Chloe Saunders (littlenecro) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-06-14 21:38:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !partner thread, chloe saunders, thalia grace |
Who: Chloe and Thalia
What: Thalia has a story to tell
Where: Victrola
When: Recently
Rating: PG-13
Status: Complete
Victrola might be a hotbed of sin and iniquity (whatever iniquity was; Thalia had just heard the word and liked it), but it was also discreet. And when you had your own private booth, courtesy of being buds with the owner, it could be extremely discreet.
Thalia wasn't there to get a blow job from an intern or get herself a gay hookup or whatever else went on in the dark seats; she just wanted a place where she could get tasty fizzy drinks and talk without being misquoted in the rags the next day.
“Hey,” she greeted when Chloe came in. She was already on her second Shirley Temple. “Want anything?”
***
They had kept true to their plans and met up on Wednesday so that Chloe could hear about what had been going on in Thalia’s life. She hadn’t been to Victrola before, but if she knew that Chuck Bass owned it she would have asked Thalia to meet somewhere else. That one night stand had been strange and she really didn’t want to run into him even though she doubted he would even remember.
Once inside the club she made her way to the booths and found the correct one. She smiled when she stepped into the booth and saw Thalia there with a Shirley Temple, “Oh hey! And I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
***
Thalia waved down the waiter to give the order, then turned back to Chloe. “I thought about trying something more adventurous,” she said of her drink. “But I decided I wanted something nice and familiar. How’ve you been?”
***
“I totally get that. I mean who can say no to a Shirley Temple? They’re delicious and don’t leave you with a hangover,” Chloe didn’t mind drinking, especially now that she was legally able to do so, but sometimes just having a fizzy kid drink was just as good. She settled into a spot in the booth and smiled, “And I’ve been good, how about you?”
***
“Eh.” Thalia wiggled her hand to indicate a so-so gesture. “Had some stuff happen. I did tell you there was going to be a story about a boy, didn’t I?”
But of course she didn’t launch into the story just yet. She might not be an actress or a screenwriter, but Thalia had been around Hollywood long enough to know how to tell a story.
***
“You did tell me that. That’s the only reason I came down here,” Chloe teased with a wink. Chloe couldn’t resist a good story, it was in her blood, and she secretly enjoyed hearing about drama that didn’t involve her. She would never tell Thalia that, so she crossed her legs and leaned towards her friend. The waitress came back with her drink and she took a sip before grinning, “Okay, now I’m ready. Spill it.”
***
It was a story Thalia had kept to herself until now, partly out of heartbreak, partly out of the desire to have something private, something no one else knew about or could report about. But it was hard to get closure on something kept so close, without the ability to get an outside viewpoint to give perspective. And now that she was about to do it, Thalia found herself hesitant, unsure of where to start.
“There’s a boy,” she finally said. But that was a given, wasn’t it? “I met him that year when I went to boarding school in Connecticut.” Her lips tugged upwards in a wistful smile. “I was absolutely crazy about him. We were going to run away together, travel the world hobo-style.”
***
When Thalia started the story with the fact that it was a boy she couldn’t help but smirk a little. Boys were always causing trouble when it came to love lives, but she was curious to know what got Thalia so upset. And then there was the comment about running away together and Chloe had to admit she was surprised, She could see the hobo lifestyle for Thalia, but she was surprised that Thalia would involve someone else in it, “And he ditched your plan?” Obviously it hadn’t happened or else she wouldn’t here.
***
“I thought he did.” Thalia looked down at her drink as she stirred it, because it was easier to tell the story when she didn't have to see how Chloe was taking it.
“Basically the night we were going to run away, I got a call that the PI I’d hired to find my brother got a lead on him. So I dropped everything to chase it down. I texted Luke to tell him that, and told him to wait. But when I got back, he was gone. For the longest time, I thought he just decided to take off without me.”
***
Even if Thalia wasn’t looking at her Chloe was keeping a close eye on her friend as they spoke. It made sense that she would drop it all for her brother because that was incredibly important. But it seemed odd that the boy in this story would just be gone. “So, wait. He didn’t just take off without you? What happened to him?” That had to be the part that got complicated. Maybe he hadn’t actually disappeared and Thalia had misread the disappearance.
***
“He thought I took off,” Thalia said, releasing the words between her teeth. “Because somehow he never got my text. That’s what he says, anyway. And he got caught up in something - saw something he shouldn’t have seen - and took off for his own safety.”
But all of this was in the past, right? Nope.
“And now he’s here.”
***
That was odd. She could understand texts not getting through, but it would be strange that he wouldn’t work harder to try and get a hold of her just to make sure. Running off was a big deal, so he should really make sure the plan was fully going into effect with her. The part about seeing something he shouldn’t have seen was a little suspicious, but she decided not to touch on it, “And he’s here? Wow. So….are you talking to him here? I mean, it’s fine if you are, but maybe approach with caution?”
***
That gave Thalia pause. She’d just accepted Luke’s explanation without question, because the boy she knew wouldn’t lie about something like that. Then again, the boy she knew also wouldn’t have just taken off without her.
“You think he’s making up that whole ‘have to leave’ thing?” she asked warily. There was hope and disappointment both in her voice.
***
“Maybe? I mean, I’m not 100% sure about anything, but I’ve watched a lot of movies and tv shows. It sounds a little sketchy. I would just make sure to tread carefully at first to make sure you don’t get hurt,” Chloe explained quickly. She didn’t want to ruin Thalia’s mood or mess up the potential relationship, but she would do things with caution at first, “Don’t fall back in love right away.”
***
It was a fair point, and one Thalia had thought about herself. It felt like it had been so long since she’d been that young, laughing girl who’d loved Luke and saw the whole world in front of her. Who was to say either of them was the same? She knew she wasn’t. Maybe they’d changed enough that they weren’t right for each other anymore. Thalia had been crushed when she’d found him gone, and this time he’d made no bones about the fact that he wasn’t going to be staying. She was just setting herself up for disappointment if she went in with any expectations.
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen,” Thalia assured her with more bravado than she felt. There was still a part of her that went right back to lovestruck teenage mode when talking with Luke, even if it was tempered by bitterness and disappointment. Her job was to just keep that little bit in check.
“Anyway, I hired a PI to look into his story,” she said. “So that’ll turn up something or another.”
***
“Oooo, that’s a good idea. I really do hope it turns out well for you though. I can see that you care deeply about him and I don’t want you to be unhappy,” Chloe answered honestly. Hopefully the PI would figure something out, but she also didn’t want to be horrible news. If Thalia and this boy were meant to be together then it would end up working out in the end. It was hard to let go of people. The most Chloe could do was be around for her friend and she was willing and able to do that, “I’m glad you told me though.”
***
“Me too,” Thalia said, a little surprised at how true that was. She was so used to keeping the truth to herself so it wouldn’t be plastered everywhere, and she’d missed having a confidante, someone to talk things out with and give her advice. “I haven’t told anyone any of this, and it’s good to finally get it off my chest.”
***
“I’m always here if you need to talk,” Chloe answered honestly. Her friends were important to her and she was incredibly loyal to them, so if Thalia needed her she would be there. She leaned over and gave Thalia a hug and grinned, “I think it’s time for us to drink a couple more of these Shirley Temples and then get some dancing in. You’ve done enough soul bearing for the evening, I think.”
***
“I’ll definitely drink to that,” Thalia said, lifting her Shirley Temple. After all that soul-baring, she was ready to just not think about Luke and the implications of what she’d discovered. Tonight, she could just lose herself in dance. She’d hear back from Killian soon enough.