After returning to the coffee shop, having forgotten to ask Chloe for her address, Jonny set on his way to her apartment.

He turned the key of the lock to Chloe's small apartment, a stupid grin on his face. She was so sweet! They barely knew each other and she had offered him the key to her apartment. How could he get any luckier?

He set his sandwich and coffee on her dining room table, ran to the bathroom, and came back to enjoy his food. He admired the sandwich, knowing that her hands had touched the bread, the tomatoes, the lettuce, etc. Don't be a pillock! Just eat the sandwich! He chuckled at his own stupidity.

Since he had extra time, he decided to text all the guys to see if they were up yet. He took his time with Chris' message, for he wanted to be gentle, but demand answers.

Hey Chris! Just checking to see if you're up.

You must've still been drunk this morning. Or really hungover. You kicked me out of the hotel, basically. What was that all about? I'm always willing to talk to you, you know.

Well, it's ok. I'm at a friend's house right now. Call me if you wanna talk.

He took a deep breath. Friend. He wondered how much longer Chloe would keep that status. He knew he was starting to fall in love with her. The way the thought of her put a goofy grin on his face, how he couldn't help but staring at her. The warning signs were written all over.

Suddenly, his phone rang and it took a bit of encouragement to answer the caller. "Hey Chris," he said, trying to muster a happy persona.

"Hello, Jonny Boy."

The conversation was already tense and awkward. "Why'd you call?"

"Well..." Chris sighed. "I'm just... I wanted to apologize for kicking you out earlier. I wasn't completely sober, I guess."

"That's alright, Chrissy. You've always been known to be a real wanker when you're drunk." This earned a chuckle from the singer. "But why did you?"

A deep breath. "I..." A sigh. "That's a story for later."

Jonny nodded, disappointed. "That's alright. Just know I'm always here for you."

"I know."

"Yeah."

More silence. Jonny was genuinely concerned about his friend. He had seemed really distant lately, much like during the making of X&Y. It hurt, and he felt like he needed to address it before it got any worse.

"Hey uh... J?"

"Yes?"

"...What's your relationship with that girl like?"

The question startled Jonny. How did Chris even know about Chloe? Jonny certainly hadn't mentioned her in front of him.

"Do you mean Chloe?"

Jonny heard Chris shuffle on the other end, then whisper, "Mhm."

Jonny shifted in his chair, uncomfortably. "She's a friend. I met her last night at the bar. She lives here in Argentina. I'm over at her apartment right now, and we're going on a... date tonight."

"So you're dating her?"

Jonny huffed. "It's one date, Chris. I doubt she'll even like me. Besides, even if she does become my girlfriend, how would this whole long distance thing work out? It wouldn't."

"But you like her?"

Jonny was irritated now. Why did Chris care so much about who he liked? He had a wife and two kids now. Jonny should be allowed to go on dates with Argentinian girls! The whole thing irked him. "Yes, Chris. I like her. Why do you care?"

Chris knew he had messed up then, because he didn't say anything more.

"I'm going back to my lunch now. Thanks for the chat," Jonny huffed in annoyance, hanging up on his friend.

He had barely eaten any of his sandwich, but he put it in Chloe's fridge, as he wanted to save it for later or even just give it to her.

He checked the time and saw that it was well past 4. He smiled, knowing that Chloe would be back any minute. He would've taken a shower if he had brought a change of clothes. He cursed himself for not grabbing his guitar.

Suddenly, as he was just sitting there, Chloe walked through the door, looking beautiful as always. "Hi, Chloe! Sorry I'm just sitting here looking like a bum. I just got done talking with Chris." At the sound of his name, Jonny's face dropped. He hadn't meant to be stern. He just didn't want Chris to be jealous of him and Chloe.

"Oh, is everything ok?" She closed the door and stood there, her face genuinely concerned.

Jonny gave a small smile and nodded, hoping that she couldn't see through him.

She could, and that made him respect her even more. "Jon? Seriously, you can tell me anything."

His heart smiled at her comment. "Thanks, Chlo, but I'm really ok."

She smiled. "Alright. I'm gonna go take a shower, and we can get out of here."

"I'll be here."

She nodded and went to take her shower. He imagined Chris' shower and his trouble with his pants. He shook the thought out of his head and finished his coffee, which was cold at that point. He threw it out and responded to Will and Phil, who both said that they were fine, but that Guy was still hungover. Jonny scoffed, then looked at Chris' unread messages. He debated whether or not to open them, then decided that he probably should.

hi j. im sorry about earlier. i have no right to get jealous like that

i hope you'll find it in that big fat heart of urs to forgive me

maybe i just love u too much

uh don't tell my wife i said that

i still love u

idk if i should say that

just give me time

i never break a promise, j

i still want u

please don't fall in love with her

please, j. i'll never have a chance with u if u do. give me another chance

just wait a few years and we'll be back to loving each other like we used to

"my heart is yours
it's you that i hold on to"

j

i love you

Tears were forming at the brink of Jonny's eyes. He didn't know what to believe. Chris had broken his heart more than once. Every time he did something like this, he followed it up with something that hurt him. He didn't know whether to trust Chris anymore. He was already falling in love with Chloe, and years was a long time to wait. A tear fell from his eye and he wiped it away when he heard the shower shut off.

"Ready to go?" She asked, coming out a few minutes later.

Jonny's face was already dry and he had practiced faking smiles. "Yep! Let's go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I've had so much fun with you tonight, Chloe."

They came back into her apartment holding hands, much to their delight.

"Me too, Jon! Thanks so much for the adventure!"

Jonny shrugged. "The movie and dinner were your ideas."

Chloe laughed. "You were still good company!"

They stood facing each other, still holding hands. Jonny was quite a bit taller than her, as he is with most other people. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he embraced her in a hug. "Really, thank you so much. You've been so sweet to me."

"You deserve it," Jonny whispered in her ear. He smiled. He hadn't been this intimate in years. He missed Chris, but at least he had someone to hold.

"Jonny?"

He looked down. "Yes?"

"Wanna stay over tonight?"

Jonny grinned. "Of course."

She undressed Jonny and when they got into bed she began to kiss up his chest. He was into it at first, but as he thought about what he told Chris, he stopped her.

"What's wrong?"

Jonny shook his head. "I'm sorry, you're a beautiful girl, but I want to take it slow. Look, if you really want a relationship with me, keep in contact with me. I'll be in London, but I'll be back, and maybe someday, you can come live with me."

Chloe nodded. "I understand." She kissed his cheek. "And I do want a relationship with you. I promise to come visit you in London sometime this year or next year."

Jonny grinned. "Great."

They laid next to each other, casually and happily, but sex not on their mind. Jonny hadn't responded to Chris yet, and he didn't think he would. It would probably be awkward between them for a bit, but that was ok.

Life was so complicated.