Page 102 of Prized Possession

“I’ve always known what my life would be, Marcus. I’m just going to enjoy this time away from it while I can,” she admits.

I let out a long sigh. “I wish I could do more.”

She reaches over and grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together like we’ve done so many times before. “There’s a few weeks before I have to leave, who knows what will happen by then.”

I can tell she’s just trying to cheer me up, saying what she thinks I want to hear, but she’s not wrong. I may not have the answer for her now, but I’ve got plenty of time to come up with a plan.

My brain is ticking away when I’m pulled away by her squeezing my hand. “Shall we watch a movie? I made lemon meringue pie for dessert.”

I groan, shaking my head as I pout. “No more making delicious puddings. I’m going to have to run for longer tomorrow now.”

“But it’ll be worth it,” she says with a wink as she stands, clearing the empty plates from the table.

Fuck, that wink shouldn’t have been so sexy, but everything about her turns me on at the moment.

I help her clean the table, and we settle onto the sofa, scrolling through the movies on Netflix until we find one we both want to watch. As soon as I taste the pie she made, my loud groan fills the room, and Chloe laughs.

“You really have found your calling,” I tell her, shovelling more of the pie into my mouth when I’ve spoken.

“I like making desserts, but honestly, the thing I enjoy most is creating novelty birthday cakes. I’ve been practising the different design aspects, and I’ve made a few dummy cakes in class, and they’ve all turned out great. I have a way to go, but I’m picking things up quickly,” she tells me, her eyes lighting up when she talks about it.

“I can’t believe it’s only been two weeks and you’ve found what you want to do with your life,” I reply, not even bothering to hide the awe in my voice.

Chloe looks confused. “What do you mean? This is just for fun.”

I shake my head at her. “Chloe, when you first came here, I told you to find what you are passionate about, to find what you’d do with your life if you got to choose. This may be something you’re doing for fun now, but I get the feeling you’re good enough to at least turn this into a small business, if you ever decided to.”

Her brow furrows as her lips turn to a tight line. “I can’t turn it into a business. That will never be an option for me. Hell, when I move back home, it’ll be a fucking miracle if they even allow me to continue baking, since my mother thinks that’s beneath me.”

I reach over and place my hand on her thigh, squeezing it enough to stop the spiral I can see she’s falling into.

“Stop! Like you said earlier, we’ll deal with things when they happen. But I’m telling you, in an ideal future, this is the job you should be doing. Just think about it.”

“Thinking about what I want and can’t have is too hard,” she replies, hersilver eyes boring into mine. I get the feeling we’re talking about more than just her cake business now, and I’m not entirely sure what to say.

“Chloe…”

“Let's watch the movie,” she says, tucking her legs underneath her as she shuffles back on the sofa.

Before I know it, Chloe is leaning against my side as I throw my arm over her shoulder, her body tucked against mine. Slowly, her head droops until it’s resting on my shoulder, and she curls her arm around my waist, pulling me against her more.

We’re both wrapped up in each other, and I can’t tell you anything that happens in the movie. I spend all my time watching Chloe. The rise and fall of her chest that slows as she begins to fall asleep. The way her breath fans the stray strands of her long brown hair that have fallen from her messy bun.

When she’s tucked up against me, her arm wrapped around me, she feels so incredibly petite compared to me, and her body warmth heats me in the best way.

I stay like this long after the movie has ended, not wanting to wake her. Her mouth has fallen open into a little O, and her face looks serene. There’s a ghost of a smile in her cheeks, making me hope I remember this moment.

It’s not long until I feel sleep pulling at me, making my eyes heavy, and I war with myself over what to do. We’ll both get a better, more restful sleep if we go to bed, but I can’t bring myself to end this. So, against my better judgement, I let sleep pull me under.

An odd sensation wakes me up, and I slowly pry my eyelids apart, my brain struggling to catch up. I feel movement beside me, and that has me alert in no time.

Chloe is shuffling against my side, yawning as she stretches out her no doubt stiff limbs, though the arm that’s wrapped around my waist doesn’t move—thankfully.

She turns her body slightly to look up at me, still mostly tucked in against my side. She gives me a small, shy smile that I’m quick to return. “Looks like we fell asleep,” she whispers.

I look over at the clock, noting it’s just after two in the morning, which means I got about two hours of sleep here on the sofa, though my body seems to think it was longer.

I’m aching, desperate to stretch, yet there’s no pain in the world that would make me move Chloe right now.

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