Izz' POV
'So I just got off the phone with Clo.' I start telling Cat and Lil who just arrived here so we could go out like we set out to.
'How is she? I miss her!' Lil sighs.
'Yeah, when is she coming back? It's been a month already!'
'She didn't really say anything about that. She avoided the question. Talked about how she's catching up with an old best friend of hers. I'm really worried that she's ditching everything here and planning on staying there.'
'She wouldn't do that! She doesn't like it there! She belongs here! With us!' Lil complains.
'Call Niall.' Cat says bluntly.
'What?' Lil and I shout confused.
'I don't like this any more than you do, but he's the only one who's gonna be able to bring her back here. She's running away from him. That's not gonna solve anything! They need to have a confrontation. It's the only way to deal with this. So if she's not gonna come back here, then let him go to her. So call him'
'He has been checking in almost once every two or three days to see if she's back.' I notice.
'Are we really doing this?' Lil asks unsure.
I don't answer, instead, I pull my phone and call Niall.
'Is she back? Is she okay? What happened?' He immediately asks.
'We need you to go to Paris and bring her back?'
'Done! Wait who's we?'
'Me, Cat and Lily.'
'Oh, so she didn't ask for me...'
'No. She wouldn't. But we are.'
'Can I ask why? Two days ago you hated me.'
'I don't hate you! That's not possible. We're just mad at you for hurting our best friend. But make it up by bringing her back to us.'
'Why don't you go and bring her back? Don't get me wrong I'm so happy that you called me and I already bought the ticket while talking to you. But I'm just confused.'
'Well, we figured she's only there because she's avoiding you. So if you have a confrontation and deal with your things, she'll come back.'
'Are you sure? If it's not what she wants...'
'She doesn't know what she wants! She's just hiding away.'
'And you just decide that for her?'
'I know her better than you do!'
'I'm not saying that! I'm saying she knows herself better than anyone. And if she doesn't want to see me, maybe I shouldn't force her to.'
'Well, one way or another she has to come back to London. Doesn't she have a deadline in 2 weeks? You don't want her to ditch on that do you?'
'No...'
'Well then, what are you waiting for?'
'Plane leaves tomorrow morning.'
'Okay. I'll send you the address to her parents' house. She's all alone there.'
'Thank you for calling me and asking me to do this.'
'Yeah yeah. Just bring her home in one piece?'
'Of course.'
'Bye.'
Chloe's POV
I sigh leaving the front door open as I make my way back to the sitting room and resuming the cleaning up that was interrupted. He follows me distantly and hesitantly.
'Well?' I ask waiting for him to explain what he's doing here.
'Your friend called me yesterday and told me to come here to convince you to go back to London. Apparently, she felt like she couldn't convince you herself.'
'I'm taking the train back on Wednesday.'
'Oh. They didn't know that?'
'No I decided that a few hours ago. Didn't get the chance to tell them yet.'
'Then I guess I didn't have to come all the way over here. I mean I love seeing you again. But I'm not sure you're just as thrilled as I am.'
'I mean I'm not exactly thrilled. But if you don't want to feel like you made the trip in vain, I actually do need you for something.'
'Anything! You name it! I'll do whatever you want!'
'Well, I was writing and I noticed there are a few gaps and missing information. So I'm gonna need you to answer a few questions.'
'Oh...' He sighs, 'You mean you need me for work. I just thought maybe...'
'Maybe what? I'd magically forgiving you? That we can be friends again like nothing has happened? Like you didn't break my heart and then crushed it into tiny pieces? Yeah, not likely.'
'I've told you I'm sorry about everything that I've done. I really regret it.'
'And I believe you! But that's not gonna change anything. It's not gonna fix anything.'
'Can I at least try to. Please.'
'I don't want you to. I just want to finish this book so that we can go our separate ways.'
'So what, everything we've been through, all those amazing happy moments are just gone?'
'No, they're not gone! They're just in the past.'
'But that's not fair! Clo, we can do so much more of them together! I love you so much! And I know you love me too. If you didn't you would've slammed the door in my face. Or I don't know, punch me or something. But you didn't. You let me in, and you're letting me talk. And you're listening to what I have to say. Please, don't give up on us.'
'Niall. I can't put myself through that again. It just hurts too much.'
'I won't do it again!'
'You said that last time! I'm sorry I just. I can't believe you right now!'
'What can I do to earn your trust back? Please, I need you in my life. Please don't give up on us just yet!'
'See, you say that you need me in my life. What about what I need.'
I'm seriously surprising myself that I'm able to be this tough with him. I mean his eyes are swollen and red from crying too much. I'm literally standing with the kitchen island in between us to stop me from hugging him.
'So you really gonna deny that your life has been better since I've become a part of it? Can you seriously tell me, that in the first time in forever you were genuinely happy?'
'While this is true, but at the same time, you hurt me equally as much as you made me happy, if not more. So at the end of the day, you're left to a zero if not negative result.'
'Well then give me a chance to change that!'
'Why?'
'Because! I'm fucking in love with you Clo! I've never been in love with anyone before!' He shouts, then calmly explain, 'I thought I was before, with other girls, but after I met you, I learned how wrong I was, how you're nothing like anyone I've ever met and that you matter more than I ever thought a person would matter to me. Please give me a chance. I really want to do better for you. Let me! Let me earn your trust back. Please!'
'How long are you gonna stay here?'
'As long as it takes for you to give me a chance, or till Wednesday since that's when you're leaving.'
'Fine.'
'What do you mean fine?'
'You have until Wednesday to earn my trust back. Meanwhile, I really would love it if we can finish this book.'
'Of course!' He pulls up his phone shortly and then puts it back in his back pocket, 'It's 7 PM... You want to start now and finish early, or ease up into it and had enough of me for a day so come back tomorrow?'
'I'm tired tonight. Let's do this tomorrow.'
'Okay. When should I come here?'
'Yeah, we're not gonna be working here.'
'Why not?'
'Because! I'm not having you anywhere with no one around and sofas and beds all over the place. It has to be somewhere public.'
'Fair enough. We could have breakfast together. Like the first time we met. Except, this time it would be a real French café instead of the one in London.'
'You don't make the plans. I do. I've made a little routine for myself here. And I'm not having you come in here and invade my life as if you own it. Meet me at 4 PM. I'll text you the address.'
'So you're gonna finally unblock me?'
'Fine, I'll email it to you!'
'Are you kidding me?'
'Do I look like I'm kidding you?' I say looking at him with big unblinking eyes.
'Okay, but why 4 PM? We're wasting an entire day!'
'I have other things to do?'
'Like what?'
'I wake up every day between 9 AM and 10. I have a jog in the neighbourhood. Then I write till lunchtime at home. And yes I still have other things to write that I don't need your help with. And after lunch, I go to my favourite café at 4 PM and I continue writing from there till 7 PM.'
'What happens after 7?'
'If Julien is available I hang out with him. If he's not... well that's none of your business.'
'Wait, let me guess, you go to your favourite spot in the city. The river banks at the exit of the Saint-Michel train station. Yeah, I remember. Who the hell is Julien? Why have I never heard of him? Did you seriously move on that quickly?'
'He's just someone I used to know when I was back here years ago.'
'I thought you said you left everything and everyone behind!'
'Well, I reconnected with this one since I came back here!'
'But that doesn't answer my question. Are you guys dating?'
'It's none of your business!' I shout at him.
'Yes, it fucking is! I'd like to know if the girl I'm in love with who, may I add, didn't deny that she loves with me too! Is dating some random guy or not!'
'He's my best friend. Nothing else going on. See you tomorrow at 4 PM.' I answer calmly.
'Yeah... tomorrow.'
He walks back to the sitting room, as I follow him, pick up the jacket he had with him and left there and then make his way back to the front door. I watch him leave, lock the door behind him, and I let out a long huff resting my back and head against the door.