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“Wait. I found the best one.” Chloe quipped playfully as her sister craned her neck to view the old photo album spread across her lap.
A pile of pictures sat next to them, just waiting to be inserted into the album. They’d been at this for an hour now, reminiscing in the best possible way.
“Oh my God.” Ashley Adams, Chloe’s younger sister, rolled her eyes dramatically as she inspected the picture of the pair of them in a bath surrounded by bubbles. They sported pigtails and flat, naked chests. “Go to the next page, please.”
Chloe was enjoying the moment. It was a rare event, the two of them laughing and distracted, playfully teasing about the blast from the past. The pictures of memories popped out of the pages in the photo album. They needed this chance for a laugh fest after the stress their family had been under recently. They didn’t get many moments like this anymore.
“I think this is a gem.” Chloe plucked the picture from the plastic encasement and waved it in front of their mother, patronizing her younger sister even further.
“I love all those pictures,” Donna, Chloe and Ashley’s mother smiled with a twinkle of nostalgia in her aqua colored eyes.
Ashley and Chloe were both blessed with their mother’s Caribbean blue eyes.
Chloe glanced over at her father, laying in the bed. His skin was gray, his face gaunt. His eyes were sunken in underneath bags of exhaustion and sickness that made him appear as if he had been inflicted with two black eyes. The chemo had given his skin a pale, fragile appearance so unlike his usual, rough working man persona.
He coughed and gave her somewhat of a proud smile that mainly remained hidden by the prostate cancer that debilitated him.
“Are you okay daddy?” Chloe called out across the room. “Do you need your sheets tucked up?” It was a silly question. Her father was nice and snug under the warmth of the blankets, one of which had been hand knitted by his own grandmother. He still kept it after all these years, and it was in surprisingly well-preserved condition.
“I’m fine honey,” he assured her in a raspy, thin voice.
Chloe made eye contact with Ashley. They both were extremely close to their father. The disease had wreaked havoc on their family, throwing them for a loop. The family wanted to do everything they could to support each other. Family and friends provided casseroles and hot meals. A special fund had been initiated by Chloe’s aunt Felica to help pay for medical bills in the chaos of debt that encompassed a cancer diagnosis and the treatment to follow.
Donna wanted to do everything in her power to keep her husband alive and well. They’d agreed to endure radiation and countless chemotherapy treatments. Chloe liked to kiss the top of her father’s now bald and glistening head, rubbing lotion on it to make him feel better for losing his hair.
He coughed again, sputtering and hacking for a couple of minutes. As dauntingly scary as it was to witness these episodes, the oncologist treating him assured the bunch that these fits were normal and were just a reaction to the chemo drugs.
Chloe closed the photo album, wishing she could seal all the memories in her mind forever. The pain and suffering that reflected through her father’s hollow eyes made her heartache. She was helpless to do anything to take his pain and suffering away. He continuously promised them that he was going to ‘beat this monster inside of him,’ as he liked to refer to the cancer.
Chloe, along with her mother and sister could only hope that in the end, their beloved father and husband would turn out to be right after all in his future predictions. Chloe knew that he was crumbling beneath his shield of bravery, but he’d be ever valiant for their sakes.
“When are you going back to work?” Ashley crossed her legs on the couch in the bedroom and focused her attention on Chloe.
Chloe knew that Ashley wasn’t asking to be pushy. She could tell by the melancholy dwelling in the shadows of her eyes that she was merely doing her best to change the subject and shift the focus from their ill father.
She took a deep breath and cupped her hands over her knees. “Um...well,” she began with a faint hint of a chuckle. “I’m not sure yet.” She glanced over at her father. “Once daddy is stable enough I guess.”
“Honey, I’m fine,” her father reassured her from the bed.
Chloe’s mom glanced at her with a pleasant smile. Ever since the diagnosis, it was rare to see her do anything other than a small grin.
“It’s nice of the band to give you a leave of absence,” she mentioned casually.
Chloe nodded and took a sip of her water bottle. “Yep. They are great people.”
“I guess it also helps that you are best friends with the Marketing Director,” Ashley chuckled.
Chloe swirled her index finger in the air in agreement. “Yes. That profoundly helps the cause.”
In reality, Chloe was torn. She loved action and adventure. Her life was usually full of vibrancy and fun ventures. She missed being on the road, especially now that the tour was getting ready to begin in full swing for the European leg. But she also had a responsibility to Emelia and the band that she was going to do her job and hold up her share of the work. The band needed them. They were a great marketing team that showcased them across social media, blasting them in the press and keeping them front and center in fan’s eyes. It was a lot of work; too much for Emelia to do on her own.
As long as she was confident her dad wouldn’t take a turn for the worst, she’d initiated a deal to where she would fly out to join the crew once the tour began. She was excited about the journey and was looking forward to the distraction from her father’s sickness, even if her mind pegged her with a pang of guilt for even getting excited in the first place. She’d worry about him every moment she was gone.
Chloe stood up and stretched. “Come on,” she flicked her wrist in Ashley’s direction. “Let’s allow these lovebirds to get some rest.”
She gave her mom a warm embrace and a sympathetic smile. “Night mama. Be strong for him, okay?”
Her mother nodded and sighed, then raked a hand through her wispy blond hair. “I’m going to try.”
Chloe said the same thing to her mother every night, then ended the conversation by giving her father a soft kiss on the forehead. She gently closed the door and walked down the hallway beside Ashley.
“I won’t be able to sleep,” Ashley confessed.
Ashley was a few years younger than Chloe. She’d had her own apartment but moved back in when their father received the dreadful diagnosis. She was committed, alongside Chloe, to helping their parent through the stress of multiple doctor visits, chemotherapy, radiation and everything else that came with the territory of cancer treatment.
“Me either,” Chloe chuckled as she pushed open her bedroom door. “Want to come in and hang out for a little while?” She nudged her chin in the direction of the room in invitation.
Ashley’s face flooded with relief. “Yes,” she breathed out. “That would be great actually.”
It wasn’t late, but their father needed lots of rest and sleep, so they were usually left with most of the evening to be leisure time. Too much free time wasn’t necessarily a good thing. It gave them too much time to dwell and worry. They needed to shift their focus to something else.
“I’m just grateful that the band is cutting me some slack.” Chloe tucked her leg underneath her as she sat down on the bed.
“Yeah.” Ashley sat in a chair opposite her sister. She began pulling at a loose string on a navy blue throw blanket beside her. “You are lucky that way.”
“I wonder what they are up to.” Chloe smiled at the memories that flooded her mind from the last tour around the states.
“Is it amazing?” Ashley’s eyes twinkled with intrigue. “I mean, knowing the band and getting to travel around with them?”
Chloe shrugged humbly. “Yeah. I suppose it’s pretty fun.” Her mouth cracked into a wide grin. “Maybe I’ll bring you along one day, and you can meet the band.”
Ashley shrieked and clapped her hands together. “Are you serious?”
Chloe laughed. “Sure. Why not?”
Ashley stood up and wrapped her arms around her sister’s neck. “You are the best.”
“Okay.” Chloe nodded assertively. “As soon as they get back from Europe, I’ll make a point to introduce you.”
It was the least she could do. Ashley was suffering a lot with the blow of their father’s cancer. They all needed a little light and joy coming in every once again.
Her phone rang. She glanced down at it and noticed it was Emelia calling.
“That’s weird,” she frowned, glancing up at Ashley. “It has to be pretty late there.”
“Where are they?” Ashley asked as Chloe picked up the phone to answer.
“Amsterdam...” Chloe trailed off and then, “Hello?” as she placed the phone to her ear.
“Chloe?” Emelia’s voice sounded muffled as if she were trying to secretly whisper in order to not be heard by others.
“Emelia?” Chloe responded. “What’s up?”
“I have some bad news,” Emelia’s voice was pained and sorrowful as she cut straight to the point. There wasn’t going to be any small talk leading up to this conversation.
Chloe swallowed hard. Her throat was dry. This sounded bad, and she didn’t even know what was wrong yet.
“What happened?” She said shallowly.
If this was meant to be a private conversation, that concept was unintentionally immediately negated by the fact that Ashley was sitting there, listening intently.
“It’s Roman’s sister,” Emelia said regretfully. “She’s been in an accident.”
Chloe could hear the sound of muffled voices in the background where Emelia was. “What kind of accident?” She gulped, a nervous knot forming in her belly. She was worried for Roman.
She’d always had a bit of a crush on him; had hoped they might get to spend some time getting to know one another. But things hadn’t turned out as she had expected. It was for the best, though.
There was nothing she could do to rewind the past, but it was because she was trying to protect her future. Getting involved with a celebrity rock star seemed out of her reach and unnatural at the time, but situations changed and evolved. It was just the course of the universe.
“She passed away, unfortunately,” Emelia stated gravely. She was engaged to Trevor, Roman’s best friend and lead singer of the band.
Chloe gasped, and her hand instinctively cupped over her mouth. “Oh no. No. That can’t be true.” She shook her head in denial. She glanced over at Ashley whose brow was furrowed in concern.
“How? When?” She was in disbelief as she guiltily pressed Emelia for answers.
“In a car accident, earlier this morning,” Emelia said. “We don’t have all the details of how it happened yet.”
Chloe’s heart was shattered for Roman. Heartbreak encircled her. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered even though it wasn’t enough. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Not right now,” Emelia said. “I’m waiting on Trevor and Roman to catch a red-eye back to Chicago. I’ll call you when we land, but it will probably be sometime tomorrow.”
“Of course.” Chloe nodded, her eyes blurring over with fresh tears. “Keep in touch. I’m right here if you need me.”
Emelia hung up, and Chloe filled Ashley in on what had happened. Ashley was horrified for the family. It was all too much to deal with, especially on top of their own grief they were dealing with in their father’s illness.
Later in her room, Chloe’s mind drifted back to Hawaii. A shirtless Roman, so tall and lean and tanned, striding over to her on the beach. He’d sat down next to her, grabbing one of those rare moments of quiet. There were no fans on the private beach, just the band members and their guests. This stretch was all theirs. How he’d found her, she didn’t know if that had even been his intention.
They’d started talking, and suddenly, she was in his lap, straddling him as they kissed. His strong arms had lifted her, her legs hooking around his waist as he rose from his seat in the sand and carried her into the ocean. They fell backward. The temperate water engulfing them, urging them which created the perfect backdrop to his hands all over her body. His lips were trailing up and down her neck, his tongue flicking her nipples as he moved aside her bikini top. The next thing she knew, they were having drinks in his hotel room, making love in his giant bed. Not once. Not twice, but over and over until the sun came up.
Chloe wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. She’d never sleep tonight, not with those memories playing in her head. Poor, poor Roman. Staring at her phone, she wondered whether she should pick it up and call him or give him privacy during this difficult time.
He’d asked her out, officially out, like on a date, the next morning in Hawaii. She’d turned him down, said she wasn’t ready for a relationship. And she hadn’t spoken to him since.
Chloe turned off her phone and pulled up the covers.
Privacy it was.