where the time went- chloe price

wake up.

before i managed to peel my eyes open i could hear a soft beeping from bedside me, my wrists and ankles were sore and i could feel something tightly wrapped around them. my heart started to panic as i remembered the harsh leather straps that were around them the last time i was awake, and i suddenly flew my eyes open, sitting up in the bed with fast breaths. the thoughts of the dark room disappeared when i realised i was in a room i had never been in before. the constant beeping noise was coming from a monitor beside me, wires stuck to my hand and a needle in the crease of my arm, the room i was in was plain, blinding white and the bed had suddenly become very uncomfortable, once i realised that i was in a hospital bed. the sudden smell of flowers wafted through my senses and i looked to where the scent was coming from, on the bedside table was a bouquet of white and yellow flowers placed in a vase, the water slightly cloudy and a few petals surrounding the glass object. there was a card beside it with flowers printed on the front, i reached out to it careful not to tug on any of the wires attached to my body. i now held the small folded piece of paper in my fingers.

rosie,
i'm so sorry to hear about what happened.
supporting you through whatever decision you make.
i'm also sorry for everything that happened between us i hope that we can remain friends regardless of life.
thank you for being there for me, it's my turn to be here for you now.
i love you.
-V.C

i stared at the paper with stinging eyes, reading over victoria's words again and again, telling myself to send her a text to let her know that i was awake... but i had no idea what i would even say. how long had i been here for?
what actually happened?
why am i here?

my eyes drifted to my wrists as i held the card loosely between my fingers. they were wrapped in bandages and i could see a few bruises spilling out of them, i peeled back the light sheets and my ankles were the same, bruises running out of the bandages and onto my uncovered skin. a soft aching flowing throughout my leg when i pressed my fingers against it softly, i seethed in pain just as the door suddenly opened, the light from the hallway seeping into my room and hurting my eyes,
"oh my god," chloe sighed as a wide smile broke across her features. she dropped the duffel bag on the floor before rushing towards me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders, i moved my hands from my wounds and dropped victoria's card as i held onto her tightly. her soft scent wafting into my nostrils and causing me to tear up softly, "you're awake. you're awake. holy shit, you're fucking awake," she spoke as she pulled away from me, her hands cupping my cheeks as she stared at me with a big smile, her eyes glossy,
"how long was i gone?"
"five days," she spoke and my heart plummeted,
"what? five days?" i spoke with wide eyes, she looked down at her lap before inhaling shakily,
"yeah, they- he, um they thought you were going to slip into a coma..." she spoke with a sniff, and sat down on the small bed next to me. "he almost overdosed you," she spoke and i caught my trembling bottom lip between my teeth before shakily speaking again,
"where is he now?"
"out on bail... waiting for trial,"
"really?" i spoke with distaste, chloe looked at me and nodded,
"yeah... i'm pretty sure he stayed in prison for a night but, he's rich so... he got out," she sighed, i smiled tightly at her before looking down at my lap and fiddling with my fingers,
"i thought it would work," i managed to speak as i tear slipped down my cheek, chloe's hand immediately landed on mine, "i thought that," i shrugged, "everything would be over quickly but... clearly not,"
"it'll happen, rosie," she reassured me, i looked up at her through my eyelashes, "there's no way he's not going to prison for this... david said he'll get life," she smiled gently, i raised my brows,
"wait... really?" chloe nodded,
"yeah," she breathed before removing her eyes from mine and looking at the linoleum flooring. she exhaled shakily before opening her mouth to speak again, her eyes shut tightly, "he killed her," she managed to say and i watched a tear escape the small gap between her eyelids and slip down her cheek, falling into the crease of her lips. my heart slipped down into my stomach and i tried to fight my bottom lip trembling, but soon enough my eyes were mirroring chloe's and i wiped my cheek with the back of my spare hand as hers was still wrapped around mine.
"i'm so sorry," i whispered tightly, my throat only allowing a small amount of air in at a time. chloe shook her head quickly and looked at me with red eyes,
"please," she whispered, "don't be sorry... she-," she sniffed, "at least we know now..." she looked back down at the floor and tears continued to fall, "she can rest now,"
"you can rest now,"
"yeah..." she nodded softly, "the funeral it's um, it's tomorrow, so-"
"can i go?" i interrupted her, she wiped her eyes and then looked at me with a tight smile and nodded,
"yeah," she whispered,
"would i be allowed to?" i asked her looking down at all the tubes connected to my body. chloe just shrugged,
"you're coming anyway," she said playfully, "i'll steal you," i gave her a soft laugh but it faded quickly as thoughts were still running through my mind faster than i could handle,
"did my dad come here at all?" i managed to push the words out without thinking. chloe tried to fight eye contact with me but eventually gave up and sighed softly,
"no, rosie," she said shaking her head gently, "he's uh, he's been arrested." my stomach slipped into my throat,
"what?" i choked out, "how? i didn't even tell the police anything-"
"i did," she confessed, my wide eyes shot up to her shy ones, "i'm sorry, rosie... i didn't know if you would have and the police asked me if i knew anything so i told them and they got everything that you found and they arrested him and i think they want to talk to you-" she rambled,
"i don't want to talk to them," i cut her off, she furrowed her brows,
"wait, what?"
"i don't want to talk to them, chloe," i repeated, she continued to stare at me with confusion,
"isn't that?" she stood up from the bed and took a step away from me, cutting herself off, "isn't that what you wanted this whole fucking time?" she spoke, her voice frustrated,
"i don't know what i wanted," i replied honestly, she sighed quickly,
"i do!" chloe argued, "you went through so much shit for this rosie, i'm not going to let you throw it away,"
"chloe-" i sighed, "i'm sorry but you don't get to make that decision, chloe,"
"for fucks sake, rosie," she mumbled out of her breath in frustration as she ran her hands through her hair, "he killed her. you know that right? you read those letters, you're the one who heard him say it, not me, and even i know your dad killed her."
suddenly i couldn't bring myself to make eye contact with her, my eyes darted everywhere around the room and filled up with tears.
"please," i whispered, my throat tight, "stop... i know, i just," i breathed finally, "i can't... do that... right now. maybe if all of this happened at different times i would be able to handle it but... just," i inhaled sharply, "not right now,"
"okay," she spoke softly and finally rejoined me on the bed, "just... you can't leave it too long, he needs to go to jail for everything, not just some parts of what happened,"
"i know," i breathed my heart rate still through the roof, the fast beeping running through the room. i watched as chloe glanced at the machine, her eyes filling with worry before she immediately wrapped her hand around mine. her warmth running across my cold skin before the beeping slowed down again, a soft smile falling upon her lips before she exhaled a soft laugh, "what?" i said with a small grin,
"you're just..." she inhaled softly, "i'm happy you're here."

chloe had been with me for the last few hours, my head was no placed against her chest as i listened to her talk and her heartbeat echo into my ears. she inhaled deeply as she finished talking and i heard her heart speed up as she fell into silence, i peered up at her,
"are you okay?" i asked, looking at her closed eyes and pursed lips,
"today's the first time that victoria hasn't come here... and i think i might be speaking a bit too early, it's only 3," i stared at her with quizzical eyes and she leant up suddenly looking back at me, "she loves you, rosie..." she pushed out, i furrowed my brows and felt anxiety run through my body, i shook my head stiffly,
"no... she doesn't,"
"rosie-" she sighed,
"please," i almost begged her, "she doesn't," i shook my head,
"can you just," she sighed cutting herself off, "can you just tell me if there's something going on between you two so i can just stop trying here?" she didn't look into my eyes again as she looked down at the bed, my eyebrows were furrowed gently but i placed my hand around hers, the cords tugging gently on my flesh,
"i don't like her, chloe... there's nothing there,"
"she likes you,"
"that doesn't mean i like her back,"
"does that mean you don't like me back?"
"i never said that,"
"so do you?"
"do i what?"
"do you? like me?" she asked me nervously, i nodded softly,
"of course i do," i reassured her, "i always have," she smiled softly in response,
"really?"
"really, chloe," i replied looking gently into her eyes that were struggling to look into mine, her lips were still turned up into a small smile and her cheeks were shaded with a soft pink.

the colour that danced across her cheeks reminded me of the shade of pink that was upon her cheeks the first day we properly met at blackwell, the memory fresh in my mind from my unconscious ramblings a few days ago. my thoughts were fast and almost uncontrollable as i looked softly at her, memories of the times we had spent together rushing through my mind and filling me with a sense of joy and wholeness that i had never felt before.

i couldn't explain what my body was doing as i was looking at her, but my heart was beating fast, not in a bad way, in a good way. a really good way. before i could think my mouth was open and words had slipped out, "i love you," i spoke for the first time ever, chloe's eyes quickly darted to mine and her smile grew, along with tears in her eyes, they brimmed mine too as emotion overcame my body.
the three words i had been fighting with myself to say to her for years had finally come out and it felt so good. i felt like i could breathe, i felt like i could relax and i felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
that feeling. that feeling that almost every coming of age story was about. that almost every romance move dwelled on. i was feeling it. i knew what they were talking about.
"i love you," i repeated with a wide smile, just filled with overwhelming good emotions as i said it again. chloe was quick to lean forward and press her lips against mine, her hands cupping each side of my face as she smiled into the kiss,
"i love you too, rosie... so much."