Chapter 4: Chloe

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thanks for your patience, and thanks to those that have visited me over on Radish and already read this chapter! updates will every Friday from now on. let me know what you think, i know this has been a very highly demanded chapter.

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ann

Maybe it was the knowledge that I would finally be seeing him, or the anticipation of reunion emanating from those surrounding me, them too returning home from the summer. But, as soon as I stepped onto the polished floor of the airport boarding gate, I looked up to find myself searching for him.

There were a lot of people waiting, and people were starting to stream past me to meet the embraces of their loved ones. I tucked my hair behind my ear and hovered awkwardly, trying to work out if he'd actually fronted to pick me up.

And then I saw it, the loopy handwriting scrawled upon a piece of white card. Chloe Whittaker.

In my mind, I pictured myself running over to him, bouncing on my heels and propelling myself into his arms. Maybe if I were brave, and things were better between us, I'd have done so.

But, instead, a broad grin lit up my face – a whisper as to what could have been – and I adjusted the strap of the bag slung over my shoulder.

And then I couldn't breathe.

I'd always thought of him as gorgeous. Once, I'd thought this meant he was shallow, an important piece to win over in a game more complicated than I'd known. Now, I knew that it was only really a reflection of the man within.

He was standing there with a wry smile, donned in business attire, likely straight from the office. His broad shoulders were adorned in a crisply ironed shirt, but his no-nonsense facade was tarnished with rolled-up sleeves and an undone top button. His cheeks were warm from the sun, and his hair styled neatly out of his face.

I didn't know what to do. I wanted to hug him, maybe even kiss him, but nerves overcame me. His smile had dropped a little, his expression replaced with something more, something deeper. My hummingbird heart rate was slowly betraying me, and I plucked up every inch of courage I could. "Hey, Bishop."

His smile grew, and it was as if he was taking a deep breath of relief. "Hi, Whittaker."

He'd sold his Lamborghini and replaced it with a sleek black Mercedes which was a little larger. Maybe it was more convenient for his trip to and from his parent's home, or maybe he'd just wanted a change. Still, I missed the familiarity of his old car, the memories we'd shared, no matter how deceptive they were.

"How was your flight?" he asked as we pulled out of his park. The silly sign was now in the backseat beside my luggage, and his eyes were focussed on the road.

"It was okay," I said. Even though things were so calm, my body was still pooling with adrenaline, as if at any moment one of us could say something that would trigger us to explode.

The flight had been okay. In fact, everything had been completely okay. After my finals, my mom had called me and told me the news, and I'd told her okay. She told me I didn't have to come home for the summer, and I'd been okay with that too. But then I knew Maddy was coming home, and if she could face the people we'd left behind, then maybe I could too.

And then there was William.

When I'd left for college, I was sure that I'd be able to move on. William and I... we had something, but we also had a lot haunting us. Though we were on speaking terms, I always kept my distance, and so did he. I thought maybe with going away things wouldn't seem so intense. Maybe we'd meet new people.

But we didn't. Our phone calls lasted all evening, and our texts all day. Somehow being further apart brought us closer together. And, well, it put things in perspective. We'd both done a lot of growing up.

"Maddy's home," I said absent-mindedly. Though Maddy had been very secretive with her pregnancy, she'd told a handful of people, including Will and Piers. She never hinted who the father was, and really with her, there had been a long list of possibilities. But, even so, I suspected they knew who it really was.

"Really?" he asked doubtfully. "I didn't think she'd ever come back."

"Neither did I."

"Do you want to see her?" he asked, pulling onto the highway.

I shook my head and braved a smile. "Not right now. You need to show me your apartment first. As far as I know I'm sleeping on the street."

"Who said you weren't?" He laughed, and my stomach twisted. I'd missed hearing it in person. It made me feel like I was already home.

William's apartment was nearby his college campus, which meant it was pretty much empty this time of year. He wheeled my luggage into the elevator and pushed for the eleventh floor.

"This sounds stupid," he said quietly, "But I feel like this has happened a thousand times over. In my head, I just keep picturing you here. We talk so much that it's like you're already such a regular part of my life."

I thought about that. So many times I'd imagined him with me in my college dorm, laughing as we rounded the corners of the halls, our bodies pressed against each other and one of my fingers on his lips, trying to shoosh him through my own giggles, my body electric with longing...

"Not stupid," I said quickly, and then I blushed. "I mean, I thought the same."

My mind was betraying me, still not past it's freak-out from the moment I'd found his gaze. This is William. You're back with him, he's right here!

His apartment was small but luxurious, like anything the Bishop's owned. I knew he'd been trying hard to take as much control over his company as possible, and maybe this was what he was getting for helping it thrive. I knew his main priority was to straighten out what his father was slowly breaking, but it had earnt him nothing but praise.

William left my suitcase by the door and held his arms out. "Well, welcome to my home away from home."

His interior decorator had clearly been instructed to create a sophisticated bachelor pad, there was a lot of black leather and touches of red. But it was nice, if a little masculine. I paced around. We were in a living room come kitchen, and I could see through to what looked like a bedroom with an ensuite.

"It's nice," I said. "Really. It's even bigger than my dorm."

Though our family was close to being as well off as the Bishops, my parents had insisted on me getting the whole college experience. Luckily, I was two doors down from Aanya, who'd graduated with me. Even if we were rivals, we'd also become best friends – though neither of us would dare to admit it.

Even hough it was the first time we'd seen each other in person since last summer, it hadn't felt like much had changed. There was no rush of conversation or hours of catching up, we spoke nearly every day anyway. But, there was something else in the room speaking volumes. The physical ache that was wrapping around me. My longing for him which hadn't subsided an inch.

"Now, I kind of made an assumption... probably a crappy assumption to make, but, you know, we've done it before," he said, averting his eyes to instead pick up a shirt I hadn't noticed thrown over the back of his sofa.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, sleeping arrangements," he said sturdily. If it had been me, I'd be crumbling in embarrassment. "There's only one bed, Chloe."

My cheeks flushed, and I bit my lip to stop my smile from spreading into a grin. "I made the same assumption then, William."

His eyes fell back on mine, and now he was smiling too, a look on his face that made my insides squirm. He made up the two steps separating us, and then I was trapped against his counter. "After all this time you still won't just call me Will."

I laughed, it was true. His name in my phone was even William, I refused to use the shortened version he'd always insisted I do. Honestly, it was mostly just to bother him.

"Why would I?" I asked, tilting my head. It was so hard not to study his jade eyes, which were fixed upon mine with such intensity that my knees were threatening to buckle beneath me.

"Because I asked you to," he murmured, and now his lips were beside my ear. "Nicely."

His fingertips slid over my shoulders, raising goosebumps in their wake, and I inhaled a shaky breath. "Maybe I'll consider it."

And then his hand ran through my hair, tilting my jaw upwards ever so slightly so his lips could plant kisses on the sensitive skin across my neck. "I'd actually rather you didn't."

My hands wound around his neck, my breath now coming in shallow pants as I shifted his head up so his lips could meet my own.

To this day, nothing had felt as powerful as the feeling of my fingers digging into Will's back, his lips caressing mine and his hands winding in my hair, slowly dropping down so they could grasp the back of my thighs and hoist me upwards so I was straddling him. Sitting on the counter, I pulled him even closer so his hips were jammed against mine, our lips separating so he could whisper my name.

And then, any self-control I had was evaporated. My heart was hammering, an endless beat playing in my mind, I want him, I want him, I want him. And then slowly, the words changed as his touch ignited fire over my skin, an inferno burning me alive. I think I love him, I think I love him, I think I love him.

My fingers fumbled with his buttons to undo the shirt which had been taught over his chest, and then my hands were running over his abs – hard from the endless sports he played – and his hands found the back of my shirt.

I'd never felt so much desire fill me before. As our lips parted and he pulled my shirt over my head, I knew what was going to happen, and I'd never wanted it so badly in my life.

We were so much more than what had happened to us in high school. It sounded stupid, but we were two souls destined to meet, worth more than our circumstances. I think I'd always known that, and so did he. We were two halves of the same – both picking the other up, both stronger with the other.

When his clothes were on the floor and my shirt long forgotten on the kitchen bench, he hoisted me into his arms and towards the bedroom, and my heart fluttered with excitement.

"I've never wanted something so bad in my life," he murmured, his voice husky with arousal. "Never wanted someone so much. How the fuck do you do this, Chloe? What do you do to me?"

I kissed him deeply, taking control as he fumbled for the light switch. God, I never wanted distance to come between us again, I was home, this was where I was supposed to be – in his arms, on his bed, his kisses trailing down my chest...

"Please," I whispered, worried if I spoke any louder it would turn into a scream. I didn't want him to hold back, I didn't want him to be a gentleman anymore.

His kisses became harder, and my fingers were curling around his sheets.

When my jeans were discarded, he rose so he was hovering above me, his hands running over my hair and his eyes searching me, as if saving every detail.

"I'm not going anywhere," I murmured, "Even if we're apart, I'm not leaving you agai—"

His kiss cut me off, and my back was curving from the bed in longing.

"Why?" he asked, a snide look on his face as his fingers toyed with the sides of my underwear.

"You know why," I said, flustered.

"I'm not sure I do," he said, inching them down.

"This is cruel," I said, breathing heavily and giving him my best look of displeasure. I wasn't quite sure it worked, because he chuckled, his chest vibrating against my own.

"Is it because you love me, Chloe Whittaker?" he asked. "As painfully and unbearably and completely as I love you?"

The words struck me, and in that moment I wasn't falling anymore. I was landed, feet planted in the ground – I was safe. I was home.

"Yes." My words didn't come reluctantly, like they might have if we were teasing each other about anything else. Instead, they came in relief, in a breath I'd been holding in for far too long. "I love you, William. More than you could ever know."

Next chapter due: 27 - 01 - 2017

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