Hand In Glove

Chapter 27

Soon enough, it was the twenty-ninth of December. Chloe had packed all her things up the night before in anticipation of the mad rush to get to the station in time to catch the early train. It was tough to say goodbye. Especially, after all the attention her mother had given her. Now she'd have to get back to Ashton and get used to being alone again. As the train started out of the station she felt her heart sink a little. Maybe she shouldn't go back. If only there wasn't that contract to consider.

The train arrived at the station on time and Chloe braced herself for the worst. She didn't really know what to expect when she got there. Would he be glad to see her? Would he be indifferent? Would he be there at all?

But of course, before she could even finish that thought she saw him and her heart skipped a beat. He was standing in the same place as before. The perfectly smooth and blank expression on his face was quickly replaced with a huge smile at the first sight of her. She felt her feet move faster than she had wanted and soon came to stand before him. They gazed at each other for a moment, her face reflecting his smile. Like the last time, he bent down close and picked her up in a warm embrace. "It's so nice to have you back, Chloe." He sighed deeply.

"It's nice to be back, Ashton," Chloe said, under the breath crushing embrace. He felt so good in her arms. "It's been too long." Had he actually missed her?

"Far too long, sweetness. Next time you decide to take off for that long, I'll either have to come with you or fire you," he said, placing her gently down on her feet and playfully flicking a lock of her hair.

He took her bags and made way for the car. Chloe followed, trying to keep up with his stride. Did he just call her sweetness? Boy, how she had missed that.

"Should we stop for lunch?" she asked, suddenly famished.

"No need. I've got it covered," he said with a curious smile as he peeled out of the parking lot.

Arriving at the house, Chloe noticed Nick's car out front. As soon as she could, she jumped out of the car and raced into the house, leaving Ashton to carry in her bags. Upon entering, she could smell something cooking and whatever it was smelled amazing. To her surprise, she found Nick in the kitchen, hair perfect, wearing his classic black jeans and t-shirt and sporting a pair of stylish black oven mitts. She'd missed him too, she realized.

"Nick!" she cried out giddily. "What's this all about?"

"Hey, Chloe Belle!" Tossing the mitts aside, he gave her a heartfelt hug. "Welcome home," he said, equally happy to see her. "I... we missed you so much." He held her tight. "Ashton invited me over today to cook a turkey for our belated Christmas dinner," he explained, stepping back and taking a good long look at her. "You see, he's completely useless in the kitchen, and well, we usually try and do something. You know, just the guys for Christmas, after all the family obligations are taken care of." Ashton came along just in time to hear the part about being useless in the kitchen and grumbled at Nick.

"Cool, so I'm like one of the guys," Chloe said, feeling sufficiently welcome and reassured.

"One of the guys? Not even close," Nick said with an indulgent smile. "Who you are, is our guest of honor."

"Aww, how sweet!" She beamed happily. "May I help you with anything, Chef?"

"Nope, I'm fine. I have it all under control. Now get out of my kitchen. You and Ashton should be able to keep yourselves occupied." He raised a suggestive eyebrow. "I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on. Oh, and make sure he doesn't leave out the part about how he sat around moping while you were gone. It was quite pathetic, really," he said, ducking out of the way of a projectile from Ashton's direction.