𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝑰𝒏 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 32

"So what I'm hearing here is, you can come work with me?!" Chloé smiled giddly.
"Chloé," I playfully slapped her arm.
"Okay. Okay. Look I am sorry you are resigning, but I am not sorry that you can come work with me. The better sibling of course," She flicked her hair. "Why am I besties with you again?' I teased her. "Because you love me."

"That I do," I pulled her in for a hug.

"Anyways, how has living with my brother been? It's been a long time since I received a 'Do you think anyone will notice if I just go back to my apartment' calls," she continued to munch on her fries. "Well, actually that is what i wanted to talk to you about. Chloé, Nico and I-"

"Hold on a second. Did you just say Nico? You haven't called him that since...well forever," she sat up straight on the sofa.

"That she hasn't," Nicolas walked in from his office, laptop in-hand. He kissed me on the forehead before proceeding into the kitchen. "I knew it. You two are in love!" Chloé squealed.
"Wait. You are not mad? I thought-"
"Less thinking, more feeling. My two favourite people are in love. Why would I be mad?" She smiled. "Well, when you put it like that," I took one of her fries.

A part of me was... worried about Chloé's reaction. Out of all the Vasilios, she was my best friend, and I could not imagine a world where that wasn't a truth. Albeit, I almost lost her once when things did not exactly go well with me and Nicolas, but losing her was just too painful. She may not know it, but she was my anchor to come back after everything. Just as much as I was hers throughout our lives, she was mine, too.

"And this time," he spoke as he made his way back from the kitchen,"I am not letting her go."
"This time?"

The room grew tense at the sound of Chloé's question. Her smile faded, and she stared between the two of us. The weight of her words hung in the air. My heart started to race.

"This time?" Chloé repeated, her voice quieter but laced with an edge I hadn't heard in a long time. She set her fries down, all her previous joy vanishing. "What does that mean?"

I exchanged a quick, nervous glance with Nicolas. He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly unsure of how to proceed.

"Chloé," I started carefully, "it's not what you think-"

"You've been together before?" she cut me off, her eyes narrowing. "And no one thought to tell me?" The hurt in her voice was unmistakable.

"I-well, yes, but it was complicated," I stammered, my throat tightening. "It was years ago, and we didn't think-"

"You didn't think what? Maybe I'd want to know that my best friend and my brother had a secret relationship?!" she snapped, standing up suddenly. "Do you two ever think of how this affects me?"

Nicolas stepped forward, his face filled with concern. "Chloé, we didn't want to hurt you. It ended badly, and we thought it was better to move on."

She backed away, shaking her head. "Better for you two, maybe. But what about me? I've been clueless this whole time. Do you know how that feels? You're my brother and my best friend! And now I find out like this?"

"Chloé, I'm so sorry," I whispered, reaching for her arm. "We never wanted to keep it from you. It just... wasn't the right time to bring it up."

She pulled away from me, her expression a mix of betrayal and sadness. "I thought we told each other everything," she muttered, her voice barely audible.

"Chloé, please," Nicolas said, his voice softer now, "it's not what you think. It wasn't some big secret. We were just trying to protect everyone, including you."