Later that night, as Chloe tended to the cooking, Lloyd’s voice suddenly broke her train of thought. “Chloe, the pot’s boiling over.”
Startled, Chloe let out a surprised yelp and hastily turned down the heat. “Oh! Sorry about that.”
“Everything okay?” Lloyd asked. “Need a hand?”
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Chloe quickly reassured. “I was just...lost in thought for a moment.”
“All right,” Lloyd replied curtly. He didn’t seem intent on pressing the issue, only returning to the sofa and his reading.
Get it together, me! Chloe chided herself. She gave her cheeks a light clap and redirected her attention to the meal.
Thankfully, the rest of the dinner preparation went smoothly, and soon they were sitting around an unusually laden dinner table.
“This is certainly...lavish,” Lloyd remarked, eyeing the elaborate spread: roast beef taking center stage, surrounded by sautéed garlic chicken, potatoes au gratin, a vibrant salad, creamy vegetable soup, and the hearty seafood stew from the earlier pot.
“I, um, might have made a little too much,” Chloe said.
Lloyd raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his tone. “It was my understanding that when someone ‘makes too much,’ they usually make too much of one dish, not more dishes in general.”
Chloe’s response was a sheepish smile. “O-Oops, I suppose?”
“It’s fine; I can eat. Besides, it all looks very delicious.”
With that, the two dug into their meal. Lloyd chose to start with the roast beef. “Mmm,” he murmured. “Perfectly medium-rare, with a seared crust.”
Chloe replied with a distracted hum. “It’s good, isn’t it?”
Lloyd sampled the soup next. “Cream of mushroom? Rich, but at the same time nice and light.”
“Indeed. Rich,” Chloe echoed.
Lloyd’s commentary was per usual, but Chloe’s responses were uncharacteristically brief, just simple affirmatives. Even Lloyd, while not nearly as sensitive as Chloe, could sense that she was elsewhere mentally.
As Chloe picked at her food, she was unaware of Lloyd’s increasingly puzzled and concerned glances, his curiosity about her preoccupied state growing with each monosyllabic reply.
✦ ✦ ✦
After dinner, Chloe sat on the couch, her eyes lost in infinity as Lloyd settled down beside her. “Chloe, what happened between last night and this afternoon?”
Startled, Chloe let out a small shriek. “Whatever could you possibly mean?”
“That,” Lloyd said dryly. “Whatever is behind that reaction.”
The wool, it seemed, would not be pulled over Lloyd’s eyes today.
“I don’t think I’m wrong,” Lloyd continued. “Since I got home, you’ve seemed...unwell. Unusually jumpy, I want to say.”
Chloe flinched again.
Lloyd studied Chloe’s face. “Could you tell me? I might not be able to help, but I’m here to listen, at least.”
Chloe looked at Lloyd, seeing his intense gaze, his usual impassivity. Should she say it? Should she not? She seesawed back and forth. It was such a silly reason to be acting this way, but...
Didn’t we just agree yesterday to share whatever was on our minds, no matter how big or small?
No, she couldn’t break that promise so soon. With newfound resolve, she clenched her fists and faced Lloyd. “Um, right. Th-The thing is, Lloyd...” She pursed her lips shut, building the pressure up until the words all came out at once. “Do you think we could sleep together, starting tonight?!”
Lloyd froze.
He remained still—statuesque—as if time had paused for him and only him. A beat later, he regained his composure; his mouth hinged open. “Sure. Why not?”
Chloe’s eyes fluttered in disbelief. “You’re okay with it?”
“I don’t see the problem,” Lloyd paused. He scratched his head, a bit awkwardly. “We’re a couple, aren’t we?”
Chloe turned into a puddle. She nearly slid off the couch in her flustered state, but caught herself at the last second, straightening up. “Th-Then, I’ll see you later tonight.”
“Right. I’ll be seeing you.”
The process was a bit awkward, but they managed to arrive at this magical next step. Tonight, they would share a bed.
✦ ✦ ✦
Later that night, Chloe sat on Lloyd’s bed, already in her sleepwear and clutching a pillow, her mind buzzing with nervous anticipation.
That went smoother than I thought...
It had all happened so fast; she hadn’t imagined Lloyd agreeing so readily, nor had she imagined him proposing they sleep in his room for the larger bed. She barely had any time to think about it before here she was, freshly bathed and ready, waiting for him.
Lloyd didn’t seem nervous at all, Chloe reflected. This is probably no big deal to him, unlike me...
Just as she let out a resigned sigh at her own immaturity, the door swung open. “Sorry that took so long,” Lloyd said, stepping into the room.
Chloe scrambled into a more proper sitting position, legs folded under her, hands on her lap. “N-Not at all!” She dared to turn Lloyd’s way; he was dressed in his usual pajamas, but there was nothing “usual” about his allure right now!
Lloyd, noticing her gaze, asked, “Is something wrong?”
“N-Nothing...” Chloe quickly averted her eyes, staring at her lap. “Th-Thank you so much for joining me today,” she stuttered.
Lloyd’s lips curled into a slight smile. “I don’t think that’s something people usually say in this situation.”
Chloe inwardly cringed at her own formality. It’s not a ceremony, Chloe! she admonished herself, waiting for Lloyd to approach. Timidly, she moved over to one side of the bed and lay down. Everything about the experience was new—the give of the mattress, the texture of the sheets, and most notably, the faint scent of Lloyd that enveloped her senses, sending her heart racing.
“I’m turning off the light,” Lloyd announced.
“G-Go ahead.”
With a click, the room was plunged into darkness. Chloe heard the soft sound of Lloyd getting into bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. She felt the gentle weight of a blanket over her. “Thank you,” she murmured.
In the quiet of the room, Lloyd’s soft grunt was the last sound before silence enveloped them. The room was still, save for the gentle rhythm of Lloyd’s breathing, the faint rustle of his pajamas, and the warmth that radiated from his body, so tantalizingly close. Ahhh! I can’t sleep!
The initial hurdle was crossed—they were in bed together, a milestone in itself, but now another challenge loomed: sleep. Amid the tension gripping her body and the rapid drumming of her heart against her chest, Chloe wondered just how any couple overcame these sensations to find rest.
“Chloe,” Lloyd’s voice came suddenly, breaking the silence.
“Yes?” Chloe whispered back.
“Are you comfortable? Is there enough room for you?”
“More than enough! I’m quite small, after all. It’s you I’m worried about, Lloyd.”
“I’ve slept in far less comfortable places. Any amount of bed is a luxury to me. But if you can’t sleep, just say the word, and I’ll make do on the floor.”
“Or I could just return to my own bed at that point?”
“Hm, true.”
A giggle escaped Chloe’s lips, the tension in her body easing slightly thanks to Lloyd’s quirky remark. “I don’t know how you manage it, Lloyd.”
“Manage what?”
“Remaining so composed. Here I am, a bundle of nerves, and you’re just as calm as ever.”
“Is that how it looks to you?”
Chloe murmured a confused “Huh?” only to hear the soft rustle of fabric as Lloyd turned to face her. She could sense his gaze in the darkness.
“I’m nervous too.”
Chloe’s heart fluttered at his admission. She turned to meet him. From the soft moonlight filtering through the curtains, she could just make out the contours of his face, a shadowed figure in the dim light.
“It’s a strange feeling,” Lloyd continued, his voice low and thoughtful. “Hard to explain...but it feels right, somehow, being here with you.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Chloe replied softly. “I’m sorry if I’ve pushed you into this.”
Lloyd’s response was gentle and reassuring. “Don’t be sorry.” He smoothly moved his hand over the blanket, resting it lightly on Chloe’s side. “I’m actually happy you were the one who brought it up.”
Chloe didn’t have to think hard to understand the depths of Lloyd’s words. In Shadaf, her life had been one of obedience, where personal choice had been denied her. She’d grown up with little personality, no idea of what she wanted to do or liked to do. The concept of “free” time had terrified her—free to do what, exactly?
But now, here she was, making decisions, expressing her needs. “Me pushing you? Who would’ve thought,” she said with a faint smile, reflecting on her journey.
“A welcome change,” Lloyd affirmed, his voice full of warmth.
After a moment of comfortable silence, Lloyd spoke again. “Could I ask something of you too?”
Chloe’s heart raced. “Yes, of course, anything,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
No sooner had she spoken than she felt the gentle pull of Lloyd’s arms. Gently, she was drawn closer to him, their bodies now not even a breath apart. She could feel the texture of Lloyd’s pajamas against her cheek, the warmth emanating from his body enveloping her. His scent was heady, a mixture of comfort and something thrillingly unfamiliar. In this close embrace, the boundaries between them seemed to dissolve, leaving Chloe awash in a sea of new and intoxicating sensations.