Free My Sunshine by Emmanuel Enyeribe

John,” Chloe said, her voice barely above a whisper.
    “There’s something really important I have to ask you.”
    “What is it?”
    “Do you believe in God?”
    “Of course I do.”
    “That’s good.” She pushed her body into him and quickly fell asleep.

     
     
    “Listen,” John said, taking her hand. It was the next morning and they were standing in the driveway. He leaned against the door of his car, and pulled her to him, so that she was standing between his legs. “I really would like it if you wouldn’t see anyone else until we saw each other again.”
    Chloe laughed inside herself . Like that’s going to be an issue . “Are you?”
    John shook his head. “No.” He couldn’t believe what he was saying. Everything he had been fighting against was happening to him. It felt like he was watching a movie and he had no control over what the characters we doing. “I’d like to be able to call you…everyday.”
    She smiled. “You can, John. Call me anytime. I gave you my work numbers and my cell number and my home number. I want you to call me.”
    “And you can call me, too, Chloe. I always have my phone with me. If I’m working, I can’t answer, but I always check my messages.”
    Chloe took a deep breath. “Am I your girlfriend?” She felt her face flush. It made her feel stupid to be asking such a question, like she was a immature high-schooler again, but she didn’t know any other way to ask it.
    John didn’t laugh at her the way she thought he would. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head. “Yeah, you’re my girlfriend.”
    Without pulling back she posed a second question. “Am I your only girlfriend?” She thought back to the stories she had read on the Internet.
    John held her tighter. “Yeah. I promise, Chloe. There is no one else but you.” He pushed her away from him so he could see in her eyes. “All that stuff you read, it’s not going to be that way. I promise.”
    Chloe nodded. “I believe you.”
    John leaned down and kissed her. “I have to go. I’ve got a long drive ahead of me. I’ll probably call you in a couple of hours.” He opened the car door and got inside. “I’ll talk to you later, baby girl.”
    Chloe leaned in the car and kissed him again. “Have a safe trip, John.”

 
                           Chapter Five
     
     
    Chloe pushed open the door to the sandwich shop.
    Justin was standing at the register finishing up a sale.
    He glanced up at her. “Hey, Chloe.”
    “Hey.” She nodded politely at the departing customers and waited until the left the building before leaning against the counter. “I got your e-mail.”
    “What is going on? Are you okay? You’re not...?”
    “Crazy?” Chloe finished the sentence for him. She shook her head. “I’m not crazy.”
    “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
    Chloe shrugged. “I guess so. It’s not complicated, really.
    Last Friday night while I was here by myself this guy came in right at eleven. He was traveling through to Nashville and his car broke down on the interstate. He came up here to get a sandwich and a number for a tow truck. Daniel came and picked up his car and I drove him over to the motel.” She paused and debated on whether to tell him she had spent the night.
    “Christy heard a rumor that you had spent the night with him. I wasn’t going to say anything unless you brought it up.”
    Chloe scowled. “See, that’s all just crap. That rumor got started before I even went back.”
    Justin raised his eyebrows. “Went back?”
    She nodded. “I took him to the hotel, he checked in, I walked him to his room and he asked me to stay a while. I went home and showered and went back.”
    Justin shook his head. “Why? I mean it's one thing to go out and have sex with Ray, but this dude is a stranger.”
    “Because Justin, he was amazing. Not like Ray, who's just someone to... This guy was different. It was just