I dreamt about you nearly every night this week.

"You know this is a party," A voice said, breaking me from the bored daze I'd been in. 

I glanced at Chloe and grinned, "I'm aware." 

"Oh I figured you were lost," She shrugged and shot me one of her sexy smirks.

"Smartass," I replied, still not sure how to deal with her. Ben hadn't exactly asked me to stay away from his sister, not in so many words at least. It was what he wanted though.  

She took a deep breath and shrugged, "At least it's also a nice as.s that you can appreciate as I walk away and leave you to stand here in the corner smoldering at everyone." She turned away but I grabbed her hand and turned her back towards me, wondering what had come over me. After all these years of ignoring her advances? Suddenly I couldn't resist Chloe Lindsell.  

"Chloe-" I said her name as if I had more to say, but the words couldn't come out of mouth. 

The song changed and she nodded towards the dance floor, "Do you want to dance?" 

My eyes widened because no matter how horrible I was to her, she didn't give up. "I don't really dance..." I trailed off and she shot me a look.

"It's a slow song Tristan it's like hugging while walking," She replied while I looked skeptical and she sighed. "Fine. Drink in the corner and ignore me some more," She said under her breath, turning to walk away again. 

"Wait," I said quickly, not ready to let her leave. 

She turned back to face me slowly and lifted a brow, setting her hands on her hips as if she was already annoyed with our conversation. I couldn't blame her. The last time we were together my head was buried between her legs, she came long and hard and then I went cold, bringing her crashing down from her high while I suffered from blue balls all day. My thoughts were everywhere and I was making her have to deal with that. "Did you change your mind?"

I quirked a grin and shook my head, "Are you hungry?"

"Why?" She asked flatly and it sunk it how I had been leading her on, only to fuck things up time and again. She deserved better than that, Ben had a point. 

I shrugged my shoulders and lifted a hand to run it through my hair, "These events really aren't my thing. Do you want to go get something to eat?"

She tried to conceal the shock on her face, but it showed nonetheless. "Is this another date? Because you're awful at those," She said finally and grinned. 

"You're right. Let's not call it a date," I smiled back at her and held my hand out in her direction. "Two friends having a late dinner together?"

"We're not friends Tristan," She said in a quiet tone but took my hand, letting me lead the way out of the party hosted by an up and coming designer. All of the big names were there; both models and designers. I was supposed to network, but Ben had flaked on me at the last minute and although I already knew most of the people there? I always felt out of place at these things. 

"We could be," I replied, wondering if I believed my own words. Instead of giving her the chance to reply, I fished my key from my pocket and unlocked the doors to my car with a push of the button, letting go of her hand and getting in the drivers seat. I watched from the corner of my eye as she climbed into the Audi and closed the door behind her, clasping her hands together on her lap. "You look gorgeous tonight."

"That's not really something friends say," She smirked and watched as I cracked a smile.

"Couldn't help it," I shot a look in her direction. 

"Is it guilt over Ben?" She asked. "Or are you just being a typical male asshole?" 

I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Well I know it's not the sex, because it's fantastic," She grinned and I licked my lips, nodding slowly.

"Yes it was."

"So then what is keeping you from either telling me to fuck off or coming over to get off?" She asked making me laugh slightly.

"What a way with words you have," I teased.

"I'm serious. I'd get it if it was guilt...but I feel like you're being hot and cold with me. One day I'm getting half naked pictures...." She paused to shoot me a look because she had expressed in so many words how much she had liked the picture I sent. "And the other half you totally ignore me."

"I know," I pulled over to a little restaurant that I had discovered late one night. It was in the middle of nowhere and looked like a run down shack, but it was amazing. Probably the best food I'd had since coming to Paris.

She blinked as she looked at me, "I love this place." 

I widened my eyes at her, "I didn't know anyone even knew about it."

"Look. Ben doesn't approve," She sighed. "That's kind of a dealbreaker for me. Probably for you. But I do actually enjoy your company, and apparently you also have excellent taste in food, so lets be friends."

"Yeah?" I questioned, not sure how I felt about that, whether it was relief or I was upset.

"Yeah, you can teach me how to be boring and maybe I'll bring some fun into your life." 

I smiled, "Or maybe I'll just bore you and you'll never want to talk to me again."

She pursed her lips together and then grinned at me, "Doubtful. You're too handsome to bore me that much."

I stared at her for a moment, feeling tempted to kiss her. I knew better though, knew how hard it'd be to stop once we started. "That's not really something friends say," I retorted with a grin.

"Have you ever actually had a female friend?" She stared at me skeptically while I killed the engine. 

"Yes."

"One you were attracted to," She clarified.

I let out another laugh and shook my head, "No."

"Didn't think so," She replied and hopped out of the car, my eyes still on her while I let out a deep breath and shook my head. I got out of the car and locked the doors behind me, walking beside her towards the restaurant with my hands firmly in my pockets. "I spoke to Ben."

I looked at her again and let my brows raise, about to speak when a voice interrupted, the hostess greeting us and showing us to a table. I waited for her to take our drink orders before she left and then looked at Chloe once more. "How'd the conversation with Ben go?"

"Good I think."

"You think?" 

"Ben and Cami and I grew up being best friends," She started slowly, trying to process her thoughts. "It didn't even change when they got together, it was kind of us against the world. But then they had Gabe, and they broke up and...well you know how I was." 

"A girl I wouldn't book for anything?" I asked and she threw her napkin at me.

"Exactly," She grinned. "We went in different directions, and I know I was the one who made the bad choices most of the time. But now that I've mostly got my shit together I felt like Ben still saw me as the girl I was when I was trying to figure out who I was....without them."

"And now?" I asked, genuinely interested since really, I didn't know much about the Lindsells. 

The waitress brought over our drinks and Chloe sipped hers casually before speaking. "I didn't give him enough credit," She admitted. "He does see the real me. Sometimes I just don't see it."

"What's the real you Chloe?" 

She widened her eyes, "Such a deep question. Thank god this isn't a date." She smirked, "And I've talked enough about me for one night."

"What did he say about us?" I asked, ignoring her last part as she looked back into my eyes. 

"He said he doesn't want to know anything about it. He's sad he has to look at us differently," She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry I did that to you. I know how much Ben's friendship must mean to you and now-" She shrugged. "He'll get over it. I'll make sure he gets over it with you."

"You don't have to apologize," I said honestly, having already told her that a dozen of times. I was an adult. She didn't force herself on me and if she did? God only knows that I wouldn't have stopped her. 

She shrugged her shoulders again and played with the condensation on her glass, drawing pictures on it and looking so vulnerable. Chloe Lindsell came off as independent, a fierce woman who knew what she wanted, but really? She was only human, she had insecurities just like every other woman. "I do... I kind of threw myself at you. I have been for years," She said finally.

I laughed and kept my eyes on her face, studying her expressions, "Chloe, I don't regret what happened between us. I wanted it just as bad as you did."

Her eyes flicked up to meet mine and she raised a brow, "Really? I'm having trouble believing that."

I let out a deep breath, "Trust me, I wanted you..."

"But you don't now?" She said slowly and in a low and sexy tone. I had to take another deep breath since my dick was twitching in my pants. "Sorry. I shoudn't have asked," She said quickly and shook her head, pulling her hair over to one side as she tried to play it off. 

"You can't turn an attraction to someone on and off," I said simply, hoping we could leave it at that, know that the attraction was still there. Of course, things could never be so easy. 

"Would make life easier if you could," She joked and looked back into my eyes, a lust fueled glaze induced on them. I'd kill to know where her mind was right this second.

"Probably," I smiled and reached out to push her hair out of her eyes, only catching what I was doing after doing it.

"I'm not usually like that with guys..." She trailed off. "I mean I'm not shy with them but I'm usually attracted to men who come after me. I think I tried so hard with you because there was no chance."

"Clearly there was," I smirked and watched as she blushed.

"Yeah." She bit her lip and stared at her hands before looking back at me, "Hows work?"

I shrugged, "Busy as usual. Starting the casting for fashion week in September."

"I love fashion week. Anywhere," She admitted. "Something about being on a runway makes me feel like nothing can touch me."

"That's why you get booked," I said. "If more models had a walk like you my job would be easier."

"And yet you refused to book me for anything for years," She teased, reminding me of our past and how much we didn't get along. I judged her, but in my defense? Her reputation was beyond terrible. "I could probably have gotten you fired you know. You had balls."

I laughed, "I stand by what I did. And I also stand by booking you when I did. You're a great model Chloe."

"Still. Back in those days I was much more likely to pitch a fit. Lucky I found you more of a challenge than a nuisance. I'd never had an agent say no to me before. Balls of steel," She laughed as the waiter brought over appetizers and I grinned at her.

"Rather that then blue balls," I teased back, making her lick her lips.

"Speaking of which. I probably owe you a blow job," She said like nothing, my eyes widened while she smirked. "For barging into your office, ruining your day with your mother and then not reciprocating the best oral of my life."

"I don't think that's something friends say," I said slowly, not able to hide how amused I was.

She shook her head, "Probably not. But I've never had a male friend I was attracted to either so I'm not sure on the rules."

"Never? I'm surprised," I smiled back at her, watching as she carelessly shrugged her shoulders.

"My offer still stands," She said with her blue eyes blazing, trying to read my expression. Honestly, I wasn't even sure what my face was giving away. My brain was saying no while my dick was disagreeing and starting to feel a little strained in my jeans.

I parted my lips but stopped for a moment to watch her run her tongue across her top lip before catching it between her teeth. Ugh. She definitely knew what she was doing. "I'll remember that," I grinned back at her and reached for my water, wishing I would've ordered alcohol. God knew I could use a drink right abut now. I took a drink and tried to compose myself, hearing her sigh from across the table.

"Back to being shut down," She said but when I looked, she was smiling. "I hate to admit it, but I liked the other Tristan better."

"You mean the naked one?" I laughed, setting my glass back down.

Her cheeks flushed again as she shrugged her shoulders, "Well I'm not going to complain about that... You don't look so bad naked."

"Sounds like I need to make it into the gym more often," I joked in an attempt to lighten the conversation.

"You're pretty perfect just the way you are," She said honestly, still blushing a little which was adorable. In the years I'd known Chloe, I'd only seen her blush a handful of times and it was always when we were alone.

"That's a hell of a compliment coming from you," I admitted.

"But if you want to work out with me I won't turn it down," She added, grinning. "But I prefer running to gyms."

"Yeah I'm sure you were talking about going running," I laughed.

"Thank you," She said softly. "You know this feels more like a date than last time."

"And yet I won't be getting laid...."

She raised a brow, "Were you wanting to? Because you're going to have to ditch me for that, we're just friends," She added quickly before I even had a chance to respond. 

"Right," I agreed. "Friends." There was silence for a few minutes there, but the sexual tension was thick. "By the way if you're wondering what friends wear running together? It's not a tiny sports bra and tight yoga pants."

She laughed, "I'll remember that. I'm guessing it's more baggy t shirts and shorts."

"Exactly," I said and she sighed. "What were you just thinking...." 

"I was wishing you actually dated girls," She admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "Not judging of course."

".....why Chloe?"

She blinked, "Because I like you." I was speechless again. "What kind of girl do you think I am anyways?" 

"The kind who offered me a friendly blow job a few minutes ago?" I replied, unable to think about her in any other position than on her knees.

She tried not to laugh as she licked her lips. Again. Ugh. "That was just me trying to be fair to the both of us."

I nodded, "The tabloids really don't focus on how thoughtful you are." I took a bite of food as she drank some water and leaned in.

"I bet they would if they knew my thoughtfullness revolved around blow jobs."

I shook my head, "You're something."

"So is that no to going running? That's a friendly thing to do right?"

I chuckled, "Running sounds great. I haven't ran in a long time actually."

"Focusing more on weight lifting? It shows," She grinned at me while I lifted a brow in amusement. "What? Those budging -" She cut herself off with a soft laugh, "I'm going to just shut up now since everything I say around you comes out wrong."

I smirked and shook my head, "No please, go on. I'm reveling in all the compliments."

She stuck her tongue out and then grinned, "You're fun sometimes."

"Was that a compliment or an insult?" I asked, resisting the urge to laugh by grinning wider.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm not sure. Both?"

"Well thank you," I said before adding, "Kind of."

She kept her grin in place as she set her elbows on the table, her cleavage drawing my eyes down and she knew it. "You're so much better looking when you smile," She said slowly.

"You're beautiful when you smile genuinely," I replied.

"Thank you," She said softly. "You know this feels more like a date than last time."

"And yet I won't be getting laid...."

She raised a brow, "Were you wanting to?" My eyes flared with heat and she gave me another one of those lust laced looks. "Because you're going to have to ditch me for that, we're just friends."

"Right," I agreed, not wanting to admit even to myself that I was disappointed. I knew that we weren't going to sleep together again, but it still sucked to hear it from her lips... the same lips that had been all over me only weeks earlier. "Friends." There was silence for a few minutes there, but the sexual tension was thick. "By the way if you're wondering what friends wear running together? It's not a tiny sports bra and tight yoga pants." 

Chloe laughed, "I'll remember that. I'm guessing it's more baggy t shirts and shorts."

"Exactly," I said, trying not to think of her long legs in tiny shorts. Honestly, at this point I'd prefer the yoga pants. She sighed and I looked at her, "What were you just thinking...."

"I was wishing you actually dated girls," She admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "Not judging of course."

I was taken back, ".....why Chloe?" 

She blinked, looking at the earnest expression in my eyes. "Because I like you," She admitted finally, sounding more vulnerable with those four words than she did talking to a room full of reporters.

I parted my lips then closed them, not sure what to say because I liked her too... but when I'd told Ben that? He blamed it on the sex, the obvious chemistry between us. In truth, me and Chloe didn't know each other too well, not in the personal sense. Maybe Ben was right.

"You don't have to say anything," She said after a moment. I stared at her and blinked, at a loss for words... which happened a lot around her. "Friends, I know."

I smiled more sincerely, "I like you too Chlo."

She wrinkled her nose, "Ben calls me that."

I stared at her for another moment before we both started laughing. "Well that was kind of awkward," I said once we both stopped laughing.

"It doesn't have to be," She smiled back, still vulnerable but trying to be strong too.

I nodded my head, "In all honesty? I've never had many female friends."

"None as hot as me anyways, right?" She winked, easing the tension while I laughed softly.

"I've never met a woman as hot as you, so no, definitely not," I said seriously.

"Well that's just bullshit," She rolled her eyes and I shot her a look.

"I'm not much of a bullshitter Chloe."

"Yeah but I've met the girls you're with. They're gorgeous." 

I nodded, not denying that, "I stand by what I said."

Chloe shifted in her seat, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." 

She took a deep breath, "Talk about something besides us." 

I laughed, "How's school?"

"It's great," She admitted, surprised that I had brought it up. "I'm loving my photography class, and learning about the business side of things is surprisingly interesting. Like a puzzle with money."

"I can picture you as a photographer but I'm not sure if I could picture you in an office crunching numbers," I teased.

"Yeah well I still have a few years left of being a model," She shrugged.

"More than a few. Your mother booked jobs even after she had you and Ben."

"Yeah well not everyone is Ava Lindsell," She laughed, her mother was a force of nature and the hottest woman I had ever seen for her age. Chloe looked a lot like her.

"You're probably the closest to her though," I pointed out.

"On the outside maybe," She agreed. "But she managed to raise two kids, own a business, model on the side, and be a perfect wife. I can't even take care of a dog to keep me company. I think Ben got all the superhero genes."

"I think you underestimate yourself. Not everyone could go back to school while juggling a modeling carreer, the press, and being a great sister, aunt and friend."

"We've only been friends for about 2 hours Tristan, you don't know if I'm good at that yet," She teased. "Time to talk about you now. How did your parents like Paris? Have they been here before?"

"They've been here a handful of times," I replied, never really one to open up about myself, especially when it came to my family. "They love it. They're thinking of buying another home here."

"Another?" Her brows quirked upwards. "How many do they have?"

"This would be their fifth," I answered, usually hiding the fact that I came from money. They helped put me through college, but everything afterward? I did on my own. 

"Wow," She said but smiled eventually. "That's great though, right? Having them close? Even if its for a summer?"

I let out a breath and shrugged my shoulders because yes, I loved my parents. I mean, they were my parents and if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be alive. It didn't mean I wanted to spend time with them or have them dropping in on me whenever they pleased. "I like them better where they are," I admitted, realizing how bad it sounded only after I'd said it. "Don't get me wrong, I love them, but..." I trailed off, not wanting to say out loud that my dad was an asshole and my mum was kind of a pushover who did whatever he asked. She'd given up her entire career when they'd met and her life was now dedicated to making my dad happy. In my eyes, that was sad and made it hard to respect the two of them.  

"I understand," She said, even if she didn't really understand. The Lindsell's were the kind of picture perfect family you saw in movies before movies started getting so fucked up. Even with all the bad press or controversies they'd caused over the years, they were still perfect. It was crazy. 

I smiled back, willing to drop the convo, "I should probably thank you for what you did in my office, because my mum has been backing off since then."

"Oh god, don't remind me. That was horrifying," She shook her head and set it in her hands.

"Horrifying?"

"That I was jealous of your mother and then she saw me in skimpy lingerie?"

I smirked, "You were jealous?"

She rolled her eyes, "Shut up."

I laughed and she smiled back at me, "I'm surprised Chloe I figured you'd say something like "Do you want me to come to your house to get her to back off from there too."

It was her turn to laugh but her cheeks blushed too, "Friends remember?"

I nodded and awkwardly looked down at my food, "Right."

"I have a date," She said suddenly, taking me by surprise since I didn't expect her to wait for me... but I didn't expect her to throw that at me either. We weren't together, but it seemed like we were suddenly playing a game and I hated head games more than anything.

"Oh?" I said, not sure what to say. Was I jealous? Or was I more annoyed?

"Yeah."

"You say it as if it's a bad thing," I pointed out after she got an unreadable look on her face. It wasn't necessarily a bad expression, but it wasn't good either.

"It's not."

"Well then good for you," I turned my attention back to my food, confused as hell by whatever was going on with us because nothing about us seemed to resemble a normal friendship.

"I'm sure you have 5," She teased, making me realize just how annoyed I was.

"Because I'm such an awful person?" I asked, the words just coming out of my mouth practically. Ben had thrown my past back at me the last time we'd spoke... so I guess I was just still on defense.

Her lips fell open and she shook her head quickly, "I meant it as a compliment..."

"Oh," I said flatly, almost as if dismissing the entire conversation. I took a deep breath and shook my head, "Sorry. But to answer your question, no."

She raised her brows in response.

"No dates," I clarified.

"Okay," She said quietly, as if she was at a loss for words. God only knew that I was. I could barely hold a conversation with her when we weren't flirting... I wasn't sure how we were going to be friends.

"So who's the date with?" I smiled back at her, making an attempt at this so called friendship. "Someone from the  agency?"

"Actually I met him when I picked up Gabe at camp for Cami," She said, pushing her food around with a fork. 

I raised a brow, "You're dating a camp counselor? Even I'm better than that." 

She laughed, "But you won't date me. Actually he's a single dad," She said finally, tearing off a piece of bread and eating it. "Do you think that will be weird?" 

I looked at her for a few moments, wondering how we'd gotten to the point where I give dating advice. "Depends. Single dad's can be assholes too."

"Anyone can be an asshole. that's not what I meant"

"You don't think it would be like dating your brother?" I asked, trying not to laugh as she scrunched up her face. 

"Eww," She thought about it for a second. " I guess I could do a lot worse than a man like Ben though....unless he's exactly lime Ben and is still in love with baby momma."
 

"Yeah," I replied, wishing the waitress would bring over the bill because I wanted to flee the scene. The night had turned into a disaster and I was already regretting coming. 

Chloe's eyes were on me when I nodded towards the waitress who seemed to know what I meant, giving me a sweet smile back in return. "Do you have somewhere to be?" She asked, opening her eyes wider when I looked at her once more. 

"Polaroids to go over," I said simply with a shrug. "We're casting for Paris fashion week already."

"Oh," She nodded her head but looked like she wasn't believing me. 

"Are you finished?" I asked, proving her point that all men could in fact be assholes. 

She looked at her plate which wasn't done, mine wasn't either. I didn't even care. "Yeah," She said quietly. I kept quiet and took another bite of my food. "Are you mad at me?"

I looked at Chloe again and shook my head because no, I wasn't mad. Annoyed? Yes. But not mad. "No," I said seriously. 

She reached out and grabbed my hand, curling hers around it and trying to ignore the electricity that shot up my arm when she touched me. "What's wrong?" 

"What are we doing Chloe? We're not friends." 

She blinked back and tried to pull her hand back but I gripped it tighter, "I-" 

"I don't want to hear about you dating. I don't play fucking games." 

She shook her head, "I wasn't playing games I.....I mean I don't think I was." 

"Then what is this?" I asked because she could deny it all she wanted, but she was trying to make me jealous.

"You were the one who asked me to dinner. I'd just wanted a dance." 

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Can I ask you something? No games." 

I looked into her eyes and nodded, "Shoot."

"Who was the last girl you kissed?" 

"You. Christ Chloe...." I shook my head, not sure why she was asking. 

"Why though? From what I know....from what you've told me-you're always seeing more than one girl. What changed?"

"That was over a year ago," I said flatly, letting go of her hand and watching her cross her arms over her chest.

"And in a year, what has changed?" She said back in a more stern tone. "You can sleep with any girl you want, kiss whoever you please, but you don't. Why not?"

I stared blankly at her, wondering where she was going with this, "God that was almost two years ago and I still get shit from you and Ben over it all the time. Shouldn't you guys be proud of me for no longer being a manwhore?"

She rolled her eyes, "That wasn't my point Tristan."

"No? Because I constantly feel like you two are throwing my past at me," I said seriously, 

She pursed her lips together and looked thrown off, maybe even annoyed, 'I meant -"

"I stopped sleeping with them a long time ago. One was a psycho, one moved for her career in fashion, and the other is wrapped up in school. I know where you're going with this Chloe," I cut her off. "Maybe we aren't good at the whole friend thing."

"Okay. First of all? Stop lumping me in with my brother. I am not "giving you shit about your past." I have no business telling people they're being slutty," She said with a serious look.

"Okay...point taken," I nodded.

"Secondly..." She took a deep breath. "I asked because I was wondering if your view on dating had changed."

"What do you mean?"

She licked her lips and played mindlessly with the hem of her dress before speaking, "I mean you told me you didn't have time for a girlfriend. You had your girls because each of them didn't have time for a relationship but you both wanted the perks. I mean I know I teased you about it, but just because I like to tease you. Not because I judged you. You were honest with them, they were honest with you, you both got what you wanted. I think it was a great arrangement."

"But..." I trailed off.

"But," She started, "If you were changing your mind and wanting to date more exclusively....maybe we wouldn't have to pretend that all we want is to be friends." 

"Chloe," I let out a breath, feeling frustrated and helpless. She'd never said something so real to me before, something so vulnerable and putting herself out there. 

"It's okay if you're not. I just thought....well I had to try," She shrugged.

"You said it already. The Ben thing is a dealbreaker," I ran my hands through my hair, wondering how all of this had gotten so damn confusing and complicated.

"Okay. I understand."

I reached for her hand and forced a smile, not wanting her to be upset or think I was turning her down. I mean, technically it came out that way, but still. "You deserve better than me," I said sincerely. 

A weak smile appeared on her lips, "If Ben were more understanding and didn't care about us being together, would you go for it?"

I parted my lips and contemplated her words for a moment, "Honestly? Nothing would keep me away."

She smiled more genuinely and flipped her hand over to tangle her fingers with mine, her blue eyes not leaving mine and I swear it felt like neither of us could look away. "Good. Thank you, my ego really needed that."

I laughed and shook my head, "I'm probably good for your ego instead.... you need someone to tell you no every now and then. I've seen guys following you around like they were your personal assistant when they were really your dates."

She quirked a brow and leaned into the table, "Have you been keeping your eyes on me for a while now, Mr. Williams?" 

"It's hard not to," I said honestly, the connection between us feeling strong. Too strong. "When's your date with the single dad?"

The smile on her pretty face faded and was replaced with a more serious look, "If you don't want me to go, just say the word."

"You deserve to be happy Chloe," I replied, leaving it at that because I had already told her so many times that she could do better than me. I'd hate to be the reason for her to miss out on that.

"That wasn't what I asked," She pointed out and I smirked. 

"I know," I agreed, grinning a little wider at her obvious frustration.

"You're awful," She laughed.

"Finally. You're a little slow on sizing people up."

"I don't live too far away...I can walk home," She said softly as I paid the bill. 

"How far?"

"Like two blocks," She said and I blanched.

"Why?"

"Why what?" 

"Why do you live in this neighborhood? Surely you can afford to live downtown."

"Yeah, but I like my place. It has a great kitchen and the area isn't bad or anything." 

I looked at her for a minute before speaking, "I'll walk with you." She nodded and let me lead the way out. "You like to cook?" I asked and she turned down a street.

She nodded, "I used to watch cooking shows whenever I was home alone growing up. My parents don't really know where I got it from they're both miserable cooks," She laughed. 

"Ben mentioned you made good food," I nodded.

"I'm shocked he said anything nice about me to you," Chloe teased and I threw her a smirk as she stopped.

"This is my place," she nodded towards the older building and stopped in front of it, looking up at me.

"I can walk you up-" I started but she set her hand on my chest and shook her head.

"I won't be able to help myself from asking you to come in and it would kill me if you said no, and probably be a worse idea if you said yes," She admitted softly. 

I swallowed and then nodded, "Okay." She took a step closer and slid her hands up my chest, wrapping around my neck. "Chloe..." I trailed off.

"I'll be wishing you were there when I'm in bed though....." She admitted softly. "I hardly sleep at all without dreaming about the night I spent with you," She stood on her toes and kissed my cheek, leaving me wanting more. "Night," She said finally, turning to walk away while I watched her until the door closed behind her. I was such a goner.