Preparing for a Date (Chloe PoV)

I was nervous. It felt like impending doom was hiding around the corner ready to bring everything crashing down. It had been a long time since I’ve had such a streak of happiness and I was wondering when life was going to kick the whole thing out from under me so it could laugh when I was down.

From the beginning, I knew Jake was different. I mean, he clearly had to have a screw loose if he was okay with dating someone like me. He even said as much, telling me he didn’t feel emotions. That was a hard thing to wrap my mind around, but it fit him. It wasn’t until recently that I realized what exactly that would entail—or that he was serious about it.

I’d always had this fear lurking in the back of my mind that there was some ulterior motive behind Jake’s actions. It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to ‘date’ me to get free access to my Gift. Usually they made the mistake of sampling the goods before trying to ask me out. But that wasn’t Jake. He legitimately didn’t care that I was sleeping with other guys. I still didn’t know how I felt about that. Logically, it was pretty damn important. Our relationship would be impossible if he had an issue with that. Yet at the same time, I kinda wanted him to be jealous. To have a little drive to sway me to his side and to seduce me away from my work.

But he never did and it left me feeling awful, like I was some sort of parasite leeching off his kindness.

Then him talking about his Gift and how he could see what I was feeling. It was a bit frightening knowing that my mind wasn’t the sanctuary I thought it was. It made me hesitate for a moment. If he could read my emotions, then couldn’t he manipulate me? This wasn’t like Adam’s Gift bullying people into liking him. In the right hands, knowing another person’s emotions could easily sway them to whatever ends you wanted.

Not the Jake I knew. I didn’t believe it. We hadn’t known each other for that long, but in that time what I had learned was he was exactly as I had figured him to be and so much more. He was a genuinely caring guy. He just expressed it differently.

Yet all of that wasn’t the cause of my nervousness. It was something I hadn’t brought up, trying to keep it locked away in my mind. He told me he loved me. Loved me. Me. It scared me because I believe he meant it.

And just like that, this dream I’d been living in became reality.

The weight of his love was crushing. It terrified me because he was trusting me with something precious and I was… well… me. For the first time in my life, I dared hope that I could be happy. That I could make someone else happy. It was a feeling that was both liberating and terrifying. It made me wonder what things would be like if I just quit. The money was good, but was it worth it? Jake might not have cared, but every passing day left me feeling more guilty than the one before. Not to mention how I was bringing shit like Adam into our orbit…

With a deep breath, I checked myself in the mirror for the hundredth time. Makeup was perfect. I’d styled my hair up so I could show off my neck and shoulders. After a lot of debate, I’d decided on a simple black a-line dress that was a bit dangerous in terms of length—or lack of it. Between the length and open shoulders, there was a lot of skin showing. I was worried the effort might be wasted. He had warned me he doesn’t see things as other people did, but I hoped… I hoped that he would see me like when he picked me up for the charity event. Chloe the woman, not Chloe the school whore.

Damn nerves. The giddiness was getting to me as I checked my dress again. I spun around. Oh boy. I hope he wasn’t planning dancing or any other active events or this was going to be embarrassing…

Turning to the side, I examined my silhouette. Once more I wished my boobs were a bit bigger. I was proud of my body no doubt, but guys usually enjoyed something more than a small handful… Not even a whole handful… I wondered what Jake liked. Oh god. I hope—

I was freaking myself out. Tonight was fine. I looked amazing. I felt amazing. Tonight was going to be a good night. And at the end… Well, I was ready. More than ready.

My phone chirped and I rushed over. He was here. Putting my phone in my purse I gave myself one last check. I was ready. Deep breath, I moved to the door. My heart raced at the sight of the two deadbolt locks. My hand shook as I slid the first one open. Deep breath, Chloe. I slid the second one open with a clack.

Useless fucking things they were.

I moved quickly, holding my breath as I beelined for the front door.

“Chloe?” I froze at the sound of my mom’s voice. “Where are you going?”

“Out,” I said, creeping towards the door.

“What about dinner?”

“Going out with a friend.”

“Like that?” My lungs were paralyzed. He was here. Turning, I found him sitting in front of the TV. He had a beer in hand, head turned slightly so he could see me. “Come here.”

“My friend is—”

“Come here,” he repeated. I walked over to him with mechanical precision. I stood stone still as his eyes ran over me. My eyes slid over towards my mom. She was in the kitchen, oblivious to what this—

“You look nice.”

“T-thank you.” My body shook, unable to move as I let his eyes roam over me.

“You going with that boy I caught you with?” My throat tightened and I could almost feel the hands there.

“A fr—”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Yes,” I answered immediately. Obviously, the best thing in this situation was to be truthful. “I’m going out with Jake.” Only after I answered completely did I being to wonder if I really wanted to say that.

I pushed that thought aside. Being truthful was a good thing.

His eyes stopped taking in my form, meeting my eyes. “Friend?”

My mouth opened but no words came out. One word. I needed to say one word. No. No. No. A part of my mind wanted to lie to him, but why? He deserved the truth. I needed to tell the truth. I squished that bad part of myself that was telling me to lie. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” His face darkened. I winced at his tone. He stood yet I didn’t move. I couldn’t. His hand trailed over my bare shoulder as he moved behind me. He leaned in and I felt his breath against my neck. He took a deep breath, inhaling the perfume I’d put on. Hot air hit my ear as I felt his mouth hovering there. I closed my eyes and felt his hands against my waist. “Have fun,” he whispered.

And like that, I could breathe again. An invisible pressure on my mind vanished. I rushed to the door, not looking back. Outside, I closed the door and gasped for air as I fought against the panic. No. I needed to get myself together. Before Jake saw me. Oh god. Jake. He could see my emotions. I needed to get my shit under control. One breath. Two. Three. I counted up to ten, then back down. I thought of Jake. Jake was waiting for me. Jake. The man who said he loved me. That’s right, Chloe. Jake was an elevator ride away.

I moved to the elevator. The more distance I put from that apartment, the better I felt. The moment the elevator doors closed and I was on my way down, all I could think about was Jake. The man who loves me. The one who made me feel safe.

And there he was, his face as stoic as ever as he leaned against his car. The way he looked at me…was exactly the same as every other time he looked at me. But today was different. His eyes lingered places they normally didn’t. His eyes took their time running over me and I knew every second I’d spent getting ready had been well spent.

“You look stunning,” he said before kissing me. I melted into him and all my worries fell away as one thing filled my mind.

Tonight was going to be fun. I needed to have fun. Now that I was with Jake, I knew I would.