Despite growing up together, Catherine Simmons and Mattis Reed were never close.
Cat was inseparable from Mattis' younger sister, Chloé, while he was busy running around on the football field.
But when Cat's new dream drags her across the country du...
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"How're things with Meghan?" I push a couple of dresses aside on the rack in front of me, revealing Chloé on the other side admiring a sundress.
Her eyes flicker to mine, a small crease between her brows. "Fine."
"You guys get along?"
She puts the dress back. "Sure."
"Gee, you're just a wealth of information, aren't you?"
Chloé rolls her eyes, turning to face me fully. "We're just very different, that's all."
"Okay?" I ask, cocking my head to the side. "You and I are different too."
"Right, sure, but we've known each other forever. There's so much shared history; it doesn't really matter that we're different, you know?"
I shake my head, and Chloé huffs, annoyed. "We met when we were four and five, respectively. Back then, the only similarities that mattered were that we lived on the same street and both had names that started with C. We were instant friends."
I try to hide my smile as her words bring an onslaught of memories of two small kids running around having a blast. She's right; our friendship was born from an awkward first encounter and a lot of exposure.
"And it's different with Meghan?"
"Yeah," Chloé sighs, walking further down the aisle, and I follow her. "The only things we have in common is that we live in the same dorm room and grew up on the West Coast. And that just isn't enough anymore. We don't really hang out because we don't have the same interest. I mean, it's fine, we get along, but she's not my long-lost soul mate."
"Well, I should hope not." I shoot her evil eyes at the idea she could have another soul mate out there.
"Don't pretend like you didn't swap me out for a different short blonde the second you moved here," she says accusingly, tapping me on the chest with a pointed finger.
I swing my arm around her shoulders, dragging her out of the store again, grinning at the mere idea that Ava could somehow be a substitute for Chloé. "No one can replace you, C."
"You say that to all your besties," she mumbles under her breath.
Annoying little shit. God, I've missed her.
Once I buy her a cup of coffee, Chloé perks up, sipping it happily as we stroll around the streets of New York.
We carved out the day today for best-friend bonding. We have no plans, just aimlessly going about, enjoying each other's company. It's freaking wonderful.
We slip inside a store that sells hats, mainly because Chloé is turning dangerously blue from the cold weather, and I need to warm her up before she perishes. I pick up a cowboy hat, perching it on my head as I pump my eyebrows at Chloé. "Howdy."
