Sanctuary (A Dan Smith/ Bastille fanfic)

36. Chloe

The summer is nearing to a close and it makes me feel nauseous. When Dan goes I will have no job and no friends. I will be back to square one where I was 6 months ago when we moved here.

There's just one last weekend for us to enjoy before Dan has to start focusing on packing his stuff to move his life on.

We decide to spend it together just the two of us, obviously. My plans to find a man crumbled when I realised how undesirable I was to any guy. If I wanted to look for someone seriously, then I would make an effort with my appearance a bit more and actually put myself out there. But I've realised that I'm quite happy being single, and that the only time it really bothers me is when Eloise is around to take away my friend. It's something I should get used to, but I don't want to. Maybe I'll work on finally finding someone new once Dan has gone.

He keeps saying that he will come down to visit and I'm welcome at any time but somehow I know that's not realistic. He'll love his new life and move on with it, leaving me behind. Not that I'm blaming him. I would grasp any opportunity I had to escape and never let it go.

The sun is blaring down on us as we lie in my garden. We're lucky to get some peace in my house, the usual hustle and bustle has calmed down as my family have taken a trip with some of Alan's business partners. Next door is a different story, with Dan's mum preparing for a dinner party with all of her snobbish friends. It's my idea of hell. We did plan to go to the park, that same one that we went to all those months ago when we first started being friends, but then we decided that we would rather just get drunk at home. We laugh about how confident I seemed on that day we went to the park, I simply dragged him out of college to get drunk, but it's not like he wasn't a willing candidate. By the end of the evening, Dan ends up turning a sad and soppy drunk as we reminisce about our short friendship.

"No but I'm serious, I've never had a friend like you before." Dan rolls onto his side and searches for my eyes. I push my sunglasses up to allow him to see that I know. I know that is the truth, that I will always be Dan's first true friend. "I'm going to miss you so much." He shakes his head. "I wish you were coming with us, it will be such a laugh."

"You know that's unrealistic." I chuckle slightly. "El would never want me there."

"She would. I know things have changed between you but she still loves you. I can tell, the way she always talks about how you were partners in crime when you were younger." I laugh at the memories. We used to call each other that and get up to all sorts of trouble. That was a long time ago though and things change, I just need to get used to it.

"Things are different now though, aren't they?" I sigh. I wish things weren't so different between the two of us, but I guess friends drift in and out of each other's lives. I never thought it would happen to me and Eloise, we've been friends since nursery, but it happens and I must accept that. No amount of blaming Dan or even my Mum will help that fact.

"Only since me though, and when you got all protective over me that time." Dan rambles.

"What time?" I'm unsure as to what he means. When have I ever shown how protective I am over him?

"Oh you know.. Ages ago, literally months and months ago, when Eloise came up. Then we went to the pub and I went for a smoke and then came back and there was this awkward as hell tension in the group. I asked Eloise about it and she said you had a go at her." He shrugs nonchalantly.

I cast my thoughts back to that day.

........

"Now he's gone I have one thing to say to you Chloe. Back the fuck off of him."

"El, I don't know what you're talking about! He's a mate." I try to defend myself but it's not worth it, she sees straight through my bullshit.