The moment I had finished my thought, Maureen appeared behind Claire, pointing at her as if she was having an epiphany. That wasn’t good. If somehow possible, I wanted Maureen as far away from Claire as possible. These past few weeks, Maureen had proven herself persistent and difficult. And speaking of trust, I most certainly did not trust her. She might run Claire over with her car out of jealousy.
The faster I got out of there, the better for Claire. Maureen wouldn’t think much if I just disappeared. She might even follow me and not bother Claire.
“I’m sorry, but I have to leave.” I controlled my voice the best I could and something hit me. Disappointment. My own? It didn’t seem to be located within me…more outside, and yet it felt as if it was part of me now. Before I could wonder where it was coming from, Claire claimed my attention.
“Why?”
It was the most difficult thing I had done all week, making myself leave now that I was finally talking to her, learning about her. I glanced at the clock in the kitchen.
“Did you have a look at the time in the last few hours? It’s two in the morning.” It was also the worst excuse I had made all week. I had to grin at my own lack of creativity.
Before I left, I stopped to glance over my shoulder and let her face burn into my memory. “When can I see you again?”
A hint of relief surfaced between a half-smile and reluctant eyes.
“I work at the public library on Thursdays. Maybe you’ll feel the urge to read proper literature in the next few days.”
Library. So the girl had to work for some extra money. It shouldn’t have surprised me. Her house was in a more modest area of Aurora and not every family was as fortunate as mine. If I ever had problems getting into school, my dad or Jenna would probably just donate a new building to the campus and everything would be fine.
“Good night, Claire.” Satisfied with the little pieces of information I had gathered, I felt ready to leave. Now I knew where to find her. It gave me a new sense of confidence.
“Bye!” her voice accompanied me as I crossed the threshold and breathed in the night air.
6
Library
“You can’t run away forever!” Maureen called after me.
I had avoided crossing her path as best I could, but the second classes started again; it had become difficult to remain invisible. No matter how many times I rushed out before everyone else or came in late, there was always a chance I would run into her. Today this was the case. As I had searched for cover in the crowd, committed to being in and out of the library before lunch, Maureen had spotted me from the lawn in front of the building.
With a sigh, I stopped and turned, not at all ready to face her. It wasn’t as if I was afraid of her, but my emotional radar warned me that something was just not right. The way she couldn’t let it go that I had chosen to break up with her. Was she obsessive? A stalker? If so, how could I blame her? I myself seemed to be obsessed with Claire, spending every waking minute wondering what was written there for us in the future. And I had caught myself every once in a while considering simply jumping into my car and driving to her place or school. Surprise her and see what happened.
“So, the girl from the party?” Maureen asked as she caught up with me, surprisingly fast in her heels.
I didn’t respond in words, a simple eye-roll should be enough.
“I am right, aren’t I?” She smirked at me.
“Even if you were, it’s none of your business.”
A wave of bitterness flooded the space between us and for a second I felt pity for her, then she smiled and flashed her teeth behind her burgundy lips and I remembered why this woman was so dangerous. Like a Venus flytrap, pretty and seductive, luring her victims in and in no time the trap snapped shut. Not with me—not anymore. I knew who I was dealing with.
“I need to go,” I excused myself and started walking.
Maureen grabbed my arm with her red-painted fingernails as if she was going to claw out my heart if I refused to stop.
“What?” I tapped my foot on the ground.
“That girl—cute.” She laughed sweetly and it was clear that wasn’t at all what she was thinking. Then her face changed within a fraction of a second, smile gone, eyes ice-cold, and her voice was like stone. “Stay away from her.” It wasn’t a suggestion, it was an order, a threat.
“Or…?”
“Or that heart you like so much might not be around to like much longer.” With those words, she put on a docile smile and stalked off as if nothing had happened, disappearing in the crowd of students.
A real threat or just empty words? I pondered for a moment, trying to comprehend what she had said. Did I truly know Maureen down to the core? Did I know what she was capable of?
“You look like you just saw a ghost.” Toby startled me.
“Just a bit tired today.” I shoved my hands in my pockets, hoping to hide my shaking fingers, and ignoring Toby’s babble about baseball. Should I go to the police and report Maureen’s threat? I had experienced a lot of things in my life, but nothing similar to this.
The conversation kept haunting me long after the day was over. I hadn’t talked to anyone about it, still unable to decide how serious she could possibly be about something like this. Considering her hurt feelings and her bitterness, she might have simply said something to try and scare me, not actually meaning to harm Claire. And the way she had voiced it was too general to actually mean anything, wasn’t it? Anyway, that minute-long encounter had been enough to make me more cautious about my plans to win Claire Gabriel’s heart. I decided to let some time pass and simply watch her from a distance until I was sure Maureen wasn’t going to interfere.
I drove by her house one evening just to see her slip in through the front door safely. Another day I followed her as she was strolling home from school, sand-colored hair floating in the wind. It wasn’t as if I had been planning on following her, but the more often I saw her face, the more I wanted to see it. It was the yearning of her engraved name in my heart that was calling for the real Claire. And whenever I saw her, she looked a little lost—not in terms of location, but in terms of knowing where she belonged. It was as if she was searching for something, feeling incomplete, and it always triggered the urge to jump out of the car and join her, just so she wouldn’t be alone—not vulnerable to her own sorrows, Maureen, or anyone. And so I allowed myself to be there and watch, learn, so I wouldn’t make any mistakes when I finally got to know her.
As I drove up to Aurora High one morning, a familiar shape caught my attention. It was a dark, slender figure with long, black hair. As she disappeared around the corner to the entrance, my pulse quickened. Had I just witnessed Maureen entering the school building? Was she really after Claire? While one part of myself—the rational part—was still debating whether it had been her or not, the other part had me on my feet and I was out of the car and on my way, following the black-dressed girl.
As I was entering the hallway, she turned and I saw her face. It was a dark-skinned girl with bright eyes. A wave of relief made its way through my body and the girl smiled at me, probably since she noticed I was still staring at her. She tucked a silver necklace into her shirt and continued around the corner.
“Can I help you?” a voice addressed me from behind.
I swirled around, prepared to fight, that’s how high my adrenaline levels were.
“Adam Gallager,” Ms. Weaver laughed and held out her hand. The tension I had felt before left the air and there was genuine delight coming from her. Was my old teacher actually happy to see me? “What brings you here?”
“Good to see you, Ms. Weaver.” I shook her hand and glimpsed over my shoulder. Claire could come around the corner any second, I needed to get out of there. “I had to drop something off for a friend.” I forced a lie and stuffed my hands in my pockets.
Ms. Weaver cocked her head as if waiting for further explanation. I had none.
“How are your parents?”
There was something there in the air that made me wonder if she was asking about them or about their relationship. And there was an emotion there in her aura that suggested she was very lonely.
“Ms. Weaver, I need to run,” I tried to make my escape before Claire could catch me in her school and I would have to lie to her, too. I wasn’t ready, and I didn’t trust Maureen had just bluffed.
“Good talking to you, Adam.”
“Have a great day, Ms. Weaver.”
As I practically ran to the exit, praying I wouldn’t run into Claire, I felt bad for my former history teacher. Ms. Weaver was lonely. She had been one of my favorite teachers and now that I had seen her, and felt what was going on inside of her, there was a part of me that wanted to comfort her. Then my mind was back on the shape which had reminded me of Maureen so much.
I rushed to campus, sitting down just in time to disturb the opening line of professor Bennet’s lecture. I got a questioning look from Toby.
“You okay?” he whispered.
I wanted to roll my eyes but nodded. It was difficult to sit still, let alone focus on Bennet’s lecture, when all I wanted to do was go back and make sure Claire was okay.
Karren and Toby sat at my table at lunch. The chemistry between them didn’t need my extra sense to be interpreted.
“Any thoughts on the paper for Bennet?” Toby asked with his eyes on Karren.
“Not on the paper,” she answered.
“But…”
“On his new shirt,” she laughed out loud. “Flowers? Come on.”
Even though they were having a perfectly normal conversation, the air between them seemed to sizzle with a particular mood. I sat and observed for a while until I couldn’t suppress the eye-roll anymore.
“Are you heading out?” Karren asked when they both noticed me getting to my feet.
“I think I’ll skip classes today.”
They didn’t ask any questions, probably glad to be able to continue their mating ritual unobserved.
When I got back in my car, I had a feeling that made me wonder for a moment how much other people’s moods actually affected me. There was a hint of desire left in the pit of my stomach, the same kind Toby felt for Karren, and it shifted my thoughts back to Claire and her beautiful face.
For the rest of the day, I forbade myself to go check on her. I needed a clear head when I was with her, even when I was just hiding in my car, watching from a distance. Until I had that, I was going to make mistakes. Something I couldn’t afford with Claire. Patience.
After a couple of weeks, I felt safe enough to approach Claire directly and not as her shadow, watching her from a distance. I hadn’t seen Maureen since that ominous conversation, neither on campus nor around Claire. Every time I thought I’d seen her it was someone else wearing similar clothes, having similar black hair, or just someone in the crowd who moved similarly. I was grateful my family hadn’t figured out what was going on. They might not understand why it was so important to me to get to know Claire. So, at last, it was time to take her up on her offer to find her at the public library.
The plain glass door looked intimidating from my angle. How many days had I been avoiding this next step? The prospect of Claire standing right behind that glass was the only thing that could make my reluctant legs move forward. Her face, her smile, her eyes. Her. It was enough to make me forget all my troubles for now. Antonio nudged my leg with his nose, letting me know I was a coward—or that he was tired of sitting out there in the sun.
When we finally made it to the entrance, there was only one shadow at the counter, the second one had disappeared. I looked back, checking for signs of Maureen and not finding any, before I entered. The old, kind librarian greeted me with a friendly, but mostly tired face.
“Can I help you, Sir?” he asked as I was approaching the counter in baby steps, Antonio ghosting along behind me.
With a deep breath, hoping to exhale the last of my insecurity, I came to a halt in front of the counter. She had said she worked there every Thursday afternoon, hadn’t she? I remembered her face vividly when she had spoken the words.
“Does a Claire Gabriel work here?” I finally found in my heart to ask after what seemed like an eternity of the old man eyeing me, an expectant expression fashioned on his wrinkly features.
With the tiniest of a grin, he turned his head to examine the floor behind the desk and waited as if for a sign.
“I think you’ve got a visitor, Claire,” he said after a few seconds of silence and looked me straight in the eye.
She was down there behind the counter. She had heard my voice, and still she hadn’t risen out of her hiding place—if she was hiding. Was she hiding? A flash of worry surprised me, and passed instantly the second Claire appeared from behind the counter, eyes peering at me with curiosity and wonder. She looked like she had just crawled out of bed after a short night, messy ash-blonde strands framing her face. My mouth flipped up on the sides at the view. She was adorable. And her face mirrored my expression as she grabbed for the counter.
“Hello,” she greeted, feeling awkward. At least that was how it felt to me.
I had to look down for a second to give her space to recover from my ambush, and Antonio looked back at me with big, brown, accusing eyes. He was right. Claire probably hadn’t expected to ever see me again. But with everything going on, I had thought it was for the best to gain some distance. It wouldn’t do either of us any good to push things. Claire still had no idea what she meant to me, how she had won me before I had even laid eyes on her. If she knew, she would most likely run from me. And how could I blame her? I did come with baggage. Maureen was still haunting my dreams since she’d made that mysterious threat.
Before I could drown myself in worries, I looked up at Claire’s face, and the world was in order, and Maureen forgotten. I was in the right place, here, with Claire.
“How are you?” Casual conversation was what was needed so there might come a day when Claire might feel remotely similar about me the way I felt about her.
Claire seemed to ponder for a moment. “Fine, thanks. And you?”
“I’m alright,” I answered without delay, just to keep the conversation going. I had come here planning to ask her out and hoping she wouldn’t say no. “When do you close here?”
“At six.” Her eyes were questioning me as if she was trying to read my intentions.
“Will you go for a walk with me then?” I forced myself to ask. There was so much I didn’t know about this girl, even though it felt like I had known her forever in some way. Still, the truth was, I didn’t know her at all, and she…why would she even consider going out with me? Sure, she had invited me to come to her sister’s party, but ever since, I had been laying low. For all she knew, I had lost interest. How could I know she hadn’t?
Her brief nod brought instant relief to my inner conflict.
“I’ll pick you up at six.” Antonio nudged my leg with his nose, indicating he needed a tree. With a smile, I glanced at the dog, then back at Claire who was staring back with a look of concern and joy on her face.
“Let’s go, Antonio.” I turned and rushed toward the exit. Whether it was because of the dog, or because I was afraid Claire would change her mind if I gave her another moment to consider, I couldn’t tell. Before I slipped out through the door, I looked back over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of the beautiful face I would be looking at all evening if I was lucky.
Antonio eyed me curiously as I led the way to the other side of the street. We weren’t going home, as he had expected, instead, we were going to wait for the afternoon to go by right there under the trees.
7
First Date
The warm air was nothing compared to the heat I was feeling when I thought about having Claire to myself for an entire evening. How many weeks had I put off facing her, asking her out? Not because I didn’t want to. I wanted to figure out what was going on with me. Des
pite my desire to be near her every second of every day, it wasn’t any good if I was en route to a mental institution.
So all those days of observing, of feeling—not just my own emotions, but it seemed every single person in my environment—had taken their toll on my psyche. My physique, on the other hand, couldn’t have been in better shape. My morning rounds on the estate with Antonio had become a comfortable jog despite the miles we were putting behind us. We were at a point now where I had to wait for the dog more often than the dog had to wait for me—the way it used to be.
Sporty Guy from the party had been sitting with Claire all afternoon, keeping her busy in between the few customers who needed her assistance. In a way, I was grateful. Claire seemed happier when she was around him. Not as lost or brooding as when she was alone. And there it was again—the urge to put myself into a nuthouse for stalking her like this. Who was I? What right did I have to follow her around like that? I didn’t have any claim on this girl, no matter how much I felt I knew her. No matter how right I may—or may not—be about it.
As I was waiting for Sporty to leave so I could make my entrance, I saw it—every change in Claire’s emotional state. How calm she appeared on the surface and how a volcano of emotions was boiling underneath it. A mess of impatience and anticipation—hopefully, to see me—a layer of stress and worry—about school maybe—and the constant sad cloud that was floating above her for a reason I had yet to figure out. And again I felt the urge to go to her, hold her, console her.
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