Page 2 of Untouchable

“Dom. Come here, Dom!”

Chloe looked behind his shoulder at her aunt. Clara had a drink in hand and waved him over with enthusiasm.

But he didn’t go to Aunt Clara right away. He looked at Chloe and smiled. “When we get back from Europe, we’ll have you, your mom, and dad over, okay? We'll go on the boat and I’ll tell you some more stories. Sound good?”

She nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.” She smiled, and he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, and for a small moment she let herself enjoy that small, innocent kiss.

Maybe a little too much.

1

PRESENT DAY

Chloe stood beside her mom while her father took yet another picture. She smiled when her father yelled, “Cheese!”

Her high school graduation had finally come, and although she knew what she wanted to do with her life, knew she’d follow in her family’s footsteps and go to med school, she wanted this summer to just not … worry. She wanted these last couple months before school started to just enjoy being … free of rules and constraints.

“You’re all packed up?” her mom said and turned to face her, the pride in her face evident.

Chloe nodded. “As packed as I’ll be, I guess.”

“Good, because we’re leaving for Clara and Dominic’s first thing in the morning.”

They were set to leave for the cottage, and for the next several weeks it would be nothing but relaxation, swimming in the lake and not worrying about being an adult.

It would be like the old days when she was younger, before she started really focusing on high school, did her part-timejob at the pool, and had to do the obligatory, albeit forced, volunteering positions her mother secured for her.

Her parents, Edward and Johanna Crawford, had made it clear that securing her future was much more important than visiting the cottage during the summers.

The truth was, Chloe secretly resented her parents for denying her that one pleasure in life, for allowing her to spend her free time at the cottage with her aunt and uncle.

But what she missed most about her time at the cottage was waking up before anyone else, going to the deck, seeing Uncle Dominic sitting there, and watching the sun rise together. He’d let her share his coffee, and although it had tasted horrible, she’d felt like one of the grownups spending that special time with him.

Those times were what she thought about most, what she missed most.

“Jake! Jake, honey, come here and take a picture with Chloe.” Her mother's loud voice had Chloe’s ears ringing.

Chloe looked behind her shoulder and watched Jake, her boyfriend of two years, stride toward them. He sidled next to Chloe, arm around her waist, his grin big as he wore the same matching graduation gown as she did.

Jake was going into law, a profession her parents approved of immensely. She loved her parents, but it was all about titles and status to them.

“Hey,” he said beside her ear and kissed the side of her cheek.

“So, Jake honey, are you excited to start Columbia in the fall?”

“Oh yes, Mrs. Crawford.” Jake took Chloe’s hand and brought it to his mouth for a gentle kiss. “I’m also so happy Chloe will only be a few hours away.”

Her mother smiled. “Yes, Edward and I couldn’t be happier that she got into Johns Hopkins. Just both of you remember that you need to focus on your studies.”

“Oh yes, ma’am.”

As Chloe stared at Jake, she felt the familiar sensation of being with him, of the touch of his hand on her waist that was the same as all the other times, of knowing that when someone thought of Jake they thought of Chloe, and she felt like something was missing. It felt like there was so much more to life than what she’d always known.

What difference would it make if you had all the money in the world, a prominent career, and people looking up to you, if you weren’t happy, if the life you were leading was the exact same day in and day out?

Sometimes she wondered if her mother and father were happy. When was the last time she saw them kiss or hold hands? When was the last time she’d seen them being affectionate with each other, or with her?

She didn’t want to end up like that, fighting without saying anything, miserable because happiness and love were absent in her perfect little life.

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