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“I don’t know, Chlo, I think so.” I shrug and try to act like I don’t really care. Deep down though, I am scared.
“Do you love your job?” And isn’t that a good question? It is all I worked toward. What I sacrificed the most important thing to me for.
“I used to love it,” I sigh and decide to be honest.
“Hunter,” the disappointment in Chloe’s voice is obvious. “Why would you torture yourself with something you don’t even love anymore?”
“I make good money, Chlo.” She of all people should understand that. This contract just fell into her lap because of Van, but she didn’t have much before that.
“I get that,” she bobs her head up and down. “But is the money worth it?”
“I just applied for a huge loan to pay my parents off for what they spent for me to go to NYU,” I blurt before I lose the courage to do so. It used to be so easy for me to open up when I was younger. Now it’s like I wait for it to kill me inside before I confide anything, and it can’t be in just anyone.
“Oh my god, you did?” Chloe attempts to turn sideways to see me better, but the seatbelt holds her back. “Did they ask you to?”
My parents are not hurting for money, they never have since my dad scored big with his outdoors chain of stores he started back in the day. They paid for Ridge’s college too, and then for mine, and they still lived comfortably.
“No, they didn’t ask me to. But I want to.”
“But why?” Her confusion is obvious. I would ask her the same if our roles were reversed.
“For myself. I want to know that I did it on my own, even if a little late.” I also want to feel like I didn’t sell my soul for what my parents did for me, but I don’t tell Chloe that. There’s only so much I can share at one time, and I have already reached my limit.
The pilot comes over the speakers to let us know we’re taking off soon, then the flight attendants start doing their thing. I am grateful for them taking Chloe’s attention from me. The girl is like the Gestapo when she smells something is afoot, and she is not even aware that she’s interrogating me. Kinda funny.
About four hours later, and we are landing.
“Wow, I am stiff,” Chloe stands up to grab our bags from the overhead compartment. “I hope they put us in a nice room.”
Another hour later and we are both standing dumfounded inside of a hotel suite. With two bedrooms and a living room. Each bedroom has its own bathroom.
“Oh my gosh,” I run and jump on my bed, starting to bounce up and down. I feel like a kid in a toy store. This is amazing. “How is this your life?” Chloe seems to be taken aback just as much as I am. The girl landed this gig, and if this is a sign of how they are going to treat her, she scored huge.
I jump up as high as I can, squealing when I land on my butt and bounce up and down couple more times. I throw myself back against the pillows, so many soft pillows, that are lining the bed, then turn my head to look at Chloe.
“Is Van going to be at the photoshoot tomorrow, too?”
Chloe shrugs and clears her throat, like she is unsure of what’s going on with her boyfriend. I know she said they’re on a break, but I don’t buy it. That man loves her hard. And I guess I am still a big romantic at heart because I truly believe it.
“I have no idea,” she finally says with a shaky voice for which I decide not to call her out on, but my voice comes out a little too sympathetic, if her face is anything to go by.
“He still hasn’t called you back?”
“Not yet,” she mumbles, then turns around and starts walking toward her room.
I jump off the bed in a hurry to follow her. I hate seeing her sad like this. “I’m sure he will, Chlo,” I rush to say. “I read that he was back in New York to meet with doctors and with the team.” Van had knee surgery not too long ago, and rumors have been circulating that he wouldn’t be returning to play for the Sliders due to his injury, but nothing is for certain just yet. “They haven’t announced yet if they’re keeping him or not.”
Chloe seems to appreciate my efforts to cheer her up. She stops walking and turns to grab me in a tight hug.
“How about we have dinner at that cool restaurant downstairs? I am starving, and I am sure you are, too.” I can tell that she is trying to change the subject, so I let her. I wouldn’t want anyone in my business like that either.
“It kind of is past my feeding time,” I nod in agreement, then pull my phone out to check the time. I am hungry now that I think of it, which is surprising. I used to have a good appetite on me. I used to thank God for good genes and an even better metabolism. I play on that now, knowing Chloe will buy it. I haven’t been eating as much lately, thoughts of what I lost affecting my entire being.
Chloe gives me a light push back toward my room. “I’ll change really quick, and we’ll go.” With that, she closes her bedroom door in my face, and I am left to my own devices.
I change into a pair of tight black pants which I pair with a flowery, off the shoulder top and hot pink high heels. Brooke talked me into buying these the last time we went out.
I brush my hair, then decide that I have time to run a straightener through it. While I wait for it to get hot, I start messing with my phone, checking on my work emails.
