Page 5 of Starlight Salon
I walk backwards, not taking my eyes off her concerned ones. My foot catches something and I fall, narrowly missing the coffee table. I yelp when I hit the ground and curl into a fetal position. Such dignity.
“Oh my god. Okay, this is fine. Everything’s fine.” Chloe appears in my vision crouched beside me, and her cool hand brushes the hair away from my brow. I sigh. It’s exactly how I imagined it. Although, I didn’t envision having the flu, curled up on the floor from tripping over nothing.
“Are you alright?”
I grunt in response. Am I hallucinating her? I’ve thought about her in my flat more than enough times that my delirious brain is capable of conjuring her, but I like to imagine it wouldn’t be like this. Me, sick and incapable of hugging her.
“We need to get you to bed.”
“Mmm, bed.” She’s sitting beside me now. My body rolls and I throw an arm over her crossed legs, pressing my head against her knee. Chloe jumps slightly, but it’s comfier than I anticipated and my eyes flutter shut, my breaths deepen attempting to inhale her scent, but my nose is too blocked to catch it. The perfect opportunity to smell her and my nose won’t work. Figures.
“Nope. I won’t let you fall asleep on the floor. It can’t be good for you.”
I huff. Why does the floor matter? She’s there, so it’s perfect.
Chloe rolls me onto my back, and pushes at my shoulders. “Come on. Up you get.”
Well fine, she wants me to sit up, so I will. I push upright and ignore my throbbing head. Her hands rub my bare shoulders, soothing the aches in my body.
I frown when her hands leave me. She stands and moves too far away for me to reach, glances around the room and focuses on the couch with covers hanging off it.
“You’ve been sleeping on the couch?”
I nod, swaying when the movement causes nausea to pulse through me. Walking to the door and falling really took it out of me. I’m on the last legs of the flu, but it’s hanging onto me for dear life.
“Where’s your room?”
My hand flings towards the hallway.
“Is there a reason you aren’t sleeping there?” she asks, grabbing the blankets and folding them. She sets them neatly on the couch, pausing when she notices my phone. She picks it up and taps it, but it remains blank. “Makes sense,” she mutters. “Stay here.” She disappears down the hall.
I lean against the couch and close my eyes. Is Chloe really here? I’ve only spoken to her on the phone, seen her talking to Dom, and occasionally at the bar every few weeks with her friends.
Read: Obsessively watched her.
Usually I try to go Next Door on Saturdays to see her, even though I haven’t gained the courage to approach her. Seeing her’s enough.
Why is she here? Not that I’m complaining, it’s a dream come true having her in my space, it just doesn’t make sense. How does she know where I live?
“Nope, you’re not allowed to fall again.”
My eyes snap open to see her hovering over me. She pushes my shoulder, stopping me from sliding back to the ground. Her brow creases as she kneels beside me and takes my hand to put my arm around her shoulders. I don’t like her frowning. Don’t like that she’s stressed because of me.
“Up we get.” She stands cautiously, attempting to drag me with her.
I stare at her hair. She’s pulled it up with a green clip similar to her eye colour. But not exact. It’s missing the small gold flecks.
Chloe tugs my arm and grunts when I don’t move. “I can’t lift you myself, Lachlan. You need to give me a hand.” She drops my arm and winces when it hits the floor, but I don’t feel anything. “Okay, new plan. This time when I pull you, you try and stand with me. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
This time when she pulls my arm across her shoulder, I push upwards and try not to put too much weight on her.
Chloe grumbles when I sway into her, but we’re standing. “Now we walk.”
She guides me down the hall, pulling me along to my bedroom while I try to figure out how my legs work and how I can get her to marry me.
I stumble. What?