#chloe;aless

[chloexli]

status: closed ( @alessxdinatale​ ) location: aless’ apartment

Trembling hands reached for picture after picture stuck around the walls of her apartment. The sound of thumbtacks falling onto her table were the only thing that could be heard as she moved around the space under Bart’s concerned gaze. “I said I’m fine,” She muttered to the dog, though he seemed to know it was a lie as much as she did. Still, Chloe continued to work on removing the imagery that reminded her of Aless from her walls. She didn’t want to look at it anymore, not after what had transpired between them in the shop. All she wanted was to rid herself of the pain that it had left her with, and what better way than to add it to the collection of painful memories? With each picture stacked neatly in her hand, Chloe dragged herself towards her closet where the hidden box resided.

Chloe had dropped out of College in a hurry, not wanting to risk her family catching wind and making their way to Michigan before she had the chance to escape. All she had the time to collect was a single bag of clothing and a box of things she couldn’t find in herself to get rid of. The clothes changed, bags being replaced as she managed to destroy or lose them. But, the one constant through every state she traveled through was that forsaken box. It was filled with photos, letters, and memorabilia from a life she had left behind, a burden she forced herself to bear in silence. No one had seen the contents of the box except for her, and she always hoped it would stay that way.

It was heavy in her lap, the weight somehow worse than it was when she had put it in her closet two years ago. A fine layer of dust had collected on top, and she swiped it away with her hand, a small shudder at the familiar sight of the black lid. It had not been opened in two years, and a small part of her hoped that it never would be again. But, it was foolish to think she could manage to escape her own destruction and failure. It was the only thing that managed to stay consistent in her life at this point. With a sigh, she pulled the lid open, and she felt as if she had opened Pandora’s Box, the memories flooding out as photos, keychains, and her most sacred letters came into view once again. Her vision blurred with tears once more as the pain struck her again. Harder than it had in the past for some reason.

She couldn’t let Aless be a part of the mess in this box. She had promised him that she’d always be there. Always. Staring down into the faces of lost friends and family, she realized just how important that promise was. He was her family now. She had left so many families behind before, and she couldn’t do it again. He was too important to lose, and she would not let her shortcomings be the end of something that mattered so much. She wanted to be there for him, even in his worst moments. But, if she wanted that from him, she would need to be prepared to bear her soul, too. The photos fell to the side, forgotten on her bedside table as she headed towards the door. She wouldn’t ruin things this time. She couldn’t.

It all happened so fast after that. Before second thoughts consumed her, Chloe was at Aless’ front door, the dreaded box in hand. There was the heavy weight of doubt that he would even answer the door for her at this point. The echo of his voice saying ‘I don’t want you here’ whispered in her ear like a devil on her shoulder, but she pushed through. She had knocked, but made evident by the noise inside, she was sure he wouldn’t hear her to answer if he even would. Eyes panned over to the numbers near his door. She had to wonder if he would have the sense to move the spare he had hidden there, but as she lifted the number to reveal the key, she found herself relieved that he hadn’t. She knew it was an intrusion on him to break into his apartment like this, but she wouldn't let him go without a fight. The lock turned without a fight, and Chloe found herself inside his apartment. It wasn’t that big, it didn’t take long for him to notice her. “It wasn’t fair to ask you to tell me everything when there’s so much I haven’t told you.” Trembling hands extended the box towards him as she waited to see if he’d accept her olive branch.

[chloexli]

status: closed ( @alessxdinatale​ ) location: chloe’s apartment

Chloe hadn’t even realized a week had passed until Aless had texted her to ask what the plan this Saturday was. Between the emotional whiplash of her developing relationship with Kai, seeing her ex again, and the approaching holiday that left an ache in her chest that she could never quite get rid of, time had been moving in a weird way. Frankly, she had half the mind to just cancel, but she didn’t want to leave him hanging. Besides, it would probably be good for her to see someone removed from the situation she had found herself in, anyway. 

A couple raps on the door made Chloe realize just how off her judgement of time was. Or was he just early? She couldn’t tell. Glancing down at Kai’s t-shirt that she had yet to change out of, she grumbled. It was fine, he wouldn’t be able to tell it was his friend’s shirt on sight alone, no man knew their friend that well. She moved towards her front door where Bart stood eagerly awaiting to see who was on the other side. She opened the door for Aless, Bart eagerly bouncing at the sight of an old friend. “Hey, come in. I think this is a pretty fool proof plan. How much trouble can we get into in this shoebox?”

[chloexli]

status: closed ( @alessxdinatale​ ) location: grocery store

How interesting their lives had gotten that they had decided to spend their Saturday grocery shopping for a holiday Chloe still thought was too far away to be shopping for. Apparently not, though, as they had been saddled with a very particular list, down to brand names and amounts. She supposed it should be a relief that they wouldn’t have to guess, but it really did illuminate how untrustworthy the two of them together could be. Though, with their track record, who was she to blame anyone? Chloe glanced from the list up at the crowded grocery store. Apparently every resident in town had decided this Saturday was the perfect day for a grocery run. “Remind me again why you thought that grocery shopping on a Saturday would be a good idea?” Chloe asked, glancing up at Aless who had dragged her along on this adventure. 

[chloexli]

status: closed ( @alessxdinatale ) location: aless’ place

"Aless,” Bang, bang, bang. Chloe had never been good at handling failure. “Aless, I know you’re in there.” She had grown up trying to be the best of the best, and she had failed. Bang, bang. “I’m not leaving.” At the unexpected loss of a friend, she found herself failing those she loved most once again. “Open the door.” Bang. And now, she was failing as a best friend. Aless had holed himself up in his apartment weeks ago, and had not come out. He had cut her off completely, and she still didn’t understand why. “Alessandro, I swear, if you don’t open this door, I will break it down.” Bang, bang. Chloe felt stupid, letting it go this long. Thinking, maybe space and time would be enough. If it was somehow something she had done, maybe he’d move on and go back to work. At least, she would know that he was safe, even if he never spoke to her again. She should have known better. Time had only ever made her wounds deeper. They festered with time, and she had done more damage to her life than she had good. But, Aless had the chance to be better than her. For once, Chloe had to push him. It was her last chance to keep from failing him. “Alessandro.” Bang. Chloe had only used his full name a handful of times, most of which were before she knew him as Aless. If he didn’t know she was serious before, he would now. Chloe let the banging rest, her hand burning from the impacts. He would let her in eventually, if only to keep her from getting the cops called. Or, she’d break in the door like she had promised. She had never done it before, and she was sure it would end in a broken foot, but it would be a small price to pay. Memories of the inside of dingy motel rooms, filled with the sound of her own tears flooded her mind as she stood there in deafening silence. The loneliness she had felt was insufferable. Had he been feeling those things too? She tried to text him every day regardless of his lack of response. Watching the contact slowly stop was the worst part for her. They were so alike. What if he had made some stupid mistake she had made years ago? It was agony coming back from those choices. God, she needed to see his face and know that he hadn’t done something so stupid. Her fist landed against the door one more time, emphasizing the fact that she wasn’t going anywhere until she saw his face.  The lock clicked. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was his way of finally reaching out. It didn’t matter, Chloe didn’t give him the chance to change his mind. She had forced her way through the door, standing far enough away so that he couldn’t close her out again. And, finally, she came face to face with Aless for the first time in weeks. A wave of different emotions struck her. He was alive. And standing upright. It was not all just a ruse to keep her calm. Time had not been kind to him. Chloe could see the lack of sleep on his face, the lack of shaving, the lack of general grooming all together. But, he was breathing which mattered more to her than anything else. And then, the anger struck. He was alive. He was sentient. He had all ten fingers and toes from what she could tell, and he had cut her out on purpose.  She took two strides towards him, shaking hands reaching out to shove him back. It was a pathetic attempt, her emotions getting the best of her the minute she made contact with him. “What the fuck?” The words were harsh and brash, a veil over the pain that had been building in her chest since the missed meeting. “Why would you cut me out like that? After everything we’ve been through, you ghost me?” Another half hearted shove. “We don’t do that. That’s not who we are.” Her mind would not let the anger fade, instead reminding her of Ofelia. Something reminiscent of an embittered laugh tore from her throat at the thought. “And you ghosted Ofelia.” She let the truth of his Summer hang heavy in the air. Months of a whirlwind romance had gone unprofessed by him. Her stomach churned at the thought that he had hidden something from her for so long. She still wasn’t sure why he would keep something so happy from her. Had she made herself untrustworthy in some way? Did he ever really trust her the way that she had him? Chloe screwed her eyes shut, warding off the thoughts as best as she could.  When she finally spoke again, her words were strained. She only hoped it would prevent her voice from cracking, and giving her away. “Were you ever going to tell me? Or were you just going to keep lying to me forever?”