Earth Angel
Chapter Twenty-Nine
(Jan's House - The Party)
The group had arrived late to the party. Thanks mostly to Mimi who had a tiny
disaster involving the zipper in her dress. Once they arrived, the party was
already in full swing. The music was pumping loudly, and Jan had cleared out her
massive living room to accommodate a house full of dancing teens. After their
arrival, the group of six split off and mingled with the rest of the guests,
each of them stopping to congratulate Jason on his speedy recovery.
Chloe stood in a corner alone for a moment. The rest of her friends were spread
across the house, dancing or talking. She was taking a sip of her Sprite when
Brady walked up to her.
"You look all lonely back here in the corner."
Chloe shrugged. "I'm not. Just taking a break from the hustle and bustle.
So, aren't you glad you came to this party after all?
Brady frowned slightly. "Not yet."
"Not yet? Sheesh... you are hard to please."
Brady clasped her hand and shook his head. "Not yet, because I haven't had
the opportunity to dance with the most beautiful girl in the room."
Chloe raised one eyebrow skeptically. "You want to dance with your
sister?"
Brady rolled his eyes at her. "Noooooo, I want to dance with YOU."
"Alright, alright... but if you step on my feet, then there's no more
dancing allowed."
"Don't worry... I've got moves that would make Ricky Martin
jealous..."
Chloe laughed heartily. "Oh no, this I HAVE to see."
Brady grinned as he pulled her to the middle of the crowded floor. Chloe didn't
recognize the song that was playing, but it was a mid-tempo, sexy club song with
no lyrics. The other couples on the floor were bumping and grinding close to
each other, but Chloe stood inches away from her dance partner. Chloe moved
herself to the music, but was spending more time concentrating on Brady. Most
guys seemed to look like tree trunks with arms when they attempted to dance, but
this wasn't the case with Brady. She had never figured him to be the Fred
Astaire type, but he was doing quite a good job. Brady grinned at her and put
one hand on her waist, pulling her closer to him. He slowly moved her closer
until their bodies were pressed tightly against each other. Chloe was nearly
breathless at his touch and in disbelief that something so sexual in nature felt
so loving as well. She knew for sure that they did not just lust after each
other like most teenagers but they were truly in love.
Brady smiled sweetly at her and moved his hands slowly from her waist to her
arms, moving them so that her hands were behind his neck. He moved in closer and
whispered softly into her ear, "I must obey what the music tells me to
do."
Chloe chuckled and nodded slightly. "I don't mind at all."
They danced together closely through the rest of the song and all the way
through the next song, another mid-tempo club song. At one point, Chloe looked
past Brady and saw Phillip chatting and laughing with Mimi in one corner of the
room. She smiled slightly, glad to see that they were enjoying themselves.
However, she did not see Phillip occasionally glancing in their direction from
the corner of his eye. At the end of the next song, Brady felt a soft tap at his
shoulder and he separated himself from Chloe. They stood apart from each other
and looked at Phillip beside them.
Phillip nodded towards Brady and spoke, "Mind if I cut in?"
Brady stepped back even further and motioned for Phillip to take his place.
"Not at all. I'm getting thirsty anyway."
Brady walked away to find the refreshments and Phillip clasped Chloe's hand and
brought her in close to him. The next song began, and somebody had decided to
put on a slow one. Phillip held her tightly, but not in the same way that they
used to dance together. The distance between them was the same distance you
would put between any friend you dance with, but it felt like miles to them.
Phillip gave her a half smile and spoke under his breath, "Chloe... I think
it's time... time to talk."
Chloe looked at him with surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah, I'm ready..." Phillip paused and then glanced at her
suspiciously. "Aren't you?"
"I'm ready... Come on..." Chloe grabbed his hand and led him through
the crowded living room. They walked directly past Brady but Chloe did not turn
and look at him. If she had, she would have seen a very worried look flash
across his face. She led Phillip through the french doors that led to the pool
area.
Chloe closed the door behind her and then turned to Phillip. "So... uhh...
what do you want to talk about?"
"Chloe, you know exactly what I want to talk about."
Chloe nodded and nervously stammered, "I know... Us, right? That's the big
question of the day, right?"
Phillip nodded in agreement. "Yup, that's it."
"Okay... you go first." Chloe planted a weak smile on her lips and
motioned for him to go forward. It was much better him first, instead of her.
Phillip looked at her solemnly. "I was watching you out there, dancing with
Brady. And... I saw something that I had never seen before. At least, I THINK I
saw something."
"Phillip... it's not what you think. Not really anyway... It's..."
Phillip waved a hand to stop her. "No, stop... It is what I think. Brady is
in love with you."
Chloe nodded and looked at her feet. "Yes..."
"And you... you love him too." He spoke it as more of a statement of
fact than a question.
Chloe looked up at him, tears beginning to form in her blue eyes. She stuttered
slightly, "I... uhhh... Yes. I'm sorry, Phillip... But, yes."
"Then I did see it... I could tell." Phillip was stone-faced as he
looked at her.
Chloe shook her head and let one big tear fall out of each eye. "It's
true... but it's not what you think. I never cheated on you. I never even
thought about Brady in that way when I was with you."
Phillip stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He smiled
at her sweetly and understandingly. "Chloe... I know. There's no reason to
cry. I know."
Chloe looked at him with a bit of surprise in her eyes. "You do? But... I
guess I figured you would accuse us of having something going on this whole
time."
"No, I'm not like that anymore. I know better now. I know that you wouldn't
do something like that. You wouldn't do something that would hurt me
intentionally."
Chloe smiled through her tears. "No, I wouldn't. I would never want to hurt
you. He only told me how he felt a couple of months ago, and I had never even
thought about it before."
Phillip hugged her and stroked her hair gently. He quietly whispered to her,
"And, I don't want to hurt you either. I've already hurt you enough for
three lifetimes, and I don't ever want to see you hurt like that again. That's
why I'm going to let you go."
Chloe leaned back and looked at him in surprise. "You are?"
"Chloe... I love you, I always will. But, you were right to give this whole
thing three months apart. I can see that it's not going to work out with us.
Being with me... it doesn't make you as happy as I know you could be. And,
that's all I want. I love you, and I want you to be as deliriously happy as you
deserve to be. And if it's not with me, then I'm okay with that."
"And what about you? I want the same things for you, Phillip..."
Phillip shrugged slightly. "Don't worry about me. I'm ready to move on
too... I see now that I can be happy without having to be your boyfriend. You're
still important to me, and you always will be... But, I'll be fine."
Chloe smiled widely at him. "I hope so. I just can't believe that you're
the one out here bringing this up, and not me."
"I've just been waiting for the right time to have this talk. This whole
break has shown me that we just weren't meant to be in the grand scheme of
things. And, when I saw you out there with Brady... I knew that this was the
right time. I had to set you free so that you could be with the person you
really love."
Chloe placed her hand on his cheek and smiled. "You know, you almost look
like a different person to me."
Phillip laughed and cringed slightly. "Is that a good thing or a bad
thing?"
Chloe chuckled and hugged him tightly, whispering into his ear. "It's a
good thing."
Chloe leaned out of the embrace but kept held on to both of his hands. She
repeated herself, "It's a good thing. You've really grown up... just all of
a sudden. You're going to make some girl very happy someday."
Phillip frowned slightly. "I don't know about that..."
"I do. You're a very special person Phillip, and you will always mean so
much to me. Someday, maybe very soon, the perfect girl will come along and
she'll be incredibly lucky to have you. Just promise me that you'll find a girl
who deserves you. Because, if she treats you bad, then I'll kill her."
Phillip laughed out loud and kissed Chloe on the forehead. "Then she should
be afraid, because I know that's not an idle threat."
Chloe grinned wickedly. "You know it. If anyone so much as looks at you the
wrong way, I'll get her. I've been working out you know..."
"Same goes for you. If my nephew does ANYTHING to hurt you, he's going to
have to deal with me." Phillip paused thoughtfully and continued, "And
vice versa... Brady is like a brother to me, so if you do anything to hurt him,
then you have to deal with me. There's a lot at stake with this
relationship..."
Chloe chuckled and nodded. "You're telling me... Not only do we have you to
contend with, but there's Belle, Shawn and Mimi too..."
"Well, I have a feeling that everything will work out just fine."
Chloe nodded slowly. "Me too... You know, Phillip... this turned out to be
a lot easier than I thought."
Phillip wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.
"Let's just say that our three month 'break' really taught me a lot about
myself. If you had told me that you were in love with Brady three months ago,
the old Phillip would have freaked out... but now, I understand and I'm a bit
more mature than I used to be."
"I'm glad to hear I made the right decision for once."
Phillip rolled his eyes in disbelief, "Oh stop... Chloe... you are one of
the most level-headed people I know. If it wasn't for you and Belle, we'd all be
screwed up."
"You mean even more screwed up than you already are?"
Phillip laughed and nodded. "Exactly... You ready to go back in?"
Chloe nodded slowly. "I am... but one more thing... thank you."
"For what?"
Chloe smiled sweetly and kissed him on the cheek. "For being you. I don't
think I tell people that enough, and I want to start. My friends are the only
things that have gotten me through all the hard times since I moved to Salem,
and I don't thank them nearly enough."
Phillip smiled back and replied, "Then thank you too... and you're welcome.
And all that..."
Chloe and Phillip headed back to the party hand in hand. No longer in love, but
with the promise of a friendship that would last a lifetime.
***
(Inside... a bit earlier.)
Brady stood in the corner alone, watching Phillip and Chloe dance together.
Phillip was holding on tight, but they weren't dancing closely. Not nearly as
close as she had danced with Brady earlier. He knew deep down that he shouldn't
be, but Brady was still worried. Worried that the love he saw in her eyes when
they were close to each other was not as strong as what she might be feeling for
Phillip.
Brady watched the dance end and saw the speak a few words to each other. Chloe
grabbed Phillip's hand and the two of them marched right past Brady. He thought
that Chloe would at least give him a sign, a nod, a look... but she did not even
look at him when she went past. Brady wondered if she had just not noticed him
there, or if she was avoiding his glance on purpose. Butterflies started
fluttering the way around his insides, as he was afraid of Chloe making the
decision that he had long hoped she wouldn't.
He sighed deeply as he watched them move through the french doors and on to the
patio. Brady considered whether or not watching them through the doors would be
an invasion of privacy or not. The angel on his shoulder wanted him to back
away, but the devil made him stand at that window and peek at them.
Brady couldn't believe his eyes. He saw them hug, and hold each other. He
witnessed the touches, the smiles, and kisses on the cheek and forehead between
them. Their closeness made his butterflies turn into hummingbirds.
His two halves seemed to be battling it out in his head. The one side told him
that Chloe loved him, and he knew it without a doubt. But the other side
reminded him that she had loved Phillip first, and for a lot longer.
Brady groaned as he saw Phillip put his arm around her shoulder and kiss the top
of her head. He quietly muttered under his breath, "I can't watch
this."
He sighed deeply and turned away from the window. Brady moved quickly through
the livingroom, trying to get away from what he hoped wasn't true.
***
(Back to Phillip and Chloe)
Phillip and Chloe made their way back inside and let go of each other's hand.
Chloe looked around then looked back at Phillip in confusion.
"Do you see Brady anywhere?"
Phillip shrugged. "I don't know... He was right over in this corner a
little bit ago. Maybe he went into another room of the house."
Chloe looked at him nervously. "Well, I really need to find him..."
"Calm down. I'm sure he's around here somewhere. You'll find him."
Chloe nodded hopefully, and left Phillip behind. She made her way through the
room to where Shawn and Belle were dancing together. She gently tapped Shawn at
the shoulder and they both turned to look at her.
"Hey... sorry to interrupt... It's just, I'm looking for Brady. Have you
seen him?"
Shawn shrugged in confusion. "Nope, not recently."
Belle shrugged as well. "I haven't seen him either. Are you looking for him
so you can... you know... I mean, did you talk to Phillip?"
Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, and everything is great. I'll tell
you all about it later. But, that's why I'm looking for Brady."
Belle squealed with glee and gave Chloe a quick hug. "Oh, that's such good
news!" She stepped away from Chloe and then motioned for her to leave.
"Now, go and find him. Go, go, go!"
Chloe laughed and walked away. She heard a confused Shawn ask Belle, "What
was that about?" as she walked away. Chloe headed through the crowd and
still could not see Brady. She suddenly found herself at the bottom of the steps
and remembered something she had seen in her visions. Timidly, she tiptoed up
the stairs and hoped that Jan wouldn't be angry if she found out.
Chloe stood at the top of the stairs and looked down each direction of the
hallway. But, she didn't need to... her heart knew the way. She walked to the
doorway at the very end of the hallway and opened it up to another set of
stairs. Chloe reached the top of these stairs and slowly opened the door. She
peeked around the corner into the observatory room with the giant glass windows
that looked out into the universe. Chloe had remembered everything about this
room, and many things about her life as Jan, but she never expected that Brady
would find his way here. But, there he was, sitting on a sheet-covered couch
staring up into the night sky.
She whispered under her breath, "Brady..."
Brady turned his gaze away from the stars and saw her standing there. He looked
at her in surprise as he stood from the couch. Chloe smiled slightly as she
walked closer to him and looked into his eyes. She spoke again, "You came
here... to this room..."
Brady nodded slowly. "And you found me... How?
Chloe sighed and clasped his hand gently. "I remembered." She paused
and looked at him for a moment before continuing, "And you did too...
didn't you?"
Brady looked downward and nodded. He spoke quietly, "I don't know how I got
here. I saw you outside with Phillip and I had to get away from it, so I just
walked away. I guess I was scared or worried or something. I ended up here. I
don't know why. It's not really memories, I can't see things like you can... I
just felt that this is where I needed to go. I remembered that there was
something special about this place. And somehow, you found me."
Chloe stared at him in disbelief. "I will always find you, Brady."
Brady lifted his face and looked at her in confusion. "And what about
Phillip?"
"It's over. Officially. That's why I came looking for you."
"It's really over? For good? Not just a break?"
Chloe smiled and nodded her head. "Completely... And I didn't even have to
end it myself. Phillip did it. He knew that we had to end it."
Brady raised both eyebrows at once. "How did he know?"
"Because, he saw me with you earlier. He knows how you feel about me, and
he knows how I feel about you... He could see it from all the way across the
room. I didn't even have to tell him."
"And how do you feel about me?"
Chloe sighed and stared at him for a moment. She inched her way closer and
planted her lips on his gently, kissing him deeply and passionately. Brady held
her tightly, returning her kisses with every ounce of himself, body and soul.
She finally broke off the kiss and stared into his deep pools of blue.
"I love you, Brady Black. I may not have known it, but it's always been
you. I thought I was going to have to make the hardest decision of my life in
the past three months, but it was the easiest. There is no other person I belong
with, and there never will be."
Brady smiled and kissed her again. "I love you too, Chloe. You are my
angel."
Chloe laughed and rolled her eyes. "You have no idea how true that
is."
Brady looked at her suspiciously. "But, you will tell me someday?"
Chloe nodded and kissed him again. "I will... But, I think we have plenty
of time for that."
"Well, then... dance with me."
"But there's no music..."
Brady smiled sweetly at her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Just dance
with me..."
Chloe smiled back and nodded. "Forever..."
She threw her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her waist,
holding her tightly. They began moving together across the floor as Brady began
singing quietly:
***Earth angel, earth angel
Will you be mine?
My darling dear
Love you all the time
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you
Earth angel, earth angel
The one I adore
Love you forever and ever more
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you
I fell for you and I knew
The vision of your loveliness
I hoped and I pray that someday
I'd be the vision of your happiness
Earth angel, earth angel
Please be mine
My darling dear
Love you all the time
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you
***
Not Officially The End... (there is a prologue, just to tie things up nicely)