Remind Me I'm Alive (Bechloe)

Still the Same

Chloe was in her bedroom watching tv with Sunshine when she heard an angry knock at the door. The yellow lab stuck her head up in curiosity as the noise was followed by the sound of the front door opening and then being slammed shut. Chloe's bedroom was on the second floor of the house. It was right next to the stairway that led to the house's front door and the rest of the living area. Chloe liked it because it was close enough so that she could get to the front door if she needed to but far enough away that she could hideout. But today she knew she couldn't hide as an angry voice from the stairway yelled, "Chloe Beale, what the hell!?" Sunshine recognized the voice and laid her head back down since there wasn't any danger. And within seconds, the old dog was asleep again.

Unlike Sunshine, the redhead immediately knew that it was Aubrey at the door. Chloe figured that her best friend would show up sooner or later. It had been over a week since they had talked. The knock was more a formality than anything else. She had a key to Chloe's home and was free to come and go as she pleased. The only time she ever knocked was to let Chloe know she was pissed.

Chloe turned off the TV and sat up in her bed and she could hear the sound of high heels pounding on the steps as she walked. The veterinarian assistant knew she was about to get lectured. But she also knew she deserved it.

"Hi Aubrey," Chloe yelled before the blonde could make it into her room. Sometimes speaking kindly to Aubrey calmed her down. But not today. The blonde had fumes coming out of her ears when she finally poked her head into Chloe's room.

"Chloe Beale, where have you been?" Aubrey demanded.

She must have come straight from work because she was in a skin-tight blue dress, and her hair was up in a bun. It was strange, Chloe hadn't seen Aubrey this dressed up in a long time. She also felt very underdressed in comparison. Chloe was just wearing some shorts and an old T-shirt.

"I've been busy," Chloe said as she looked down at her dog. The redhead was afraid to make eye contact with her best friend.

"Too busy to text me back for a whole week?" Aubrey said her voice slightly higher than it was before.

"Sorry, I've been meaning ....." Chloe tried to say before she was cut off by Aubrey.

"Cut the shit Chlo. I talked to Cora. She said you've just been mopping around here. So why haven't you texted me back?" Aubrey asked.

"You know why," Chloe said louder then she had planned on. She looked up and saw pain and anger in her best friend's eyes. The 26-year-old felt like shit for what she had just said. And she felt even worse when she had thought about the way she had been treating her. Chloe hadn't seen or talked to Aubrey since their first volleyball game a week ago. Aubrey had been calling and texting her every day, but Chloe didn't respond to her. The redhead didn't want to ignore her best friend. She just didn't know what else to do to make Jamie happy.

It was the same dilemma that she was in every time her fiancé came home. The rare times when Jamie decided to spend a night at home, he wanted her all to himself. He also didn't like Chloe's friends. He constantly told her that they weren't good enough for her, that they were too controlling of her, and that she could do better than them. Jamie also made sure she talked to them the least amount possible when he was around. And since Chloe was a peacemaker, she decided it was best if she just kept to herself when he was home.

But now Chloe could see by the look in Bree's face that she had made a big mistake. The redhead got off her bed and went over and hug Aubrey. The blonde was so upset she didn't hug her back.

"I'm so sorry, Bree. It's just- things are delicate right now, and I don't want to make it any worse," Chloe said as she squeezed her tighter.

"Chloe, we've been over this. You can't stop living just because Jamie is home. Other people depend on you too,w" Aubrey said, pulling away from the one-sided hug.