Time Together

Chloe quitting had caused a small ripple in the otherwise calm pond. The angrier ones were from the guys who had already scheduled time with her after school. Fortunately, nothing went much farther than heated words. I think it helped that I was there with her. She had wanted to do it alone, but I didn’t let her out of my sight no matter how my presence embarrassed her. Seeing me with her, most of their anger was directed at me. This solidified the rumor that something was going on between Chloe and me and by the end, the entire school knew we were dating. As for her ex-clients, if they believed I was the one pushing her to quit, good. I would much rather their anger be directed at me than her.

Over the week, some of her richer clients found us on the roof to confirm the rumors of her early retirement. They usually offered a considerable sum to ‘make an exception.’ The pushiest of them offered her five thousand. Hearing that kind of money being offered, I could see her noise waiver slightly even if her expression remained firm. It wasn’t until she looked over at me that she found the determination to turn down his offer. As the week drew to a close, fewer people bothered us.

Chloe herself had changed drastically over the past few days. Her noise was dazzling as always when she was with me, but it wasn’t just then. I had taken to reaching out and finding her during the day. Sometimes I didn’t even realize I was doing it. One moment I was solving equations in math class, the next it was like she was sitting right next to me. It surprised me how far my Gift could go when it came to her. She could be on the other side of the building and I could sense her if I focused enough. What I found in her noise when I wasn’t there beside her was encouraging.

Her noise was home to positive emotions, or at least neutral ones. The negative feelings she held were being broken loose and let go. It didn’t mean it was all good, but she was leaning positive more than negative now. I hoped that she would eventually get to the point where she could love herself. Once she could do that, maybe, hopefully, she might come to love me as well.

Looking up from the book I was reading, I found her working on her math packet. I watched, focusing not on her noise, but on her. The way she ran her teeth over her lips as she thought. The focus in her eyes as they moved from the paper to the calculator. How she brushed at her hair that fell into her face from leaning forward. I wished that the sight would move something inside me. I could see the beauty there in front of me. A collection of brush strokes built into a work of art. The way her hazel eyes crinkled slightly when she smiled. The way her cute lips parted as she chewed on the clip of her pencil. Her silky brown hair framed her face and covered her shoulders.

This was the Chloe others saw. An attractive woman that elicited feelings of longing, desire, and lust. Emotions that I could only brush with the fingertips of my mind. I wondered if she would be in a better state if I felt those things for her. If I could look at her the way a man in love could. If I could show her love like in the books I read, would that help her love herself?

Her eyes found mine. A smile spread across her face. “You’re staring.”

“I am.”

A faint blush formed on her cheeks. “My ‘noise’ distracting you?”

I shook my head. “Not looking at your noise. I’m looking at you.”

She seemed flustered. At least, I think that was the reaction she was having. It was hard not looking at her noise, but I needed to **** myself to do this too. To remind me that this was the side she saw.

“And what do you see?” she asked.

“My beautiful girlfriend struggling to complete the back half of her packet.”

She stuck out her tongue. “Cut me some slack. I’ve been playing catchup for over a month now. Besides, I completed the first half on my own.” Her chin lifted, a proud smile on her face.

“Want some help?”

She opened her mouth to answer but hesitated at the last second. “Actually… I want to see if I can solve them myself first.”

“If you have questions—”

“I’ll ask, don’t worry.”

She went back to work. I opened myself back to her noise. Her determination was there, driving her beyond where she would have given up in the past. This newfound strength was affecting her noise as well. Beyond the disappearance of her Gift, her noise seemed stronger. I figured without the constant negative feelings like shame and guilt weighing her down, her mental health was flourishing. It was all still negligible in the grand scheme of things, but it was enough that I noticed it.

Progress, however small, was still progress. She was changing, and so was I. No longer content to float through life, I had something I wanted. Something I needed to protect and nurture. A little thing, but it made my days all the better.