The Heartbreak Factor - Part Four

Chapter Sixteen.

As I sat behind Chloe, plaiting her hair into braids, I couldn't help myself but laugh as she attempted to sing along to the television as we watched High School Musical. Tonight was her last night being 'Chloe Johnson' so we'd decided to spend it doing stuff we used to do years ago, before The X Factor and before the days when life got so complicated. George was stopping at Josh and Chloe's flat with Josh, having an xbox night with beers and pizza while Chloe was stopping at mine and George's, having a girly night in with movies and cocktails. 

"The things I would do to Zac Efron," Chloe slyly grinned to me as she looked into the mirror as I continued to braid her hair. 

"He's so gorgeous," I laughed, watching the television screen as they sang 'Breaking Free'.

"I know," Chloe mumbled as she stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. 

We sat in silence for a while longer. I was swapping my attention from Chloe's hair to the television and back again. Once I finished the final plait of her hair, Chloe turned around to look at me with a nervous smile across her face. "Thank-you."

"For what?" I smiled, looking confused as Chloe continued to smile at me.

"For everything," Chloe beamed, wrapping her arms around my neck. "If you didn't enter the X Factor, you'd have never got as far as you did. You wouldn't have met George and you wouldn't have brought me and Josh together."

As I went to reply to her, Katy's cries sounded from the baby monitor that was sat on the bedside table at George's side of the bed. "Hold on," I groaned. 

After quickly walking down the corridor towards Katy's room, I opened her bedroom door to see her stood up in her cot, grabbing hold of the sides of the cot, looking at me with her big brown eyes as tears ran down her face. "What's the matter?" I hushed, rushing across the room and picking her up. 

The minute I cradled her in my arms, she calmed down, clutching onto my dressing gown as her eyes looked up at me. "You just wanted to come watch Zac Efron, didn't you?" I laughed, carrying her out of the room and down the corridor, into mine and George's bedroom. 

"She just wanted to get her hair braided," Chloe joked as I sat Katy on the bed and jumped next to her. 

"Seriously?" I asked, ruffling Katy's light brown tuffs. "She's got like three strands of hair as it is." 

"Actually, I think it was more for the alcohol," Chloe laughed to me as she dipped her finger in her cocktail and let Katy suck on her finger. 

"Chloe, don't get my baby drunk."

Chloe grinned a huge grin at me as she dipped her finger in her cocktail for the second time. "She's gotta learn young."

*

Laying in between me and Chloe as we watched the final High School Musical movie, Katy slowly began to drift off, grasping onto my hand. 

"She's so cute," Chloe whispered to me, making sure she didn't disturb Katy. 

"I know," I grinned, looking down at Katy as her eyes flickered slightly. "I love her more and more every day."

Chloe didn't respond; instead she just looked down at Katy with a smile across her face. 

"You'll be next," I teased to her, knowing her opinion on becoming a mother.

Chloe looked up from Katy to me in disgust at my suggestion. "I won't," she laughed. "We've both decided that we wanna wait at least five years."

"Five years?" I asked, stunned by Chloe's revelation.

"Five years," Chloe smiled as she watched me pick Katy up from the bed and prop her up on my chest. 

"Alright then," I smiled, standing up as Katy's head rested against my shoulder, slowly waking up. "I'm just gonna put her back to bed with a story. Carry on watching the movie though."

*

"And every day, the monkey would go back to the tree, collect some bananas and take them back to Mrs Monkey in their house," I said, reading the story as Katy laid in her cot, hugging her teddy. "And they lived happily ever after."

Leaning over the side of the cot, I grabbed Katy's blanket and draped it over her as she slept softly. As I watched her sleep for a few moments, Chloe crept into the room and stood beside me, looking down at Katy with a smile on her face. 

"I take it George bought that book for her?" Chloe laughed, picking up the Monkey storybook from the chair. 

I nodded. 

"Sammy, can I ask you something?"

"What?" I smiled. 

"How did this happen?" Chloe asked, looking down at Katy and then back at me with a smile across her face. 

I looked at Chloe, laughing. "What? Katy? Well, you did biology in high school. You work it out."

"No," Chloe grinned. "I meant how did you become this amazing mum to her? How did you grow up so much? How did you change your whole life around to live this perfect dream?" 

I shook my head in disagreement as I listened to Chloe. "It's not the hypothetical perfect, but it's my perfect, you know?" I smiled, watching Katy as she silently snored in her sleep. "Everyone's lives can be perfect if you think about it and are determined to make it perfect. I've had ups and downs in the last few years, but I wouldn't change a thing. You've got it perfect too though, Chloe. You've got a man who loves you."

"I know," Chloe smiled. "I know."