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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Oct 30, 2009 18:56:37 GMT -5
She’s grinning like a kid in a candy store. Embarrassing, sure. Embarrassing and unlikely. She could have asked what image he needed to uphold—he’d not been in this city long, right? He’d not stepped food outside the hotel. Not consciously, anyway. In this city, he had no image yet. No one knew who he was. Hell, even Chloe didn’t know who he was and she continued to fall for him—she was doing so even as she was telling herself not to.
But the tart remark didn’t leave her lips. Instead, they pursed and she reveled in the feeling of his warm hand within her own.
She didn’t know where Thaddeus came from or what his history was. She didn’t know whether such a remark might cut him, or hurt him in any way. It had her wondering whether he had an image to uphold, somewhere back there in his history. It was that question that sat poised in her throat. But it remained unvoiced.
Thaddeus had stood, and instead of immediately leading them out of the diner he’d captured Chloe’s cheek with his hand, and captured her mouth with his. He didn’t only steal the kiss, but he stole her breath, too. He stole that calm feeling that had slowly regained its footing and sent her heart into an Irish jig.
Oh, yeah, there was no doubt she was falling for him and she was having a hard time telling herself not to.
The question she’d wanted to ask was completely forgotten, and she was left marveling at this man she’d met by chance. He was then tugging her out of the diner and onto the street, the door jingling behind them.
“Patience is a virtue, you know.” She said, winking. She had to smile at that—she was one to talk! She didn’t have a patient bone in her body. And she couldn’t wait to take Thaddeus home. There was nothing risqué in her impatience, just an enthusiasm to get to know him better. And in getting to know him better he, too, would have to get to know her better. And how better to get to know a person by seeing where they lived and what they owned?
And even as she spoke she’d started to walk, leading the way toward her apartment.
The place was near the middle of the city, but a little closer to the Southern rim. The two of them currently stood upon Bleak Street, and up ahead Chloe could see the sign saying ‘75th’. They were only a couple of blocks from the apartment.
Thaddeus’ arm remained looped over Chloe’s shoulders, and as they walked she reached up to grasp lightly at his hand. It was such a natural way of being together that it would have been hard to believe the two of them had only met the night before.
“You know, I think that waitress wanted us to come back.” She said, starting an idle and pointless conversation. There were questions Chloe wanted to ask, sure. Her curiosity was something to be reckoned with. But they were having such a good time, and the last thing Chloe wanted to do was ruin the moment by digging into a past that Thaddeus mightn’t want to share. She got the impression that he mightn’t want to share it due to the wound on his chest and the way in which Archibald had found him. There had to be something there worth hiding, worth wanting to keep secret. She’d ask him another time.
“And if you’re going to be staying at the Olympiad, and my apartment is only a few blocks from here…that diner is smack bang in the middle. It wouldn’t be surprising if we haunted the place now, would it?” She queried; this was the way in which she would sate her curiosity. She was curious as to how Thaddeus would react to the suggestion that the two of them would be spending a lot of time together. Her fingers massaged the palm of his hand, deftly exploring the contours of it without Chloe really being conscious of doing so. She’d turned to watch Thaddeus with a perked brow, half a smile on her lips.
Hell, the smile would stay there. As if she could really stop.
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Post by Thaddeus on Oct 31, 2009 16:14:09 GMT -5
There's something about Chloé that sets her apart from all others. There's a certain genuine aspect to her that reminded Thaddeus of his past that truly wasn't that long ago. It reminded him of Marian to a point and even reminded him of the woman who had loved him and taken care of him. His foster-mother. It's a feeling of being wanted simply for being him and nothing else.
What drives women like them to want a man like him within their own life? Thaddeus truly felt as if he had gone full circle now. He had started off defenseless; a mere child who had been weeping out front of the hospital where he had been abandoned. It had been there that he was found and had fallen under the special care of Eulogia Benabe; the woman had been a nurse there and the unnamed baby boy had become a mascot for the day and night staff.
She loved him with all her heart and had taken him home because she believed he was hers now. Thaddeus could not thank her enough for all she had done, or even all that his foster father had given him. Then there was Marian who had been entirely different yet somewhat like Chloé, no? With her easy smile and disarming way for everything that was Thaddeus. Oh, Thaddeus couldnt' be the same streetwise fellow who was a pool shark first and a gangster second. He had been the sweet, romancing boyish man who was a caretaker for the Bronx to her.
She had kept him because she had fallen for him.
Then there was Chloé. Having only met the night before and already becoming a large mark upon his life. She had come across him within the throes of his pain and she had soothed him nigh unknowingly. Archibald may had been the one to find him first but Chloé was the one who was drawing him from the entryway of his rebirth. It was a full circle.
"Do you think she does? I think we gave their cook a run for his money. I mean, we ordered everything!" Thaddeus exclaims with a laugh that nearly belied his current thoughts and hidden demeanor. He bites his lower lip and gives a slow shake of his head up until the moment Chloé was showing her true motive when speaking of the diner. He almost looks dumbly at her for a moment or two before realization dawns upon his face.
All the while her hand touches his own; those soft fingertips massaging at his palm. He felt soothed. He felt wanted and needed by this woman he had only met. He needed her whether or not he wanted her and he realized that. He also realized that he did want her here with him at his side. He also realized that he wasn't the man that he would have been recognized in New York City for. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Except someone gave him a second chance.
So, as Percival might have told him when he was a teenager - completely unadultered, even - Thaddeus better not fuck this up. Now, Thaddeus could see his foster father's smug smile.
He couldn't help but mirror that smile as he looks down at Chloé.
"I'd like that a lot Chloé. We could drive the waitress and cook nuts every time we go there, but I'm hardly sure we could even eat as much as we did today," he confesses with a laugh and smooths his freehand over his stomach. Oh, he was definitely going to sleep well tonight!
"Look at you," he murmurs suddenly with his smile lingering just as wide! He lifts his hand from his stomach to touch the underside of her chin. "You're going to have laugh lines to last you an eternity if you keep this up, Chloé."
If only he knew.
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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Nov 1, 2009 7:52:13 GMT -5
Chloe laughed alongside Thaddeus, “Yes, well, we wouldn’t order everything every time!” Or so she didn’t think. But it would be fun to see the look on their faces next time the two of them walked into that diner. That is, if the same people were working, and if they even remembered Chloe and Thadd’s faces. It was always the case with those places. They were so impersonal, they never did remember their customers.
But who knew. Thadd and Chloe could be very memorable, especially seeing as they’d spent so much money and caused such a fuss. Really, how could they be forgotten? But maybe that was just Chloe, glancing at Thaddeus, thinking that he couldn’t possibly be forgotten. She knew that if she worked in a diner—hell, even if it was just a normal day at the library—and Thaddeus walked inside, she wouldn’t forget him quite so easy. She’d go to work the next night hoping he came back.
She’s smiling sheepishly as he tells her that he’d like to go back. She couldn’t help but feel at least a little triumphant, like she’d caught someone whom she should never let go. She’d not be quite as clingy as that, though. She didn’t want to turn into the stalker whom she’d so readily consumed.
“Oh, yeah, but at least the first time we go back we can give them a scare.” She concurred.
And though his touch and his remark only made her grin wider, she couldn’t help but try to curb her enthusiasm. She fought with the grin, trying to keep it from getting wider, trying to make it disappear altogether. It only made her expression look odd, so she shook her head and gave up on the attempt.
“Yeah, and what’s wrong with laugh lines, hey?” She questioned, averting her gaze as she blushed; that every present tinge to her cheeks that never did quite leave her alone. They rounded a corner and up ahead, on the next block, she could see the vine-covered facade that was her apartment building.
In a bid to turn Thaddeus’s attention away from her and her laugh lines, she pointed to it, leaning that tiny bit closer to Thaddeus so that their view-points almost aligned. “There, that’s where we’re headed.” She told him. She was rather proud of her home. She liked the look of the building; it was so much more welcoming than most of the apartment buildings in this city. She’d certainly been lucky to secure herself this studio apartment.
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Post by Thaddeus on Nov 18, 2009 5:46:25 GMT -5
"I can already see the day. We'd waltz right in there, and when the waitress comes over we'll shake our heads and tell her to keep the menu because we already know what we want. That alone should leave her wide eyed, no?" He questions of his companion with a wide smile. Yeah, that wouldn't be such a bad thing at all, really. He didn't really mind to say the least either. It would be between them and meeting up there would be a magnificent thing; especially more so for the fact that they'd be companions, or so he'd like to think. Archibald would no doubt have a lot to say, maybe. Truth be told though, Arch didn't seem to be rather talkative or the gaggling hen type. It's then she's speaking of laugh lines and his nose wrinkles.
"Nothing, I think. If I'm giving them to you, I mean. Then that would be a good thing, no? Unless you're laughing because of some other boy courting at your heels?" He questions with a raised brow and laugh. How strange, truly. Mayhap he shouldn't be so open with her. Why would he care whether or not there was a man within and apart of her life as a whole? Thaddeus had so much more to straighten within his life that he should worry less about others and more about himself. Except, things were never that easy.
It wasn't long until they were rounding the next corner and she's pressing closer to his body. So, he obliges her touch and tip his face until their very cheeks were practically pressing together! Their views were nigh matched together as he narrows his eyes down the line of her finger and down the block to where she had pinpointed out her apartment, or rather, the building she was living within currently. It looked welcoming to say the least and reminded him of the Brownstones down in Manhattan, but a slight bit different even then.
So, where did this leave both Chloe and Thaddeus? He couldn't help but wonder then and there. He knew they were solidfying their relationship as friends, but the night before had led them from drinking to laying together and staring at the ceiling quietly. They had mapped out the ripples and bumps that riddled the ceiling with their imagination and had made fun of what little they had. They had touched upon one another with familiarity, and she had given him a night of comfort.
Thaddeus hadn't awakened to night terrors that morning, or had he? He could hardly remember with her there overwhelming his senses with her scent and peculiar warmth that seemed fleeting at best. She felt more like marble to the touch; cool, and yet, holding to some unearthly warmth. It was something he didn't understand but blamed on the slight chill of the night than anything.
"Race you?" He asks of her playfully, but was more than kidding at that very moment as he draws her tightly against his side and tips his face to her hair to breathe her within. Then the world shook around them and the clouded sky rippled with lightning. There was a rolling thunder that fills the air and Thaddeus' eyes flit upward. With an inevitable downpour, Thaddeus and Chloe were both stuck within such and Thaddeus gives a shudder against her before laughing and tucking his head over her own. It reminded him of home. It reminded him of coming home from school only having to sprint home and take a critical eye from his foster-mother.
"Come on!" He says and unravels his arm from her shoulders before gripping her hand and pulling her alone. They were running, and their sanctuary was her apartment building.
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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Nov 20, 2009 6:49:44 GMT -5
Chloe laughed. Other boys courting at her heels—yeah right! Unless one included the stalker she’d so recently consumed. The thought wiped the smile from her features. Well, that wasn’t nice. It made her feel like a monster, killing those who admired her. She glanced at Thaddeus out of the corner of her eye and it made her want to run for the hills. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. Would she? Could she ever lose control?
She was horrified, and strangely aroused at the same time. Horrified, because she was aroused. She remembered the scent of Thaddeus’s blood from earlier. She remembered the taste of his lips, and the way his touch had made her feel. But her imagination conjured an image that combined all three. Her anatomy reacted to the image in a horrifying way.
But she ignored it.
And as if the world responded to her thoughts, the sky thundered above them. The ice-cold rain started to fall, washing over her face and banishing all morbid thoughts from her mind. She was thankful for it. A grin split eagerly across her face as she lifted her eyes skyward; she was actually seriously thinking of taking Thaddeus up on his offer. To race him—though perhaps if she’d done so, she’d have kept going, just to keep him safe from her.
But his hand folded against her own and he was urging her onward. The rain had always been her friend. She could never understand why so many people liked to associate rain with sadness. It was always the rain that managed to cheer her up and put her back in good spirits. Just like it was doing now.
For a few moments she resisted Thaddeus’s tugging at her hand; she wanted to stay in the rain, and dance in it. But although she was immune to all kinds of cold-related illness, Thaddeus was not. And he was wounded. His immune system may not be at its best. So with a cackle she followed after Thaddeus. The two of them raced down the street, heading for the comfort and shelter of the apartment complex.
As she ran, she fumbled in her bag for her keys.
They reached the door, which was not under cover. She all but slammed into it, continuing to cackle as she realised she’d brandished the wrong key. She continued to fumble until she finally found the right one, slipping it into the lock and pushing through the door.
“Come on, it’s the third floor up.” She said; this time she was the one to take Thaddeus’s hand and lead him onward, skipping up the stairs. The three flights didn’t bother her much. She climbed them every day, and thus was used to them. That, and she had a significant amount of stamina to keep her going.
When she reached the door of her apartment proper, she found the first key again and unlocked one lock, before flicking the keys around and unlocking the deadbolt. She shot Thaddeus a sheepish grin. “You can never be too careful.” She opened the door slowly, crouching down as she went through, scooping Pandora up in her arms as she did so. She cooed to the cat apologetically; she’d been gone for far too long, and the cat would be starving.
Pandora mewed her objections, squirming away from Chloe’s dripping wet hair. As soon as Chloe heard the door shut, she let the cat down. Pandora glanced curiously at Thaddeus, but other than that continued to ignore him; she continued to meow, pushing herself through Chloe’s legs and rubbing herself up against Chloe’s ankles.
“I know, Pandy, I’m sorry.” She said. She was showing her true colours, now. She spent so much time alone at home that she talked to the cat as if she were a person. As she went to the kitchen to get Pandora some food, she glanced back in Thaddeus’s direction;
“Well, this is my humble abode!” She said, gesturing to the apartment as a whole. Even as she pealed the lid from the tin of cat food and forked the stuff into Pandora’s dish, she kept a careful eye on Thaddeus in order to gauge his reaction.
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Post by Thaddeus on Dec 23, 2009 16:00:01 GMT -5
Who was he anymore? Thaddeus was having trouble figuring that out. He felt that he had died and come back to life only to wear the skin of some boy who's clean of sin. This man running through the rain with one hand upon some other woman's wasn't the Thaddeus he could recall. This wasn't the poolshark who had paid his way through college by hustling the billiard halls nor the man who had come back to his roots bigger than ever with domination within his eyes. This wasn't the man who deserved to be living even a moment of bliss because somewhere else the bodies belonging to his beloved wife and daughter were cold and blue, and being judged the cause behind everything. That he was the cold killer and people were picking apart an image that he constructed.
Now he's here within the downpour of rain and he's smiling and clenching her hand so tightly. He feels boyish and the fluttering within his stomach that he had felt as a lad back within High School. That he had gotten the girl everyone wanted and now she's taking him home. Except there were no parents to stop them. There was nothing standing between them but the constant chill and whip of wind and rain. Now, for the moment, a door she was fumbling with and cackling as Thaddeus pressed against her back to shield her from the rain.
Then she's pushing through and he's at her heels. It's such a welcome to be within the comfort and warmth of spacious halls that reminded him of the brownstones within Brooklyn and Harlem proper. It's nice to be back within a building that reminded him of the numerous projects nestled within the Bronx. It wasn't long until she was stating their destination though. It's the third floor!
With his hand within her own he clasps hers tightly and follows without a hitch. Thaddeus didn't have much trouble to be quite honest. He had grown accustomed with climbing stairs and walking nearly everywhere within New York City proper. That's the way of life there as well! As for here? It's a bit different and a car wouldn't hurt. Traffic certainly didn't look as bad either where New York was often gridlock and bumper-to-bumper but that's another story entirely to tell for a another time.
It's not long until they were at her door and Thaddeus looks breathless and for good reason. Oh, sure, he had done this within New York but his sudden passing through nothingness had left him half-the-man he had been before. With a loss of stamina and strength that he knew he once had. He's still healing though to be fair. Of a certainty he'd earn that back eventually, or so he hopes.
"I can't agree more," he confesses before nodding his head to that deadbolt she had unlocked first. It's only when she's beginning to lower herself though that Thaddeus had begun to question the woman's sanity only to find her arms were full of some furry critter. It's a cat!
It's moments like this that shows the truth within someone. It's within the comfort and safety of someone's den that helps to shed the armor one wears to defend themselves against a stranger's critical eye. All the while Thaddeus could only smile down at the cat as he follows Chloe within and pushes the door shut and presses his back there briefly.
"I didn't realize you to be a cat person!" He confesses soon after and with mild surprise before quickly following at her heels toward the kitchen. Chloe gestures to her apartment as a whole and Thaddeus takes the time to wander somewhat but not too far - staying nearest to her lest he give her reason to fear him. "It's a lovely place, Chloe," he says as his eyes flit over the counters, the cabinets and even the floors; from the seats to the walls. He looks over everything and quietly wonders of his own home before his eyes fall quietly onto her.
"So, this is your place," he says dumbly and with a slight smile as he feels a warm body brush past his legs. His chin tucks against his chest as eyes follow the sway and motion of Pandora, or Pandy, as Chloe had so affectionately called her.
"Chloe," he begins suddenly before drawing closer and soon after leaning against a nearby countertop. His arms cross over his chest before lifting away with a grunt. He's soaked to the bone. "I...Do you happen to have any extra towels?" He questions with brows lifting. His bright eyes showing through with an apology lingering there with mild mirth. "I don't want to get your place all wet."
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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Dec 28, 2009 4:00:40 GMT -5
As always, when someone questioned what kind of ‘person’ she was, Chloe was thoroughly intrigued. So, she didn’t look like a cat person? What kind of person did she look like, then?
Pandora’s food was heaped satisfactorily in the dish and Chloe placed it carefully on the floor, petting the cat absentmindedly as she started to scarf the food down, as if she hadn’t been fed for days. Chloe frowned shortly as she was again struck by guilt—she was far too attached to the cat for her own good. If something happened to her...well, Chloe would be a right wreck. She’d lost pets in the past and had spent days grieving them, if not more. It was about the only time anyone would ever see her cry.
Her attention is caught by Thaddeus, who suddenly says her name, as if he’s got something important to say. Her heart skips, though her face is a mask of serenity, and of enquiry. She was neither disappointed or elated when the only thing he wanted to ask was whether she had a towel. She smiled, and nodded. She threw the dirtied fork into the sink and the empty can of cat food into the bin before turning into the hall and leading Thaddeus toward the bathroom, which also doubled as the laundry. Her apartment was not elite. It was like any other apartment, and she liked it that way. Less rooms, meant there was less to clean.
There was a hall cupboard just outside the bathroom. This was where she kept her towels. She pulled it open to retrieve one for Thaddeus—it was light blue in colour and significantly fluffy. She was not cheap when it came to bath or bedroom linen. She believed in comfort.
She flourished the thing and handed to Thadd, before she cleared her throat and gestured toward the bathroom.
“You’re welcome to shower if you want, freshen up. There’s a clothes dryer in there, too. You can throw your clothes in to dry before we... go anywhere else.” She mumbled the latter part, completely unaware of what their plans were for the night anyway. She suddenly became very shy, and very aware that they were alone in her apartment and had the freedom to do whatever they wished. They had nowhere important to be (or, so she assumed. She had nowhere to be). And though she’d promised Thadd one of her vehicles, there was no rush to show them to him.
But the idea had entered her head, and her shyness urged her to take him down to the garage, to avoid any awkwardness that she might conjure. As per usual, she had absolutely no faith in herself, and hadn’t had enough experience in this kind of human contact to know that her instincts would take over, and that if she allowed them to there wasn’t any way in which the situation could become awkward. But she remained ignorant.
She simply stood there, hand clutched around the towel that she held out for Thaddeus, head bowed as she waited expectantly for his decision.
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Post by Thaddeus on Jan 16, 2010 3:24:58 GMT -5
Thaddeus followed her with an eagerness of any Bronx lad. He, much like his foster father and mother, was a passionate boy who wouldn't mind trotting at Chloe's heels any day of the week. She's an attractive woman but that's not the point. She had a way of speaking and being that made his heart flutter and fill with life. There's simply no doubt that he wasn't here for any other reason. He's here for her and there's simply no doubt about that. Her apartment wasn't wholly bad at all. It had the essentials and necessities for a simplistic living for one person or even another. In this case the other would be her cat. It's a quaint place but not quite as small as Thaddeus' own accomodations at the Olympiad. He's not one to complain though, truly. He had lived within smaller arrangements and had grown up within apartments. So, this wasn't anything new to him. Not that he'd see himself living here with her but maybe within a similar apartment nearby. Who knew? Certainly he didn't. Life was full of twists and turns. Soon they were heading to her bathroom that's mingled with the laundry room. His face tips as he leans against the doorway and watches her as she soon flourishes a towel at him. It seemed that Chloe wasn't one to scrimp out on sundries or the essentials for the washroom. That's good to know though, truly. That's not something someone should be cheap with! All the while Thaddeus stands there within the doorway of the bathroom with his hear peering outward to Chloe as she stood there before the cupboard. It's then she speaks... Chloe's words though...well, they were somewhat surprising, and wouldn't you know, mirth seems to shine within his eyes then and there. He could hardly even hold back his grin. Yet, all the while there's a warmth about him. There's obvious fondness there for the woman he had only just met. "I didn't realize we were going anywhere," he confesses to her. Maybe he was pushing his luck? He hadn't meant to sound like he expected her to allow him here within her home or even further. Yet, there he had uttered those words and had fallen silent. He reaches forth and his fingertips brush against that terrycloth she still clutches. Yet, he doesn't take that. At least not yet. That's not to say he doesn't take hold though as his fingers brush against her own and he pulls her toward himself. His face tipping close and brow bumping against her own. His freehand brushes against her own and his fingers tangle with hers warmly. His mouth claims her own. He could still taste the brush of the storm upon her. He could taste the rainwater mingling with that of her flesh. That, and the warmth beneath that seems to call to him, or rather, the cold that he wishes to smother with his own heat. How strange and peculiar. Yet, he makes no mention. All he could do was stand there and kiss her softly once, twice, three times...several times. He smiles against her lips. "You're not trying to kick me out, are you?" He asks of her as he brushes his mouth against her own once more and his nose brushes past her own. He's teasing her though, of course. If she wanted him to leave, truly, he would have. He's not one to upset another over something like this. Yet, that may also be a lie. If only she had known what he's capable of. Then maybe she'd be frightened. Maybe she'd have tears within her eyes and demand him to leave. He died and was reborn. She didn't need to know that. "You're so pretty," he murmurs and his oh, too bright blue eyes roam over her face. His freehand tightening over hers and the other brushing up the length of her arm only to cup her cheek.
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Post by Chloé Flannigan on Jan 21, 2010 7:57:48 GMT -5
Nothing in the world could have bothered Chloe, then and there. Sure, she had a terrible secret that she was keeping from Thaddeus. But they’d known each other only two nights. They’d got awfully close within those hours, but that did not mean that they each had to divulge every single little secret they had, right? He was the best thing she’d had since... well, she could say since Anthony, but the name left a bad taste in her mouth. For all his merits, she could not think that Anthony had ever been good for her. Not when he kept leaving.
Of course, there was nothing to say that Thaddeus wouldn’t do the same. But Chloe preferred to be optimistic and faithful. Her judgement and opinion of a person wouldn’t sway in a bad direction unless they gave it reason to. And even then... if their good qualities outweighed their bad, or if their bad qualities existed for sufficient reason, she was always willing to forgive and forget. It was just who she was.
She grinned an apologetic grin, blushing as she shook her head; no, of course they weren’t going anywhere. What need had they to go anywhere?
But before she could take back her words he was kissing her, and she melted against his body, her free hand travelling the contours of his chest before winding around his neck, fingers tangling in his still-wet hair. Oh, how sweet it was to be kissing someone like Thaddeus in the midst of such a perfect storm. She could still hear the rain pounding against the roof. No, so they had no need to go anywhere. Why should they in this storm? The weather dictated that they should stay inside, comforted by each other’s warmth.
And then he’s asking if she’s trying to kick him out. Of course she knows he’s teasing, but that doesn’t stop her eyes widening momentarily in horror, her head shaking infinitesimally in negation.
“That... would be a hell no.” She all but whispers, the look of horror vanishing against her smile.
And when he tells her that she’s pretty, she’s shaking her head again; not in negation, really, but because she’d never quite learned how to handle compliments. She didn’t receive them often. She did not want to disagree, because she didn’t want to turn into one of those girls who disagreed only because they were fishing for compliments. But nor did she want to agree because... well, she didn’t agree. So all she could do was stand there, let the blood rush to her cheeks, and shake her head. The best she could do was change the subject.
At this point Pandora had finished (or only half eaten) her dinner, or was too curious to know what the two humans were doing down the hall than to finish it. She wound herself between their ankles, and Chloe dipped down to pick her up; she’d released her hold on the towel, giving it over to Thaddeus.
“You uhm... shower, dry yourself, whatever you need to do. Now that you mention it, I should probably get out of my wet clothes too.” She said, and Pandora obviously agreed. Although she’d asked for the affection, the cat obviously didn’t like being held by a sopping wet human. She squirmed to get away.
Reluctantly, Chloe turned away from Thaddeus and made her way toward the stairs. She didn’t like walking away from him. It was like she was attracted to him, like a magnet, and the further she got from him the more uncomfortable she became. But she did anyway. She made her way up the stairs, the cat still clutched in her hands. When she was truly out of sight, she buried her face in the cat’s fur and squealed; the sound slightly incoherent, but perhaps it could have been heard downstairs due to the odd acoustics of the apartment. It really did depend on whether Thaddeus had entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
Finally, Chloe relinquished her hold on Pandora, dropping the cat onto the bed and opening the door to her closet. She really was happy that she’d decided to clean those two days ago. Perhaps some higher being had alerted her subconscious to the fact that she’d have company. Whatever the case, all her clothes were hung neatly in the closet rather than spilling from a basket at the end of her bed.
And, uncaring of whether the company downstairs should suddenly witness (or perhaps secretly hoping that he would) Chloe began to peel the wet clothes from her body.
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