Chapter Thirty Two

"Oh my god, I look amazing!" Kathleen squealed excitedly, as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Chloe smiled at her, carefully putting down the makeup brush.

"You've done such a good job, thank you." Kathleen said, hugging Chloe gently.

"You're welcome, I'm surprised I remembered how to do it, since I always do men these days." Chloe said, smiling slightly.

"Well, you've done a great job of mine too." Kirstie piped up.

"Okay my turn." Michelle said, sitting next to Chloe as soon as Kathleen left the room to change into her dress.

"Do you still want a smoky eye look?" Chloe checked. Michelle nodded quickly. Chloe jumped slightly and glanced into the kitchen as she heard Ben and David laughing about something.

"I have been meaning to ask if you are coping okay with finding out that Lee has a girlfriend?" Michelle asked gently. Chloe nodded slowly, feeling slightly awkward.

"I told you not to tell him how you feel, I bet you're glad you didn't now." Michelle said smugly. Chloe's cheeks coloured further as Michelle and Kirstie stared at her.

"Oh no, you didn't tell him did you...you poor thing." Michelle said, her tone slightly patronising.

"Can we talk about something else please?" Chloe said quickly, feeling slightly uncomfortable at not being able to tell them the truth.

"You shouldn't let it get to you Chloe, there will be other guys in your life." Michelle said, completely disregarding what Chloe had just said.

"Speaking of guys, who is taking you to the ball Michelle?" Kirstie said quickly, trying to change the subject when she noticed Chloe squirming.

"Nobody, I am going to get my hands on a man while I'm there." she said, smiling falsely.

"What about that guy you are seeing?" Kirstie asked, trying to keep her talking so that she wouldn't start pestering Chloe again.

"He can't manage." she said shortly. Kirstie couldn't help but roll her eyes. She couldn't understand why it seemed to be okay for Michelle to grill Chloe about her love life but when the shoe was on the other foot, she wasn't so keen.

"Okay you're done." Chloe announced a few moments later. Michelle quickly stood up and left the room to change.

"You're welcome." Chloe muttered sarcastically under her breath.

"I'm beginning to think that she doesn't like me." Chloe added sadly.

"But I don't understand why, I've never done anything to her, at least not that I know of." she added thoughtfully.

"I think she's just jealous." Kirstie said quickly, her heart breaking a little at Chloe's sad expression.

"That's what Lee says." Chloe sighed, completely unable to understand why anyone in their right mind would possibly be jealous of her.

"Speaking of Lee, I need to tell you something, it's a secret for now, but I feel bad lying to you. We're kind of dating." Chloe said in hushed tones, glancing around nervously, in case she was overheard.

"Ooh, see I told you to tell him how you feel." Kirstie said happily, quickly pulling Chloe into a hug.

"I'm so happy for you." Kirstie whispered in her ear. Chloe smiled slightly when Kirstie eventually let go of her. The two of them instantly stopped talking as Kathleen and Louise walked back into the room, both of then twirling excitedly in their dresses.

"Wow, you guys look amazing." Chloe said, smiling at their happy expressions.

"I need to put my dress on." Kirstie said, before excitedly running along the hallway. Chloe sat silently, applying some makeup to her face.

"Have you decided to come along Chloe?" Louise asked hopefully.

"No, I just fancied putting some makeup on." Chloe said quietly.

"I don't have anything to wear anyway." she quickly added.

"I can't believe that David is taking you, that's so exciting!" Chloe said turning to Kathleen, quickly changing the subject.

"Are you guys back on track now?" Louise asked.

"We are seeing how things go, but hopefully." Kathleen said, smiled slightly, sighing as her thoughts wandered to the baby. She still had no idea who the father of her child was, but even though she'd been honest with both Mark and David she couldn't help but hope that the baby was David's. Mark had shown no interest at all in his potential child, he was more interested in going out in search of women. Kathleen couldn't help but feel disappointed that her idol had turned out to not be as nice as he appeared.

"Is he excited about becoming a father?" Chloe asked. Kathleen swallowed the lump that was rising in her throat. David and Mark were the only people that knew about her doubts as to who the father of her baby was, she'd been honest with both of them from the start. Kathleen nodded slowly, not entirely sure what to say.

"You're so lucky, I would love to have a baby." Louise said, a dreamy expression on her face.

"What happened to focusing on your career?" Kathleen laughed.

"I know...I just get a bit broody sometimes." Louise giggled, quickly putting on her masquerade mask. Chloe smiled at Kirstie as she walked back into the room, closely followed by Michelle.

"I bet I'm the only one who doesn't get asked to dance tonight." Louise sighed.

"Aww don't say that honey." Kathleen said gently.

"I think Steven is going, he'll dance with you, he's always had a little soft spot for you." Chloe told her.

"Has he?!" Louise exclaimed. Chloe nodded, smiling slightly at Louise's shocked expression. The three of them glanced up as the front door opened and Matt walked in.

"Hello everyone!" he called, smiling to himself as he received a chorus of replies.

"Looking good ladies." he smiled at them as he gazed around the room.

"Are you going too Matt?" Michelle asked when she noticed that he was wearing a suit.

"Yep, but I have some business to attend to first." he told her. Chloe glanced up at him shyly as she felt him watching her closely.

"What have I done?" Chloe said quickly, her cheeks colouring as everyone stared at her.

"You haven't done anything." Matt laughed.

"I want you to come back to work for me." he told her. Chloe stared at him, not entirely sure what to say.

"The Eclipse boys have decided to do their own tour with a new album, so we're looking for a kind of manager for them." he said.

"So, you'll be styling them, helping me sort out their schedules and just generally keeping things running." he explained.

"Isn't that your job though?" Chloe frowned.

"I have loads of bands to do, you'll be allocated to them. You'll be perfect for it, you're organised, you know the industry and the boys know you, so they respond well to you." Matt said.

"Plus, it's a promotion, so there'll be a nice pay rise." Matt added. Chloe sighed to herself as she thought carefully. She'd always enjoyed working with the Eclipse boys, before things had turned sour with Lee. Even though she had a small nagging doubt in the back of her mind that Lee might return to his old ways, she knew in her heart that if their relationship was going to work, she had to give him a chance. She also knew that if the boys were going on tour for a few weeks or months, then she would be parted from Lee, which would have a negative impact on their relationship.

"Lee's not going to bully her, again is he?" Louise piped up, an edge of concern present in her voice.

"No, he won't." Matt said quickly.

"He's been a really good friend to her lately." Kirstie piped up.

"Has he?" Kathleen frowned.

"Yeah, he was the one that heard about her being stabbed, so he's been helping out." Kirstie agreed.

"The boys and I have barely seen him the past couple of weeks." Matt told them.

"I'll take the job." Chloe said quickly, before she could talk herself out of it.

"That didn't take much, I thought it would take ages to convince you." Matt chuckled. Chloe smiled awkwardly.

"Are you not enjoying your job?" Kirstie asked her, sounding slightly surprised. The last time she'd been to visit Chloe at work to invite her to the gig, she seemed to be enjoying working with the new band.

"They are really nice, but it was starting to get a bit awkward." Chloe admitted.

"Ooh what happened?" Kathleen piped up.

"I ended up going on a date with one of them, and I wasn't feeling it." Chloe told them.

"What, but they are so good looking?!" Louise exclaimed.

"Which one was it?!" Kathleen asked excitedly.

"Max." Chloe said quietly.

"He's hot." Kathleen said, smiling proudly at Chloe.

"How come she gets all the famous people after her?" Michelle muttered under her breath.

"Only Max." Louise snapped, quickly leaping to Chloe's defence. Michelle rolled her eyes at Louise's back as she leapt to Chloe's defence. She couldn't understand why Chloe didn't seem to get under everyone else's skin in the same way. She was so sickeningly sweet that Michelle couldn't stand it. For some unknown reason, she seemed to get a lot of attractive, famous people attracted to her, first Shayne and now Max.....even Lee, who even though he had a girlfriend, he clearly still fancied Chloe. Yet she couldn't even get Mark to commit to her!

Is everyone ready to go?" Ben asked as he walked into the room, closely followed by David.

"Oh Ben, there you are, could you do me up please?" Michelle asked sweetly, turning her back to face him.

"Err....sure." Ben said hesitantly, glancing at Kirstie who shrugged in response. Ben zipped up Michelle's dress as quickly as he could before walking over to stand behind Kirstie. She smiled as he gently wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You look beautiful babe." he whispered in her ear. Kirstie giggled as he took her hand and carefully twirled her around.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Matt said, winking at Chloe as she finished her makeup and carefully put the brush down on the coffee table. The group watched him as he rummaged in a bag and slowly pulled out a white lace masquerade mask, quickly holding it out to Chloe.

"You shall go to the ball." Matt beamed at her, slowly pushing a gift bag along the floor towards her. Chloe silently took the mask from him and stared at it.

"It was a bit last minute to get you a dress, so I borrowed one from the costume department." Matt told her.

"Wow." Chloe breathed as she pulled out a beautiful purple dress with a white lace bodice.

"It looks really expensive." Chloe whispered. Matt nodded slowly.

"We didn't want you to not be able to go because you couldn't afford a dress." Matt told her.

"Who's we?" Chloe asked quickly.

"I mentioned it to Matt the other day." Kirstie piped up.

"I can't wear this, it's too expensive." Chloe muttered.

"You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." she added quietly. Chloe glanced up at Michelle as she burst out laughing.

"Just go and try it on." Matt said firmly. Chloe sighed quietly and reluctantly stood up, carefully carrying the dress.

"I'll help you get ready." Kirstie stated, quickly following her. Chloe nodded and walked into Kirstie's room, standing awkwardly as Kirstie stood, watching her closely.

"Can you turn your back while I change?" Chloe asked nervously.

"Aww, it's no different than seeing you in a bikini." Kirstie said, smiling slightly at Chloe's flushed cheeks.

"I don't do that though." Chloe said, quickly pulling off her clothes as soon as Kirstie turned her back.

"Oh no, it's really fitted." Chloe whispered a few moments later when she had finally pulled on the dress. Kirstie slowly turned back around and walked over to carefully zip up the dress.

"It really suits you Chloe." Kirstie told her, gazing in wonder at her figure. Chloe remained silent, staring sadly at her reflection in the mirror. Kirstie quickly picked up the curling irons and began to curl Chloe's hair.

"We need to tie your mask on so we can hide the tie under your hair." Kirstie suddenly realised. Chloe silently handed Kirstie the mask and watched as she tied the mask in place, quickly returning to curling her hair.

"Can you just make my hair wavy please, I don't suit curly hair." Chloe asked her. Kirstie nodded slowly.

"I don't know if I want to go." Chloe whispered to herself.

"Why not?" Kirstie frowned.

"There's going to be a lot of people there and I'm just not feeling it." Chloe admitted.

"If it's because of the dress, you look stunning." Kirstie told her as she gently set down the hair curlers and admired her handy work.

"Plus, it'll be a fun night and you haven't been out since the attack." Kirstie pointed out.

"Yes exactly." Chloe said quietly, suddenly feeling afraid at the thought of leaving the house. Chloe jumped as she heard Ben's voice calling down the hallway:

"Hurry up, we have to go!"

Kirstie quickly took Chloe's hand and gently led her down the hallway. Chloe felt herself squirming as she walked into the living room and everyone turned to stare at her.

"Matt, you could have picked something that actually suits her!" Michelle exclaimed, her stomach churning when she saw how mesmerising Chloe looked.

"It does suit her." Matt argued.

"I really don't want to go." Chloe whispered, slowly stepping backwards as she felt herself beginning to panic.

"Well, nobody is forcing you." Michelle said, rolling her eyes. Michelle quickly linked arms with Kathleen and Louise and walked out of the house, the three of them slowly making their way up the driveway towards the cars. Michelle smiled sweetly as she noticed Lee climbing out of his sports car.

"What are you doing here?" Michelle asked sweetly.

"I brought my suit, in case Chloe wants to go to the ball. I did tell her that I could take her." he told them.

"I don't think she does." Louise said, sighing sadly as she thought about how self-conscious Chloe was.

"Besides you have a girlfriend remember." Michelle pointed out.

"I know, I meant I would take her as a friend." Lee said quickly, suddenly realising that he'd almost put his foot in it.

"How come I didn't get that option?" Michelle pouted.

"Probably because we're not friends." Lee said shortly, as he walked past her.

"Do you think something is going on with him and Chloe?" Kathleen said thoughtfully.

"Nah he has a girlfriend, some beautiful model probably." Michelle muttered bitterly.

"She certainly is." Lee called back when he heard Michelle's comment, smiling to himself when he turned back and saw Michelle squirming.

Lee jumped as he opened the door and stood to one side as David, Matt and Ben walked out.

"Where's Chloe?" Lee asked Ben.

"She's still inside, Kirstie is trying to convince her to come along." Ben answered.

"I'll speak to her." Lee said quietly.

"You're going to struggle to keep your hands to yourself tonight, wait until you see her." Ben chuckled. Lee quickly walked past Ben and into the living room. His eyes widened as he gazed in wonder at Chloe. Her figure perfectly highlighted by the fitted dress. Her dark hair perfectly curled around her face, the white lace of her mask that matched the lace on the tight bodice. He locked eyes with her, smiling slightly at her kind blue eyes that were gazing up at him.

"Holy shit." Lee breathed when he realised how breath-taking she looked.

"Maybe you can convince her to come with us." Kirstie said, turning to Lee. Lee remained silent, unable to tear his eyes away from the beautiful woman that was standing in front of him.

"Lee?" Kirstie tried again, smiling to herself when she noticed Lee gazing longingly at Chloe.

"Hmm?" he asked, finally tearing his eyes away from Chloe.

"Chloe needs to come with us." Kirstie insisted.

"Why don't you want to go Chlo?" Lee asked her softly.

"I just don't feel comfortable, Michelle clearly doesn't want me there and keeps making comments." Chloe said quietly.

"Who gives a shit what she thinks!" Lee snapped quickly.

"And there's going to be so many people there, and I don't want to be stared at when I don't feel comfortable wearing this." Chloe explained. Lee smiled gently at Chloe; he could sense that she was getting upset.

"You guys go, I'll stay with her." Lee said, quickly turning to Kirstie. Kirstie nodded slowly, feeling her heart sink a little in disappointment that Chloe wouldn't be joining them.

"I feel like I'm being so ungrateful." Chloe whispered as soon as Kirstie left, and she was alone with Lee.

"Why?" Lee frowned.

"Because Matt has gone to a lot of effort to find me a dress and Kirstie really wants me to go." she said quietly.

"I just really don't want to be surrounded by a lot of people. I feel safer here." she added.

"It's not about other people though, it's about what you feel comfortable with. You have to stop putting other people first." he told her. Chloe nodded slowly, placing her arms across her chest, in an attempt to protect herself. Lee sighed quietly as he walked over to her and carefully held her tightly in his arms.

"Why are you trembling?" he whispered in her ear.

"I don't know, I think it's the thought of going out." she mumbled against his chest.

"I won't let anyone hurt you." he sighed, his heart breaking a little at her words.

"I know, the only time I feel safe is when I'm with you." she admitted.

"I'd have gone with you if you wanted." he reminded her.

"I'm happy here." she smiled, sighing to herself and closing her eyes.