COSMOS | Complete

CHAPTER 18: A & A

ASHER

Lunchtime. 12:30 pm.

Chloe and I sit in the courtyard of the school, sharing a picnic. Chloe lays out a tray of perfectly cubed sandwiches, each standing erect with a bannered toothpick. I bring the utensils and Heidi's homemade creampuffs, though Heidi wisely goes light on the whipped cream. I suspect she keeps a track record of my daily calorie intake.

Chloe hands me a gigantic sun hat, tailored with a bow. She sets her own on her head perfectly, letting the tails of the bow shield her neck from the sunlight. Not one for wearing the occasional sun hat, I copy her movements.

"This is perfect," Chloe says with a happy sigh. She pours apple juice into a champagne glass, then hands it to me. The glass glitters in the sunlight.

"You have outdone yourself," I remark, impressed. Chloe has planned every little detail to the color of her sandals to match the picnic blanket. If I spent half as much time planning as she did, I could design the Empire State building.

Chloe grins, clinking her glass with mine. "Oh, stop it." She winks. "It's nothing."

I jokingly take tiny sips of my apple juice with a raised pinky, making her giggle. Chloe's laugh sounds like a wind chime.

We spend the rest of the lunch hour speculating about Chris Perry – 'we' meaning Chloe fretting over whether he's into her, or perhaps just 'accidentally' glancing at her every five seconds. In all honesty, the two of them are like some fairytale romance, madly in love but too scared to act. If Chloe can make Chris scared of even coming up to her, then I can only imagine what ordeal he's going through. It would be much easier if I could lock the two of them in the same room and demand that they confess their everlasting love, but I suspect that that's illegal, and I would be scared for my life by the time Chloe came out.

Chloe's voice rips me from my thoughts. "Enough about me," she decides. "Anything going on with you?"

I freeze, thinking back to the night before. Staring at my phone screen with Aaron's name on the caller ID. I momentarily contemplate telling Chloe about the phone call, then decide that Chris has wooed her to the point where the mention of Aaron Blakely sparks no emotion whatsoever. I gulp down a few mouthfuls of apple juice, draining my glass. I'm still unsure what any of the events mean, let alone what I should do about it. If anything, I feel as if my boundaries with Aaron are just as intact as they were before.

Chloe leans in, lips puckered. "Asher Thomas," she says slowly, eyes sparking. "If you don't tell me right now ..."

"Aaron Blakely called me last night," I blurt out.

Chloe leans back, eyebrows arched. I search her features for any sign of annoyance or anger, but I'm met with a blank slate.

"Well?" I throw my hands up, still waiting for an explosion. "Aren't you going to kill him or something?"

Chloe stops, staring at me. Then she lets out her wind chime laugh, doubling over. "Oh, Asher," she puffs, "Why would I ever kill you over something like that?"

My shoulders sag with relief, and I shrug, looking away sheepishly. Chloe sets a hand on my knee, peering up at me. She smiles. "Aaron is no longer my concern. Unless-" she stops, leaning in. Her eyes narrow. "Was he messing with you?"

"What?" I shake my head quickly. "No, no, it was the complete opposite." Chloe still looks confused. "He just wanted to talk," I say. "Personal things."

Chloe draws back up to her full height, eyebrows furrowed. "Huh," she hums, decoding my words. "Are you sure you're even talking about Aaron Blakely?"