Tamed (Torn #5)(10)

“You need anything—anything at all—you call me, okay?” my mom said to Chloe.

I couldn’t help but wonder what she meant by that. It wasn’t the words but the tone she’d used that concerned me.

“You ready?” I asked as Chloe climbed into my car.

“Yeah,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

I pulled away from my childhood home, my thoughts still on Chloe. We’d spent winter break with my parents. It had been nice to come back and visit, but I was excited to get back to Morgantown. I told myself it was simply because I missed college, but even I knew that was a lie. I wanted to get back because I planned on watching Drake’s band perform again tonight.

Over the past three months, I’d spent every Friday night at Gold’s, desperate to get a glimpse of Adam. Even after Chloe had been forced to work Friday nights at her job at Starbucks, I would still go with Rachel or by myself. It was getting ridiculous. I’d obsessed over him since that first night, and he had yet to even say hello to me. He was always too busy with groupies to pay attention to anyone else.

I knew my infatuation with him was unhealthy. While I wasn’t looking for a relationship, even I knew getting involved with Adam for sex would be a bad idea. I’d paid too much attention to him already. If he threw me a bone, there would be no going back for me. Obsession could be managed much easier than addiction. I knew Adam could easily become an addiction, one that I wouldn’t be able to handle.

I’d watched him leave the bar with over a dozen different women, but none of them were ever repeats. A few had approached our table, hoping for seconds, but he’d completely ignored them. To sum it up, Adam would use me once and toss me aside with no chance for seconds. He wasn’t exactly the best guy to form an addiction for.

I forced my thoughts away from Adam and back to Chloe. During our time in Charleston, she had seemed withdrawn and sad. I’d even heard her crying in her room the first night we stayed with my parents. My mom had been in there with her, but neither of them wouldn’t tell me what was going on. Logan had stayed back in Morgantown to work over break, so I wondered if maybe that was the reason for her sudden depression.

“Want to tell me what that was about?”

“What was what about?” Chloe asked.

I rolled my eyes as I turned my attention back to the road. “Don’t play me, Chloe. I heard what Mom said, and I know you were crying that first night, and she was in your room with you, so spill.”

She bit her lip, an obvious sign that something was bothering her. It hurt that she hadn’t come to me first with whatever it was.

“My mom is trying to find me. She came to your house a while back, searching for me. It wasn’t exactly a happy occasion from what your mom told me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? What did she want?” I asked as I tightly gripped the steering wheel.

Anytime Chloe’s mom came around, things would end badly. She’d mentally and physically abused Chloe for years before finally disappearing from her life. That was when Chloe had moved in with me. I hated her mom more than anyone else in this world. The things she’d said and done to Chloe were inexcusable, especially coming from a parent.

“I have no idea. She wouldn’t tell your parents. She just wanted to know where I was. We didn’t tell you because I know how you worry when it comes to her.”

I sighed. “You’re right. I do worry about you when it comes to that crazy bitch after everything she put you through. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know what’s happening with you. You know I care about you, right?”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just didn’t want to bother you with it.”

“Chloe, you’re such a dummy. You can bother me with anything—except your sex life with Logan. I draw the line there.”

She laughed as I merged onto the interstate.

“You mean, my nonexistent sex life with Logan.”

My head spun around in her direction. “What? You mean, you two haven’t done the deed yet?”

They’d been official for a few weeks now. The way Logan looked at her—well, I’d assumed that they’d had sex about two-point-five seconds after they made it official.

“No, we have, but it was when we got together. We haven’t done anything since. It just doesn’t feel right.”

“How can sex with Logan not feel right? He’s my friend, but I’m not afraid to say that he’s smoking hot. I bet he’s great in bed! Is he? Tell me! Oh, wait, don’t tell me. Ah, I have to know.”

She laughed as I fought with myself. “You done yet?”

I giggled. “I can’t help it! I want to know, but then he’s my friend, too, so I don’t want to know. Oh, I give up! Just spill it already!”

“It was…it was nice.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Just nice? Oh shit, he’s bad in bed, isn’t he?”

She shook her head. “No, he’s not bad, honest.”

I stayed silent for a minute, milling over what she’d just told me. Something wasn’t adding up.

“Chloe, is everything okay with you guys? You barely mentioned him over break, and you seem less than enthused with this conversation.”

“We’re fine. But that’s the problem. Everything about him is just fine. I love him, but I don’t know if I share his feelings or if I’m mistaking friendship for something more because that’s what I’m supposed to do.”