Paul's POV
The following day I stayed indoors by myself while I was still trying to decipher Chloe's words.
"Oh, I'll give you a fake relationship."
What Chloe said had kept me up for most of the night and I only managed to sleep in the early hours of the day. What the hell could she have meant about that? I couldn't help but wonder.
That, however, was not the only thought on my mind at that moment. How would things be from now on? She did say that she was not planning on pulling out of the deal and I was quite relieved by that realisation. But I was still a bit confused as to how things would go from here onwards.
Will she continue to live with Tina or will she come back? I was not even sure that she lived with Tina - I hoped she did. Why? Here's why: I didn't really want to imagine her living with someone I didn't even know. At least, with Tina, I didn't have to worry about her safety and well-being.
Yes, I cared.
A part of me, no, my whole being still hoped she would just come back and live with me. Well she didn't take her clothes with her. Indeed she had left her clothes so I was guessing that was something. I wanted to believe that her not taking her belongings was still an indication that she would come back.
I missed her. A lot. The apartment was too quiet without her. I wanted her to come back to me already.
I went into the bathroom and took a long, relaxing shower - at least that was what I'd imagined it would be but it wasn't relaxing at all. All I had thought about was Chloe, Chloe and more Chloe. I stepped out of the shower and quickly dried myself off. I put on a pair of boxers before searching for something to wear.
Within about five seconds of searching, I called it quits. I didn't need to be searching for clothes to wear. I was a guy, I was tired and I was all alone in the apartment anyway so who cared if I spent my day in boxers? I busied myself with the task of making some food.
But I was still thinking about her.
I was thinking of the hurtful things I had done to her in the past. It suddenly occurred to me that I had really hurt Chloe. You must be wondering how I had come to this conclusion. Chloe hardly cried. The only time I had ever seen her cry was when she found out that the scholarship program had not accepted her. That sort of showed me that Chloe only cried when something had hurt her deep. She had hoped that she would get that scholarship but she was denied that opportunity and her hopes were shuttered.
Wait, could this have been the case too? Had she hoped that she would get me but was denied that opportunity? Had I shuttered Chloe's hopes?
God, I had.
Chloe had hoped that we could be something real but I crashed that hope. Realising this made me feel like a much bigger ass than I already was. If only she knew that I, too, wanted that more than anything.
And now I had ruined whatever small chance I had with her.
Almost immediately, my cellphone boomed from the kitchen counter and I jumped for it - hoping it was a call from her.
But it wasn't.
I know this may sound bad but I had never felt so disappointed in seeing my mother calling.
"Hi, honey," she greeted enthusiastically, "how are you?"
How am I?
This question got me thinking. How was I, really? Let's see; I was disappointed in myself for letting Chloe down. I was angry at myself for ruining my chance with Chloe. I was wallowing in self pity for being unable to just confess my feelings for Chloe.
YOU ARE READING
Attached Strings √
Romance"We're all familiar with the phrase 'no strings attached' but what happens when the strings are attached?" Chloe is 17 years old. She's shy but talkative once you know her, she has one dream - to become a chartered accountant. There is, however, on...