She'll be fine
She'll be fine
"Oh my! Chloe... right?" The old maid asked.
Chloe recognized her. The woman gave her a feeling of nostalgia just like she had felt when her car drove into the residence.
Chloe smiled at the woman. The woman had always been kind to her back then whenever she came to see Adrian.
"Long time, Mrs Rivers."
"Oh! It's really you." She smiled warmly, revealing the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.
"You grew pretty. I almost didn't recognize you, please come in. Pardon my manners." She said before stepping completely away from the door to let her in.
Nothing changed at all. Chloe thought to herself as her eyes went round. It was as if Mrs Wesley didn't want to move on. The whole environment and even the interior of the house was exactly the same. Unlike her family who redecorated their house every year.
When her eyes crossed some familiar figures, she could see the disapproving gaze they sent her. They didn't want her there which was quite understandable.
But she wasn't there for them. Her eyes landed on Adrian. His picture was on a table with gift boxes of different sizes surrounding it. He was smiling so beautifully. He was full of life and youth.
And she had taken it away from him.
Her throat tightened as she continued to look at his picture. He was staring at her also.
"She's so clingy and annoying. Can't she just stay away already?" She heard Adrian's voice in her ears and closed her eyes.
"She likes you, obviously. And she hates me." Chloe heard her own voice answer and was immediately teleported to the past.
"I don't like her, geez! Why is it so difficult for her to understand. I mean, why would I like her when I have you right here?" He asked seriously, prompting her to lift her head from the book she was reading to look at him.
"And how do I come in?" She asked, even though she perfectly knew the answer.
He grinned at her before leaving the couch he was sitting on to sit beside her, then he threw his hand around her shoulder, "You know we are a match made in heaven." He said with a big, goofy grin.
"Get lost. I'm not interested in you." She removed his hand from her shoulder but he stubbornly returned it there. "You cannot run from it. We are... destiny!" He said dramatically.
Chloe forced a smile and dropped her book on the couch to give him her attention. "Really?"
She inched closer, and closer, and closer, and dropped her eyes down to his lips.
"What? What... are you.... do-ing?" He stammered and scooted away from her, but she followed him.
"Aren't we a match made in heaven?" She asked slowly and kept scooting closer. When he got to the end of the couch and had nowhere else to shift to, he jumped up, cheeks as red as a tomato.
"Stop... being naughty." He snorted and ran away from the living room while she laughed and wondered why he always fell for that when he was aware she was only teasing him so he would stop troubling her.
"Chloe?" Mrs Rivers called but Chloe's eyes were glued to the couch.
"Chloe?" She touched the girl's arm, bringing her back to reality.
"Are you... okay?" Mrs Rivers asked kindly while giving the girl a sympathetic look.
Chloe managed to give her a nod.
"Mrs Wesley knows you are here. She'll be down soon."
"Thank you."
Mrs Rivers looked at her with worry.
Chloe was also surprised at how broken her voice sounded. She wasn't sure she had even completed the words.
"Just be careful okay?" Mrs Rivers said before leaving the sitting room for the kitchen.
"How dare her come here? She has some guts." A girl said. She was Adrian's cousin.
Chloe still heard loud whispers of other people there including from young men.
Majority of the ladies there had had a big crush on Adrian, but he chose her over them all.
And she had been the one to bring him doom.
"She's really shameless. What a nasty wench! I would have killed myself if I were her."
Chloe ignored them. She tried to block all they were saying but it didn't work. She could still hear them, but she kept her gaze ahead and walked closer to Adrian. Without taking her eyes off his face, she placed the gift gently on the table.
"Please Chloe. Please..." She closed her eyes and silently pleaded with herself to compose herself. "Do not cry. Please."
The memories they had shared in this house flooded her brain, the mean words the guests were saying also echoed in her head.
"I'll always be here for you." She remembered telling Adrian.
"Come on, stop sulking." She remembered the splash of the water as she pushed him into the pool.
Her whole body began to shake. It shook uncontrollably, so she could no longer keep her composure and tears began to flow down her eyes.
"I wonder if Mrs Wesley is aware she is here."
"I hope she throws her out."
"Who would believe she has been living well all these years after what she did? She really has no conscience."
"I feel even angrier now than I felt all those years back."
The words kept coming. But the words didn't hurt. Standing here after many years and finally getting to see Adrian, she couldn't help it.
After his death, her parents had taken everything that would remind her of Adrian away from her, when they noticed she was wallowing in guilt. She had nothing of him including a picture. So it was the first time she was seeing him in years.
"You should leave. You are making this place uncomfortable." A boy said to her. "For all of us." He added.
He was Mrs Wesley's nephew. Two years older than Chloe.
Chloe sniffed. It was already too late. Tears was pouring down her eyes and she didn't want any of them to see. She wasn't used to people seeing her like this.
"Give me a minute." She said in a choked voice as she tried to clean her tears.
"Right now!" He demanded in an even more commanding voice, letting her know she had no choice but to leave immediately.
"A moment.." Chloe said again before adding, "Please." She looked at Adrian's picture, wanting to have a moment to say all the things she hadn't been able to say in years, but it seemed impossible at the moment because her presence wasn't wanted there.
"Leave now!" He said and held her wrist, trying to pull her away.
"She. Said. A. Moment!" Emphasis was laid on each word as it left the stranger's lips.
Chloe shut her eyes. Jeremy. She had told him not to come in.
"And who the hell are you?" The boy asked Jeremy disdainfully.
Seeing how angry Jeremy looked as he looked at the violent way the boy held Chloe's arm, he let go and turned to look at him.
"None of your business." Jeremy replied.
"Oh! I see what is going on here." The boy suddenly said with a cocky smirk.
"You are her boyfriend? She brought are boyfriend here?" He asked, eyes gleaming with anger.
"Is she insane?"
"How dare her?"
"She really has no shame!"
Another round of abuse began to fly around. It was at that point that Jeremy realised that this was far more than a simple birthday party, and seeing how everyone was looking at him, accusing him of being her boyfriend when neither he nor Chloe had acknowledged it, he knew now why Chloe hadn't wanted him inside with her.
"You've been having fun, I see." The boy said to Chloe.
"Get away from her." Jeremy demanded.
"Or what?" He challenged.
"Michael!"
Everyone became quiet when they heard Mrs Wesley's voice. "You will treat her with respect!" She scolded her Nephew angrily.
While all the exchange was going on, Chole didn't turn around. Her gaze was fixed on Adrian's smiling face.
She tried to suppress her sobs but it didn't work. She no longer cared that a lot of people were there and watching her, she began to cry. Her whole body shook so much as she cried and she slowly lowered to the floor until her knees touched the floor.
"I'm... so.... sorry." She said in between sobs.
Jeremy watched her back with interest and confusion. He began to walk towards her but felt a hand hold his arm. When he turned, he saw the woman who had scolded the rude boy earlier.
"Let her be." She said softly.
"But—"
"She'll be fine." Mrs Wesley assured him.