Chapter 77_ Wild And Free

“Hello?" Arya said, and the familiar voice of her best friend, Chloe, boomed on the phone.

"Hey, girl. Guess what?" Chloe asked, and Arya shrieked, visibly excited to hear from her.

"Chloeeee! What? Alonso proposed to you?" Arya asked, flopping down on the bed as she swung her legs back and forth.

Chloe giggled at her words and hummed, “I wish. I'm in Italy right now. Alonso had some business to sort out here, and I begged to come along so I could spend time with you. I missed you, you know?"

Arya sat up immediately at her words and exclaimed, “What? Are you in Italy? But Alex just told me you're trying to whip them up some dinner?”

Chloe nodded on the other side, even though she knew Arya couldn't see her. “Yes. I asked him to keep it a secret. I wouldn't want to miss your reaction and the surprise on your face."

Arya scowled, "Too bad you're not seeing me at the moment.”

"Well… judging by your tone when you heard I was in Italy, I could visualize your surprised face in my head," Chloe said, and Arya giggled.

"All right, all right, you got me. But what about Alex? Who's looking after him?” Arya asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Don't worry, Arya. He’s with Selma. Nicholas agreed to let him stay with them until we're back from Italy,” Chloe said, and Arya nodded with relief. Nicholas was such a sweet man. Chloe continued, “I’m at some bar at the moment and I want you to come over. We're going to have a proper bar night and talk about stuff. It's been ages since we did that, and I've missed us already.”

“Text me the address and I’ll come right away,” Arya said as she closed the call and went straight to her closet to prepare for her night out with Chloe.

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Arya arrived at the bar, and glancing around, she noticed Chloe already seated and waiting for her at a small table in a secluded corner, with drinks on the table.

She made her way there and called out, “Chloeeee!”

"Hey, baby! Do you—woah," Chloe trailed off and exclaimed.

Taking her seat, Arya raised her brow. “What?"

“Where the hell were you? At Milan Fashion Week?" Chloe joked as she admired Arya's outfit with her eyes. Arya was wearing a leopard print halterneck crop top with a plunging neckline, paired with a black high-waisted leather skirt that featured large belt buckles. She had a black choker and a matching bracelet with studs. She completed the look with knee-length black leather boots that added to the edgy and bold style.

Arya shook her head and giggled as she took a sip of her drink. “God, I really needed this. Well… about my outfit, I was going for the look: wild and free.”

“You ate, girl. You look ravishing! I bet Kane would want to devour you when he sees you like this," Chloe joked, then continued, "Now, tell me all the details I missed. I want to hear it all.”

Arya sighed as she gave Chloe the full overview of what was going on at work. “To sum up, the managers are like three stooges. There’s also a mole, an arsonist, and a saboteur running wild,” Chloe said, shaking her head.

"Pretty much. Although the mole and the arsonist might be the same person. But it's just a guess,” Arya said, and Chloe clapped her hands excitedly.

"That's great.”

Arya frowned at her and exclaimed, "What? This is the opposite of great."

“Are you kidding me? I was so bored with my life already, and you work here with a great story on a silver platter,” Chloe said, and Arya rolled her eyes, knowing that Chloe was at it again. She would always look for interesting things like this to write in her article. Earlier it was all about Kane; now it seemed her focus had shifted to the happenings in Arya's workplace.

“I’d be much happier for you if my whole career wasn't at stake,” Arya said.

"Don't worry, sweetie. Now you have me in the field, digging up some dirt for you. I can already smell a couple of top-notch stories,” Chloe said, and Arya smiled, glad to have Chloe with her.

"I'm glad to know you have my back. I've been feeling a little lonely lately,” Arya confessed, making Chloe raise her eyebrow at her.

“Lonely? And what about Kane? He’s with you, isn't he?” Chloe asked.

Arya nodded as she explained further, “Yes, and our sex life has been great. But recently, work has been such a mess that we barely see each other. And I’ve been a little too distant with him. What if he gets tired of me?”

“Wait a minute. This is not you, Arya. Are you jealous?" Chloe asked, surprised.

Arya shrugged, and Chloe exclaimed, “Oh my God, you are. I can't believe it. You’ve never been jealous.”

“I know. I'm not even sure of what I'm feeling or what it means,” Arya said as she took a sip of her drink.

"You are in love, my dear, and I’d say, blindly. Although I can relate. I'm jealous of Alonso as well,” Chloe said, and Arya widened her eyes in surprise.

"You? Jealous?" Arya repeated.

“What can I say, sweetie? The mighty have fallen,” Chloe replied with a giggle, and Arya raised her glass in the air.

“To our damn gorgeous men,” Arya toasted.

"To those hot-tempered, fiery bastards," Chloe said, and as they clinked their glasses together, they heard a familiar voice nearby.