She gets a call from Lily and heads out

Chloe’s lips remained pressed to Aaron’s as the room hummed with the low murmur of his classmates and the soft jazz drifting from the speakers. Edgar’s sarcastic drawl still hung in the air, but she forced herself to keep the kiss going a few more seconds, tilting her head just enough to make it look convincing. Aaron’s arms tightened around her waist, his body trembling with a mixture of disbelief and raw hunger. She could feel the dampness of his palms through the thin fabric of her dress, the awkward press of his chest against hers, and the way his breath stuttered every time she moved.

Her phone buzzed sharply in her clutch, vibrating against her hip. The sudden vibration made her flinch. She broke the kiss with a soft, deliberate pull-back, her hand coming up to rest lightly on Aaron’s chest as if the interruption were only temporary. The screen lit up with Lily’s name. Chloe glanced at it, then at the circle of watching faces, and offered a quick, apologetic smile.

“Sorry—I need to take this,” she murmured, stepping half a pace away while still keeping one hand on Aaron’s arm. She answered, turning slightly so her voice wouldn’t carry.

Lily’s words tumbled out in a slurry rush. “Chloe? Babe? I’m at this party and it’s… it’s weird. Like, I don’t even know whose house this is. Everyone’s drunk and I think I lost my shoes and—can you come get me? Please? I texted you the address.” The background noise was a chaotic blend of bass, laughter, and someone shouting over a song. Lily sounded more than a little gone.

Chloe’s stomach tightened. “Okay, okay, breathe. Send me the address again. I’m coming.” She kept her tone calm and steady, the same gentle voice she used with Mark when he was upset. Lily mumbled something grateful and the line went quiet.

When Chloe turned back, the room was still watching. Aaron looked stricken, as if the call had yanked the floor out from under him. She reached for his hand, lacing her fingers through his for the benefit of the audience, and guided him a few steps toward the hallway where the light was softer and the others couldn’t hear every word.

“I have to go,” she said quietly. “My friend needs me. She’s… not in a good place right now.”

Aaron’s face fell, but he nodded quickly, desperate not to lose the fragile miracle of the evening. “Can we—just—one more?” His voice cracked on the last word.

Chloe hesitated only a second. The classmates were still watching from the living room doorway. She leaned in, cupped his jaw with one hand, and kissed him again—deeper this time, longer, letting her body press fully against his so there could be no doubt. Aaron made a soft, startled sound in his throat and kissed back with everything he had, clumsy and eager. His hands slid down to her waist, then lower, settling on the curve of her ass. For a moment he just held her there, then, emboldened by the public nature of the moment and the fact that she wasn’t pulling away, he gave one firm, deliberate spank. The sharp crack of his palm against the thin black fabric echoed faintly in the hallway. Chloe’s breath caught; a flicker of surprise and something uncomfortably close to heat raced through her, followed immediately by a wave of guilt. She finished the kiss, lingered just long enough to make it look real, then rested her forehead against his for a heartbeat.

“That’s enough for tonight,” she whispered. “You did good. They saw.”

Aaron’s eyes were glassy, his cheeks flushed dark. “Thank you,” he breathed. “Really. Thank you.”

She gave his hand one last squeeze, then stepped back, smoothed her dress, and walked past the watching group with her head high. Edgar opened his mouth as if to say something else, but Chloe was already at the door. Outside, the cool night air hit her skin like a splash of water. She ordered a rideshare with slightly shaky fingers, the address Lily had sent glowing on the screen.

The car dropped her off twenty minutes later on a street that looked nothing like the quiet suburban blocks she was used to. The sidewalks were cracked, streetlights flickered or were missing entirely, and the houses sat behind chain-link fences or low concrete walls. Music and raised voices drifted from a few open windows. Chloe stepped out in her little black dress and black pumps, suddenly hyper-aware of how short the hem was and how the thin straps left her shoulders bare. The night air felt colder here. She clutched her small purse tighter and checked the address again.

This was the place—an older two-story with peeling paint and a porch light that buzzed like a dying insect. A few people lingered on the front steps, smoking and laughing too loudly. Chloe’s heels clicked against the uneven concrete as she approached, each step making her feel more exposed. She kept her shoulders back the way Lily always told her to, but her pulse was climbing. The dress that had felt powerful and intentional in front of Aaron’s mirror now felt like the wrong kind of armor. She scanned the faces on the porch, looking for Lily’s dark hair, already rehearsing the calm voice she would use to extract her best friend without making a scene.

Somewhere behind her a car door slammed. Chloe didn’t look back. She climbed the three cracked steps, heart steady only because she refused to let it do anything else, and pushed open the screen door that hung slightly off its hinge.