Chapter 22

Nash

Nash curled his dumbbells towards his chest, sitting on a workbench while Caiden sat next to him panting. He had finished his reps and Nash continued his, thinking about the past few days. His relationship with Chloe had gotten so much better. Healthier. And progress was definitely being made. Chloe began to open up more and more and Nash felt closer than ever to Chloe.

"Thinking about Chloe?" Caiden asked.

"No," Nash said. He paused, knowing there was no pointing in hiding it. "Ok, maybe. How could you tell?"

"Whenever you think about her you blush. It's quite cute from a guy like you."

Nash glowered at Caiden and Caiden laughed. He then dropped his dumbbells and pulled himself straight, sighing. His arms ached.

"How are you guys?" Caiden asked. "You seem to spend a lot of time together nowadays."

"We're good. Better than ever," Nash replied. He glanced down at the floor beneath them. "I'm... happy."

"Aw, look at you, Nash. Love looks good on you."

Nash's cheeks heated up. He couldn't meet Caiden's eyes. It was embarrassing how much he cared for Chloe, but he accepted it. He once thought of her as a rival, but now all he wanted was to be with her. But, he was scared.

"You know, she never brought up the kiss again," Nash said, sighing. "I don't know where she stands. I'm afraid she thinks of me as just a friend, but at the same time, I don't know... Sometimes I feel like there's something more, but maybe I'm just delusional."

"You know, I sometimes feel like there's something more, too. When she's with you, she seems more shy. You can tell she values what you think of her."

Nash pondered over that. Did she? He honestly had no idea. Chloe was hard to read, so he often tried not to read too much into things. Not just for Chloe's sake, but for his heart's sake, too.

"But anyways, I also want to bring up the kiss because I want to apologize for kissing her without asking if she would be ok with it," Nash said. "But, I don't know how to bring it up..."

Caiden smiled sadly. "You should apologize. Anyone wouldn't think wrong of an apology."

"But I don't want to weird her out and make her remember. If she just wants to be friends, I don't want to pressure her into feeling like she has to feel more."

"Oh Nash, you've grown soft." Nash opened his mouth to argue, but he paused. Caiden then continued. "I like it. Gentleness suits you."

Nash flushed, surprised by the description. No one had ever described him that way. And to his surprise, he found himself welcoming his change.

"I don't know what Chloe thinks about you for sure, but she cares for you," Caiden said. "Don't let her go. Some people are worth fighting for and she's definitely one of those people."

Nash smiled at Caiden. Caiden was right. Chloe was someone worth fighting for and Nash would fight for Chloe. He wouldn't pressure her into anything, but he'd see where she stood. Not now, but maybe one day.

*****

Nash stood by his car, waiting for Chloe. He leaned against his BMW, his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. The blue sky above him shone with a brilliant sun and he basked in its warmth. Spring had officially started and and Nash smiled, welcoming the warmer months.

"Sorry I'm late," Chloe jogged towards him, her hair wild and her green eyes wide. "I had to talk to one of my teachers. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"No worries at all," Nash replied, opening the passenger side door for her.

"Ah, question before we leave." Chloe flushed, surprising Nash. She clasped her hands together, wringing them. "I was wondering... do you want to hang out? We could do a contest like old times. Maybe drawing this time? I really had fun when we painted before."

Nash froze, stunned. Never in a million years did he think Chloe would ask him to hang out.

"Oh, sure. I'd love that." Nash paused, debating, but then continued. "Would it be possible to do your house? I think Naya is deep cleaning mine today."

Chloe tautened. Nash winced, prepared for her to snap, to tell him he shouldn't dare ask to do her house, but then she spoke.

"Sure, we can do my house. Let's go now?"

Nash nodded, relieved. Chloe hopped into his car and he shut the door for her, and Nash went to the drivers side, his heart thumping against his chest. Things had definitely gotten better and Chloe truly was finally letting him in. Day by day, things kept getting better.

"Ok, let's go." Nash said, shooting Chloe a grin.

*****

Nash and Chloe sat on the floor beside Chloe's bed. Two papers lay in front of them and surrounding them were pencils and pencil crayons scattered around the wooden floor. Nash glanced around Chloe's room, his heart dropping at the sight of how bare it was. He would never mention it to Chloe, but it bothered him that all she had was a bed. No night-table. No collectibles. Nothing. Just a bed and nothing else.

"How is your dad?" Nash asked, thinking about her dad who slept on the couch. He wanted to say hi to him and hoped he'd wake when he left.

"Good, just tired," Chloe said, glancing up at Nash. Unlike Nash, Chloe was focused on completing her drawing. So far she'd begun to draw a beach with a sunset in the background and Nash had only finished drawing a field. "He seems... drained lately. I've been thinking about taking him to the doctor."

"I hope he's ok. Let me know if you need any help."

Chloe nodded shyly and continued to colour. Nash began to draw more, knowing he needed to catch up. But, his mind swarmed with questions about Chloe. All he wanted was to learn more about the girl in front of him.

"How have you been doing?" Chloe asked. "Have your parents visited recently?"

"I'm fine," Nash said, trying not to get annoyed at the thought of his parents. "My parents are gone as usual, but this time I don't mind. After their behaviour last time, good riddance honestly."

Nash winced, realizing how annoyed he sounded. He glanced at Chloe who's eyes had grown gentle on him. His eyes lowered to the paper below him, embarrassed by how riled up he got.

"I'm sorry. Will you talk to your parents about what they did?"

"I kind of did... Well, I just snapped at them and stormed out of the house. Even if I had a conversation with them about the way they act, I feel like they wouldn't listen. They'd just tell me I'm too young to understand and that they gave me everything, so I shouldn't be complaining. So what's the point of fighting battles you'll never win."

"Oh, Nash. They're your parents. You should be able to talk to them about anything."

Nash shrugged. He didn't have that kind of relationship with his parents and by now, he was used to it. Some days he mourned that his parents were never present or that they sucked even when they were, but nowadays he just accepted his life as it was. In a perfect world he'd be able to talk to his parents about his feelings and they'd listen, changing their ways, but the world was far from perfect. And he accepted that more and more as he aged.

"How's Naya?" Chloe asked, changing the subject.

"Amazing," Caiden answered with ease. "She deserves the world and I hope my parents are giving her a high salary. She does everything for our mansion and she's always so kind and loving. I don't know what I'd do without her."

Chloe bloomed with a smile and Nash smiled back. He really did care for Naya. Before he wanted to keep his distance, afraid of getting too attached, but now he let her be his found family. He knew Naya would never hurt him and he valued her presence in his life.

"How are you, Chloe?" Nash asked. "How've you been doing?"

Chloe sighed, the tiredness evident on her. "I'm ok. Just busy with everything I've been dealing with and balancing. I just can't wait for the day I graduate and work a full time job. I always wanted to get us a bigger place with more accessibility options for people with disabilities. I feel like I'm just looking forward to the future and trying to get past this stage of my life."

"You'll definitely achieve that given that you're you, Chloe. But don't forget to cherish the happy moments in the present as well. I feel like it makes life more bearable. It also makes time go by faster and before you know it, you'll be in the stage of life you wish to be at."

Chloe smiled, her eyes glowing and they went back to her drawing. He appreciated how easy it was to open up to Chloe. And lately, it seemed like Chloe found it easy to be honest and open with Nash. He really enjoyed their friendship and he wondered how they got there. Months ago they were nothing but rivals and now Chloe was one of his closest friends.

Nash kept drawing, but while they drew, his eyes kept drifting towards Chloe, who kept her entire focus on the drawing in front of her. She'd put her hair up in a ponytail, but strands of her hair escaped and lay against her soft cheeks, and he wanted nothing more than to brush her hair away from her face. To watch her eyes widen and meet his. And to see her cheeks redden the way they often did when she was embarrassed. He wanted nothing more than to break this boundary with her, but he couldn't be selfish when it came to her. He would give her time and he would also never cross her boundaries again. Until she gave him her consent, Nash would hold back despite how badly he wanted nothing more than to hold her.

Nash rushed to finish his drawing, realizing he'd spent too much time admiring Chloe and after a few more minutes, they both finally finished. Both of them held their drawings to their chest and Chloe beamed at him, making Nash smile.

"Ok. One, two, three!" Chloe exclaimed.

They both flipped their drawings over and Nash froze at the sight of her drawing with all The Elites laying on a beach staring at the setting sun ahead of them. He glanced down at his own drawing with all The Elites having a picnic on a windy field. He met Chloe's eyes and smiled, thinking that they were always on the same wavelength. Both of them had drawn the group of people they'd grown to care deeply for.

"Gorgeous drawing as expected," Chloe said.

"Yours, too." Nash grinned. "Looks like we both drew what's close to our hearts."

Chloe's eyes softened and Nash smiled. Months ago he had tried to keep his distance from the other Elites, but day by day they snuck into his heart and now he'd do anything for his friends. He always thought he was better off alone, but the Elites showed him how amazing and loving and kind people could be. They showed him people were here to stay and that they could be so good and selfless.

"I never thought you'd say that," Chloe whispered. "But, I'm happy to hear that."

Her cheeks reddened and Nash blushed. "I wish I opened up sooner because I would have gotten to know you guys sooner, but I wouldn't change a thing. This year has been a really good year for me."

"I really appreciate you guys, too. And we all really like you, too, Nash." She paused, frowning now. "I wish Thomas wasn't a threat... I hate that he's trying to ruin our name and group, even though I'm trying my best to sympathize with him."

Nash scowled. Unlike Chloe, he didn't want to give Thomas the benefit of the doubt. He wanted nothing more than to never let Thomas win, but he'd listen to Chloe. Nash still struggled with his anger at times and he knew to grow, he had to sometimes let the bad guys get what they wanted, too.

"Don't worry, we'll figure out a way to resolve this," Nash said. "And I'd never let Thomas ruin our group. We'll figure things out. But for now, I just want to focus on us."

Chloe beamed and Nash smiled. She glowed when she smiled and Nash's eyes grew soft. It truly had been a good year and he looked forward to the days to come with Chloe.