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Post by fluffysmom on Jun 19, 2014 10:00:28 GMT -5
I'm glad Philip is being as honest as he can right now. Even though it put a damper on their evening.
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Post by Kpatch on Jun 20, 2014 5:23:25 GMT -5
Chapter 30
Chloe lay awake in bed watching the swaying tree branches outside the window create moving shadows on her bedroom wall. They returned home from their date hours ago, and she couldn’t quiet her thoughts. How she felt about their date, she wasn’t sure, only that it wasn’t quite what she expected. It left her feeling more unsure than ever.
She felt nervous inside, but then, that’s how she normally felt these days. It was hard living with a chunk of your life missing, wondering where you’ve been and who you’ve known and what you’ve done. If it weren’t for Philip, she wasn’t sure she’d get through it.
Philip had become her rock. And something more. To her surprise, feelings had developed between them again. Tonight’s date was so sweet and romantic and special. But that was Philip. He was always a hopeless romantic. Dancing beneath a canopy of stars, holding him in her arms, feeling his soft wet kisses made her feel alive again. She hugged herself thinking about it.
But he grew distant on the drive back and even once they were in the house alone. He was almost formal as he bid her good night and disappeared into his bedroom. How could he not realize that she wasn’t ready for their date to end?
Night after night, she continued to wear Philip’s t-shirt as a sleep shirt and the closer the two of them became, the more warm and sensual the shirt felt against her body. It was as if he was blanketing her with his own body, surrounding her with himself.
She wondered how long it had been since the last time she was in love. And who was the last person she was in love with? She hoped it was Philip, because that’s who she was in love with now.
She thought about his reaction to her questions about making love. He got angry with her for making light of it. She didn’t mean to make him angry. She just wanted to know what he thought about it. In truth, his answers to her questions about the two of them were way more important than she let on. That’s why she tried to joke about it, to hide how she really felt. Hiding her feelings had always been easier for her than sharing them.
Philip didn’t seem to realize how weird it was for her to even have to ask him those kinds of questions, things she should know, things she should remember. And how she wished she did. She wondered how she felt about their first time, what she thought about it when it happened, who made the first move, what the circumstances were. She only remembered them as teenagers, when he taught her so much about sex and love. But she wasn’t ready to go all the way back then.
Now, she was beyond ready to be with him, heart and soul. Whenever they were alone, she just wanted to have his arms around her. She wanted him to touch her all over. When they were younger, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her, but now he was working so hard to resist, and his mixed signals made her crazy.
She looked over at the clock and saw it was nearly 3:00. She felt so tired, but she hated to close her eyes these days. Every time she did, she saw strange images. Bright lights, hospital rooms, flashes of electricity, strange men wanting to have sex with her for money. She couldn’t bear it anymore, so she risked sleep deprivation and forced herself to stay awake.
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Post by gapeach on Jun 20, 2014 5:52:28 GMT -5
Poor Chloe. She is starting to remember her past and can't deal with it.
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Post by fluffysmom on Jun 20, 2014 10:28:13 GMT -5
I really like hearing all of Chloe's thoughts. It had to be hard for her to ask Philip those questions. Looks like all of her memories are blending together in her dreams.
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Post by melly on Jun 20, 2014 11:22:38 GMT -5
So--is Chloe getting any other professional help beyond what Craig can offer?
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Post by Kpatch on Jun 20, 2014 11:53:59 GMT -5
So--is Chloe getting any other professional help beyond what Craig can offer? Only by proxy (Marlena through Philip), but I think she may be reaching out on her own soon. I split up the above chapter because it was long. I'll post the rest over the weekend. Yay for a weekend chapter! LOL. |
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Post by melly on Jun 20, 2014 13:13:32 GMT -5
Yay for a weekend chapter!!!!!!
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Post by gapeach on Jun 20, 2014 18:50:32 GMT -5
Yay for a weekend chapter!!!!!! What melly said! |
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Post by Kpatch on Jun 21, 2014 6:15:25 GMT -5
Chapter 30 in full
(Note: There are extra spaces in front of the portion of the chapter that did not "air" yesterday)
Chloe lay awake in bed watching the swaying tree branches outside the window create moving shadows on her bedroom wall. They returned home from their date hours ago, and she couldn’t quiet her thoughts. How she felt about their date, she wasn’t sure, only that it wasn’t quite what she expected. It left her feeling more unsure than ever.
She felt nervous inside, but then, that’s how she normally felt these days. It was hard living with a chunk of your life missing, wondering where you’ve been and who you’ve known and what you’ve done. If it weren’t for Philip, she wasn’t sure she’d get through it.
Philip had become her rock. And something more. To her surprise, feelings had developed between them again. Tonight’s date was so sweet and romantic and special. But that was Philip. He was always a hopeless romantic. Dancing beneath a canopy of stars, holding him in her arms, feeling his soft wet kisses made her feel alive again. She hugged herself thinking about it.
But he grew distant on the drive back and even once they were in the house alone. He was almost formal as he bid her good night and disappeared into his bedroom. How could he not realize that she wasn’t ready for their date to end?
Night after night, she continued to wear Philip’s t-shirt as a sleep shirt and the closer the two of them became, the more warm and sensual the shirt felt against her body. It was as if he was blanketing her with his own body, surrounding her with himself.
She wondered how long it had been since the last time she was in love. And who was the last person she was in love with? She hoped it was Philip, because that’s who she was in love with now.
She thought about his reaction to her questions about making love. He got angry with her for making light of it. She didn’t mean to make him angry. She just wanted to know what he thought about it. In truth, his answers to her questions about the two of them were way more important than she let on. That’s why she tried to joke about it, to hide how she really felt. Hiding her feelings had always been easier for her than sharing them.
Philip didn’t seem to realize how weird it was for her to even have to ask him those kinds of questions, things she should know, things she should remember. And how she wished she did. She wondered how she felt about their first time, what she thought about it when it happened, who made the first move, what the circumstances were. She only remembered them as teenagers, when he taught her so much about sex and love. But she wasn’t ready to go all the way back then.
Now, she was beyond ready to be with him, heart and soul. Whenever they were alone, she just wanted to have his arms around her. She wanted him to touch her all over. When they were younger, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her, but now he was working so hard to resist, and his mixed signals made her crazy.
She looked over at the clock and saw it was nearly 3:00. She felt so tired, but she hated to close her eyes these days. Every time she did, she saw strange images. Bright lights, hospital rooms, flashes of electricity, strange men wanting to have sex with her for money. She couldn’t bear it anymore, so she risked sleep deprivation and forced herself to stay awake….
Finally, she pulled the blanket back and got out of bed. She started to pace around the room. Tonight was her first night sleeping in the new bedroom and she noticed that Philip left some things behind. There was a framed picture of a little blond boy on the chest of drawers. Chloe ran her finger over his face in the picture. He looked familiar, but she didn’t think she ever saw him before, unless of course, she simply didn’t remember him. He had such a sweet face, such a charming smile, with a hint of mischief behind his eyes. Chloe chuckled silently when she thought about how that described Philip too.
She touched the dog tag which was hanging from a chain draped over the frame and balanced it in her hand. It was Philip’s from when he was in the Marines. She held it between her thumb and index finger and rubbed the lettering. Oooh. For some reason, the feel of the dog tag sent a chill through her, probably because of what it stood for, the terrible danger Philip had been in, the horrors of war, his wounds, his lost leg, and the sacrifices he made for his country.
She turned the dog tag over and was surprised to see an inscription. “I love you Philip.” That’s odd, she thought. Why would Philip have an inscription like that engraved on his own dog tag?
Over by the window was a planter that Chloe never noticed in here before. It held a few potted houseplants, an African violet, a peace lily, a pink Christmas cactus. Hmmm. Chloe surprised herself with her own ability to name each plant. She didn’t remember being all that interested in plants, but these were pretty, colorful and cheery. On the windowsill near the planter, there was a pretty tea mug, beige with autumn leaves. She picked it up by the handle. Nice weight and feel, she thought. This couldn’t be Philip’s. The shape was curved and feminine looking. She couldn’t imagine a man drinking tea or coffee out of this cup.
Suddenly she felt very sleepy. Maybe she was finally tired enough to get some sleep. One without dreams, she hoped. So she crawled back into bed and nestled her head into the cool fluffy pillow. Yes, she was definitely tired enough to sleep now.
A few minutes later, Chloe shot up in bed. Another nightmare, the same one she’d been having ever since she got home from The Oaks. Her heart was beating wildly and she was scared out of her wits. She pulled her cover back, got out of bed, and ran to the bedroom next door.
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Post by gapeach on Jun 21, 2014 12:35:15 GMT -5
What a great chapter to wake up to on a lazy Saturday!! It appears that the item Phillip chose are starting to work! Should be interesting to find out what happens when Chloe goes into Phillip's room!!!
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Post by melly on Jun 21, 2014 13:45:10 GMT -5
Uh oh....these nightmares. They've got to be freaking the poor girl out... Sad that she doesn't remember Parker.
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Post by fluffysmom on Jun 21, 2014 16:24:50 GMT -5
I'm glad Chloe noticed the items and thinking about them. I hope the nightmares end soon.
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Post by Kpatch on Jun 23, 2014 5:24:54 GMT -5
Chapter 31
Philip tossed and turned in his bed in Chloe’s old room. It was so odd to sleep here. How often in his life did he dream about sleeping in Chloe’s bed? Millions of times, maybe. But this is not the way he imagined it. He would have laughed about it if the situation weren’t semi-tragic.
He wondered what the future would bring for them. Chloe appeared to be falling for him, and that was great, right?
Yes and no. Yes, because he wanted to be part of Chloe’s life no matter what. But it was like some weird parallel universe, waiting for the Philip and Chloe of the past to merge with the Philip and Chloe in the present and turn into the Philip and Chloe of the future. Weird wild stuff alright, almost science fiction, he thought.
He lifted his head off his pillow when he heard the door open. Before he knew what was going on, Chloe was nudging him to move over and make room for her in bed. She situated herself and pulled the blanket over her while Philip looked at her in shock.
“I’m sleeping in here tonight,” she announced.
His first reaction was that she was welcome to sleep in here every night, not just tonight. But under the circumstances, he wasn’t sure that was the wisest decision. “What’s going on,” he asked. “Are you okay?”
“No,” she whined, nestling herself against Philip’s body. “I had a nightmare.”
Philip nodded, finally understanding why she sought him out. He wrapped his arms around her. “Do you want to talk about it? Tell me what happened?”
Even in the darkness, he could see Chloe shaking her head no, but she started talking anyway. “It’s the same dream I have every night.” She looked up at him. “I’m in a hospital. There are bright flashes of light and strange men wanting to give me money for ...” she looked away momentarily. “... for sex. It’s terrifying, like a horror movie.” Tears shone in her eyes and rolled down the side of her cheek. “Sometimes ... sometimes I wonder if it’s a dream or a memory.”
He knew it was more than just a nightmare. All of it. She was seeing mixed up images of things that really happened to her. It was no wonder she couldn’t sleep. Philip tightened his hold on her, wishing that her pain and fear could just transfer to him and leave her in peace. “I’m sorry, Chloe. Whichever it was, you’re safe now. You’re safe here.”
Chloe buried her face in Philip’s chest. “I know. I feel safe with you,” she whispered.
That comment made Philip smile and he held her closer still.
“Thank you for taking me out tonight,” she said.
“It wasn’t exactly ‘out,’ just a change of scenery for you.”
She nodded against his chest. “It was nice. It was special. Philip? Do you mind if I sleep here?” she asked.
Philip chuckled. “Well, you didn’t exactly give me a lot of choices.”
Chloe lifted her head and looked at him. “Philip! It’s my room!”
“Ah, I’ve been waiting for you to get territorial,” he joked. “This is your room, the room next door is yours too. That’s so Chloe.”
Chloe laughed lightly as she rested her head on Philip’s arm. “How do you know me? How do you know me so well?”
Philip thought for a minute. He leaned his cheek on her head, inhaling her sweet scent. “I’ve always known you,” he said softly, almost as if he were talking to himself. Chloe looked at Philip as if she were waiting for him to say more.
And he wanted to say so much more than that. He wanted to say that he’d known her since the beginning of time, since before heaven and earth were created, that she’d always been in his heart and they were destined to be together. Why else would they have created a child together at a time when their lives were set on a completely different course and they were planning futures with other people? It’s because the gods were telling them how things should really be.
He stroked her cheek and kissed her forehead. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep,” he whispered.
Chloe nodded and laid her head on his pillow. She closed her eyes and he felt her body relax. Meanwhile, his body was tensing with her in his arms, straining against his boxers. For so long, he’d dreamed about lying next to Chloe, holding her in his arms, breathing as one, falling asleep together. But in his minds‘ eye, it was a little different than the scenario they were experiencing tonight.
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Post by gapeach on Jun 23, 2014 12:24:33 GMT -5
Again, it has been 6 hours since this wonderful chapter was posted and I am the FIRST to comment. Love that Chloe feels comfortable enough with Phillip to tell him about her nightmare. Hope she gets out of the room before anyone catches her there.
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Post by melly on Jun 23, 2014 12:42:06 GMT -5
Good thing Nancy's gone home...b/c she would flip out if she knew that Philip and Chloe were sleeping in the same bed!
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