Let The Years Be

It took a while, but Chloe finally got her breath back. She leaned against the wall, her medicine gripped tight in her hand, shielding her face to keep the pollen at bay.

She had not even had a second to catch her breath when Andrew's accusing voice hit her like a slap.

"Why are you always picking on Helen? She gives us these flowers and you just throw them on the ground!"

Stephen's voice, thick with anger, was not far behind. "Chloe, you've been acting so unreasonably lately. What's gotten into you?"

Chloe inhaled deeply, shaking with a mix of anger and frustration. She had a storm of words inside her, ready to burst out, but all that came out was a choked sob, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Me, changed? Have I really changed, or is it you who changed? I have asthma, and I'm allergic to pollen. How could you forget that?"

Her voice was weak, but her words hit Andrew and Stephen like a bolt of lightning.

They used to be so attentive to her needs.

Whenever Chloe had an asthma attack, they were the ones panicking, ditching class and jumping fences to get back to her, eyes red with worry, hovering by her bed, ready to do anything for her.

They had forgotten something so crucial.

Maybe realizing his mistake, Andrew's face went through shades of guilt, and after a moment, a trace of apology showed through his usually stoic expression.

"Sorry."

Stephen's brows knitted together as he thought about Chloe's painful episodes. They had been through so many together, and he knew just how much she suffered.

He stepped closer, concerned about etching his face. "Hey, were you okay earlier? I'm sorry about the flowers. Helen picked them herself out in the wild. She put her heart into them, and that's why I was so worried."

Chloe did not say a word.

Once she took her medicine and her color started coming back, Andrew and Stephen quickly got the flowers out of there.

They did not come home for days after that. Their room stayed dark.

Chloe did not seem to mind. She had her hands full, packing up her stuff.

It was only after she had packed most of her things that she really looked at the house.

She had bought it first, but Andrew and Stephen, wanting to be close to her, bought the houses next door. They knocked through the walls, and that was how they ended up with that big place.

However, only a third of it was really hers. Selling it was going to be a hassle.

The day Andrew and Stephen finally came back, they walked right into a meeting between Chloe and a real estate agent.

Andrew's face went stone-cold at the sight of a stranger in their home. "Who are you, and what's your business here?"

The agent was clearly intimidated by their intense stares but managed to stammer out, "Good day. I'm an agent, and the owner wants to sell the place."

'Sell the house?'

Andrew and Stephen looked at each other, both floored.

They were about to kick the guy out when Chloe came downstairs.

"I'm the one selling the house," she said, her voice steady. "I was just about to talk to you both about it."

Hearing that, Andrew and Stephen's hearts skipped a beat, and they blurted out together, "Why sell it? Aren't we happy living here?"

Stephen, recalling that day's events, figured and asked straight up, "You're not still upset about what happened a few days ago, are you?"

He was obviously rattled and did something rare for him—he apologized, "We totally didn't mean to forget about your allergy to pollen. Does it really have to go this far?"

Chloe shook her head with a calmness that did not quite reach her eyes, "It's not about what happened before."

'It's about you guys. I just don't want anything to do with you anymore.'

She kept those thoughts to herself and said, "You both know I quit my job. When I find a new one, it won't make sense to live here anymore. Plus, we've been roommates for years, so we don't need to be joined at the hip."

Andrew's face was a mask of seriousness, and he was not budging.

"If it's about the job, Stephen and I can drive you. You don't have to worry. You said it yourself, we've been living together for ages. We're used to it. Why split up now?"

"Exactly, with Andrew and me around, we could even get a driver for you. I'm not on board with breaking up the band," Stephen chimed in, just as opposed.

Chloe, seeing she was not getting through to them, massaged her forehead, puzzled by their stubbornness.

She decided to lay down her ace. "Well, if that's how it is, let's sell this place and get a bigger one. Then we can have Helen move in with us too."

The mention of Helen's name did the trick, their eyes lit up, and they wavered.

Finally, Stephen caved to the idea. "If that's the plan, I guess I'm in."

Andrew's gaze was deep and troubled as he watched her, a storm of emotions swirling in his eyes. "Would you really be okay with Helen moving in?"

He could not shake the feeling that there was more to it than met the eye.

However, before he could figure it out, Chloe's laughter cut through his doubts.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be? We're friends, aren't we?"

With her mind made up on the spot, Chloe declared, "That settles it, then. We'll sell this place and find a new one."

Her words left Andrew and Stephen speechless, neither of them finding the words to argue.