Over the Phone

Chapter Six

It had been a week since Chloe had stayed at Adam’s apartment, and he hadn't seen her since the next morning. She had walked with him to his class, which happened to be the lab that Beck was in, and everyone had turned to look at them as he opened the door. It was obvious that the shirt she was wearing was much too large for her; Beck took one glance at her and the look she gave Chloe had her back stepping.

Chloe hadn't answered any of Adam’s calls and only three of his text messages since then.  It had been too long since Adam had heard her voice and he was craving a glimpse of her face.

I have to see her, he thought, a knot in his stomach.

He was just leaving his afternoon art class when he made the decision to go see her. Turning away from the path that would take him home, he sprinted in the direction of Chloe's apartment instead.

I sound like a freaking drug addict, he thought to himself. And I don't care. The realization that he was close to getting a 'fix' made him run that much faster. He was suddenly really glad that he had thought to replace the rotted wooden ladder with a more reliable steel one during the past week, feeling there would probably be more late night rescues. Adam scaled it faster than a cheetah and looked around her room, taking in little bits of the personality he'd come to know.

The curtains hanging in the window were a soft purple and the walls were painted teal and had large hot pink butterflies stuck on one wall. The bed stuck out into the small room and was covered in a lilac comforter spotted with big turquoise and pink flowers. It was very girly. Chloe sat in the center of her bed, happily hand stitching her dress together and lip syncing to the music on her cell phone.

She was dressed simply in a faded pair of blue jeans, a white tank top, and a gray cardigan. Adam thought she looked beautiful. Chloe’s sweater was falling down her shoulder, exposing her pale skin. He smiled to himself as he stepped into her room through the open window for the first time and walked toward her. He felt better than he had all week just by seeing her. She didn't hear him, so he stood next to her bed and dropped down to her eye level, pulling out one of her ear buds to make sure she heard him. She gasped and jumped, nearly falling into his arms over the side of the bed.

"Adam," she yelled, shock in her voice, "what are you doing here?" She looked between him and the door, her hands clasped over her mouth. He chuckled softly. Tucking a strand of loose chocolate hair behind her ear, he sighed contentedly. Her eyes closed as his fingers lingered on her cheek. He knew he was smiling like an idiot in response.

She likes the way I touched her, he thought, stomach flopping.

"I had to see you." She opened her eyes and stared into his.

"How did you get in here?"

"New ladder," he said, feeling a bit like a teenager for sneaking into her room like this. She smiled and shook her head.

"Come out with me?" She looked weary, and possibly about to say no, but then they both heard noise in the hallway. Adam stood up at the same time Chloe stood up on her bed and jumped on his back.

"Go," she yelled. Laughing, he climbed out the window with her still clinging to him. He slid down the ladder and started running, holding her in place as Beck appeared in the window, screaming after them. Adam ran for 3 blocks with Chloe giggling in his ear the whole time, loving the sound.

"Okay, put me down, I can't breathe," she laughed. He pulled her down in front of him, but he didn't want to let her go; she fit so well in his arms. He wanted to keep her there. She was smiling, but little by little, the smile faded until she was frowning instead.