Marriage Matters

Sixty-four

As Chloe trudged up the steps to her apartment, she took it all in. The heavy cement porch railings. The steep stairs. The familiar onion smell of the lobby. It was so strange to think that she’d be leaving it behind.

The hallway was quiet as Chloe pulled out her keys. She stood at her door a little longer than necessary, jiggling the lock. If Ben was home, he didn’t bother to come out to see what all the commotion was about.

Pushing open her apartment door, Chloe shuddered to think of the mess that was waiting for her. Dishes in the sink, laundry scattered everywhere and Whiskers’ self-cleaning litter certainly needed to be changed by now. On top of that, Chloe hadn’t dusted or cleaned the bathrooms in months.

Oh, well. It was time to suck it up and get caught up. One day soon, she was going to have to pack up her apartment and clean it for good. For some reason, the thought made her incredibly sad.

Walking in, she stopped in surprise. “What?”

The place did not smell like cat litter; it smelled like Lemon Pine-Sol. The kitchen counters were bright white, clear of any dishes or clutter. The trash had been taken out and—she gasped—her laundry was neatly folded in baskets sitting on the couch. It was tagged with a receipt from the local Laundromat.

Chloe put her hand to her heart. Geoff must have sent his housekeeper over to clean. She couldn’t believe it. Ever since the registration fiasco, she’d been a little wary. There was so much going on in her life but it felt like his life always took precedence. Sometimes, she wondered how much he really cared. But this—Chloe’s eyes swept over the dust-free living room—this was exactly what she’d needed.

Taking out her cell, she punched in his number. “Hi . . .” Mary Beth, of course, was screaming like a banshee in the background. “You are the best fiancé in the world.”

At the sound of her voice, Whiskers came bounding out of the bedroom. Purring and meowing, the cat weaved in and out of Chloe’s legs. She bent down and rubbed her ears.

“Are you home?” Geoff’s voice was warm.

Mary Beth screamed a little louder, most likely annoyed to share her father with the phone.

“Yes.” Scooping up Whiskers, Chloe strolled into the bedroom. “And I just wanted to say . . . Oh, my gosh!”

Chloe stopped in surprise. On her bed sat a display of six entertainment magazines, a box of caramel and sea salt chocolates and a bottle of red wine. “Wow.” Her mood instantly lifted. “I’m going to have to get fired more often.”

“Is there something you need?” Geoff asked. “Sorry, but Mary Beth’s having a bit of a meltdown.”

Setting Whiskers down on the bedspread, she reached for the card on the box of chocolates. “No, I just wanted to call and say thanks.”

“For . . . ?”

Chloe cocked her head in confusion. “For . . .” Suddenly, she looked down at the card on the bed. It was homemade, with a brightly colored graphic design on the cover.

Ben.

Chloe almost dropped the phone. “For . . . For being so understanding today.”

“Of course,” he said. “I love you. I have to go. See you tomorrow, okay?”

“Goodnight.” Hanging up the phone, she opened the card with shaking hands.

Hey, Chloe,

Considering the foul odor coming out of your apartment, I had two choices: call the health department or clean it. Since I hate bureaucracy, I decided to give it a little scrub.

Consider it a “Sorry I’m going to miss your engagement party” sort of thing.

P.S. Whiskers had me get you some wine, some magazines and a pet mouse to make up for it. If the pet mouse is missing by the time you get home, talk to your cat.

Missing my friend but happy she’s happy, Ben.

Chloe read the note three times. She touched the collection of magazines and the box of candies. Whiskers, who was stretched out next to it all like the rightful owner, watched Chloe with her wide yellow eyes.

“He cleaned my apartment,” Chloe whispered. “And . . .” Blushing, she thought about Ben gathering up her laundry. Thank goodness he’d sent it out instead of doing it himself. She couldn’t imagine how much it cost him, though. Probably a fortune.

Whiskers hopped up, stalked to the end of the bed and yawned. For a cat that had been left alone for days at a time, she certainly didn’t seem hungry for attention. Chloe watched the easy loll of the pink tongue and the flash of white needle teeth. Suddenly, she got the picture.

“You’ve been over there, haven’t you?” she demanded. “Ben’s been taking you over to his apartment to play.”

Whiskers stretched, then gracefully started giving her legs a bath. Unbelievable. Just like any female in Ben’s company, Whiskers had blossomed.

Jumping to her feet, Chloe padded out of the bedroom, across the hall and to his apartment, her heart pounding in her chest. Whiskers trotted faithfully behind, as though used to the route. Taking a deep breath, Chloe knocked on the door and waited.

Nothing. Not a sound. He wasn’t home. Disappointed, she took out her cell phone and called him.

He picked up on the first ring. “You must have seen my handiwork.”

Ben’s voice was so incredibly cheerful and familiar that a grin stretched across her face. Whiskers rubbed up against her legs and looked at the phone, as though she knew it was him.

“I’m standing here with my cat,” Chloe said, “who has obviously fallen madly in love with you.”

“It’s amazing what a little catnip can do.”

Chloe smiled, leaning against his door. There was a silence. Then they both spoke at the same time. “Thank you so much—”

“I hope you don’t mind that I—”

There was an awkward pause, then Ben laughed. “I think you were about to thank me.”

“I was. That was probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.” She shook her head. “And the U.K. version of Star? I mean, seriously. That was just a whole new level of awesome.”

“You deserve it.” Ben’s voice was low, earnest. “I want you to be happy.”

Chloe closed her eyes. It struck her then that she was standing across from the exact spot where they’d kissed that one night. A funny feeling started in her gut. It was almost as though . . . It was almost as though she wished it could happen again. Right now. That Ben would walk up those stairs and take her into his . . .

“Clo?” Ben’s voice was soft. “You still there?”

“Uh . . .” She looked at the phone in horror. Her hands were sweating. The phone case was actually slightly damp. “Yes, I just . . .”

“What’s wrong?”

Chloe didn’t know what to say. Maybe it was the pressure. Maybe there was just too much going on in her life and she longed for a simpler time. Or maybe—“I think I’m having a pre-wedding meltdown,” she said, giving a strangled laugh. “I really—”

“You really what?”

“I really miss you,” she whispered. “I mean, bad.”

As Chloe watched, Whiskers scratched at Ben’s door, as though desperate to get inside. Whiskers looked up at her as though to say, Is he coming home?

“Chloe, I—”

Just then, she heard a distinct female voice on the line. “Babe, are you coming in? The movie’s going to start.”

“You’re on a date.” Chloe’s heart plummeted into her stomach. “I’m so sorry. To interrupt.”

“Do you want me to come home?” Ben asked. “Chloe, I’ll come home. Right now.”

Yes, it was what she wanted more than anything in the world. To spend her night of silence and solitude with Ben, watching reality television and ordering Thai food. But looking down at her engagement ring, she realized those days were long gone. Her eyes filled with tears.

“Don’t come home. Have fun on your date.”

“Chloe, seriously—”

“Ben,” she practically shouted. “I’m fine! If I need someone, I’ll call Geoff. Okay?”

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Chloe could hear the people in the movie theater walking by, talking and laughing. She could picture Ben standing there, with his latest conquest hanging on to his jacket like an accessory.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice hurt. “Sure thing. You do that.”

“Thank you for everything.” Chloe gripped the phone. “Seriously. I . . . I appreciate you.”

Hanging up the phone, she stood in the hallway for a long moment. She had this crazy moment where she wanted to key into his apartment and lay down in his bed. To just take ten minutes imagining what it would be like to be a part of Ben’s life again. Of course, that would be a total psycho move. Honestly, it was the type of thing that could get her banned from practicing art therapy. Hell, it was the type of thing that could get her arrested.

Shaking her head, Chloe scooped up her cat and walked back to her apartment. She turned the knob on the bath until it creaked, poured a capful of lavender bath gel into the water and flipped on the space heater. Sliding into the water, she felt the tension in her muscles begin to melt away.

All of these crazy thoughts . . . Chloe must just be too tired. She would finish up this bath and go straight to bed. Tomorrow, everything would seem a whole lot brighter.

In just a few short weeks, she was going to marry Geoff. She was happy about this, she really was. It was just fear or nerves or maybe coming back to a place that she used to call home that made her think, for a stupid moment, that she belonged with someone else.