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Chloe was going to kill her girlfriend.
The two had just spent several years of their lives in New York. Chloe went to NYU, and Shara got a job. Then, she applied after a year, and got in. Chloe finished a year before Shara did, and decided she’d get a job for a year, and then they’d figure out what to do.
They had both moved back to Willowgrove for a while, staying with Chloe’s parents whilst plotting their next move, and just visiting to catch up with old friends and familiar sights. It was supposed to be a nice reset after many years at university, and although they both visited every year, it was still nice to come back more long term.
What wasn’t nice was that one week in, Shara had disappeared. She never did it in New York, since she had since started processing her issues that led to her running away from problems instead of confronting them.
Chloe was at a loss. She’d dealt with enough disappearance and cryptic note chasing to last a lifetime, and she didn’t need a repeat, especially from the same person that did it last time. She’d even checked where she was last time, but that boat was long gone after her family fell into financial decline. She had asked Rory and Smith, but neither of them had seen her. After returning home to begin searching, she headed to her bed and saw a letter, in a green envelope.
“Hi Chloe,
Nostalgic, isn’t it? We were so much younger when I did this. Young and dumb. Petty teenagers with no idea who we were or what we wanted to be. Well, you seemed to figure it out pretty quick. I still haven’t really figured it out, but last time I did this, I figured something massive out, with your help. So let’s do it again. If you want to follow the trail, let’s test your memory. Do you remember what my lips tasted like the first time I kissed you? I know you do, because you told me. Well, I’m in there. Good luck. I love you.
Shara”
Well, obviously she remembered. But what could it actually mean? Vanilla and mint. She was never a massive fan of either of those until that kiss. And then it seemed like all she wanted was more of it. Chloe was pondering what it meant when her mom shouted on her.
“Hey, can you grab the ice cream from the freezer? Me and your mom are watching a movie and need a cold snack.”
Chloe rolled her eyes, and headed to the freezer. There were only two flavours of ice cream in there. Vanilla, and mint, and between them was a little green envelope.
Chloe grabbed the note and the ice cream and gave it to her mom before dashing off without a word. She ripped open the letter and read the note inside.
“Hi Chloe,
Not bad. I made this one easy. I figure Val probably asked you for ice cream and you stumbled across it. I like her a lot. Your parents are much nicer and more genuine than mine ever were. I wish they were my parents, honestly. I’m glad I got to meet them. Let’s move to the next clue. You’ll find me in a state. Good luck. I love you.
Shara”
Something Chloe found different was the lack of postscript. The clues were also simpler. She was being treated like an idiot and it was frankly insulting. She headed to a little bookstore, where her friend Georgia worked.
“Hey Geo.” She said.
“Oh, hey. What’s up?” Georgia asked.
“Do you happen to have a green envelope?” Chloe replied.
“Oh, yeah. It’s right here. What is it? Shara gave it to me and said to hand it to you if you asked for it, but only if you asked for it. I figured you two were playing a weird game or something so I agreed.”
“Shara disappeared, again. Just like five years ago. There or thereabouts anyway. Gotta go. I’ll let you know when I find her.” She said, and then left.
After getting home, she opened the letter and read its contents.
“Hi Chloe,
That one was pretty easy, huh? They all have been. I figured you’d noticed it by now. Do you know why? Because this time, I’m not doing it for the wrong reasons. I do have my reasons though. I promise this isn’t meant to be stressful for you. I’m somewhere safe. This is just some fun. I’d never worry you. You mean far too much to me. You remember when we had to describe people with one word in school? I’ve went through almost every word in the English language, and I still can’t think of a word that describes you in your entirety. But I can think of one word that I’d like to describe you with. But I can’t tell you it just yet. The last clue is that X marks the spot. Good luck. I love you.
Shara”
Chloe was so close. She didn’t even care about the duel of wits anymore. She just wanted to make sure her girlfriend was safe, and she wanted to snuggle with her and watch a movie. Thankfully, the last clue was also pretty easy to figure out. Mostly because Chloe likes to say things to herself, so it really clicked after she started saying it.
She knocked on the door of Smith’s house, and he answered the door.
“What’s up?” He asks.
“Do you happen to have a green envelope for me? Shara’s been leaving notes around again, and the last clue was X marks the spot. Ex. You.” She said.
“Uh, yeah. Shara gave it to me. Told me not to tell you about it until you got that clue and asked for it.” He said, handing it over.
“Georgia said the same thing, more or less. There’s something you guys aren’t telling me. What is it?” She pressed.
“Uh, nothing. Oh hey, Rory is over and we’re in a game of Mario kart, I gotta go. Good luck finding her.” He quickly left, visibly sweating.
Chloe took the envelope and opened it in her room. This one was shorter than the rest.
“Hi Chloe,
I have a question to ask you. But I need to do it in person. I’ll explain everything. You know the big tree, up on the hill? Of course you do. That’s where we had our last kiss before we went to New York. Meet me there.
I love you.
Shara”
Chloe got into her car, and drove to the hill. It wasn’t very long till she arrived. She stepped out, and saw a single figure up on the hill, next to the tree. She’d spent all day chasing down Shara, and the sun was starting to set. She could see the silhouette of her, hair gently blowing in the wind. She ran towards her.
“So. Care to explain why you sent your girlfriend on a wild goose chase for the second time in her life?” Chloe asked.
“Well, I have a question. But I want to give you one last riddle, and see if you can figure it out. First, do you know why the envelopes are green this time?” Shara asked.
“You didn’t have any pink ones?” Chloe asked.
“No. Think about it. Next, what do I want to be?” Shara asked.
“I don’t know. You’ve never told me.” Chloe said.
“I definitely have. Think, Chloe. Third, your parents. Fourth, one word I’d like to use to describe you. It’s all connected. Just put the pieces together.
Green. Parents. What she wants to be, how she wants to describe Chloe. A question.
“I have one clarification. This word to describe me, do you want to describe me with it but won’t, or can’t? Why can’t you use that word right now?” Chloe asked.
“Because it doesn’t describe you yet.” Shara clarified.
Chloe pondered it all for a moment. What was so special about green to Shara? Chloe just thought of nature, trees, and her surname.
Oh.
Oh.
What she wants to be, and the word she wants to use to describe Chloe.
“Is what you want to be one word? And is it the same word you want to describe me with?” Chloe asked. Shara smiled.
“Figured it out?” Shara asked.
Her parents, Shara wanting them to be her parents.The question Shara wanted to ask. It was all coming together in Chloe’s head.
“The envelopes are green cause it’s my last name. You want my parents to become your parents, but not literally cause that would be weird. But there is another way. And the word that describes what you want to be, and what you want to call me is…wife. The question you want to ask me is Will you marry me?”
“Yes, Chloe Green.” Shara got down on one knee and pulled a ring from her pocket.
“Chloe Green, will you marry me?” Shara asked. Chloe felt tears forming in her eyes. It was a bizarre proposal. Most couples would choose a nice restaurant or something, not a series of riddles. But it was so perfect. It was how they became girlfriends. It was only fitting it should be how they became wives.
“Yes, Shara. Yes, God, a million times yes.” Chloe stopped talking, because she knew if she tried to keep talking she would crumble and become a sobbing mess on the ground. Shara slipped the ring onto her finger, and they kissed under that tree, just like they did when they left this place. They stood there, smiling, as the sun set over the horizon. Chloe took a deep breath, in through the nose, to collect herself, but all she could smell was vanilla and mint. And it smelled like home.