, relaxing. Her face still looked worried, but something had changed. Like she knew that whatever she was dreaming about wasn't real.

We...have so much shit to work through.

Before she could think anything else she was back asleep, and unknowingly, curled even closer to Chloe than before. It passed the time considerably, and god knows she needed the rest, but when she woke up to an empty bed and a stack of clothes on the counter that she knew weren't there this morning, she felt her stomach flop nervously.

She sat up, feeling her whole body ache against the action, but she made it to somewhat of an upright position. She stumbled a bit as she stood, feeling dizzy, but through it all she noticed she could hear the shower running, along with a soft voice singing.

Oh. Makes sense.

She walked over to the door, resting am open palm on the surface. She pressed her ear to the door.

"No care, No care in the world
I don't care I don't care anymore
I don't care-"

Maybe it was creepy, but that half mumbled tune made her heart hammer in her chest and help her forget the pain in her body, if only for a brief moment.