“why don’t you come and live with me?”

“I don’t want to bother you too, I have found an apartment on Fontaines Carrees Street.” Chloe put on her shoes and turned to Cherie, who was lying there, looking at her with pleading eyes, “I know you are my best friend, but this is your apartment after all, I need to rent my own and make and save money, Mr. Cleveland has been the kindest person for keeping me for so long, I don’t want to move out from his house and continue directly moving into yours and just stay in.”

“I don’t mind if you stay in, you can live here forever if you like.” Cherie pouted and buried her face under the sheet.

“Come on, I know you don’t mind but I do. I got to get going. Working today." Chloe opened the door. Cherie lived very near to the Cleveland’s, so Chloe turned down Cherie’s offering to drive her to work. She walked alone on the street, feeling so refreshed.

She had been sad and not sleeping well and eating well these days since the breakup, she would occasionally think of Liam and cry her heart out. However, after she had heard what the woman said to Liam, everything seemed not that important anymore.

She didn’t have to care about his joys and sorrows, didn’t have to worry about the daily basic necessity of his life, and the lease of that apartment was due three months ago and he’d been paying the rent himself. Maybe that was when he started to be with that woman.

Seeing not far away before the entrance of the Cleveland’s building standing the handsome Christopher, Chloe smiled. Is he waiting for me?

Chloe hurried up to sign in and turned to him, some of her colleagues passing by eyeing her in envy. Christopher didn’t say a word, only looked at her for quite a while. Chloe sensed the awkwardness in the air and glanced somewhere else, when she remembered about her new found apartment and opened her mouth.

“Good morning Mr. Cleveland, how are you today? I’ve found an new apartment, I think I’ll probably move in this afternoon after work. I have caused you so much trouble these days, thank you so much.” Chloe bowed her thanks after she had explained everything. When she looked at him again, she noticed slight unhappiness in his eyes, which she didn’t think much of and only found weird, “so.. I’ll just go in first...”

Then suddenly Chloe was dragged into the building by Christopher with long strides, and Chloe followed him staggering her every hard step. Finally they entered THE elevator, when Christopher turned to her.

“Do me a favor?”

“What?”

“Just pretend you are my girlfriend, you don’t have to say anything later, and play along no matter what I do.”

“What?”

“Bing!” the door opened, Christopher put his arm around Chloe’s shoulders like he had done it millions of times. Chloe gaped at him.

“Here you are?” there was this woman sitting on Chloe’s seat, a graceful creature, the tenderness around the features on her face only made her even more beautiful and charming. Long tulle skirt, simple silvery high heeled sandals, only one sight and you’ll never forget her beauty and figure.

“Here I am.” Christopher answered like he was talking to a stranger and walked into his office, still with his arm around her. Chloe was not fully aware of this whole situation, and acted like a puppet in Christopher’s hand.

“Wait up!”

“You can come in.”

“...” Yvonne followed them into the office. Christopher held Chloe tight in his arm sitting on the couch, and Yvonne just stood before the table smiling at him silently, with an absolutely appropriate distance before them.

“Hello, I’m Yvonne, pleasure to meet you.” Yvonne introduced herself to Chloe, her smile as soft as the moonlight.

“Um, Hi, I’m Chloe...”

“My fiancee.” Christopher picked up her line, and reached out his right hand and held hers so tight.

“Oh, congratulations. My intention of this visit today is to send my invitation, Shane and I are getting married, at the end of this month. I do hope, you two can come to my wedding.”

Chloe felt Christopher’s hand trembled a bit as Yvonne expressed her generous welcome. She was wondering what on earth had happened between them.

“Sure, I’ll be there.” Christopher gave a dry answer. He seemed to be avoiding her deliberately, suppressing his emotions deep inside.

“That will be great, and I hope you two can also be as happy as forever. I’ll see you then.” She turned and made her exit.

Christopher finally let slip Chloe’s hands, still sitting there stiffened, no expression, no words, only staring at the cups on the table.

“She was my girlfriend, we broke up.”

“How are you felling?”

“...” Christopher didn’t say anything. He turned to look at Chloe, who looked worried for him, and pulled her into his arms, his breath in her ear. Chloe felt nervous in his arms, she patted her back like she was comforting a weeping baby, “thank you, but I’m afraid there will be one more thing to trouble you.”

“To go to the wedding with you?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“OK.” Chloe promised him obediently, very gentle. Christopher smiled and let her go.

“You are a good person.”

“... I think so too,” she joked, “you have been good to me this whole time. It’s not a big deal, only remember to give me a raise!” Chloe made fun of him and grinned. Christopher looked at her and felt much better.

“Do you have to move out?” Christopher remembered what she had said at the gate of the company about how she had found a apartment.

“Yes, because I don’t want to stay in yours all the time, we are not related anyway.”

“Maybe we should become related!” said Christopher with an earnest look at Chloe. She turned to him and couldn’t believe what she had heard and tried to understand what he really meant.

“...”

I’m just joking, OK, I think it’s time to get to work, go get me a coffee.”

“OK, I’m on it.” Chloe walked out the office, the words ‘maybe we should be related’ still echoed in her mind.

“Maybe it’s just that, he just met the girl he once loved so much, that’s why he acted so weird,” Chloe started to write in her mind the most moving and tear working love story of Yvonne and Christopher. When he heard she was going to get married, he did have seemed to be very sad. So she felt sorry for him for one moment and went to the lounge to prepared his coffee.

After work that afternoon, Chloe packed her stuff at Christopher’s and moved out.

“Are you really not considering dating him?” Cherie had been gossiping all the way and wouldn’t stop at this moment, “he’s cute, and rich, just look at his villa, that’s really impressive!”

“Yes it is impressive but it’s not mine. And he has a girl he really loved, or still loves, and she is getting married at the end of this month. He must be very sad about that and definitely have no time to think about dating me or something.” Chloe sat on the passenger’s seat and didn’t want to answer her. She hated her colleagues for gossiping everyday and now her best friend had joined them to hammer her.

“Look, this is a perfect opportunity, be there for him, comfort him, make him fall in love with you, then fix his wounds and make him love you deeper, then he’ll be never able to leave you!” Cherie fantasized, and Chloe couldn’t help pinching her cheek.

“Keep your mind on the steering wheel.”

“Well, in my humble opinion, he does have a thing for you. As for his wounds,” she quoted herself, “just on the basis that he asked you to be his fake girlfriend? This presumption is not at all reliable, you must have watched too much TV dramas.”