Hand In Glove

Chapter 30

Chloe searched her closet for something to wear. Mike would be there to pick her up soon. Ashton had already left for his gig that night. He'd left rather early. She suspected it was to avoid running into Mike. He'd hardly said a word to her the last couple of days. Whatever. She didn't owe him anything. She found a skirt and a nice top to wear.

Mike turned up right on time. She opened the door and asked him to step in for a minute. He smiled wide and glanced around the front room while she gathered her things. He was very well dressed, wearing a slick jacket and tie. "Hello, Chloe," he said, allowing his eyes to linger on her body a little too long. He sat down in Ashton's armchair, surveying the place. "So, where's the superstar?"

"Oh, he and the band have a show tonight so I'm here alone," Chloe answered, returning with her jacket. "Shall we?" She motioned to the door.

"I suppose I won't get a chance to run into him tonight. These gigs can run pretty late," he acknowledged.

"Yeah, usually and sometimes he doesn't get back until three or four in the morning," Chloe said as they stepped out toward his car.

***

Ashton arrived at Nick's place with time to spare. He just had to get out of the house before he said anything stupid. If Chloe wanted to go out with that snake, he didn't want to be around to watch. He was just grateful to have the gig to keep him busy that night. "Hey, Nick, almost ready?"

"Just about. What's the hurry, anyway? Hey, where's Chloe?" Nick asked, searching around Ashton while he continued fixing his hair.

"Chloe... she's all you ever talk about anymore," Ashton answered sharply. "Well, Chloe is on a date with Mike," he said, exaggerating the name.

"What? You're kidding? That greasy bastard from New Year's?" Nick shouted, dropping his hairbrush. "Come on, Ashton. What the hell? What's wrong with you? You're going to lose that girl, you know that!"

"Hey, it's her decision and I won't get in her way. I just wish she'd make better choices about who she dates," Ashton said through a clenched jaw.

"Well, I think you're dropping the ball here. You know you're in love with her. Anyone can see that and as much as it pains me to admit, I think she's in love with you, poor girl. So go ahead and be the tough guy and hopefully one day she'll realize you don't deserve her. That's where I'll come in. Because you see, I'd be on that like nobody's business," Nick said, getting up in Ashton's face.

"Like I've said before. You should have her. She likes you. I won't get in your way," Ashton said.

"Damn, you're blind. What's happened to you, Ashton? Are you still messed up about that suicidal girl? That's it, isn't it? That was over two years ago. She survived! She's probably forgotten all about you by now. When are you going to snap out of this self-imposed martyrdom? It's really getting old," Nick shouted.

"Back off, Nick. You don't know what you're talking about," Ashton hissed.

Nick shook his head and answered his ringing phone. "Hey, what's up, Jamie? Really? That sucks. How did that happen? Yeah, I guess you did. Okay, later." Nick hung up and exhaled.

"What now?" Ashton asked.

"Well, it turns out Jamie got the dates mixed up. We're not slated for tonight after all. Which is probably a good thing because you're pissing me off, so maybe we'll call it a night," Nick said, pushing past him.

Ashton soon arrived back home. He felt like crap. First for arguing with Nick and now for the way he acted toward Chloe. Nick was right, exactly right. His best friend could always see through his pretenses. Now it was too late. She was out with that sleazeball and he was home alone.