Over the Phone

Chapter Thirteen

Chloe looked up into Adam's eyes, her own eyes round. Had he just said- had he really just told her he loved her?! Sure, she'd thought it a few hours ago, but he'd just... said it, like it was the easiest thing in the world. Adam felt suddenly unsure; he'd sworn when he said it that she'd smile and repeat it back to him. But she wasn't saying it. Did she not feel the same? Was he the only one this far gone?!

"You love me?" Adam shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I kind of figured that was obvious when I asked you to move in. I mean, sure, it was out of kindness, too, but, I mean, come on, Chlo. You have to know how much I love you by now!" A slow smile spread across her face as she looked up at him, feeling almost delirious. No man had ever said that to her before. Hell, no one she wasn't related to had ever told her they love her before. She wrapped her arms around his chest and laid her head over his heart, the smile refusing to fade.

"I love you, too," she said quietly. Adam put his arms around her and held her gently as he let out a relieved breath.

"Good. I was starting to think I shouldn't have said that yet when you didn't say anything right away." Chloe laughed and shook her head.

"I just wasn't expecting it, I guess." Adam kissed the top of her head and took a deep breath, a stupid grin breaking over his face.

"Okay, well, I'm going to go get ready for bed then, I guess, and I'll be back," he said, knowing when he got back from the bathroom, she'd still be there- in his bed- ready to share it with him; at least for tonight, she was ready to share it with him.

I'll take it, he thought to himself, more than happy to just have heard her say she loves him.

Adam turned off the bathroom light and came into the bedroom, seeing Chloe there on the right hand side of the bed and smiled. Now that he was ready to climb in and go to sleep, he felt incredibly nervous. What if things got... heated... between them? Would she want that? Was she even healed enough for... that? Should he even be thinking about  that right now? This was exactly what she'd meant by 'if things get awkward', wasn't it? He sighed and climbed in next to her slowly. He'd never lived with a woman before. Was he supposed to cuddle against her, or just stay on his side of the bed?

"Umm, Chlo?" She looked up at him and smiled shyly.

"Umm, I really have no idea how this is supposed to go. The first time I'd ever shared a bed with anyone was when you'd slept over before, and that just sort of happened." Chloe gave a short, girly giggle.

"You and me both! I've never slept in the same bed as a guy before! Like, I mean, are there rules or something?" He shrugged and they both laughed.

"Oh my god, we're such losers," she said quietly.  Adam scoffed and crossed his arms across his chest in mock irritation.

"Speak for yourself! I'm super cool!" He burst out laughing then and shook his head. "Okay, I couldn't get that out with a straight face." He laid down on his side and propped himself up on his elbow, looking up at her.

"Okay, I guess we should just go to bed like usual? Not make it more complicated than it has to be." Chloe smiled and nodded once.

"That sounds good to me." She laid down and pulled the blankets up to her shoulders, turning onto her side so she could see him better. "Okay, well... good night." He leaned over and kissed her gently.

"Good night, Chlo. I love you." Chloe smiled at him.

"I love you, too." Adam rolled over and turned off the lamp, sending the room into darkness. Chloe rolled over onto her stomach and tucked her arms under the pillow, closing her eyes, and feeling like sleep would come quickly.

Chloe was trapped in a nightmare where she was fighting off her attacker, even as he squeezed the life out of her. She could feel his body weight pressing against her chest again. She couldn't breath, but she could feel her ribs pressing down against her lungs. And then came the cold heat of steel slicing through her skin. She cried out, but there was no sound. She fought, but this time she couldn't fight him off. He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear.

"No one is coming to save you," he said in a snarl as he raised the knife above her. Just as the knife sank into her chest, she woke suddenly and sat straight up in bed, panting. Her body was covered in a thin layer of sweat and she could feel tears streaking her cheeks. She choked out a sob and dropped her head into her hands. She felt Adam put his arms around her and drag her against his chest. She buried her head in his chest and tried not to cry.

"I'm sorry," she said miserably. "I'm sorry." Adam stroked her hair and rocked her.

"You're okay, Chloe. You're safe. I'm here and he's in jail. It's okay." Chloe covered her eyes with her hands and fought to get the images out of her mind.

"I'm okay," she croaked. "I'll be okay. I just..." Adam sighed and closed his eyes, his heart constricting painfully for her.

"Chloe, maybe being back here isn't the best thing for you," he said sadly. Chloe pulled back from him and shook her head.

"It's not being in the apartment, Adam. I had the same nightmare every night in the hospital." Adam looked down at her in surprise.

"Chlo, why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares?" She shrugged and pushed her hair out of her face.

"Because I'm trying not to be a victim. I don't want to live in that one moment forever, even if Beck did do that to me. I don't want to still be scared of it five years from now. Or ten years, or twelve years. I want to just get past it." Adam pulled her down to the mattress, wrapped in his arms as he rubbed her back smoothly.

"Why don't we just start with tonight, Chlo? Let's just get past it tonight and we can fight through it tomorrow when tomorrow comes."