Clair moaned quietly when he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. Her approval accelerated his breath and he ran his tongue over her lips, teasing her to part them. He kissed her slowly, tasting the sweetness of her tongue.
She reached her hand out and slid it up his chest, gripping the collar of his shirt to pull him closer. When she pulled his lip into her mouth, lightly nibbling it, Alex kissed her harder, deeper. His hands wanted to explore her, but he wouldn’t allow them. He slowed their kiss, pulling away from her slightly, trying to regain his composure.
“Did you find the answer to your question?” she panted.
“Yes, I did.”
“Was it not good? You pulled away,” she asked.
Alex smiled and cupped Clair’s cheek, brushing his thumb over her lips. “No, your lips are incredible. I could kiss you over and over again until my lips hurt, and even then, I wouldn’t want to stop. But that’s not all I want, Clair. I don’t want to just get caught up in the moment with you and then it’s over. I need more out of a relationship than that.”
“Oh,” she said, sitting up straighter. She pulled away from him, her eyes wide and glassy.
“I have feelings for you.” Alex brushed the hair away from her face and he could see she was biting her lip. Pools of water filled her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks at any moment. He didn’t understand why she was crying this time. Or if he said anything wrong. “I want to get to know you. Do you want to forget this ever happened and just be friends? Because I can’t go down that road again. Having feelings for someone you can never have is torture and I won’t put myself through that. Not again. I need to know how you feel.”
“No, that’s not what I want.” The tears spilled over her lids, sliding down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. She grabbed her glass off the coffee table and walked to the kitchen.
“No what? You don’t want to do this? Or you just want to be friends?” Alex stood behind her as she rinsed her glass out in the sink and set it on the counter.
Clair didn’t turn around when she spoke. “Like I said, it’s hard to trust people when you’ve been used so many times, and I promised myself I wouldn’t get involved with you.” She sniffed, wiping her cheeks again. “I’m scared,” her voice cracked. “I do have feelings for you. But I’m scared I’m going to get my heart broken, and I don’t know if I can go through that again. I don’t know if I want to take that chance.”
Alex grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him. Her eyes were red and tears streaked down her face. He wiped them away, holding her face between his hands. “I don’t know what happened in your past, what he did to you, how he hurt you, but I’m not that guy. The only thing I want from you is you. I would never use you, Clair. I can’t make you trust me, but if you let me, I’ll prove to you that you can. What good is life without taking a chance? Will you take a chance with me, Clair?”
Clair scanned his face, looking him in the eye as if she were trying to read his true intentions. She sighed, shut her eyes, and hung her head. Alex felt defeated. He exhaled and dropped his hands from her face. Stepping away, he walked toward the door, ready to leave.
“Alex, wait,” Clair called. She went up to him, leaving only a few inches between them. “To be perfectly honest with you, and myself, I like whatever this is. I didn’t expect this to happen. I definitely wasn’t looking for it. If you don’t feel like it’s working, don’t lead me on, just tell me. Okay? And I’ll do the same. But I want to try. I want to take that chance.”
Alex smiled sweetly, resting his hands on her hips. Pressing against her, he leaned in and kissed her softly under her ear. “You won’t regret it. I promise,” he whispered.
“Do you have to go, or will you stay a little longer?” Clair asked.
“I’ll stay,” he smiled.” Alex took her hand and walked back over to the couch.
Clair turned on the TV and settled in close to him. He wrapped his arm around her, combing his fingers through her hair as she rested on his chest; both content to sit in silence.
Alex woke when Clair shifted her weight against him. She had buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing slowly and evenly against his skin. He didn’t remember drifting off to sleep, but from what his watch read; they had fallen asleep for longer than an hour. Brushing her hair from her face caused Clair to stir and she opened her eyes.
“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Clair said groggily. “You shouldn’t have let me sleep.”
“We both fell asleep. Let’s get you in bed. I know you’re exhausted.” He slid his arm under her legs and around her back, lifting her up. Without protest, she wrapped her arm around his neck.
He stepped into the darkened room. The light from the living room cast a glow across her bed and he laid her down. Clair pulled her legs up, sliding them under the covers and Alex pulled them up and over her before sitting next to her on the edge of the bed.
“Do you need to take that off?” he asked as he reached for the necklace around her neck.
She grasped the charm, “No. I don’t take if off for anything. I haven’t since you put it on.”
“Oh okay. Good. I don’t want you having any bad dreams tonight.”
“I don’t think that’s possible, not tonight.”
Alex kissed her forehead, “Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay?”
As he turned away, Clair grabbed his hand. “Stay?”
“Clair, I don’t thi—”
“Just for a little longer, until I fall asleep? I like you being here with me, and I don’t want to be alone right now.”
Alex could read the look in her eyes—longing loneliness and need. They were the same feelings he felt. Sleeping in the same bed as her could lead to things he wasn’t ready for yet. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to stop himself if things got heated. But this wouldn’t be one of those moments. He wouldn’t let it and neither would Clair. Alex pulled his shoes off and lay down, facing her on top of the covers. He put his arm around her waist and Clair cupped his cheek, kissing him softly on the lips.
“Thank you,” she said, closing her eyes as she waited for sweet sleep to find her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Clair
The sun filtered through the blinds, filling Clair’s bedroom with bright rays. A smile spread across her face before she opened her eyes, savoring the warmth the beams radiated on her skin. She looked for Alex next to her, but found the comforter smooth against the mattress. The only evidence that Alex had lain next to her just hours before was the note he left behind on the other side of the bed. It said he didn’t want to wake her, but he had to leave for work and he’d see her later that night. She never felt him leave her bed and wasn’t sure if it were the exhaustion from working a double shift or the comfort of his arms wrapped around her that made her sleep so soundly.
She stretched her arms out wide, feeling the cool sheets beneath her, cheerfully remembering everything that happened the night before. She recalled how he questioned his own kissing abilities to see if there was any spark between them. Clair laughed at the thought, because she didn’t need to kiss him to get a spark. A simple touch from him was enough to send heat throughout her body, but she couldn’t tell him that. The way his hands lingered on the back of her neck and traced her throat filled her with sensations that made her weak in the knees. No one had ever kissed her like that before, with so much urgency and passion. His confidence in what he felt for her by his own admission surprised her. But what shocked her most was her own willingness to be just as bold and openly admit her own feelings. Clair had no idea her night would end the way it had, and she felt scared and excited at the same time about where this new relationship may lead.
A phone rang in the other room, bringing Clair out of her daydream. She realized it was her new cell phone and got up to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Hey, hon, I wasn’t sure if you were up or not, so I didn’t want to knock on your d
oor,” Roz said.
“Yeah, I just woke up. Why? What’s up?”
“I had to switch some people around and I need you to work eleven to seven today, instead of the night shift. Can you do that?”
Oh! I can see Alex sooner, Clair thought. “Yeah sure, no problem, am I waitressing today?”
“Yes, but don’t worry, you’ll do fine,” Roz said optimistically.
Clair huffed, “Yeah, yeah…we’ll see how it goes. Alright, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Umm… Any particular reason Alex didn’t leave my driveway until early this morning?”
Clair paused, deciding how she should answer that question. “We had some… stuff to sort out.”
“Well whatever you guys talked about,” she said, “must have been good, because he practically skipped down the driveway.”
Clair smiled, trying to keep an even tone, “Roz, is there anything you don’t see?”
Roz laughed, “Not a chance.”
“I didn’t think so… bye, Roz.”
Alex mentioned in his note that he would see her later tonight and she wanted to let him know her new schedule. She didn’t want to get him in trouble by calling him during work hours, so she decided to send him a text message.
My hours changed to 11-7pm today. If you want to come over earlier, about 8ish, that’d be great.
She remembered to press “send” like Alex told her and hoped it went through this time. She looked at the clock on her phone and was shocked to see it was already ten-fifteen; she had forty-five minutes to get ready and get to the diner. She was thankful it was sunny out since she’d be walking. Clair took her phone with her and changed into a pair of khaki Capri’s and a blouse. She hoped she’d be able to stay clean and not completely ruin her clothes this time. Her hair wasn’t very manageable and required her to re-wash and style it all over. She pulled the side of it up in a small clip and let the rest flip out around her face and past her shoulders. Not much a of make-up person, Clair applied blush to her cheek bones to brighten her face and a pink fruity flavored lip gloss to give her lips a little shine. She was feeling extra happy today and the added effort she was taking on her hair and face proved it.
The phone vibrated loudly on the bathroom countertop and Clair nearly jumped out of her skin. It was definitely something she was going to have to get used to.
Oh! I see you’ve now mastered sending a text. Congrats! I’ll pick you up when you get off, dinner and a movie?
Clair grinned at his message and typed her response: Yes, call me the text master from now on! I’ll see you at the 7. Dinner and a movie sounds great… I can’t wait!
She didn’t have to wait long for his return message.
Is it 7 yet? It’s going to be a long day; I already can’t wait to see you. Have a good day today—text master!
Clair really liked text messaging. She looked at the time on her phone and realized she only had fifteen minutes to get to work. She didn’t bother texting him back, knowing she’d see him tonight. Clair checked herself in the mirror one last time and grabbed a change of clothes for their date. Carefully she folded them, tucking them away in her bag before heading to the diner.
Surprisingly the day moved fairly steadily. Not once did she feel overwhelmed by demanding customers. Mondays were the slowest days of the week, which helped. She still managed to get food on herself but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the day before. Clair looked at the clock on the diner wall to see it was only six-fifteen. Wasn’t it six o’clock two hours ago? Why isn’t the clock moving? Time seemed to stand still the closer it got to her shift ending. She heard the bell on the door ring as she was cleaning off a table in the back.
“Have a seat; I’ll be with you in just a second,” she said over her shoulder as she walked back into the kitchen. Coming back out, she saw Gavin seated at a table in the front corner. Oh crap, she thought. He watched her walk up to his table, giving her a friendly smile. Deep dimples pierced the corners of his cheeks. His blond hair looked nearly white, a color she recognized as unachievable by merely having unique genes and more commonly produced by a bottle of peroxide from the local store. It was cut short and spiked up on the top with what she assumed were mounds of hair gel to get it to stand up the way it did. She had to admit it wasn’t a bad look on him, but seeing a guy use more products on their hair than she did seemed strange to her. Clair laughed at the thought of Alex using stuff like that. She just couldn’t picture it. What girl would want to run their fingers through that? she thought.
“Have you come for another shower or did you plan on eating today? I’m afraid my skills haven’t improved much since yesterday.”
Gavin threw up his hands, “I’ll pass on the shower this time, but I’m starved.”
Clair laughed, “I’ll be extra careful this time. What would you like?” she asked, ready to write down his order. She listed everything he wanted on his burger before asking if he wanted anything else.
“You got anything sweet in this place, besides you?” he winked.
“Umm… well… we… umm have pie, apple or peach.” Clair said. He was blatantly hitting on her and she didn’t think it was attractive.
“Oh, right. Well, if you’re not on the menu, I guess I’ll just take peach pie then.”
“Alright, I’ll be back with your Coke.” As she walked away Clair thought, you might be a cutie, but you’re not Alex. He would never speak to me that way. She looked at the clock again. Six-thirty. Thank God, she thought. Thirty more minutes of this place and she’d be with Alex for the night. It was the first time in a long while when she had actually looked forward to something. Clair couldn’t wait to see him.
Bringing Gavin his drink, Clair smiled when she didn’t spill it on him or the table this time. “There you go. Your order should be right up,” she said, as she eased away from his table.
“So… Clair… is it?” he said, looking at her nametag. His eyes lingered on her chest before coming back up to her face. “You’re new around here, aren’t you? I’m sure I would remember a girl as pretty as you, if I’d seen you before.”
She pretended to be clueless with his flirting. “Yes, I haven’t been in town too long.”
“So do you work a specific shift? I may have to plan my meals around them. It’s hard to get friendly service, you know? You’re real good at it. I can tell.”
“Nope, I pretty much work whenever I’m needed. So yeah… umm… Let me go check on your order. I’ll be right back.” Wow, did he really just say that? Clair thought as she walked away. She could feel his eyes piercing her body as she left him.
His food still wasn’t quite ready when she went back into the kitchen so she decided to wait; she really didn’t want to go back out there without it and didn’t want to answer anymore of his awkward questions. Clair was ready to see Alex most of all. She was tired, but knew that feeling would evaporate once she was with him. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, it read six-fifty p.m. Ten more minutes.
A bell dinged, signaling an order was ready and Clair retrieved it, taking it to Gavin’s table. He shined his brilliant smile at her and she could see his perfectly straight white teeth. He’s got a great smile, I’ll give him that much. “There you go,” she said, setting his plate down in front of him. “Does everything look okay?”
He looked at her, letting his eyes run the length of her body. “Oh, everything looks just fine to me, quite stunning actually.”
Unbelievable. Clair brushed it off, “Great… enjoy.” She tried to walk back toward the kitchen when she heard him call her back.
“Oh Clair, would you mind bringing me a refill, please?” he said before sucking half of his drink down while she stood there. She knew exactly what he was doing. Gavin wanted to keep her there so he could talk to her and Clair was starting to get annoyed. Good customer service only goes so far.
“Sure thing,” Clair said with a forced smile. She walked behind the bar and filled up another cup with soda. Setting the cup in fr
ont of him, she gave him a tight-lipped grin. “There you go, all set?”
“Perfect. So Clair, what time do you get off tonight?”
“Oh… in about ten minutes.” Oh boy… where’s he is going with this? she wondered.
“Great,” he leaned back and threw his arm over the back of the booth, looking confident with a smile she was sure he flashed at a lot of girls. “Would you like to go get a coffee with me afterward?”
What? She wanted to laugh in his face. Before she could answer, the bell on the diner door rang and they both turned towards it. When Alex walked in, her stomach went crazy. Butterflies flew in every direction and she felt like she had to fight the urge not to jump up and down with excitement. He was dressed casually. His jeans hung low on his hips. A white shirt peeked out from under his hunter green tee-shirt. The sleeves fit snugly over his firm arms. His shirt lay flat against his chest and Clair didn’t have to guess at how hard it would feel under her hands. Being pressed up against his chest last night was all the proof she needed to know what lay hidden there.
He smiled as he walked toward her, but stopped short when he saw Gavin sitting in the booth behind her. Immediately, his face hardened and she could see his jaw clench. Small wrinkles appeared on Alex’s forehead as he narrowed his eyes at Gavin. There was no doubt that Alex did not like this guy. From the way he talked to her tonight, she could understand why.
“Hey,” he said, giving Clair a warm smile. He nodded at Gavin but did not speak.
Gavin slapped his hand down on the table, causing Clair to jump. “Alex! Well, well, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” he said as he smirked at Alex.
Alex stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked disgusted at the sight of him. “Yeah, but it hasn’t been long enough.”
“Well, I suppose you already know Clair here, don’t you?” Gavin said sarcastically.
Alex didn’t respond. He glared at him and Clair could see the tendons in his neck flex as if he were trying to hold himself back.
Taking Chances Page 11