Dear Chloe,
Hey there… I was really glad to see you again, and meet Lila. I'm so sorry for what I did… I was drunk and I wasn't thinking. I should be sent to Hell for what I did, and I know that it doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry.
Isaac
Dear Isaac,
I have no idea why I'm writing back. You don't deserve Lila, and I know you know that. Isaac, the minute I left town, you must have sighed in relief. You didn't have to take care of a then pregnant minor who you used to be best friends with, even though you certainly deserved it. You got away with no charges, no jail time. It was our little secret.
Do you want to know why I left? I left because I was terrified of what you would think, and how everyone would look at me. I only lived in Tulsa for 2 years, and no one knew me like you did. You were the only one I looked up to, Isaac. You were, at one point, the only thing I lived for. I didn't understand why that was happening, and how such a sweet, caring guy like yourself could do such a thing. Everyone makes mistakes, Isaac, but this one changed many lives.
My mother didn't want me to come back, but I didn't, anyhow. I wanted you to see how well off we were without you, and how I could take care of Lila by myself. Those months while you guys were touring were some of the happiest times in my life… I was surrounded by people who understood that Lila wasn't my choice, but they didn't know you were the one who made it for me. Everyone thought that it was someone back home, but you know what Isaac? Zac knows. And I'm betting that he never looks at you the same way. I know I never have, and most likely never will. Isaac, you have to live with the fact that you broke one of God's most powerful rules, one of the Ten Commandments. You know what you did. Why can't you just except that instead of making excuses for yourself?
Chloe
Dear Chloe,
Thank you for your last letter. It made me realize many things that I stay up at night and think about, or cry over. I will never forgive myself for what I did to you, and I know you never will. Once again, for what it's worth, I'm sorry, with all my heart.
Listen, I know you don't make much off of your job… Waitress is what Zac told me. If you'd like, I'd love for you and Lila to come back to Tulsa, to either live with me, Taylor, or my family. Please? I really want to help you out and help raise Lila, even though I don't deserve it. It wouldn't even start to remotely fill the debt I owe you, but… Well, like I said, I really want to help you out.
Love,
Isaac
Dear Isaac,
I know you are sorry, but that doesn't excuse what you did. I'll come to Tulsa on one condition. You take on the role of Lilas' father with no complaints. You will act just like you should have the past 3 years, and you will love and respect both of us. I will still work, and I will travel with you. You will not be able to get out of this one, Isaac. She's a living, breathing person, just like you. The only reason I'm doing this is because in the short months that we were on tour with you, Lila grew to love you and your family. I'm not willing to break her heart, no matter how high the stakes.
If you can agree to this things, please tell me and I'll book a flight to Tulsa.
Chloe
Dear Chloe.
Yes! I'll do all of those things, plus more. I will be Lila's father, and I will take on the responsibilities that come with the job. My life will revolve around her, and nothing else. I will love her just as much as you do.
I've enclosed tickets from Detroit Metro Airport, and if they are suitable, please take them. If not, send them back and I will return them for some that are suitable you your needs.
Love,
Isaac
Dear Isaac,
Thank you for the tickets. Lila and I will be there in 3 days, at the time said on the tickets. If you do not live up to our expectations, I will move back in with my mother.
Lila is incredibly excited… She has such a hard time sleeping at night that I'm worried about her. You have no idea how much she loves you guys… Please, be all that you can be and take care of our child.
Love,
Chloe
Isaac arrived at gate C14 just as the plane was arriving at the gate. He watched anxiously as the walkway connected to the opening in the plane. He could start to see people pouring into the tunnel, so he walked over to the doorway in which they would come through.
Around 50 people came through before Isaac caught a glimpse of Chloe and Lila. Lila was now running if she could, as Isaac learned from on tour, but Chloe had her hand in a firm grip. Chloe looked as pretty as Isaac remembered, and just as Lila saw him, a smile exploded onto her face. She tugged at her mother's arm, then Chloe saw Isaac and let go of Lila, allowing her to run towards Isaac.
Isaac picked Lila up into a hug, kissing her on the forehead. His smile was almost as big as Lila's, and when Isaac put her down to hug Chloe, Lila attached herself to Isaac's leg, being just a few inches above the knee.
"Hey Chloe." Isaac said, giving her a quick hug.
"Hi Isaac." Chloe answered. "I need to get our bags… We only have a few million. Would you mind helping?"
Isaac nodded. "That's what I'm here for."
A half an hour later, they arrived at Isaac's small home, ideal for a family of 3.
"This house has 3 bedrooms, right?" Chloe asked as they pulled up into the driveway.
Isaac nodded. "I set two of them up. One for you and one for Lila."
"Thank you." Chloe said, as she unlocked Lila from her car seat. Isaac grabbed their suitcases, then carried them into the white ranch home. He showed them where their rooms are, then left them to unpack.
"How do you like it here, honey?" Chloe asked Lila, who was on her bed, hugging her stuffed cat.
"I like Daddy." Lila said. Chloe looked at the three year old, surprised.
"How do you know that Isaac's your Daddy?" Chloe asked.
Lila shrugged. "I dunno." Chloe sighed, then put the last of Lila's stuffed animals on the shelf. She then walked into the kitchen, where Isaac was sitting with a cup of coffee.
"How does Lila know that you're her father?" Chloe asked bluntly.
Isaac looked at her, surprised. "I don't know." He answered honestly. "Does she have any friends that she plays with back in Michigan that has a mother and a father at home?"
"Yes. Why?" Chloe asked, seating herself in one of the wooden seats.
"Maybe, since you're living in the house now, she automatically assumes that I'm her father, since I'm the only male in the house." Isaac suggested.
Chloe looked at him curiously. "You just might be right."
Isaac grinned. "Aren't I always?"
Chloe smiled at him, just as Lila started crying from the other room.
Isaac jumped up just as Chloe was about to. "Let me handle this." He said, walking into Lila's room.
Chloe strained her ears to hear what Isaac was saying. She could just make bits and pieces out…
"Hey Lila…" Isaac walked into the room where his daughter was spread out on the floor, crying her eyes out.
He glanced towards her bed, seeing a stuffed cat that was laying next to the pillow. He quickly grabbed it, then got on his knees next to Lila, and gently pulled her into his lap.
"Baby… What's wrong?" Isaac cooed, softly stroking her back. Lila sniffed a bit, then hugged the cat that Isaac had brought her.
"I couldn't find Kitty." Lila whispered, hugging her cat tightly. Isaac smiled a little, then picked her up.
"How about we go find Mommy? Do you like chocolate milk?" Isaac asked. Lila smiled, nodding her head.
"Yes please."
Isaac smiled, then walked back put into the kitchen where Chloe was waiting for him.
"She couldn't find Kitty." He explained. Chloe smiled, then took Lila from Isaac and set her into the highchair Isaac had bought.
"I have a feeling you're going to be a great father." Chloe smiled, patting Isaac on the back.
"Lila's gonna hate me if I don't get her chocolate milk soon." Isaac changed the subject, obviously uncomfortable with the situation, grabbed a carton of chocolate milk and pour it into on small plastic cup.
He situated the top onto it, Chloe's eyes on him. He handed it to Lila, then she drank hungrily from it.
"By the way, Mom and Dad asked for your presence at dinner tonight. I wasn't sure if you'd like to go or not, so I told her maybe. Do you?" Isaac asked.
Chloe nodded. "I think Lila has pretty good table manors."
Isaac grinned. "Just like her Daddy." He set his elbows on the table and propped his feet up on a chair.
"Beautiful. Just beautiful." Chloe grinned, flinging a washcloth towards him.
Later that night, at the Hanson's home, Mrs. Hanson fixed a large meal complete with a whole chicken.
"This tastes good." Lila smiled, stuffing some more potatoes in her mouth. She was on one side of Chloe, with Isaac on her other side. Zac was sitting next to Chloe, while Taylor was seated next to Isaac. No one except for Zac, Chloe, and Isaac, knew that Isaac was Lila's father. It had been questioned why they had decided to live with Isaac, but no one had ever gotten a straight answer. Chloe only had one reason, and that was in the best interest of her daughter.
Isaac cleared his throat, signaling to Chloe that he was making his announcement.
"Mom? Dad?" Isaac asked, looking towards his parents.
"Yes Ike?" Mrs. Hanson answered while cutting Zoe a piece of chicken.
"Do you remember my daughter, Lila?" Isaac asked. Mrs. Hanson gasped, dropping the knife she was holding.
"Excuse me?" Mr. Hanson asked, looking confused.
"Isn't the father in Michigan?" Mrs. Hanson asked, looking at Chloe.
"No mom. She's mine." Isaac sighed, looking at Chloe for help.
"Kendall's 15th." Chloe muttered, looking at Kendall who was seated next to Zac. Kendall shot a confused look towards her best friend, but then understood.
"Kendal's 15th what?" Mr. Hanson asked.
"I conceived on Kendall's 15th birthday, at her party." Chloe explained.
"Jesus…" Mrs. Hanson mumbled, her head in her hands.
"So that's the reason you took Chloe and Lila in?" Taylor spoke up. Isaac looked at his brother, then nodded.
"Mommy, what does conceived means?" Zoe asked.
"Honey, I'll tell you later, ok?" Mrs. Hanson shot a look towards Chloe. Chloe shrank back in embarrassment.
"Does your mother know about this?" Mr. Hanson asked. Chloe nodded.
"She didn't want me to come back to Tulsa, but I wanted Lila to be raised in a two parent household." She explained.
"I'm honestly glad you made that decision… But why didn't you tell us that Lila is Isaac's?" Mrs. Hanson asked.
"That's a little complicated…" Isaac cut in, glancing at Chloe.
"No, it isn't Isaac. Why don't you tell them?" Chloe faked a smiled, then Isaac scowled at her.
"I really don't know how to explain it. Why don't you have the honors?" Isaac shot back.
"Are you sure? Because you tell it so much better then I do." Chloe smiled sweetly.
"Can I talk to you… Alone for a moment?" Isaac asked. Chloe smiled towards the table, then got up and followed Isaac.
Once out of the room, Isaac grabbed Chloe's arm and started whispering hoarsely.
"What the hell do you think you're doing! If anyone finds out about that, I'm gonna go to jail for God knows how many years!"
"You'll get what you deserve." Chloe retorted, shaking Isaac's hand off her arm.
"Fine. If you won't do it for me, do it for Lila. You came to Tulsa looking for a father for Lila, and here I am. Your trip would have been a total waste." Isaac pleaded, getting on his knees.
"Now that I have both of you back, I don't want to lose you again." Isaac admitted.
Chloe thought about this for a long moment, then spoke.
"Fine. We won't say anything about the rape part, but you are going to tell them what happened… Just twist it around a little." Chloe sighed, walking back into the kitchen. Isaac got up then whispered "Thank God."
Once seated, Chloe put on her best smile, and started to eat again, finishing the last bit of her meal.
"What was that all about?" Zac whispered.
"We agreed not to let them know." Chloe whispered back.
Once back at Isaac's house, when Lila was put to bed, Chloe and Isaac sat in the living room, talking about the three years they had missed out of each other's lives.
"What's her birthday?" Isaac asked.
"February 14th." Chloe replied.
"Valentine's baby." Isaac smiled.
"27 hours of labor." Chloe mumbled. Isaac raised an eyebrow.
"Are you serious?" he asked.
"As serious as rain." Chloe groaned at the memory. She had been in pain for over a day, and she had nearly killed herself.
"Ouch." Isaac cringed at the thought.
"If it makes you feel better, I was delirious for a while, and the nurses said later on the I was screaming your name through all of it." Chloe smiled.
The two sat in silence for a while, then Isaac spoke.
"You were my first, you know."
Chloe looked at him surprised. "You were mine, too." She whispered softly.
Isaac enclosed her hand in his own, her fingers still as smooth as when he first met her, even though she had been a guitarist for 6 years.
Chloe felt his hand hold hers, and a sudden surge of guilt flowed through her mind. Why was she playing Isaac along like this? He was her best friend for those 2 years she knew him, and last time she had ever kissed anyone, it had ended up in disaster.
As he moved closer to her, Chloe's guilt subsided. She slowly wrapped her arms around him, allowing her head to rest on his broad shoulder.
"Chloe, I loved you as a friend for over 2 years… You know that. But what I didn't realize is that I loved you as something more…" Isaac confessed, resting his head against her own.
Chloe sighed, then lifted Isaac's head, looking into his deep brown eyes.
"You know, you can tell so much just by looking in a person's eyes." She whispered.
"Yes, you can. And what I'm seeing right now is a person who's afraid… Yet so… Chloe." Isaac smiled, moving a bit closer.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I also love you, Isaac Hanson…" Chloe closed her eyes, then allowed he lips to gingerly touch Isaac's.
Isaac returned her soft kiss, and deepened it a little, allowing his mouth to open with Chloes. He slowly slipped his tongue in, seeing how far she was willing to go…
The next morning, Chloe woke up with Isaac sleeping peacefully next to her, in his bed. It took her a moment to realize where she was, but as soon as she did, she groaned.
"Jesus… Not again…" Chloe sighed, and slowly crept out of his bed, being careful not to disturb him. She gathered up her clothing, then silently walked into her room, which was just a little ways down the hall. She quickly got dressed, then picked up a book her mother had given her when she around 10 years old. 'The Witch of Blackbird Pond' had long since been her favorite story, and she had read it many times. The binding was torn and falling apart, yet Chloe still loved the book… The mystery the story had beyond the words…
She had read around 50 pages when she heard Lila crying. She quickly ran out of her room and into Lila's to comfort the little girl.
Before long, Isaac had also woken up and dressed, joining the two in Lila's room. Since he was short on a stock of breakfast foods, he offered to take them out. Not wanting Lila to be hungry for most of the day, Chloe excepted, getting Lila ready for going out.
Half hour later, the three were eating breakfast at a local McDonald's, while Isaac and Chloe discussed what they were going to do today.
"I have to go into the studio around 4 for a few hours. I can drop you two off at Mom and Dad's if you'd like. But before that, there's a small fair in town, on the East side… I'm sure Lila would love it." Isaac said.
Chloe nodded. "That'd be a great thing to do." She didn't know how to act around Isaac anymore. She knew he would probably never mention what had happened the previous night, at least for a few days… But still, she was afraid of what would happen if Isaac and herself got into a real relationship. How would Lila like it, living with her mother's boyfriend? Of course, that man was also her father, and Chloe was convinced that he really did love their daughter.
That night, after Chloe had gone to bed, she laid awake thinking about what had happened between Isaac and herself. One reckless choice had changed her life forever… She could no longer be a kid, and hadn't had the chance to since she was 15.
"God Isaac… What are we gonna do?" she sighed, then rolled over. A bright square patch of light hit her eyes, as she closed them quickly, forgetting that she didn't close her door. She stood up and went to close the door, when she heard the faint sound of sobbing. Her first impulse was to check on Lila, but then realized that that wasn't from where the sound was coming from.
She slowly followed the heart wrenching sobs, then she came to the door of Isaac's room. She could hear him softly crying to himself… Chloe slowly turned the knob and opened the door, revealing Isaac in the most vulnerable position she had ever seen him in. Never once had she seen him cry… He was almost 6 years older then her, and he felt that he was of role model position, no matter what the situation.
Chloe slowly walked over to his bed, where he was laying on his back. He didn't notice her come in, until she started softly stroking his back.
He turned around to look at her, and she finally saw the Isaac she was looking for; A human being.
"Isaac…" Chloe murmured. He sat up, his gaze fixed on her eyes, not daring to glance away in fear of losing her.
"I love you." Isaac whispered. He gazed at her still, waiting for a reply.
"I… I love you too, Isaac." Chloe smiled, her eye connecting with his own.
"Please… Don't leave me ever again." Isaac begged softly.
Chloe shook her head. "Only if you deserve it."
Isaac finally broke the gaze, gently pulling Chloe down and wrapping his arms around her.
"What if… The same thing… Happens again?" Chloe asked.
"Then I'll be here for you, every step of the way… Because I love you more than anything, then anything I do…" Isaac sang softly. Chloe smiled, joining softly in with him.
"Cause I'd give anything and everything I have… Just to be with you…"
The two fell asleep in each other's arms after softly singing the rest of the song together, to each other, meaning every word then said.
When Isaac woke up, Chloe was still sleeping, and Isaac had his arms wrapped around he. He slowly removed his arms, trying not to disturb her in any way.
Once up, he quickly took a shower and got dressed for the days' events. He had to go into the studio almost all day today, and didn't want to leave Chloe alone with Lila.
While he was drinking his morning coffee, Chloe trudged in, followed by a hyper Lila.
"Hey you two… How'd ya sleep?" Isaac asked, smiling.
"I had a dream that I was a bird! I was flying to… Well, I don't really know where I was flying, but still… There were other birds are me, too… All different colors, but they all looked the same to me." Lila explained.
"Wow… That must have been a pretty cool dream." Isaac smiled as he lifted her into her booster seat.
"How'd you sleep?" Isaac asked, turning towards Chloe.
She smiled a little, then nodded. "Perfectly."
"Do you want some coffee?" Isaac asked, while fixing Lila a cup of juice.
"No thanks… Mama made me stay away from coffee." Chloe refused, sitting down and grabbing a section of the newspaper.
"Hanson album due in April… Hmmm… Since when did the press become so interested in when you were recording and what?" Chloe smiled.
"Ever since 'Middle of Nowhere' came out and we blew the socks off of the critics." Isaac grinned.
"I believe it…" Chloe mumbled, scanning the section really quick. "Here's a juicy tidbit… 'Isaac Hanson plans to leave the band'. Since when?"
Isaac shrugged, setting Lila's juice down then reading over Chloe's shoulders.
"You know the press. They'll eat up any story they can get their hands on."
"Then what if they get a hold of our story?" Chloe asked, concerned.
"Then I'll just tell them the truth." Isaac said, sitting back down.
Chloe raised her eyebrows, amused. "The WHOLE story?"
Isaac kicked his feet up into another chair, then sighed. "No, not the whole story."
"Good." Chloe said, scanning the rest of the section for any other good stories. "Ohhh… Here's a review of Nick Carter's solo album." She grinned wickedly, reading the article out loud.
"Zero roses out of 4… Ohh, this has got to be good…" Chloe quickly read the article where Nick Carter's first attempt at a solo album and flunked…
"Ohhh, here's a good line… 'Ok, Ok… 'I need you tonight' was ok, but 'I still need more'? Get over it.' "
Isaac laughed so hard that he almost started choking. "And who was the one that said that the Backstreet Boys were going to be around longer then Hanson?"
"Not me!" Lila suddenly spoke up. Chloe grinned, while Isaac laughed even harder.
"I did…" Chloe grinned, making Isaac stop dead cold, his eyes as round as saucers.
"You didn't?" he asked, amazed.
"You're right, I didn't." Chloe grinned, kicking him gently under the table. "I swear, you act like you're younger then Lila sometimes!"
"At heart, I always will be." Isaac retorted, grinning.
"Good, because it's almost 10 and I believe you said that you were supposed to be on your way to the studio at… 9:30 was it?" Chloe reminded him.
"Oh sh… No…" was Isaac's response, as he caught himself saying something that Lila would repeat for days.
"I'd suggest you go. Now." Chloe walked into the kitchen and tossed him his car keys and jacket while he was desperately trying to get his shoes on.
"Left foot goes in that one, right in the other." Chloe pointed out.
"It's good to see that the Chloe I knew three years ago is still in there…" Isaac muttered.
"So am I. Now move." Chloe ordered.
"What about you guys? I can't just leave you here for God knows how long." Isaac asked, planting his feet to the ground.
"I dunno. We have a TV, Ike… Don't worry about it." Chloe then pushed him out the door, slamming it behind him. She could hear Isaac's laugh on the other side.
"I'll be home by 5!" He yelled, making sure she could hear him.
He arrived 15 minutes late at the studio, which wasn't uncommon for any of the Hanson brothers. Zac arrived 2 minutes after him, then Taylor almost a half an hour late.
"Good to see that someone was actually on time." Zac muttered as Taylor breezed through the door.
"Actually, Zacman, I was 2 minutes ahead of you." Isaac pointed out.
"Fine, whatever… Come on, can we please do some recording? Everyone's waiting for us inside." Zac grabbed Taylor's arm as he dragged the 20 year old into the actual studio.
"Glad you finally decided to join us." Sabec said curtly, as Isaac waltzed into the room with Zac and Taylor at his heels.
"No, the pleasure is all mine." Isaac shot back. In the 10 years that they knew Sabec, he had become a real pain. They were talking about firing him, but decided that that wouldn't help their career any. He just had a lousy personality, but was a good business man.
"Ok… Ready to start? Track 5." One of the studio employees instructed.
"Tay, I think you start out the song." Zac pointed out.
"Opps, sorry… I just woke up." Taylor apologized, walking into the recording booth and putting on the set of headphones. "Vocals, right?"
"Hey, he managed to do one thing right today…" Sabec muttered under his breath. Something in Isaac suddenly snapped, and he walked over to the older man, grabbing his shoulder- hard.
"You listen to me, and you listen to me good. If you don't want to be fired, stop giving Taylor and the rest of us a hard time. It's not our fault you scheduled the stinkin' thing this early!" Isaac glared at Sabec, who had fear in his eyes.
"Whatever you say, Ike." Sabec replied, his eyes downcast.
"You don't have permission to call me Ike." Isaac let go of his shoulders, while Zac hooted.
"You go Ike!" Zac grinned like a madman.
"Thanks Isaac… Ok… Is this the sheet of music?" Taylor asked holding up a few pages of words.
"Yeah… You ready?" the employee who's name tag said John asked.
"Yep." Taylor replied.
"You're supposed to say that first 2 lines, then start singing the rest in B." John instructed as he started the music.
It took Taylor 2 tries to get the speaking part down, and almost 10 times to hit each note perfectly in his first part, the first verse.
"Ok, that's good… Now, Isaac, get in there with him." John instructed. "2nd verse, then the chorus."
Isaac and Taylor sang the 2nd verse together well, in what their mother called perfect harmony.
"Ok… Zac, your turn." Zac walked in and got his pair of headphones from the stands, then read the lines a few times, memorizing the notes.
"Ok." Zac said. The trio sang together, and even tough it took a few times to get it right, to Isaac this felt right, like he belonged with these people.
Once the recording was done for the day, Isaac left without saying goodbye to any of the crew, who took shifts in working with them, and even though they were going to see them next week, Isaac didn't care to say goodbye.
Once home, he saw a strange car parked in the driveway. Nervous, he quickly got out of the car and ran up to the door, quickly unlocking it and almost running in.
"Chloe!" he called, looking in the kitchen.
"I'm in my room!" she sounded as if she was laughing, and to confirm his suspicions, he heard Lila start to giggle.
"Who's here?" he asked while walking down the hallway to her room.
"Not a stranger if that's what you're asking." Chloe answered. Isaac poked his head in the doorway to find Lila, Chloe, and Kendall on the floor, playing with a snow white bird.
"Isaac, you remember Angel, don't you?" Chloe asked.
Isaac glanced suspiciously towards Kendall. "You didn't change your name, did you?"
Kendall started laughing. "No."
"Then who's Angel?" Isaac asked, confused.
"Ok, obviously you don't remember her." Chloe got the bird to jump onto her hand, then she slowly stood up and walked over to Isaac, putting the bird on his shoulder.
"Angel… Angel?!" Isaac asked, remembering.
"Yep. I gave her to Kendall to hang onto til I came back to Tulsa." Chloe explained.
"Where's AJ?" Isaac asked, remembering her other bird.
"At my mom's. I didn't want the Albino to die mid-route to Detroit, so I took AJ with me." Chloe explained.
"Ahh, ok… Here, take her before she poops on me." Isaac bent his knees a little so Chloe could reach up and grab Angel to bring her down.
"I'm gonna go put her back, k?" Chloe said, leaving the room.
"I didn't know those kinds of birds lived that long!" Isaac exclaimed.
"Neither did I." Kendall shrugged.
"Wait a sec… She knew that she was coming back?" Isaac asked.
"I guess so." Kendall answered shortly.
Chloe walked back into the room, sitting on her bed and patting for Isaac to sit next t her.
"Wait a sec… Since when…" Kendall asked, confused.
"Tell ya later. So I hear that you and Zac are getting married?" Rumor had it that Zac had popped the question last night, and that Kendall had said yes.
Kendall nodded, her face bursting into a smile.
"My little Kenni… All grown up and leaving…" Chloe sniffed.
"Just to Jamaica for a week." Kendall shrugged.
"You guys are what, 5 years younger then me?" Isaac groaned, falling back on the bed.
"Hey, my dad didn't marry for a long time… Don't feel bad." Chloe fell down next to him, grinning.
"I don't trust you two alone like that…" Kendall grinned, picking Lila up and setting her on the bed.
"You're right, you shouldn't." Isaac grinned. Chloe and Kendall laughed, which made Lila laugh even though she didn't understand that joke.
"What have you guys been doing all day?" Isaac asked suddenly.
"Just hanging around the house, like a bunch of monkeys." Chloe answered, bursting into another fit of giggles.
"You guys scare me." Isaac said, sitting up.
"What guys? I see no guys around here except you." Kendall asked innocently.
"I'm sure…" Isaac mumbled. "You know what? I'm in the mood for eating out tonight."
"Ok." Chloe said, turning towards Kendall and Lila.
"You wanna come with us?" Chloe asked. Kendall shrugged.
"Sure. Zac or no Zac?" she asked.
"The more the merrier." Isaac said, pulling Chloe up.
"Ok then… Mind if I use your phone?" Kendall asked.
Later that night, after dinner, Lila fell asleep in the car on the way home, so Chloe put her to bed as soon as they got to Isaac's.
"I'm guessing she does that on purpose." Chloe sighed, walking into the living room where Isaac was sitting down.
"Why do you say that?" he asked.
"Cause every time she's conked out early, well, you know…" Chloe said, sitting down next to Isaac and turning on the TV.
"They have TRL out here?" she asked, surprised.
"Yeah. It's back a few hours, but still." Isaac grinned.
"Ahhh… Civilization." Chloe relaxed, watching the glowing screen.
"I can't believe Carson Daily still does that thing." Isaac grinned as a new video from Aerosmith appeared on the screen.
"I can't believe they're still around." Chloe said.
"Me neither. They're cool, though." Isaac stood up for them.
"Never said they werent." Chloe sighed.
"What's wrong?" Isaac asked.
"Nothing. I just don't feel too good. I never do." Chloe said.
"You want something for it?" Isaac asked.
"Nah, that's fine. I only take stuff when I have to."
After the last video was shown for TRL, Isaac turned off the TV, setting down the remote.
"Chloe, do you really want to be here with me?" Isaac asked.
"More than anything… You know that." Chloe sighed.
"You're right, I do."