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Chapter 2 – Harry's P.O.V.

            "You get this room all to yourself tonight," I smiled genuinely as I set Chloe's suitcases in the guestroom.

            I turned to look at her, but saw she was already staring at me. She tore her gaze away immediately, gnawing on her bottom lip as she nervously twiddled her thumbs. I watched her curiously as she stepped an inch into the room, her frantic eyes wandering over it. The balcony, the queen-sized bed, and the small closet opposite it. My favorite part about this apartment was the balconies, especially since we're decently close to the beach. All you have to do is walk across the street, and your feet hit the warm sand and the fresh scent of saltwater overpowers your senses.

            "Do you like it?" I asked her, seeing she was still looking around.

            Chloe didn't move her lips as she slowly nodded her head.

            I smiled, nodding back at her. "All right. Would you like some dinner? Elizabeth said you came all the way from North Carolina. I don't know the distance between there and here, but it has to be multiple hours. You're probably hungry."

            I was desperately trying to get her to speak, but she merely shrugged her shoulders, her eyes locked on me. I mentally sighed at her lack of speaking, but then managed another smile and nodded my head towards the hallway. "Come on, love. You can see if there's anything you like."

            Chloe followed me out the door, still nervously looking around, biting her bottom lip and fumbling with her hands. She was scared, I could tell. It was evident in her face and timid eyes. I can understand her fear, since she doesn't know me and Elizabeth said she's been gone for three years. She must be worried about trying to fit back in or something, but I guess I can do my best to help her get situated.

            "Elizabeth went to the store to get some more sodas," I told Chloe as we entered the kitchen. "She should be back before you know it."

            Chloe nodded again, then her eyes fell onto a barstool. She looked like she didn't know if she were allowed to sit or not.

            "You can sit down, love," I smiled, pulling the chair out for her.

            Chloe hesitated, pursing her lips before she gave me another faint nod. She slid into the chair, but I noticed her entire body was trembling. The poor thing is shaking like a wet dog. But how the hell am I supposed to know what's bothering her if she won't speak? I guess I can try and warm her up to me, but how am I supposed to do that if she won't speak? She needs to talk so we can compromise...

            "You don't talk much, do you?" I asked quietly as I stood opposite her of the counter. My eyes scanned her face intently, but all they were giving me was beauty and fear. Still, I haven't even heard her speak yet. She didn't say a word back at Elizabeth's house, or even in the car ride when we were trying to form conversation.

            Chloe stared back at me, then slowly shook her head.

            "Why not?" I asked softly, not wanting to push her to speak. If she is "mental," I heard they don't like to be questioned.

            Chloe took her eyes off mine, looking down at her lap and nervously scrabbling hands. "T-they don't w-want me to," she whispered, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

            They?

            My eyebrows etched together in confusion, but I didn't want to push her on the subject due to her fear-filled face. "Well, they aren't too nice to you if they won't let you speak," I told her gently, and her head jerked up at my sentence.

            "You don't know them," she whispered, her eyes locked sternly on my face.

            I gave her a small smile. "I don't," I admitted, then decided to change the subject before she freaked out on me. "Do you like pancakes, love?"

            "Aren't those for breakfast?" she asked in her same soft voice, but I smiled at the fact that she was talking.

            "Breakfast for dinner," I smiled, watching as Chloe bit her lip to hold back a small grin. She slowly nodded and I grinned, grabbing the batter and heating up a skillet.

            A silence fell over us, but it was a comfortable one. Since she gave me a little bit of words, it wasn't awkward anymore. I know she has a voice, and that's all that matters. So thinking this, I couldn't stop grinning as I poured small circles in the heated pan. I actually got her to talk, even when her own sister couldn't. That was something to be proud of, if you ask me.

            Deciding to show off some skill, I attempted on flipping the pancakes with the skillet instead of a spatula. I've never succeeded in this before, but why not try again?

            The first attempt, I flicked my wrist too hard and the pancake flew into the air and close to the ceiling. Chloe watched it intently with wide eyes, but then it came down and smacked me right in the face. It stayed there.

            I frowned, pulling the pancake off, but then I saw Chloe was smiling. A large smile, and God was it beautiful. She was so pretty it was insane, but her smile just blew me away. And then her smile turned into a faint giggle. A small one, but definitely audible. So, deciding I wanted to hear more of that angelic laugh, I smiled back and tried my pancake flipping skills once more.

            Again, it was a fail as the pancake flipped all the way behind me. My eyebrows etched together as I looked up and around for it, but then I busted out into a fit of laughter at the pancake laying on Chloe's head. She stared at me laughing, and then that smile sketched onto her lips again. In no time, she was full out laughing. With me. We were laughing together, and I must admit, I liked the harmonic sound we were creating. 

            "I'm sorry, love," I chuckled as I walked over, grabbing the half-cooked pancake off her head. She giggled as bits of batter stuck to her hair, and I attempted on scraping it out with my fingertips.

            I continued trying to get the batter out her hair, both of us giggling like middle school children. Our laughing stopped abruptly when we heard someone loudly and purposely clear their throat. We both looked to the doorway to see Elizabeth standing there, a true look of disgust wiped on her face as she stared at us. I almost wanted to laugh... She was jealous of her "mental" sister. How ironic.        

            "Did I miss anything?" Elizabeth asked, slapping a fake smile onto her face as she tossed the Pepsi bottles onto the counter. She was full of fake smiles.

            "Seriously? Did you really just throw the thing?" I groaned as I walked over to pick them up as they scattered across the floor.

            I noticed how silent Chloe went, and her eyes were back on her lap. Her hands were twiddling again, and she had the same blank expression on her face. She was scared again, and that's what bothered me.

            "Did you have fun molesting my insane sister?" Elizabeth growled in my ear so only I could hear.

            "Are you fucking kidding me?" I spat in the same low tone, clear anger in my voice. "Why do you keep talking like that?"

            "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you fucked Anna Watkins junior year," she hissed.

            I rolled my eyes. "We weren't even together then, so what's the problem?"

            "The problem is that you're a player and you go around fucking every girl you see and—"

            "Please stop," Chloe choked out and we both turned to look at her. Her hands were clamped over her ears, her bottom lip quivering as she looked on the verge of tears. Her eyes were still on her lap as she lightly rocked back and forth.

            "Go to another fucking room if you don't like it," Elizabeth hissed.

            I stared at her in shock. "What is wrong with you?" I grumbled. "She clearly doesn't like arguing or cursing, so cut it out."

            "Oh, and her damn feelings mean the fucking world to you, don't they?" Elizabeth snarled, her eyes of hatred locked on me.

            "Stop it," Chloe choked out again, her voice a little higher than last time as her rocking picked up pace.

            "Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck, fuck!" Elizabeth yelled.

            "Elizabeth!" I screamed, eyeing her in anger as tears started rolling down Chloe's cheeks. She squeezed her eyes closed, breathing heavily as she pulled her knees up to her chest.

            "She should've stayed in the fucking mental institution," Elizabeth growled, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

            I ignored her, walking over to Chloe and placing a comforting hand on her back, but she squirmed away from me. "Please don't," she whispered, her voice cracking mid-sentence as her hands were still over her ears.

            "I'm not going to hurt you, Chloe," I said gingerly, but she still inched away from my attempt to comfort her.

            "C-can I g-go to the r-room?" Chloe stammered, her eyes still watering as she managed to look up at me.

            "Of course," I told her quietly, and she quickly slid out the chair. Without another word and still covering her ears, she scurried up the stairs. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I spat at Elizabeth in a whisper-yell.

            "I didn't do anything," Elizabeth whispered-yelled back. "It's her fault for being emotional."

            "She just got released from the damn hospital!" I exclaimed. "You can't expect her to be happy and prancing around like she's excited. Clearly, she has some problems with some people."

            Elizabeth laughed in annoyance. "So now I'm the reason she's crying?" She chuckled in disbelief, then snatched her purse off the counter. "All right, asshole. Believe what you want and have fun fucking a mental patient."

            With that said, Elizabeth stormed out the kitchen and to the front door, slamming it behind her. And for once in my life since I've been with her, I felt extremely relieved to watch her leave.