"Sure, Chloe," Brad approved.
"I told you why I'm divorcing my husband. Why did you divorce your wife?" Chloe asked, hesitantly. Brad hated explaining this story. But he decided that Chloe had shared her personal life, so he should repay the favor. He cleared his throat before he began.
"I got divorced because my wife turned out to be a cheater. She cheated on me with a co-worker of hers and eventually we decided things would have to end between us," Brad explained uncomfortably.
"Wow. I'm so sorry. That has to be tough," Chloe responded, trying to keep the shock in her voice to a minimum.
"It is. It's hard to accept the fact that you married someone thinking it would last forever, only to find out that you pushed them into liking someone else," Brad said, depressed.
"Brad, I'm sure it's not your fault," Chloe reasoned.
"Thanks," Brad simply replied.
A memory was brought to Chloe's attention when she heard Brad’s story. She remembered that her friend whom she had been emailing over the past few months had also gotten divorced because his wife had cheated on him with a co-worker. Chloe didn't realize that that was a common problem in marriages.
"Are you sure you want Jake to stay here with us? I mean, he cries at odd hours of the night," Brad said out of the blue. He and Chloe had been sitting there silently for quite a while.
"Brad, really, I don't mind. I mean you're letting me stay with you. I can put up with being woken up by your son," Chloe responded, before yawning. "Speaking of sleep, maybe we should go to bed."
"You're right. I'll take the couch again," Brad responded.
"Brad, I feel bad. I can't let you keep taking the couch," Chloe declared.
"I know this is going to sound really sudden but, I was thinking, what if you moved in with me? I have a spare bedroom that Jake sleeps in on the weekends. He could sleep in my room and I can furnish that one for you if you'd like to stay here," Brad explained. Chloe's face shone with joy.
"Brad, I would really like that," Chloe stated as her eyes twinkled in the dim light.
"All right then. In the mean time I'll sleep out here and you can stay in my bed," Brad declared. Chloe began to object, but Brad stopped her when he said, "You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow, you need a good night's sleep. Please, I insist."
Chloe gave in, knowing he was right.
"Fine. Goodnight," Chloe said.
"Goodnight," Brad replied. Chloe got up and departed to the bedroom. Even with all of her clothing she had brought to Brad’s she chose to wear his t-shirt to sleep in.
Chloe had merely settled under the blankets when Brad opened the bedroom door a crack and peaked inside. Chloe sat up and looked at him.
"Sorry, I needed a pillow," Brad explained remorsefully.
"Come in," Chloe responded. Brad crept in; he wore only his boxer shorts and a tank top. Chloe reached beside her and grabbed a pillow to hand to him.
"Thank you. Sweet dreams," Brad said, and then with pillow in hand, he turned around and headed for the door. But suddenly a question crossed Chloe's mind.
"Brad?" Chloe called, barely louder than a whisper. Brad had just reached the doorway but he spun around to face Chloe.
"Yes?" Brad answered.
"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," Chloe stated seriously.
"Okay," Brad answered. He crossed the room and sat next to Chloe on top of the covers. He put the pillow behind his head against the headboard and looked over at her.
"Why are you letting me stay with you?" Chloe asked.
"You have nowhere else to go. I would never leave you without a place to stay," Brad responded.
"But you barely know me. Why did you let me come over when I gave you that hysterical phone call?" Chloe asked. Brad didn't hesitate for a minute. He spoke the truth.
"I know how hard it is to be alone after a divorce. Luckily I had friends and family to turn to. But you were leaving a life behind and you had no one. I felt like I needed to be there for you," Brad explained. He paused before adding, "And to tell you the truth I was lonely."
"Well Brad, thank you for being there for me. You've been so kind. You've made this a whole lot easier than it was going to be," Chloe said.
"You're welcome," Brad responded, caringly. He locked eyes with Chloe. He remembered back to when their eyes met back in the elevator. She had looked so miserable that day. Her eyes seemed empty as if all the life had been drained from them. But now her eyes matched the blue skies after a storm.
Brad couldn't help but feel drawn to her. Brad desperately wanted to kiss her, but he knew it was still a bad idea. They were roommates now and doing anything like that would only complicate things. Not to mention it wouldn't be right to take advantage of her at such a vulnerable time.
Brad decided it was time to leave before his heart took over his body, making him forget all logic.
"Goodnight Chloe. I'm really happy you've saved me from my loneliness and frankly my grief. You're such a great person. I knew that back when you were Vanessa's friend. You don't deserve all you've been through," Brad said, an embarrassed smile curved his lips.
With that, Chloe hastily closed the space between them, placing an impassioned kiss on Brad’s lips. Brad froze before he closed his eyes. The feeling of her soft lips on his was indescribable. She moved a hand to caress his cheek, as Brad placed a hand on her arm, which she leaned on the bed with.
Brad immediately realized he was making a bad decision, but Chloe's lips moving with his own quickly made all other thoughts slip away. The way she gently began sucking on his lip as she threw both her hands around the back of his neck drove him insane.
Not until he felt her tongue brush against his lip did he snap out of it. What in the world was he doing? He didn't want to cross this line with her. No matter how good it made him feel, it wasn't right.
Brad pulled away keeping their faces only inches apart. Chloe realized what he was doing. She knew what they had done was wrong, but she couldn't help herself.
They just looked deep into each other's eyes, letting the heat of the moment wear off. Chloe slid her hands off of him, and sat up straighter. Brad looked at her apologetically.
"Goodnight, Brad," Chloe whispered.
"I'll see you in the morning," Brad answered. Then he quickly grabbed his pillow and left the bedroom. Chloe sat there and touched a hand to her lips.
Brad lay wide-awake on the couch. His high school dream had come true. He had kissed Chloe Etienne. But even with that in mind, nothing could happen between them now that they were roommates, even if he wanted it so bad.
Brad pushed the stroller and Chloe walked beside him. I was a wonderfully sunny day. The streets were full of people all enjoying the beautiful Saturday morning.
Kathy had dropped Jake off at Brad’s apartment that morning and they were now on their way to Vanessa's.
As they approached the park, Brad had an idea.
"Before we head over to Vanessa's do you want to take Jake to the park for a bit?" Brad asked. Chloe gave Brad a nervous glance, but nodded.
"Sure. We still have time," Chloe said. She tried to sound cheerful but she was a little nervous to be around Jake, since she had no experience with babies.
They entered Central Park. It seemed like it was all families that filled the grassy fields and forest paths. They stopped in a patch of shade under a tree. Brad laid down a blanket for the three of them to sit on, before letting Jake out of his seat. As soon as Jake's feet were on the ground, he began running around nearby.
Brad and Chloe sat beside each other on the blanket. Both of them leaned back on their hands with their feet in front of them. They watched as Jake chased grasshoppers and played in the grass. Every so often they would steal a glance at each other.
After a while of running around, Jake ran back to his father. He jumped into Brad’s arms, laughing a sweet little laugh as Brad tickled him. Chloe observed them, smiling at the cute father and son moment.
When Brad stopped, Jake was out of breath, but he had a huge smile on his face. Jake climbed off of his father's lap and sat on the blanket, watching the trees blow in the gentle wind making the shadows dance across the grass.
Chloe watched as Jake's eyelids became heavy with exhaustion. Jake looked up at her and raised his little arms towards Chloe.
"Up?" Jake asked. Chloe gave Brad a panicked look.
"He just wants you to sit him on your lap," Brad said. "Don't be afraid. You can do it," Brad whispered encouragingly, realizing Chloe must not have experience with kids.
Chloe lifted Jake onto her lap. Jake curled up comfortably in her arms. Chloe slowly began to rock him, gently leaning her cheek against his blond hair.
Jake dozed off in her arms.
Brad and Chloe locked eyes and they both smiled a meaningful smile. It was a beautiful moment; Chloe was proud to begin overcoming her fear.
As she listened to Jake's slow, relaxed breaths something stirred inside her. She never thought of herself as having any maternal feelings, but holding Jake made her realize she did want to be a mother, just not to James’ kids.
Suddenly from out of nowhere an older woman passed by.
"You two have a beautiful son. What a lovely family," the lady commented stopping for a moment. Before Brad and Chloe could object, the lady was already walking away.
The two smiled to themselves. They really looked like a family to those on the outside.
"We should get going," Brad whispered to Chloe as he glanced at his watch. Chloe nodded.
As Chloe helped Brad carry the stroller up the unfamiliar staircase, her nerves began to hit her. She realized that in minutes she would be seeing Vanessa again, as well as meeting the rest of Brad’s friends.
Brad gave the door to his sister’s apartment, a quick knock and soon it swung open.
Chapter 9
Vanessa opened the door and saw Brad was not alone. The woman standing next to him looked strangely familiar. She just couldn't put her finger on where she knew her from.
"Hi Brad, Jake…" Vanessa said trailing off, unsure how to respond to this stranger.
"Hey Nessie. This is Chloe Schwitzer. Don't you remember her?" Brad introduced Chloe, who stood next to him uncomfortably. It finally clicked in Vanessa's mind. How could she forget Chloe?
"Actually, I'm Chloe Etienne again. It's great to see you after so long," Chloe greeted. She held out her hand for Vanessa to shake.
"Chloe! Oh my goodness, it's been forever!" Vanessa exclaimed stepping through the doorway and giving her a hug. Chloe sighed with relief knowing Vanessa was happy to see her instead of angry that they drifted apart.
"I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner," Chloe apologized.
"Don't worry about it. Wow, I didn't recognize you at first. You look so great!" Vanessa disclosed.
"You look great too," Chloe replied. Brad just stood there with Jake in the stroller, happily observing the friends reconnect.
"Come on in you guys," Vanessa said, noticing they were still standing in the hall. Vanessa then led them inside. Brad gave Chloe a reassuring smile before they followed.
Chloe immediately noticed the company of two men and a woman sitting in Vanessa's living room watching the television. They all turned their heads to look at who was arriving. They were shocked to notice Brad had brought a woman with him.
"Hey guys," Brad greeted his two friends. "This is Chloe Etienne, she's my new roommate. Chloe this is Jason…" Brad gestured to Jason.
"Nice to meet you," Jason greeted with a friendly smile.
"You remember Charlene," Brad said, motioning to Charlene.
"I do! It's very nice to meet all of you," Chloe said.
Soon Jake had woken up and Brad let him out of his stroller to see the others. Vanessa invited Chloe to sit at the kitchen table with her. Chloe accepted her offer and they began to catch up on the time they had spent apart. Chloe filled Vanessa in about James and her terrible time being his wife, while Vanessa listened.
Vanessa fully began to understand why they lost touch. She was a little angry with Chloe when Brad told her he gave Chloe her phone number, and she didn't ever call. But listening to the story Chloe told and seeing the look in her eyes made her rethink things.
Vanessa couldn't stay mad at Chloe. She was happy to have her best friend come back and that outweighed any anger she felt.
Eventually Charlene joined their conversation. The three women got along well. At a few points in the conversation Chloe would lose herself thinking how wonderful these people were. They completely accepted her and welcomed her. These were the friends she'd been looking for.
Then Vanessa began cooking for the five of them, and Jake of course, leaving Charlene and Chloe to get to know each other. The two of them really hit it off, and before they knew time flew by and dinner was served.
"Brad you sit there and Jason there," Vanessa directed, as she pointed to the seats for the guys to sit in. Jason just snickered at Vanessa's take-charge attitude.
Vanessa put bowls and plates of food on the table as Brad helped Jake into his booster chair. Chloe sat there smiling she had a feeling she would have many good times with these people.
After a conversation filled dinner, Brad and Chloe had to take Jake home for bed. As the two left, Vanessa and Chloe agreed to have lunch together sometime soon.
By the time they reached the door of their apartment, Jake was fast asleep in his stroller. He was very tired from his busy day. Brad lifted his sleeping son from his stroller and carried him to his crib, which was set up in the spare bedroom.
When Brad returned from tucking Jake in for the night, he walked back into the living room. Chloe was picking up a few of her bags to clean up Brad’s living room.
"Do you want some help?" Brad asked. Chloe's head snapped up to look at him. His voice had come out of nowhere.
"Oh, um, that'd be great," Chloe replied. The two of them moved Chloe's bags off to the side of the room under Brad’s window. Chloe figured she would unpack when they got her bedroom set up.
When they were finished they both flopped on the couch in exhaustion.
"I was thinking I should get a job," Chloe said, out of the blue.
"That's great Chloe. What do you think you want to do?" Brad asked.
"I've always wanted to work in advertising," Chloe admitted. "I just don't know where to begin."
"Well, the paper is always a good place. If not you can search for an opening on the Internet. And if all else fails you can always go drop off your resume places and see if they're hiring," Brad explained.
"Thanks Brad," Chloe said.
"Don't mention it," Brad responded. Then a question crossed her mind from when he mentioned the Internet.
"Brad, could I check my email on your computer?" Chloe asked. She had noticed the computer in Brad’s bedroom the previous night. Talking to Vanessa about her past had reminded her of her friend, which of whom she needed to respond to.
"Yeah go ahead," Brad responded. "I'm going to sleep now, so goodnight," Brad added.
"Okay. Thank you. I'll see you in the morning," Chloe said.
Chloe got up and quietly walked to Brad’s bedroom. She tried not to wake Jake as she passed his bedroom door. She sat down at Brad’s desk and turned on the computer. After waiting for it to turn on, she opened her email. As she suspected, there was a message from her friend.
Hi,
I hope everything's okay. I'm just worried that you haven't contacted me yet, as usually you reply within hours.
Please let me know what's going on. We can talk about your decision to leave your husband. Plus I have a new roommate that I want to tell you about. She's that girl I met that I liked back in high school. Anyways, email me back.
Chloe found it odd that her friend is divorced, and now has a new roommate just like Brad. Chloe found it strange that she was talking to these two people who were going through the same events. It was a big coincidence.
Chloe a
nswered her friend back.
I'm really sorry I didn't email you sooner!
I've been busy figuring out this divorce with James. My father is really mad at my decision to leave him but I don't care about what he thinks. I'm so much happier already and it's only been a couple of days since I left James.
Don't worry about me I'm doing fine. I found a high school friend and he has let me live with him. Looks like we both have new roommates. So, what's this girl like that you're living with?
Chloe logged off after sending the email. She stood up from the chair, deciding she needed to talk to Brad. This coincidence between her friend and Brad was really bothering her. But then she stopped to think, how would she do this?
Should she come right out and say it? Should she just try and get more information from Brad and see if the two had more things in common?
Chloe changed into her pajamas. Then she sauntered softly in the direction of Brad’s living room.
She was in the hallway between the two bedrooms when she heard a soft voice.
"Mommy?" Jake's sweet little voice called when he noticed Chloe in the hall. Jake began to whimper.
Chloe didn't know what to do, but she walked into his room. It was dark and the only light came from the streetlights that shone through the curtained window. Jake stood in his crib, watching her come closer. As soon as Chloe was within a few feet of his crib he held out his hands to her.
Chloe hesitantly lifted Jake over the side of his crib and held him in her arms. Jake snuggled against her shoulder as he hugged her neck with his small arms. Chloe rocked him gently trying to get him to fall back asleep.
She tried to stay confident as she rocked Jake, unsure of herself around babies. Jake began to go limp in her arms and his breathing became slower as he nodded off.
Brad had heard Jake crying on the baby monitor he had in the living room. He got up from the couch and headed towards the bedrooms. The sight he saw when he walked into the hallway and looked through the door amazed him.
Chloe stood, with her back to him, in the middle of the room slowly swaying side to side with Jake in her arms. Brad just stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe, and watched the sweet moment unfold.
We Ended Up Together Page 7