Stealing Home (Read 9,797 times)

[melly]

poor Chloe. Can she just magically be better, please?

[gapeach]

I agree melly!

[fluffysmom]

I wish Chloe would have been honest about her fear of being alone. I wonder what Philip will think about her question.

[unavitasegreta]

OMG what a Friday cliffhanger! I'm anxious to hear Philip's response. I doubt he was expecting that question!

[rahma2701]

Oct 6, 2014 5:57:03 GMT -5 melly said:

No worries, Chloe....I'm pretty sure no one who works in upper management at any of Salem's corporations worked their way up the corporate ladder...

LOLOLOLOL

[Kpatch]

Chapter 8b


“Do you ever wonder if we’re only together because of our history?” Chloe asked. “Our high school romance?”

Now he was fully awake. “What??? Where is this coming from, Chloe?”

“I bought you a guitar for Christmas,” she pointed out. “An old one, like the one you played in high school.”

“And?”

“And, well, why didn’t I buy you something based on our more recent relationship?”

“Well, actually, you did,” he told her. “You made me an ornament with shells you collected from the beach in Miami where we made love a couple years ago. We hung the ornament on the Christmas tree.”

“Oh. That was the ornament you put in my room at Craig’s house, wasn’t it? To help me remember. ... Wait.” Chloe turned her head a little to look at Philip behind her. “Did you just say we made love on a beach?”

“Yup. Sand, surf, sunset. It was hot.” He stroked her hair. “What I mean to say is, it was romantic.”

“Mmmm. Sounds nice.” She was enjoying the rhythmic touch of Philip’s fingers stroking her hair. “So ... What’s our life here like?” Maybe Philip could demystify her past.

“Our life here? Hmmm.” He was quiet for a minute. “I guess it’s like most people’s. Some days I go into the office if I have meetings scheduled. Other days I work from home. You do the mommy thing and take care of Parker. A couple times a week Lucinda comes over -- she’s Parker’s nanny.”

That was a nice roundup but it didn’t exactly answer her question. “Okay, but ... what do we do? I mean us, together, as a couple?”

“Oh. You want to know what we have in common? Gee. I guess we do everything together,” he said without hesitation. “We go to the park across the street with Parker when it’s warm enough. We watch Netflix. You subject me to chick flicks and I pretend to be bored,” he chuckled. “We go to the opera once a month.”

“You go to the opera? You hate opera.”

“I don’t hate it, Chloe. I don’t love it either. But you love it, and I love you, so we go.” Chloe was touched by Philip’s words, and she held his forearms, pressing them closer against her body. “I got you season tickets the year before too. It’s sort of a monthly date night.” Kissing her ear, he continued. “We take a leisurely walk home, holding hands, looking at the moon and the stars in the sky. You stop and look in store windows, and that gives me ideas for future presents for you.”

Chloe smiled and relaxed in Philip’s arms. “I want to remember that. It sounds so romantic.”

“It’s you and it’s me,” he said against her ear. “Of course it’s romantic.”

“What else?” she asked.

“What else,” he pondered. “Oh hey, you know what you like to do when we take those walks? You like to look up at the El when the downtown train pulls in and out of the station. You always say you wonder where people are coming from and where they’re going. There was this one night, we hopped on and rode to the end of the line and back.” Philip got quiet for a few minutes. “Chloe,” he whispered. “Would you go out with me someday soon? On a date?”

“I’d like that,” she smiled, running her fingers up and down his forearms. “So what else do we do?”

“Well, mostly we stay home,” he continued, “you know, because of Parker. We spend time together as a family.”

There was that word again. Family. “This isn’t what I was expecting,” she said quietly.

“What isn’t? ... Us?” Philip’s voice hinted his concern. “Are you talking about us?”

[melly]

Your cliffhangers kill me. What WAS Chloe expecting?? And was it good or bad that their life wasn't what she expected?

[unavitasegreta]

I hope Chloe doesn't think their life sounds boring and inadvertently cause some drama!

[gapeach]

Love hearing how Phillip and Chloe spent their time together. I am also wondering what Chloe was expecting!!!

[fluffysmom]

I like hearing about their life in Chicago. I wonder what Chloe is thinking about. I like the reminder of the beach in Miami.

[rahma2701]

How sweet! Awwww. I love everything perfect @kpatch

[Kpatch]

Chapter 8c


“This isn’t what I was expecting,” she said quietly.

“What isn’t? ... Us?” Philip’s voice hinted his concern. “Are you talking about us? Because if you want me to ....”

“No, Philip,” she said turning just her head toward him. “It’s not you. It’s me. When I came back to Chicago, I was hoping.... No. I was expecting my memories to come back.”

“But you said you didn’t care....”

“I lied, mostly to myself. Of course I care. The more you tell me, the more I wish I remembered it. I want to know who I was, who I am. I want the rest of the Chloe Lane history, not just the ‘as-told-by’ version. I want to be whole again.”

Philip pulled her tighter and kissed her hair. “I’m sorry sweetie. I wish there was something I could say or do.”

She pulled out of his embrace and turned around to face him. “This isn’t on you, Philip. You’ve done so much for me. You put your life on hold to make sure I got better. None of this is your fault or your responsibility and it’s not your job to make it right. No one can fix me but me.”

Philip thought for a moment. “What about hypnosis? Isn’t that what Marlena was trying? Maybe now you’d be more receptive.”

“Maybe. I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe if I stop worrying and just relax, things will just start coming back.”

“Maybe I can help with that,” Philip suggested. “Turn around.”

“Turn around?”

“Yes,” Philip laughed. “Turn around.” He gently nudged her back on her side, facing away from him. He clasped her shoulders and began squeezing them. “How’s that?”

“Mmmm. That’s good.”

“Starting to relax?” he asked.

“Mmm hmmm, I think so. Ooh. Keep doing that.”

“What? This?” He moved his hands toward the middle of her back, pressing his thumbs into her flesh.

“Yes. And that.”

“I wasn’t cut out for this, you know.”

“What? Being a masseuse?” she asked. “I’d say you're pretty good at it.”

“Yeah well, it’s not easy. I wasn’t cut out to touch you without....”

Chloe rolled flat onto her back to face Philip. “Without what?” she said, somewhat breathlessly.

“Without doing this.” He touched her shoulder and let his hand slide down the front of her sleepshirt, briefly carressing her breast before continuing lower until his hand reached her bare thigh.

“Philip,” she protested slightly.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he said, kissing her lips lightly. “I’ve missed touching you this way.”

“I know. And I’ve missed you too, but....” He swallowed her protest with a deeper kiss this time, and she responded by letting his tongue enter her mouth.

“I love you so much, Chloe,” he murmured against her mouth. She moaned as his hand slid under her sleepshirt and inched up her bare skin.

He broke the kiss to say, “If you don’t want to, I can stop, but this my final offer, your last chance to say no,” he added with a sexy smile that he hoped she couldn’t resist.

Breathing heavier, Chloe replied, “I don’t want ... you ... to stop.” She pulled his face toward her and kissed him.

Seizing the moment and her sleepshirt, he pulled it up over her head and rolled on top of her, lowering his body onto hers until they were skin to skin.

[melly]

Chloe definitely needs to see a doctor....if those memories do come back, she's going to need a professional she's already developed a rapport with to walk her through that experience. And not Dr Evans.

[gapeach]

WOW! Love it and the way you tell it Kpatch!!

[unavitasegreta]

That's a good way to start the day! Another fabulous chapter!!