Chapter Eighteen

Chloe stood silently outside the venue; her head completely scrambled. She had never been this confused in her life, she felt powerless, as if she didn't know her mind.

"There you are!" Kirstie exclaimed, as she wandered over to her.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" she added when she saw Chloe's pained expression.

"Yes." Chloe said quietly.

"Come back inside, it's freezing." Kirstie said, rubbing her cold arms.

"I think I'd rather just go home." Chloe said quietly.

"No, come on, I'll buy you a drink." Kirstie insisted, taking hold of Chloe's hand and dragging her back into the venue.

Chloe sighed and allowed herself to be dragged into the bar. She frowned to herself as Kirstie led her over to a table where Ben sat smiling at them.

"I thought you guys had fallen out?" Chloe asked them as soon as she sat down. Kirstie and Ben glanced at each other, the two of them squirming slightly.

"Yeah...about that..." Ben said nervously.

"I'm really sorry, you seemed sad and I thought you might want to see Lee again." Kirstie explained.

"Why?" Chloe frowned.

"I don't know really, I was just trying to help you, I knew you were upset that you'd fallen out with him. I thought it might be good for the two of you to talk." Kirstie tried, if possible, feeling even more guilty than before.

"Well, you could have just said that you didn't have to lie to me to get me here." Chloe snapped.

"I'm sorry." Kirstie said again.

"Yes, so am I, I'm sorry that I trusted you and that I did something that I didn't want to do, to try and be a good friend for you!" Chloe exclaimed angrily.

"C'mon now ladies, let's not fall out over it. Technically it was Nathan's idea anyway." Ben said quickly.

"Wait, what?" Chloe frowned.

"Nathan asked us to get you here, we were just helping." Kirstie said.

"Yes, but I don't understand why." Chloe said quietly.

"You need to speak to him about that, we're not getting involved." Ben said quickly.

"But you are involved Ben, the moment the two of you got me here, you became involved." Chloe muttered angrily.

"It's not worth falling out over, I said I'm sorry." Kirstie said quietly.

"I'll get some drinks in and we can just forget about the whole thing." Ben said, before quickly standing up and walking over to the bar.

"I really am very sorry Chloe; I really was just trying to help you feel better. You haven't seemed yourself and I thought seeing him might cheer you up." Kirstie said as soon as Ben walked away.

"I know, I just wish you hadn't lied to me." Chloe said quietly.

Kirstie fell silent for a moment, feeling slightly awkward as she sat opposite her friend. Chloe had barely looked at them, she sat watching herself twirling the beer mat.

"Maybe you should speak to Lee before you go, he's probably still here somewhere." Kirstie suggested when she couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"I already spoke to him briefly." Chloe muttered. She sighed to herself before quickly bringing Kirstie up to speed on what had happened between Lee and herself. Even though she was still a little angry with Kirstie, she needed to open up to someone, to try and figure out what was going on in her head.

"And how was the kiss?" Kirstie asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Ben glanced between the two of them as he returned to the table and handed out the drinks.

"Bacardi and Coke, I made it a double." Ben grinned as he handed Chloe her drink. Chloe smiled her thanks at him. Kirstie raised her eyebrow at Chloe, still waiting for an answer to her question.

"It was actually really good." Chloe admitted, her cheeks colouring.

Ben and Kirstie watched as Chloe quickly downed her whole drink and placed her head in her hands.

"This is such a mess." Chloe said quietly.

"No, it's not." Kirstie said, reaching over to take one of Chloe's hands and squeezing it reassuringly.

"Yes, it is, I can't believe I'm this stupid. I think I'm falling for someone that hates me." Chloe muttered.

"He doesn't hate you Chloe." Kirstie said gently.

"I'm so confused, when I heard that song. I felt like it was trying to tell me something." Chloe said thoughtfully.

"Like what?" Kirstie prompted, trying to get Chloe to reach the correct conclusion herself.

"I don't know like it was telling me that I have feelings for him but have never realised." Chloe said.

"Not exactly." Ben frowned, not quite able to believe how low Chloe's confidence was that it didn't even enter her head that someone could care about her or maybe even love her. Kirstie gently elbowed him in the ribs, giving Ben the silent signal to him not to say anything, Chloe needed to figure things out for herself.

"And the way that he kissed me." Chloe sighed.

"You need to talk to him, tell him how you feel, who knows he might feel the same way." Kirstie suggested.

"I doubt it." Chloe replied.

"You'll never know unless you talk to him, what's the worst that can happen." Ben said.

"That he'll be nasty, and I'll be humiliated again." Chloe muttered.

"Chloe, you have to speak to him. You'll regret it if you don't." Kirstie insisted.

"Maybe." Chloe said thoughtfully.

She sat silently with her thoughts. As nervous as she was about talking to Lee, she knew that Kirstie and Ben were right. She would regret it if she didn't, and the way that he'd kissed her, surely, he did feel the same. Chloe knew it was a chance that she had to take, before it was too late.