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Unbreakable Ties (Ookami & Sumi)

He wasn’t really sure what to expect from Chloe on the matter. Part of him wanted to try and convince her that he wasn’t some predatory jerk, but lining up all the words in the world wouldn’t be enough to convince her. On the contrary the more he insisted the more suspicious he’d appear, and while he felt he hadn’t gained Chloe’s trust completely, he thought he’d at least managed earn some of her trust, and ruining it all now for the sake of convenience felt stupid. He was about to offer an alternative solution when Chloe suddenly accepted his offer, saying that she trusted him enough. He stared at her dumbly for a few moment, not really understanding the words that had been spoken, though when he did, he gave her a big genuine smile. “Thanks, you might not realize it but hearing that made me feel a whole lot better, I’ll be sure not to let you down” he winked, getting out of his seat and pulling out his wallet, getting ready to go. He quickly paid for their little snack before turning to her and smiling playfully, feeling a bit cocky due to emotional elation he was current feeling.

“Oh don’t worry about her, she won’t mind in the slightest, in fact she’d probably be overjoyed to see you” he told her, intentionally not answering her question in regards to who ‘she’ exactly was. “She might as well be my girlfriend though I guess, though she’s more like a mistress than girlfriend, collar-leash and everything else” he joked wrapping his thumb and forefinger around his neck to symbolize a collar. “Hopefully you won’t have to see her, but if you do, just keep in mind that…. She might seem a bit strange but she doesn’t mean any harm. Worst she’ll do is tug at your hair and demand you pay her your complete and undivided attention.”

Humming to himself happily, Jared look a bit excited at the prospect of bring Chloe over to his place. Chloe’s words of ‘trust’ still ringing fresh in his head, there was the elated feeling, but he seemed to be looking forward to something else. The smile on his face seeming awfully childish, Chloe wouldn’t be able to sense and evil intentions from it though, maybe a bit of mischief, but nothing that couldn’t be brushed aside and laughed at later on. “Shall we get going then? It’s not too far away, maybe a nine or ten minute walk.”
 
((12th page! Woohoo~! XD))

Chloe chuckled at his thanks. She couldn't say she had so many doubts about him anymore. Besides, usually, she did get a weird feeling if someone would have bad intentions. Even if in Chris's case she didn't foresee that he would end up being that cruel, she did have a bad feeling about him at first. The way he mocked her, his annoying curiosity and just something about him was enough to make her a little bit suspicious. She was naive indeed before, but now, she intended to be much more careful. Careful, as in observing the person's behavior and taking some cautious measures in case that he or she gave signs of a potential danger. She didn't want to end up in the same situation again. Chris, in spite of his vile acts, did manage to make her learn her lesson.

Raising an eyebrow as he described this person that solicited his attention, she wondered just who could it be. She almost frowned as he mentioned that she could be called a mistress, doubting that he was into those kind of things. "Gee, I never thought you would like that. Though, I could probably imagine that sort of relationship. You do seem like the type who'd do anything his girlfriend would say. Or at least, the type who'd try to make his girlfriend happy no matter what." she remarked with a chuckle. "But don't take that to heart. What I really meant is that you're a kind person. And a very patient one, seeing how you actually stayed by Trent's side all these years even as anti-social as he is. Not that I'm any more sociable than he is. But you get the idea." she added.

It was sort of amusing to see Jared so excited. Just like a kid who was happy about inviting his friend over to play. Alright, this sounded too wrong given their current age. But, he did seem happy, and for some reason at this point she did feel like making friends couldn't be that bad. If she'd have a friend just like Trent's she'd probably be maybe even more sociable and cheerful, leaving aside all those pessimistic thoughts. She nodded and motioned that he could lead the way to his house. Right then she reminded herself that she still didn't ask him something, given how he was interrupted by the phone call. "Alright, I don't want to ruin the mood again, but I fear I might forget the question if I don't ask this now. I can't recall if you ever told me what my father came up with as a cause for my death. Do you by any chance know something about it?"
 
Leaving the café and making their way down the street, Jared tried to remain as calm and collected as his mind would allow him, his efforts however were swiftly cut down as Chloe commented on what he was doing and how Chloe viewed him, his heart nearly stopped. In a not very roundabout way it sounded like she was saying he’d make for an ideal boyfriend, and the thought urged Jared to continuously slide his eyes towards Chloe, watching her and wondering if his thoughts earlier about asking her out wasn’t as impossible as it might have seemed. “So in other words I’m spineless?” he joked laughing to show that he didn’t mind the similarity between her description and his warped interpretation, “Either that or you’re saying I think of Trent as my woman seeing as how I’m willing to make him happy…. Argh that’s just wrong” he scowled, faking a gag as if the idea disgusted him. As much as he cared for Trent, thinking of him that way sent creepy shivers up his spine.

“Plus he’s not that anti-social, I’d even say he’s an attention whore, you sort of have to be to do his line of work, it’s just that Trent takes pride in being a dick that’s hard to deal with” Jared smirked, his expression conveying that he didn’t really think of it as a bad thing. “He lost his mother, he thought he lost you, and then a whole lot of his friends pissed off. Don’t really blame him for wanting to pull the lone wolf act, can’t be hurt by things that don’t exist” Jared shrugged. “That wasn’t directed against your or anything, but on the matter of being anti-social you were a lot worse you know? Doubt you remember, but you used to always hide behind Trent, wouldn’t even say hello to me no matter how hard I tried…. Ah the number of nights I spent wetting my pillow because little Chloe treated me like some evil santa coming to snatch her dear brother away” he laughed again. “Being serious though, I’m really glad you’re a lot different to how I imagined you’d be, you might be a bit crazy today, but you’re a lot more cheerful than I remember you.”

He shrugged his shoulders again at her question, not having any idea. “Unfortunately I only know a few tidbits of information about Trent, haven’t been keeping an eye on your father so I wouldn’t have a clue as to why he’d tell such a wicked lie, but if I had to take a guess I’d say he didn’t want you and Trent hanging around each other, looking at how things turned out I’d be willing to put my money on that…. Though personally I’m more interested in why your father wanted to get rid of Trent so badly, and keep you around. No offense or anything but your dad doesn’t really strike me as the fatherly type, if anything I’d have thought he’d kick you out with Trent and relinquish his responsibility of looking after you.”
 
"Well, I wouldn't say spineless..." she mumbled with a guilty smile and laughed at the thought of picturing Trent as Jared's woman. Now that would be hilarious. She could almost imagine a feminine version of Trent, just as mean as the male version, and Jared trying to offer her the best. "What's wrong with that? If Trent was a woman you two would probably suit each other. Or at least, you'd be a funny pair anyway." she joked with a grin. She shook her head. If Trent really was a female, she'd probably be a nightmare. On the other hand, it would be pretty cool to have an older sister. The down side would be that maybe the female version of her sibling wouldn't really care about her as much as Trent did.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're sort of right. Then again, everyone changes over time. I was also sort of surprised at Trent's behavior. I don't really understand how he'd have fans with that attitude, but I guess the looks count much more than his personality for the girls out there." she said with a shrug. Chloe did dislike how Trent seemed to be so cold at times, but if it meant that it would keep the other girls, she didn't quite mind it. Besides, she knew how Trent could be if he cherished someone. And given that she was always spoiled and she was showered with love in her childhood and a little bit even in the past couple of days, needless to say she was already 'fooled'. She did miss this feeling even now.

The brunette blushed a little as he reminded her how antisocial she used to be. Well, unlike Trent, she didn't interact with anyone else but Trent and her father in her childhood. Of course she would be afraid of any possible intruder that might cause Trent to neglect her. If anything, when she was younger she used to actually try and do anything just to have Trent's attention all the day long. She was just this obsessed with her older brother. Now when she thought about it, maybe it was her own fault Trent probably started developing those feelings. However, she still didn't make sure that Trent from now was the same as in her dream. Maybe this time he only loved her as his little sister. It would probably be for the best anyway. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment then." she concluded in spite of being called crazy.

"Probably because I remind him of my mother? In spite of what you might think about him, he wasn't like this all the time. It was only after mom died that he changed so drastically." she explained to his question, shrugging. "I could probably guess some things, but I'd rather not." she added and then shook her head. "But leaving that aside, you got the question wrong. What I meant is, how did I 'die' so to speak?" she inquired once again.
 
Jared wasn’t too happy about the reaction he got from Chloe when he joked about Trent being his woman. Okay, sure. He’d probably been more patient with Trent than anyone could imagine, and he might have been just a bit nosy, naggy and fussy than a friend should ever be…. But someone had to make up for the lack of friends by paying him extra attention right? Right? Rolling his eyes at the thought he decided to counteract Chloe with a mean comment of his own. “Well I guess I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with Trent as long as you’re inbetween us” he winked, his tone of voice expressing how he wasn’t being serious in the slightest. He honestly wouldn’t mind getting together with Chloe after he got to know her better, and if he had to share her with someone else, he wouldn’t complain in the slightest, but he doubted Chloe would think of her brother that way even if he was a popular model, and Trent would probably treasure her too much to ever do anything to ruin her innocence. Which sort of meant he’d have a hard time if he ever were to discuss dating Chloe to her big brother. “I’m just kidding, I’m sure you’ve got a boyfriend or two, and I’m probably the most unattractive guy in town seeing as I haven’t even held a girl’s hand since third grade” he laughed.

“As for Trent I completely agree with you on that one, though you have to keep in mind a model’s job isn’t what’s inside, but how good they look on the outside, unlike actors and other celebrities, the only place we really see them is in magazines and short commercials, can’t really grab a good idea of their personalities through those right?” Jared didn’t think much of the comment seeing as how Chloe was still willing to see Trent, he figured it was just some typical sibling thing where they could talk about things freely and express themselves for who they were. He sort of envied that sort of sibling relationship but opted to keep quiet, not wanting to disturb Chloe who seemed to be thinking about some sort of fond memory, it was actually sort of assuring to see that they she still had some sort of bond with him after all these years. Instead he decided to laugh at her comment about her father. “Really? I can’t imagine your father being anything besides the psychopath I saw, Can’t imagine Trent being any less obsessive of you than I remember either. Sounds like you had both guys rolling around on the palm of your hand for awhile”

Jared really hoped she wouldn’t pursue the issue of her death any further seeing as how it wasn’t the brightest of topics to talk about, but he figured it was something he’d have to tell her sooner or later. “Car accident” he murmured reluctantly, “Died in a hit and run accident, apparently you had a fight with your father and ran off to find Trent…. I can still remember your father yelling at Trent about how he was responsible for your death.” Not wanting to darken the mood any further Jared forced a smile, folding his hands behind his neck and staring up at the sky. “You can probably imagine why I don’t like your father too much huh?”
 
Chloe shook her head and chuckled at Jared's attempt to joke about her. However, as much as he didn't seem to be serious, there were some things that made her think there was a slight chance he was on to something. She wasn't really an expert when it came to these things, but she had a feeling that his jokes and statements did have some sort of truth. Could he actually like her? No, but he himself said that he didn't like her that much because of how she treated Trent. Maybe it was just her imagination, or she was simply over-thinking things. Besides, who would actually go for the friend's little sister? Maybe if she was a little older and actually looked like a real woman instead of a teenager who probably still had to grow up, maybe then she would actually be able to make guys run after her. The only exception would probably be Trent. But Trent had his own reasons for which he was so obsessed over her. After all, she had pestered him for seven years (or at least six), craving his attention even more once their mother passed away. She was probably bound to have left a mark on him, even if she cruelly tried to forget him once he left.

"Well, you can consider yourself lucky. I never held a guy's hand. Except for Trent's, of course." she said with a shrug. "I was never that interested in relationships anyway. The past ten years consisted of a dull routine. Waking up, going to school, coming back home and arguing with my father, going to buy groceries occasionally, and the usual other things like eating, cleaning around, and stuff like that." she explained, though, she didn't seem to be that sad about it. She had grown content with her situation after so many years.

Smiling a little at his statement about her father and Trent, she gave a little sigh. "I can't really say that about my father, but I do think that I managed to somewhat fool Trent into paying attention only to me when I was a child. I was probably just as obsessed as he is now. I only started to lessen this obsession after he left. Though, I can't really say that I totally forgot about him. After all, he is my brother. And who knows, I'd probably go back to my child self if he actually recognized me for once. But, I guess that would probably ruin his current relationship, so I'd rather not." she stated with a chuckle.

Once she did hear about the story her father came up with, she frowned slightly. She felt sorry for Trent for having to be called guilty for something he wasn't. Father or not, he made a mistake that no parent should do. How could he blame Trent for her death? Even if it was a fictional thing. "I see... Then, I should probably clear up the misunderstanding soon. After what I just said to him, I probably made him feel just worse. If only I didn't mess it up..." she mumbled, hand clutching the teddy even tighter.
 
Chloe probably had no idea that Jared knew a whole lot more about her than she imagined, he kept quiet for Chloe’s sake, but he could tell her things that even she couldn’t remember. He contemplated displaying his knowledge to her by telling her old she was when she last wet the bed, but decided against it, figuring it’d do no good to upset someone who was already in a relatively good mood. His source of information as with everything had been Trent, whether it be bragging or bitching, Jared had pretty much been the first person to know about something Chloe did right after Trent as the doting brother would often rant on for hours when they spent time messing around. Now that he thought about it, there’d even been a few times when Trent and Jared had an argument themselves, most of them regarding Chloe, with Trent complaining that Trent wouldn’t shut up about his sister, or how he’d always put Chloe first…. He hadn’t taken it seriously earlier, but the latest revelation made him feel like Chloe’s father, always too busy to deal with Chloe, and arguing with mother Trent about her.

While the thought annoyed him somewhat, it had been thanks to Trent’s ranting that Jared had taken an interest in Chloe so many years ago. He’d even had a crush on cute little Chloe at one stage, but his crush had been swiftly crushed itself when Chloe refused to even speak to him. He remembered getting extremely upset over that as well, while his interest in Chloe back then couldn’t have been any further away from being sexual, it was sort of depressing to find that the first girl he’d liked hadn’t even wanted to speak to him, looking at him with eyes that resembled the eyes of someone looking at a pest.

“You’re joking right? A girl as beautiful as you probably have all the guys at school kissing the ground you walk on” Jared laughed, shrugging his shoulders and spinning around, standing infront of her before offering her his hand. “Well I guess I’ll take a page out of Trent’s book and be a bit of a jerk myself then. I’ll help you out with Trent, but I want a handshake to seal the deal, I help you, you help Trent, and Trent can help make my life easier by stop being an emotional wreck.” Sensing Chloe uneasiness at the gesture he smiled a bit meanly, “Oh come on, it’s not like I’m asking for you first kiss or anything, can’t keep being a relational recluse forever.”
 
((I can even imagine little Chloe hiding behind Trent and giving Jared a death stare. XD
Also, just started watching Amnesia, and I'm quite addicted to this anime. c: ))

Chloe rolled her eyes at Jared's compliment which was most likely exaggerated. "Thank you, Jared. Though, instead of having the guys kissing the ground I walk on it's more like... No, never mind." she spoke before she shook her head, dismissing the idea. She intended to say that she was rather attracting the wrong people anyway, but that would sound wrong and rude at the same time. She would better keep her mouth shut and stop talking about the events she went through in the last couple of days. Nevertheless, she was taken aback when he suddenly spun around, now facing her. Blushing slightly, more because she was surprised and somewhat embarrassed than anything, she looked up at him and then down at his hand. On the other hand, the redness seemed to accentuate as he compared the handshake with a first kiss, as if he was mocking her. "F-fine." she muttered, reaching out for his hand to shake it.

"Alright, now that we've sealed the deal, let's hurry to where you were intending to go in the first place. It's not nice to leave a person hanging, and I still need to talk with Trent before it gets too late." she said in an attempt to give him reasons to keep up the pace, the other free hand patting his arm and then motioned that they should go.

((Also, sorry, short post because of the circumstances. xD))
 
Jared was actually quite nervous offering his hand to her like this as the first time he’d offered her his hand she’d rudely hidden behind Trent and ignored him. Back then it had been a simple greeting a “Hi I’m Jared, pleased to meet you Chloe” which had been meant to close the gap between them, his typical yet friendly greeting had been met with nothing short of a death stare, and an apology from Trent, stating that Chloe was just a tad bit shy. Feeling her take his hand, his smile broadened a bit, her soft hand taking his, Jared squeezed her hand gently to enjoy the moment, feeling as if they’d finally taken the first step he’d attempted so many years ago. He’d considered offering her his hand sooner, but had constantly refrained, deciding it wouldn’t be appropriate, he wasn’t even sure how he’d react if Chloe refused him, he’s be hurt obviously, but whether he’d be insulted enough to deny helping her further…. He doubted…. But it was a possibility.

Staring at her fondly, he opened his mouth “Actually we’re already-“ he stated only to be interrupted by shrill shriek as a window nearby opened and a woman shoved her face out the window.

Voice?: “Jared!!!”
Jared: “Oh god”
Voice?: “You stupid baboon, stop embarrassing yourself”
Jared: “It’s just a handshake, calm down”
Voice?: “I don’t care, your eyes are saying you want to bend the young girl over and do her doggy style, Time and place Jared I don’t want the neighbors thinking your some sexual predator.”
Jared: “I’m sure they’ll live, I’m sort of busy at the moment, if you want something make it quick.”
Mother: “Oh no you don’t, don’t speak to your dear mother like that, you dear dear mother who went to such troubles to give birth to you, if it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t even be alive!”
Jared: “Yes mother, whatever you say mother, I’m eternally grateful…. You crazy bitch.
Mother: “I heard that you ungrateful brat, I’ll slap your bottom until it goes red for that, right infront of your shameless girlfriend too! I might even give her a turn if she asks nicely”

The wrinkled, white haired woman suddenly withdrew her face from the window. Hurrying out of view and most likely down the stairs to open the door for them. Jared was blushing faintly at the last comment, turning to Chloe apologetically, “Sorry about that, she’s a bit….. crazy, she doesn’t mean half the things she says so listen through one ear and let it slide out the other.” Withdrawing his hand from the handshake he ushered her towards the door. She hadn’t run off yet… which was better than how most people reacted to the batty old crone.

(Hope you don't mind the script format dialogue, I just find it easier to do (and understand) than normal paragraph writing. As for Amnesia.... xD it was mediocre in my eyes xD God, you women will addict yourself to anything with bishie's in it xD)
 
((No, that's alright. xD
And shush! That's not the only reason I'm addicted to this anime! It's just that the plot is so ... complex! (No, really, those bishies! I was almost squealing there! And for some reason, I was probably so focused on those hotties that it took me a while to realize that the heroine didn't have a name. LOL. The plot until now is... let's say I'm more or less confused and I'm actually waiting for the next episodes to actually understand what the hell is going on exactly.) So, yeah. I'm a sucker for reverse harems in animes. xD I can't help it.))

Chloe looked up clueless at Jared as he started speaking again, until they were interrupted by a voice. A real loud one, calling the person in front of her. Raising her head to see where the sound was coming from, she turned completely red as the old woman said something so lewd and so loudly that probably the whole neighborhood heard her. Just who was this person anyway? Then, she got the answer. From the conversation going on, it seemed like the woman up at the window was his mother. And from the looks of it, she was probably the type who would nag her child over and over again. Not that she'd complain. Seeing how her own mother passed away when she was at a fragile age, now she would be thankful to have any kind of mother, as long as she'd love her and show her affection. Chloe's attention was grabbed however, when she heard Jared calling his own mother a crazy bitch. She awkwardly smiled. Well, every family probably had its own flaws.

As soon as the white haired woman just started to threaten Jared that he'd be punished so severely and then the woman's attention diverted to her, she went back to her shades of red covering her cheeks so mercilessly. Now, she wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed, or just laugh at how crazy was this person. Shrugging away her thoughts, she finally chuckled as Jared's mother went inside. Chloe didn't really dislike his mother, so instead, when he apologized she shook her head with another laugh. "Don't worry about it. Though, I must admit I actually thought that there'd be some sort of a girlfriend or a relative of yours waiting for you." she said and turned around to walk towards the door. "On the other hand, I'm actually considering waiting outside if you're going to be punished because of me. I'd rather you didn't have your bottom slapped until it would go red." she joked with a slight grin.
 
(Haha, I'm not much of a harem (or reverse-harem obviously) person myself seeing as how I usually only like one character in the entire harem xD Sort of interested in knowing which of the guys you liked most in the anime when you finish watching it though :p)

Calling his mother such a vulgar name probably wasn’t the best thing to do, but Jared had grown used to it. And whether Chloe realized it or not, the woman up in the window had been smiling down at them with a twisted grin the whole way through. “She’s a relative… unfortunately, though I’m guessing you can see why I call her my mistress now” he chuckled, repeating his gesture from earlier by mimicking a collar around his neck, he clearly wasn’t too fazed by his mothers shouting, it was a common if not daily thing for Jared and he’d stopped caring what the neighbors thought a long time ago. Though the first time his mother had told him to ‘stop ogling the waitress’s ass” at a restaurant he’d been so embarrassed he could have killed himself, he quickly came to realize that the lewd insults and aggressive nature was a coping measurement after his father had passed away several years ago. In all honesty he wasn’t all the fond of the idea of using verbal insults like that towards his mother, but if the need called for it he could spout out more degrading trash than most people, all thanks to his parents who’d been pretty loud in the bedroom, Jared would never sleep with his mother, but apparently something about Jared’s voice combined with being called a bitch excited the old woman with nostalgia.

“She might be a bit harsh when talking about you, but she’s not too bad when talking to you, it’s just that she gets awfully excited when I’m involved. Oh and one thing to be careful of, don’t mention anything about my father, not unless you want to switch places and be the one with the baboon backside” he laughed, waiting infront of the door, “Though I have to say that I probably wouldn’t be able to wait outside quietly if it came down to that, after all I’ve always been a sucker when it comes to having a bit of fun.” He winked jokingly at her, the likelihood of his mother doing anything to Chloe was nonexistent, well… besides a few sexually inappropriate comments and a light tugging of her clothes and hair if she was disrespectful, but Jared figured Chloe would be fine.

The door opened soon after and a shriveled old woman opened the door, looking up at Jared and the Chloe before shaking her slapping Jared’s hand which had reached to hold the door open. “Back boy! I can hold a door open just fine” the woman scowled, unlike most household doors the door was setup to automatically close and lock itself unless kept open, a safety measurement as his mother would sometimes forget to lock, or even close the door, leaving it wide open for potential burglars. “Finally going to be able to see the faces of my grandchildren am I? Took you long enough you spineless virgin” she snapped stepping aside to let Chloe in. Her eyes and tone of voice softening as she turned to face Chloe. “A pleasure to finally meet you Chloe dear, make yourself at home, I’ll bring you some tea and cookies right away” the woman said kindly, her switch in personality almost making her seem like she had a split personality as her expression hardened when she turned to Trent. “As for you you horny dog, you’re a disgrace, didn’t even think to give the poor girl your coat? Oh that’s right you’re too stupid to wear one, that’s no excuse though, a true gentleman would take off his shirt and walk around naked in the cold. Anyway enough of that, bedroom lights not working, make yourself useful andshove your bulbous head into the socket and hope it lights up Einstein.
 
((If there's one thing that I don't like at the harem/reverse-harem types of anime, it's probably the fact that 99% of the time, the main hero/heroine ends up with no one in particular. It's like 'yeah, let's just guess who s/he ends up with'.
I'm almost at the end of it. Was watching episode 11 when the internet screwed up with me and I decided to check BMR. xD So, if I'd have to say which of the guys I like the most, I guess Shin is my favorite. And maybe Ikki just as much (for some reason his crazy fangirls reminded me of Trent and his career as a model XD). Kent was average, and Toma was... he just left me speechless. XD Aand this OOC is getting bigger than I intended.))

"When I said relative, I meant some little cousin or something like that. But, I never expected your mother to tug at someone's hair and demand attention." she pointed out in a lower voice just in case. "Either way, you have my pity." she joked with a chuckle. But really, now she kind of understood why Jared seemed to be kind and the type who help out anybody and make any woman happy. It probably had to do with the woman he earlier called a crazy bitch. Not that it was a bad thing. In fact, Chloe figured it was rare to see someone like him in this time and age. Not any guy would be able to put up with Trent for so many years, and even go as far as to help his friend's sister to reunite two siblings. Maybe if she didn't already have her mind and soul occupied by a certain else, she'd probably consider Jared. Then again, being in a relationship wasn't only about having someone convenient by your side. Even if Jared was the richest, the kindest, the most perfect man on the Earth, she still would not be able to choose him over Trent. A weird thought indeed, seeing how she promised herself she would stop loving her brother in that kind of way, but the more she thought about him, the more she wished she could go and see him already. She already missed him, and she could only put the blame on him for triggering those kind of feelings inside her. Maybe that was a dream, maybe it wasn't. Either way, it made it difficult to keep those feelings buried in her heart.

Waking up from the day-dreaming, she looked up at Jared as he explained what was his mother like. "Understood. Well, it's not like I'll be this easily offended. I've heard enough, so I guess it would take some effort to make me sulk now or get angry." she pointed out, before the door was opened by his mother. Chloe couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the woman's reaction. This old woman looked like the tough type. She could almost see Jared being spanked by his mother for behaving badly. On the other hand, when she heard his mother's question, she retracted her words. Alright, this was enough to make the brunette blush slightly. The only thing which made it better was when she called him a spineless virgin. At this point she was trying her best to not burst out laughing. Stepping inside, she turned around, waiting for the other two. On a second thought, where did she know her name? "Pleased to meet you as well, and thank you." she said with a nod. As much as she felt like her stomach couldn't take more sweets, she figured that a couple of cookies wouldn't hurt. Besides, she doubted she would get fat all of a sudden because of some cake and cookies.

It was hilarious to see Jared's mother switching her tone as she talked to him. Chloe finally gave up and laughed at the woman's way of telling him to change the light bulb. As for the coat, she couldn't say she felt cold yet. She was probably accustomed to the chilly air after the nights she slept outside. Though, she probably did need to take a shower very soon. Hopefully, she'd soon get a chance to take a bath. She shook her head at Jared seeing how the older woman wasn't facing her, as if to mock him. "Tsk, tsk, tsk." she clicked her tongue to add to the joke.
 
(Tohma > Shin xD And before you ask, no, I didn't get inspiration for Chris from him :p Though I guess my preference in character is based on how interesting they were rather than from the harem perspective. Not really a fan of harem anime's for completely the opposite reasons to you xD It's implied who the 'main heroine' is, and the main heroine always pisses me off xD The guy being an indecisive oblivious buffoon doesn't help either~)

Jared rolled his eyes as Chloe finally burst out laughing. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t expected it, but it was embarrassing nonetheless. Okay, technically he’d revealed that he was completely inexperienced with women earlier by saying he hadn’t held a girl’s hand in years, but having his mother reiterate on the ‘spineless’ remark Chloe had seemed to imply earlier, coupled with the ‘virgin’ aspect wasn’t something he could just shrug off. Not that he had a choice, he’d never been able to win against his mother in an argument, and Chloe didn’t seem all that concerned about the elderly woman’s attitude anyway. As long as he shut his mouth and complied with his mother’s wishes everything would go well, maybe….. hopefully. Okay, it probably wouldn’t, but the day was finite, and he didn’t want to waste too much time here at his house when they could be off convincing Trent that his sister was still alive and well. Finding Chloe’s grave didn’t sound all that fun, but it was the only real lead they had, and it was at least worth checking to see if there was anything there. If they did find Chloe’s grave they’d just have to take a different approach, if not…. Well, maybe Trent could be convinced, maybe not. Either way it was worth a shot.

“Women” he scowled, glaring at Chloe with eyes that playfully whispered ‘traitor’ before avoiding his mother’s gaze completely and making his way up the stairs to the where the bedroom supposedly was. It was no surprise that Jared didn’t have a girlfriend, sure he might have been a tiny bit spineless, but the biggest reason behind his singularity was undoubtedly his mother. Bringing home a woman to the crazy old crone would undoubtedly kill the mood, there weren’t many things that could kill the mood like a wrinkled woman reminding you to NOT use a condom so that she could have grandchildren. Being a pensioner, the woman seldom left the house, so even if he were to see someone it’d be outside the house, and Jared had no real intentions of living with a girlfriend and a mother, and kicking the latter out was out of the question. “I’ll be back in a bit, don’t listen to anything the loose lipped crone tells you, she’s a saggy bag of lies she is.” He looked nervously at his mother, before quickly dashing up the stairs, figuring that the sooner he got the job done, the less chance there’d be of his mother implanting some misleading thought in Chloe head.
-------
The woman quickly made her way to the kitchen, returning moments later with a tray of biscuits and two mugs, smiling warmly as she placed a plate with three bite sized cookies infront of Chloe, and before resting in an armchair. “Didn’t think I’d ever get the chance to meet you, it’s been like what? Ten years since I found out that boy had a crush on a minor, I’m ashamed to have such a pedophile for a son” she mused, sipping her tea elegantly with impeccable manners, which screamed ‘proper lady.’ “You have no idea how worried I was when he told me he fancied a six year old, kept telling him to find someone older but he was adamant about liking his friends sister or something, kept giving me bullsh- fibs, about her being dead or something.” She shook her head, probably the only person in the world besides Chloe’s father who hadn’t believed Chloe’s death for a second, though her reasons weren’t really justified. “Oh and my sincerest apologies for interrupting your date, I would have waited if I’d known, didn’t think he’d finally grow some bal…. man up and ask you out. He’s treating you well I hope? Let me know if he gives you any trouble and I’ll make sure he worship the ground you walk on.” She chuckled, a slight sparkle of excitement flickering behind her eyes that so closely resembled Jared’s. Either she was really excited to finally meet Chloe, or the woman just enjoyed having company, after all, it was unlikely she got too many visitors.
 
((I knew it! I figured I could ask that, but something told me it was probably just a mere coincidence. XD I was actually laughing my ass off when I scrolled down to comments on episode 9 and saw this: 'Toma is like a creepy stalker; a really hot creepy stalker'. Well, honestly, it was sort of cute to see Toma so protective and possessive, even in his own twisted way. While in reality it would probably be creepy as hell, animes have this ability of making it seem 'not so very creepy' (I blame those bishies). Either waaay... What did you expect? Most of the main heroines are pretty much like this. xD It's either the very timid/shy/spineless type, either the clutz/big mouthed type. It's rare to see a bad-ass heroine. At least in the shoujo animes.))

Chloe snickered at Jared's scowl, obviously enjoying this far too much to actually refrain from mocking him. Besides, Jared did have something about him that urged one to tease him. The more a person would be harmless, the more the itch of taunting that person. The brunette tilted her head as she listened to his instructions regarding his mother and then nodded in agreement, though, she really didn't plan to actually believe everything this woman was saying anyway. It was obvious enough she had her own issues. But anyway, what could she actually tell her? Maybe Jared's mother was a little special, but she figured she couldn't be that bad as he was saying. If anything, it was only Jared himself that had to suffer because of her. Watching him as she left, she soon noticed the white haired woman returning with cookies and what seemed like tea. For some reason it reminded her of those cute grandmothers who would give the sweets to their grandchildren. Now that she thought about it, she did wish she could at least stay at her grandparents. If only they didn't pass away. The only one alive was the grandmother from her mother's side, but even that one had grown to be distant because of her father who seemed to push away every relative.

"Thank you once again." she mumbled as she was offered her a plate with cookies, smiling slightly. Then, she suddenly remembered something and figured she should push away those kind of thoughts. Maybe she was exaggerating. She couldn't suspect this old lady for placing something in her tea or the cookies, after she so nicely welcomed her. Thus, she took a bite of the cookies, enjoying the sweet taste. Her blue eyes raised from the plate to the woman in front of her, for a moment questioning her own ears. Did she mishear it? However, that doubt faded away as the woman continued explaining about her son's crush. On her. For a couple of seconds she was speechless, lips parted as if to conclude her amazement. Alright, she did have a feeling that Jared seemed to kind of fancy her, but she didn't expect to get this. At least not so soon. Chloe had to give her an apologetic smile along with the embarrassed expression on her face. "Actually... I'm just a friend... his friend's sister to be more exactly. But, Jared is really a kind one, I assure you. There's no need to worry about that. I'm sure he can easily find a girlfriend anyway." she said, before she realized she made it sound like she really wasn't planning on being his girlfriend. Not that it would be a lie, but it was probably a bit rude. "Actually, it's just that I like someone already... or rather, it's a complicated feeling. Um... I'm just saying nonsense here, aren't I?" she mumbled, scratching the back of her head.

On a second thought, now that she mentioned it, would this make Trent a pedophile too? Seven years apart... well, maybe their relationship would be a real taboo thing after all. She shook away the thoughts, frowning slightly at the thought of how indecisive she was. Why couldn't she just think normally of her own brother? She had to be prepared in case her brother would end up to be the same obsessed guy she knew, so she could help him to overcome these wrong feelings. Yet, she was only day-dreaming about things like how she'd like to be back in his arms or hear his voice. She was definitely out of her mind.
 
(Haha, hot people can do whatever they want and get away with it T_T As for heroines.... yeah xD I like the spunkier tomboyish ones more half the time. Cuteness is nice and all, but I want a 'person' not a ego stroking 'trophy.' xD)

The old woman raised an eyebrow at her remark, thinking that the girl was just being bashful at first. “Oh I should have known!” the woman wailed, placing her teacup down carefully before raising her hands in the air and jumping up, pacing infront of the seat in an exaggerated fashion. “I knew it was too good to be true, I’ll never see my grandchildren, I’ll forever be alone with a spineless virgin, what would Howard say if he knew his son never had children? Our family lineage over and done with because I pampered my stupid son too much.” It wasn’t clear if she was being serious or just putting on a show, but her distress was evident either, hell it wasn’t even clear if she was still listening to Chloe anymore, so even if she was blabbering nonsense it didn’t really matter. “I knew I should have made another child before going barren, if only I was 30 years younger, no 20, I’d go grab some hot spunk off the street and impregnate myself so I would be able to hold my head up high when I go to heaven.”

She continued raving for a few more seconds before rounding on Chloe with her pale grey eyes, staring at Chloe closely. “Oh I know who’s sister you are, that spunky red headed kid right? Brent? Trent? Something like that, If only I’d known he’d grown in such a hottie I’d have bedded him when he came over. Too late now though, no point, and I’m sure he’s got a list of girls longer than Santa’s toylist to take care of” she wailed, apparently having heard Chloe’s murmurings. She looked at Chloe carefully, analyzing her carefully with the grey wizened eyes. The look almost intimidating as if she’d picked up on something. A slight reaction from Chloe went the hag had mentioned bedding Trent. “Some else?... Better than my boy?” she asked cautiously, staring into Chloe’s eyes shrewdly. “It wouldn’t be the hunky red head I mentioned just then would it…..?” she asked slowly, her eyes unblinking. A moment of awkward silence passing before she jumped up excitedly, apparently having noticed the reaction she’d been looking for. “Oh you silly girl, you can’t marry your brother” she laughed, having read Chloe’s reaction to her words. The woman might have been a bit trippy, but she’d been pretty wise in her youth, and seen more than her fair share of people due to her job.

Seeing Chloe reaction though, her mirth immediately stopped. A thoughtful look on her face as she drummed her bony fingers against her chin in thought. “Well lets see, how about coming to a compromise then?” she offered, not caring that who Chloe liked was solely her own business. “If you marry my son and give me a grandchild, I’ll convince my boy to let you have your brother as a lover. I don’t really care who you love more, but that way you can be together with your brother while enjoying life as a proper woman, and have children. You do want children one day don’t you?” she asked, ignoring how it was probably an inappropriate question to ask a girl in her mid-teens. “Convincing Jared would be easy, I just need to kick him in the shins a few times.”
 
((Well, more or less. xD If the hottie plans on killing someone, you can't just squeal of happiness as he tries to stab someone. Then again, you can expect anything from the fangirls. XD Also, Jared's mother is probably the best character until now. She's damn hilarious. XD))

Chloe was startled by the sudden show put by the woman, probably very worried that she'd die without having some grandchildren to be proud of instead of being worried that her son might be alone if she passed away before he'd get a girlfriend. In a way, she was amusing. A little bit exaggerated and crazy, but funny enough to actually entertain the girl. Though, she did try her best to keep an apologetic expression on just in case. "Um, I don't think that will be the case, ma'am. Your son is pretty charming enough and I doubt that if he looked for a girlfriend he'd be rejected. It's just that I'm one of the exceptions, due to some circumstances..." Chloe offered to try to calm her down, though she doubted she was listening anyway. The old woman was too busy with whining about the chance that she lost. But seriously? Going that far for grandchildren? Yep, she had her own personal issues. "I... I don't think that would be something to make you proud when you go to heaven, though..." she commented as a side note, already expecting to hear some more surprising things.

Freezing as the woman looked over at her, she wondered what was she up to now. And then, like always, Chloe had the duty of correcting someone about a name. "Trent." she shortly said, and then really froze at what she said next. Well, damn! It was a good thing she wasn't young. Chloe actually believed that if she was 20, this woman would really snatch Trent away. She had to admit that Jared had good reasons for calling his mother crazy. When she did stop all of a sudden to stare at her, Chloe got nervous. Did she notice something? Could it be she gave herself away? She paled momentarily, waiting for her to speak. Taking a sip of her tea to focus on something else, she suddenly choked on it as she mentioned Trent. It took her a couple of moments to cough and catch her breath again, before she was reminded she couldn't marry her own brother. Of course she knew that. She knew that all too well, in fact. "It's... I didn't mean my brother." she said in return, eyes averting to her side to avoid any obvious eye contact, while her cheeks inadvertently gave her away with their redness, taking another sip of her tea.

Needless to say the woman's idea of a deal was absurd. There was no way she'd do something like that. She didn't want to play with someone's feelings. She already felt bad for Jared anyway, because he really was a nice guy. And she too, had her own feelings. Have children wih someone else? She couldn't imagine that. Besides, she was sure that even if she wanted to accept the deal, Trent would not even give it a thought. He'd probably kill her. Well, theoretically. "I'm really sorry, but I can't do something like that. But thank you for the offer, I guess... Um... maybe I should go and help Jared since it's taking so long..." she spoke softly, getting up to head over to where Jared was.
 
The woman looked disapprovingly at Chloe when she spluttered on her tea. Apparently talking about adultery was fine for this woman, but table etiquette was something which needed to be upheld. A stern expression on her face which seem to hint that she’d need to work with Chloe on how to be ‘lady-like’ if she accepted the deal, but the deal with a quickly shot down by Chloe who didn’t even seem to give the idea any thought. The bluntness being enough to make even the elderly lady shut up for a moment. A disappointed look in her eyes as she sighed loudly at plopped back in her seat, elegantly picking up the teacup and saucer before taking a sip as if to show Chloe how to properly drink her tea. “24 years” she grumbled to herself, flicking her eyes at Chloe to emphasize her words. “24 years and he hasn’t even managed to get himself a single girlfriend, I don’t even think he’s a kissed a woman before” she scowled, sounding pretty sure of herself, “If he’s so charming, he’d be bedding every girl he came across and breeding like a rabbit, but there isn’t one, not a single baby bunny for me to call my own grandchild” she sighed, looking as if that fact alone was equivalent to the world losing all its meaning. She looked at Chloe again, this time with tired eyes that seemed to finally reflect her actual age, “You’re still young, you’ll understand the joys of having a child one day too…. And when you’re children move out and leave you all alone in a dark dusty house you’ll understand how important it is to have some youth in an old granny’s life.”

Sighing again as Chloe got up to leave she shook her head slowly. Indicating with her hand for Chloe to sit back down. “No need, you’ll be leaving now anyway” the woman said, her words seeming harsh and cold for only a moment, it looked as if Chloe turning her down had annoyed the woman, but a moment later the woman took a deep breath before letting out a loud shriek much like the one Chloe had heard from the window. “Jared get down here you dimwit, I might be old but I’m not stupid.” She howled, glaring at the stairs with her shrewd eyes, her wrinkles bunching together as she scowled. “A proper gentleman does no eavesdrop on lady talk, I know you’re there, standing… no, sitting at the top of the stairs listening.”

Another moment of silence passed before the wooden stairs creaked and a rather embarrassed looking Jared showed himself, his eyes refusing to look at the two females in the living, the look on his face was reminiscent of a child who’d just been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. Not only that, but if his mother had been right, and he’d been eaves dropping he’d heard the entire exchange, which would probably also explain the slightly crestfallen look he was wearing.

“You might be useless when it comes to girls, but I know you’re good with your hands, wouldn’t have taken you any longer than a minute to get that thing fixed” the woman mumbled before picking herself up and walking towards the entrance. “Get going then, go do whatever it is you young folk do, party, drink, be merry and multiply.” She hooted, slapping Jared’s rear out the front door before turning to Chloe. “A pleasure meeting you dear, you do what you think’s best, but if you ever change your mind, let me know” she winked. Despite her disappointed reaction earlier she seemed to have recovered, it was Jared’s actions that warranted concern though. Ever since he’d been called down he wouldn’t make eye contact with Chloe, even now as he stood outside, he looked as if he wanted to just run off and leave Chloe behind.
 
((I really couldn't answer from the mobile anymore. xD Too much of a hassle.))

Chloe felt somewhat guilty for destroying the old woman's dreams and plans, but then again, she couldn't just sacrifice her own feelings and life for someone else's happiness. Besides, she was sure Jared wouldn't be happy about having her lie about her own feelings, pretending to have a crush on him or anything similar. She felt sorry for her, she really did. After all, she did know how it felt to be lonely. She went through that herself in the past ten years. Her father's presence was in vain anyway, because he never praised her, showed her some parental love, or just talk with her like one parent would with his child. He was just there, asking for some chores to be done, and pestering her with his problems as if she was guilty for making his life miserable. Either way, it wasn't like Jared couldn't get a girlfriend. If anything, it was probably because he kept this crush on her that he never actually had a girlfriend. She'd say it was her fault, but could she actually stop him from having those feelings? It wasn't like he was ugly, stupid, or a total jerk. In fact, he would make the perfect boyfriend. But not for her. He didn't deserve a delusional girl as herself anyway.

When the woman stopped her from going upstairs, she looked over at her, questioningly. She was annoyed, she could see that much. Then again, it was to have the conversation end like this. On the other hand, what she didn't expect was what she was yelling. Chloe turned pale at the news that Jared eavesdropped on their conversation. Way to go, Chloe. Now she just made things worst. Why didn't she just shut her mouth and let the granny talk by herself in the first place? Bringing her lips together in a straight line, she tried to avoid the embarrassed face. How couldn't she feel ashamed for what she said? It was one thing to talk with his mother, but to know that he just heard she had someone else she liked... and that person was her own brother... Well, let's just say it was horrible.

Just like Jared, Chloe too, was just as embarrassed, unable to make eye contact with him. This was so awkward. Just as his mother 'invited' them outside, she then turned her attention to the old woman. She nodded, still, with an apologetic smile. Once she said her goodbye and found herself outside, with just Jared, she gave a sigh, trying to figure it out how to talk things out. Though, she doubted she could solve this so easily.

"You probably heard everything..." she mumbled, before she slowly turned to look up at him, face just as red as earlier. "If... if you don't want to stay around me anymore, I understand. I'm sorry... Really, I'm sorry I can't return the feelings. And... thank you. I'm really flattered to know that you have those kind of feelings for me. But, you deserve someone who's better than me. If you heard everything... than you'll know why. I'm probably sick and twisted. Or at least, that's what I'm slowly turning into." she admitted, before she glanced down. "I do want to make things right. So, I'll probably have to give up on my hopes. I'll clear up the misunderstanding with Trent, but there won't be anything more than that. We'll stay... as brother and sister. Just like we're supposed to. Even so, I can't really erase the feelings I currently have, so easily. So, I can't return your feelings." she added, taking a short deep breath. "It's your choice. Will you still stick with me, or would you rather not see me?" she questioned, blue eyes watching his own eyes with hope.
 
(You were posting from your mobile? o_O You're crazy~ Yes we've gone over this already.... twice xD)

Jared opened his mouth to explain himself, but Chloe beat him to it, forcing Jared to keep quiet as she tried to validate herself and the things she’d said. Or rather the things Jared’s mother had so bluntly unveiled. Jared wasn’t sure which was more awkward, the fact that he’d just heard that Chloe was in love with her own brother, or the fact that he’d just been rejected indirectly through something his own mother had said. He had absolutely no intentions of abandoning Chloe either way, but when she looked at his with those beautiful hopeful eyes there was just no way he could keep quiet, a nervous forced laugh filling the air as he scratched the back of his head. “W-what are you talking about?” he asked trying to play dumb. It might have even worked had he not stuttered the first word. “Didn’t I tell you not to take that hag seriously? I… I don’t have a crush on you or anything, okay maybe years ago I might have had a tiny little crush, but that was years ago and I’ve moved on” he lied. Unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. Believe it or not that had been the easy part, the hard part didn’t even involve him, but it was perhaps an even more sensitive issue than his own feelings.

“As for your feelings for Trent, I’m disappointed” he admitted truthfully this time, finding it easier to be more honest with himself when it didn’t involve him directly. “Actually I can’t say approve of what you said in the slightest” he continued his voice getting a bit more stern. His eyes getting harder and a bit contemptful. Though the words that followed probably weren’t the ones that Chloe had feared. “If you like him more than a sister should, and he likes you back, you shouldn’t let something as stupid as society hold you back.” He stated cautiously, trying to not press against any sensitive issues Chloe might have with his comment. “I thought I was the spineless one, but if you’re going to reject me, I expect you to be happy with the alternative choice you make, even if it is socially awkward, it’s not like you have to broadcast your relation to the public, and what people don’t know can’t hurt them. Actually it can’t really hurt anyone besides the ego of a few arrogant pricks who want to tell people how to live their lives”…… Excuse the language” he frowned, realizing he was getting a tad bit too emotional over the issues.

“The only thing I’d have to ask is that regardless of whether you and Trent get together… that way, I can still drop by once in a while to say hi right? I mean, if I help you out now, and you start trying to hog Trent all to yourself like you used to, I’ll be a bit heartbroken.” He smiled, hoping it’d assure her that he wasn’t accusing her or anything. “Honestly, if helping you out now is going to cost me two friends, I’ll stop helping you immediately” he added, wondering if Chloe would take offense to him referring to her as a friend. He knew the Chloe ten years ago would probably not trust a single thing he said, but maybe the Chloe infront of him now would be a bit more trusting? “An ideal ending to all of this is Trent finds out you’re not dead, your feelings get reciprocated, and I…get to stay as a friend to both of you…. That’d be perfect. I won’t ask for anything more.”
 
((Meeh. Just the other post before the last one. Aside from that, the others were typed on PC. xD And yes, I might be a little crazy. uwu))

It didn't take a genius to know that Jared did feel a little bit awkward too, about the situation. She could feel how nervous he was about it when he tried to laugh at the matter. Besides, stuttering wasn't going to help. She was aware that he was lying, but she didn't say a thing. If it would make him feel a little bit better about it, she'd just pretend she believed his lie, even though it was so obvious. It was probably better this way, since it would make him a little bit less self-conscious. At least, that's what she hoped. Jared had the potential of a great friend, and if anything, she did need someone like him. She and Trent did. If it wasn't for him, she would have given up on Trent perhaps. An ugly and detestable thought, but it was the truth. And because she now realized how many mistakes she did, she wanted to change something.

Once the subject moved to her and Trent, she expected the worse. Of course he would be disappointed. She was just telling him that she loved her brother... more than a sister would. However, when he suddenly said he wouldn't agree with her backing up so easily, she looked up at him, sort of surprised and shocked. "Did... did you just say that? Or did I mishear?" she mumbled, frowning slightly. She couldn't really believe it. She expected to hear that he was disgusted with how she loved her brother that way, but instead, he told her something which she never thought she would ever hear. To be supported by someone in regards to a type of relationship that would be considered a total taboo by the society, was probably more than she could ask for. It was probably one of the greatest feelings. Honestly, she didn't even care that he was calling her a coward again, knowing that he was this supportive. Her lips curved into a big cheerful smile.

Chloe was more than happy to agree with his conditions, chuckling happily as she nodded an yes and given how happy she was, she quickly hugged him, the smile plastered on her face. "Thank you, Jared! You're probably the one and only friend I ever had, but even so, I bet there's no way I could have a better friend than you!" she admitted, almost feeling her eyes tearing up of happiness. It was a funny yet heart-warming feeling to have someone she could call her friend finally. Only now she was realizing how stupid she was to actually stay alone for so much time, without even one single friend. "A-alright, maybe I'm getting too emotional here." she stuttered out with a dumb smile, wiping her eyes just in case they seemed too wet from the tears building up, as she let go of him and stepped back. "You know, I kind of feel better now. Let's leave the 'grave search' for another time. I'll just talk with Trent directly." she concluded, taking a deep breath as she straightened her posture. "We are siblings after all. No matter how hard it would be to believe it, he'd still have to recognize me for once. We share the same blood, he could at least... the same blood..." she spoke before she repeated those words in her mind, thoughtfully. "I think I just found a second plan in case the first fails. Alright! Let's go into the battle! But... do you know where he lives now?"
 
Completely caught off guard as Chloe launched herself onto him, he nearly lost his balance upon receiving the hug, his body immediately feeling warmer the moment he felt her hands on him. Had he not just been rejected by her he might have gotten the wrong idea, but he couldn’t go back on his word now. Having repeatedly emphasized being nothing more than a friend to her and Trent, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit disappointed that Chloe had chosen Trent over him, but he was sort of used to being in second place now, and it wouldn’t be so bad staying as a friend to the pair. Having known Trent for so many years, he already knew what Trent’s response would be once he acknowledged who Chloe was. An image of Trent and Chloe embracing eachother drifting through his mind and stirring a bit of jealousy, he wanted what was best for Trent, and Chloe, and while he did feel a bit bad for Charlotte, he was sure that she too would quickly move on and find someone else to be happy with. Jared on the other hand though….. well, no one could say for sur what the future held, but he doubted he’d be able to interest himself in other girls. Maybe if Chloe and Trent got together Chloe would start being open to making more friends and then she’d introduce him to someone nice? Whether Jared would obediently take the offer was another matter, but he left it open as a possibility for now. Placing a hand over Chloe’s gently figuring that it’d be inappropriate to embrace her back.

“You know, if I get a hug each time you get too emotional I don’t mind at all” he laughed, sliding his hand off hers and letting her pull away. “What did you think I was going to say? That I think it’s disgusting and I never want to see you again? Please, the only thing I’d be worried about is if you two ever had a child. Besides that there’s no real problem between a brother and sister being together” he stated, being pretty open to the idea. “I mean some of the neighbors think I’m sexually involved with my mother, now that’s something I’m not comfortable with” he laughed, unable to imagine his mother being anything more than the naggy old bat she was.

Jared at first didn’t look too sure about her suggestion, considering how it was riskier, Jared personally felt it was better to give Trent some time to calm down and think over the possibility, or rather the similarity in Chloe’s appearance, if Jared could tell it was Chloe, surely Trent would too if he was in the right state of mind? And even if he tried to reject the idea, Jared being there and supporting Chloe’s statements as fact would surely be able to win him over in their favor? “I guess you’re right, it is getting a bit late” he stated looking at the sun which had started falling from its peak, it was probably around thee or fourish about now, and looking for Chloe’s grave probably would cost them the rest of the day. “Hopefully it won’t come down to taking blood samples, lets leave that as a last resort” he stated, leading the way down the street, a bit conscious of the distance between him and Chloe after the hug she’d given him. “Do I know where he lives now? Of course I do, would be much of a secret agent if I couldn’t even tell you that much would I know?”
 
"Well, kind of..." she mumbled in return, admitting that she did expect that kind of answer. After all, not anyone would agree with such a relationship. On the other hand, the mention of having a child made her blush a little. She didn't actually plan something like that, but this reminded her that there were a lot of things they would not be able to do. Things like marrying and having children. Then again, she couldn't really worry about these things when she was just seventeen years old. She figured they would discuss these in time. Until then, she still had to clear up the misunderstanding and go back to Trent's side. If possible, she wanted to do that just as soon as she could. She didn't want to see him moping around, being depressive and angry. She wanted to see him happy and satisfied with everything.

Chloe only seemed to notice now how quickly the time passed. It almost felt like minutes ago it was morning. Nevertheless, that only meant she wasted too much time without doing something helpful. Honestly, she didn't want to have to resort to blood samples either. If she could make him trust her from the second attempt, she'd be more than glad about it. She would give anything, even a whole chocolate cake, to see Trent recognizing her and embracing her like he used to. Either if it was a brotherly hug or not. But, leaving that aside, there was a distance between her and Jared right now, that she kind of wondered if she did something bad. She didn't dare to ask if something was wrong, so she just kept quiet about it, unwilling to ruin his moos with unnecessary questions. The smile showed up on her face once again as he pretended to be a secret agent. "Well, at least I have a reliable source of information." she pointed out with a light chuckle, before she rubbed her chin. "This would be the first time I'm seeing his new house...." she mumbled mostly to herself. "Please tell me when we're close to his house, alright? I need to be prepared for it. I feel like I'm going to give a speech to a room filled with important persons, right now" she commented, clutching her teddy bear in her left arm.
 
In all honesty talking about Trent and Chloe being together was actually a bit painful, but it was a pain he’d have to get used to if he were to remain their friend. If he couldn’t learn to accept it now that Chloe was not, and would never be interested in him in a romantic way then it was better for him to disappear the moment he’d succeeded in tying the two back together again. Chloe was important to him, but he didn’t want to continue hanging around her with impure thoughts, especially not if Trent was her partner, he’d be betraying his first time crush, and his best friend at the same time merely thinking about her. And he wasn’t all the confident that he could keep it hidden from Trent and Chloe either. Chloe might have only been seventeen but both Trent and Jared were a fair bit older, and while Jared wouldn’t mention a peep of it to Chloe, the topic of proposing had been brought up a few times by Charlotte who seemed to want to settle down with Trent as early as possible. Jared himself had been asked to snoop around and implant the idea into Trents head…. He wasn’t too sure if he regretted not doing it now, but more importantly it sort of felt like every single woman in the world wanted him to play spy for them…. Well, every single woman except his mother who just thought of him as a handyman or something.

Nodding his head, at Chloe’s request, Jared had to do a bit of thinking himself seeing as how he’d probably be questioned by Trent even if Chloe did manage to come up with a convincing argument. Chloe had told him he just needed to stand there, but there was no way he’d just be permitted to blend in with the furniture. Most importantly he needed to be able to explain that he hadn’t known about Chloe until recently, and that he hadn’t been keeping Chloe’s wellbeing a secret from Trent over the ten long years that had passed. “It shouldn’t be too far from here, never been to it myself, so it’ll be the first time I see it too, I’ve only got a vague idea, but it shouldn’t be too hard, just need to ask someone if they’ve seen a red head around if we get lost” he smiled referring to how Trent’s dyed hair sort of stood out. His smile faltered a bit at her last remark though, shaking his head before raising a disapproving eyebrow at her. “Not a room filled with important persons, a room with the most important person” he corrected her, his words directed at himself just as much as Chloe, to convince himself Trent was the most important person in Chloe’s life.
 
((My last post tonight and I'm off to bed. Something which you should probably do too. XD I feel like I haven't slept for a week.))

Right. She almost forgot that she met Trent in the morning at the realestate agency. He was probably there for some other formalities regarding his new house. Maybe if previously she wouldn't have bumped into him, he wouldn't have stayed in that cave after that. Not that it was that relevant right now. Thus, he was probably still busy with unpacking. Would it be the wrong time to show up? If he would be tired, wouldn't he be in a bad mood and ruin everything? And what if Charlotte was there? So many questions and 'if's ran through her mind at the moment, that she could barely keep up with them. She would have lied if she said she wasn't extremely worried. If some moments ago she was all prepared to face him, now, as they neared his house, she felt herself growing nervous with every step, hands slightly shaking as they grasped the plush toy she kept by her side. Maybe this is why she back away so many times before. It was only when it was something unplanned that she would feel the courage pilling up in her heart. She could only guess what would be Trent's reactions and what would be the outcome of this. Her only hope was that he would listen to her instead of just shoving her away the moment he would see her, or do even worse than that.

Chloe raised an eyebrow at him too. "What I was trying to say is that there's more stress than when I would simply talk with someone. I have to be careful about each and every word and avoid sounding like I'm the exact type of person he hates the most." she stated before, she gave a little sigh. "But... what will we do when we get there? You'd probably have to explain why you're here too. Though, I guess he might trust you more than me, so it would probably be the best for you to talk first. Or would it be the other way around?" she mumbled, scratching the side of her head. She then shook her head. "This is so complicated... I just need him to listen without me ending up being strangled. But, I can almost see him getting mad at the mere sight of me." she added with a disappointed sigh.
 
((Sleep? I’ve forgotten what that is, please remind me? xD Sunday today so I’ll just sleep during the day or something, it’s cloudy outside anyway so it makes little difference xD))

Chloe really must have been worked up as she quickly responded with a clarification, Jared had been well aware of what she meant, what he’d wanted to say was that for as long as Chloe thought of Trent as the most important person in her life, her thoughts and emotions would get through even the red heads stubborn thick skull. But apparently his message hadn’t been understood or even recognized, and upon seeing her hands trembling slightly. Jared decided that going on would only result in the pair of them making a fool of themselves. Stopping and turning to face her. Jared stood right infront of the girl, blocking her path as if to say she wasn’t allowed to go any further, a mixture of irritation and concern mingling on his face. “Okay, stop, we’re not going anywhere until you’ve calmed down” he stated folding his arms and looking her over. Ever since the hug Jared had been avoiding looking at her too closely, but his more bossy side was starting to creep out, being that old hag’s son he couldn’t be completely spineless afterall. “Earlier today you said I didn’t have to say anything, and now you want me to speak to him first?” he asked sounding a bit cross. “ More importantly are you really going to be satisfied if he believes me over you? We might be on the same side this time, but if I can make him trust me, and you can’t, that means I mean more to him than you do, you realize that right?” he asked, his lips twitching as an imaginary foul taste spread throughout his mouth. He hated speaking to Chloe like this but what had to be said, had to be said. “If that’s the extent of how much you care about Trent, we should forget this whole thing, and the next time you see Trent, you can greet him as the girlfriend of his friend, instead of his sister. Is that what you want?”

Jared entire body suddenly jerked backwards, a confused look briefly flashing over his face as if he just realized he’d said something he shouldn’t have, but he quickly pieced himself together again, placing a reassuring hand on Chloe shoulder and smiling warmly at her. “Sorry, I could have been nicer there, but the message still stands, if you screw up, you screw up. It’s not a do or die situation her Chloe, and if you fail we can just try tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that until we get through to that idiot. I’ll be here for you for as long as you need me, and if Trent got mad at you that just means you’re making progress. If he was one hundred percent sure you were a fake he wouldn’t have gotten mad, he wouldn’t have even spoken to you. Just relax, and be your usual self, if that means you’ll be yelling at him and complaining that he’s a stubborn fool, then so be it.”
 
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