It's hard to leave your bed / The cooling hot summer sheets...

One night he'll make you choose / I am sorry but he will / The hardscape or your shoes / When the moon's behind the hill

If you haven't yet read Summer Skin and Like Gold in the Air of Summer, please do so before starting this fic! :)

It's finally here... The third and final part of the Claire series. Sorry for the long wait.

When I first started writing Like Gold over two years ago, I heard the song Coffee Girl by The Tragically Hip, and it was a big source of inspiration for me for this part of the story. I feel like it describes a lot of the feeling I wanted to convey, particularly from perspectives other than Claire's.

Anyway, this first chapter is pretty melodramatic. And it's really just a set-up for the rest of the story... But hopefully you'll enjoy it. What I like least about this chapter is that there's no Jack! Haha. I got pretty fond of him. He'll come soon, I promise.

Here we go! Thanks to those of you who have stuck around.

Oh, and as a side note, I put a poll up on my profile about who you think Claire's going to end up with. :) I'd love to see your votes as the story goes on, though it's not going to affect how I've already planned the story.

x x x

Chapter 1

It was my last summer before I entered the "real world"—that's how my mom put it. I always hated that saying, like life before a person turns eighteen is some sort of fantasy and doesn't really count for anything.

Anyway, no matter what you want to call it, it was the summer after I graduated high school, and I felt glad for the reprieve it gave me before I had to go off to college.

Though if the past two summers were any indication, my last visit to Mineral Town before embarking on my journey to adulthood would be anything but peaceful.

x x x

We tried to make it feel like it was all the same, but already everything was different.

Popuri and Rick were there to meet me when I got off the ferry just like they always were. Popuri was as dazzling as ever, and I could tell she'd lost some weight—not that she needed to, but she looked good. She threw her arms around me the second I was within grabbing distance, and as I hugged her back I looked over her shoulder at Rick, who was standing back a few paces, uncertain. It looked like he'd gotten a haircut recently—his hair, which usually hung to about his shoulders, had shrunk back up to his ears. He looked more polished that way, older, and I could suddenly feel the years between us. He'd turn twenty-two that year.

Lillia and Zack were there this time, too. They stood behind Popuri and Rick, and Zack had his arm around Lillia's waist, her tiny body fitting snugly against his. As I approached them, Lillia stroked my arm and Zack ruffled my hair.

On the way over to Chicken Lil's, Popuri filled me in on the details of the gossip I'd missed out on, Lillia occasionally clucking when her daughter said too much. As I listened, I realized how little Popuri and I had spoken in the past year. There were phone calls and letters, but much fewer than the year before. I knew we were both busy, but it made me sad to think even our relationship was changing.

Listening to her, I also noticed that Jack was conspicuously absent from all of her stories. I guess she didn't want to think about him much after what had happened the year before. However, her talk of Kai easily glossed over any missing pieces.

They'd started dating, or at least I was pretty sure they had—Popuri was always very flighty on the specifics. I got the feeling she was nervous about putting a label on it, because the last time she did that with Kai, she'd been disappointed. But from the sound of things, Kai was treating her well.

Popuri made it easy to be happy for her, thank goodness. You could see how pleased she was with every bouncy step, her bliss manifesting itself in her every move. It made the stupid jealousy I felt easier to ignore—look at how happy she is, I could tell myself. Look, doesn't that make it better? You didn't deserve Kai, anyway. You never really wanted him in the first place, not as much as she did.

And besides, Rick and I were still together. Sort of. Well, no, we definitely were together, but I wasn't always sure how I felt about that. It made me anxious sometimes, because I couldn't get the nightmarish image of him wanting to marry me out of my head. He'd backed way off since last summer, when I'd told him I wanted to take things slow, but the fear was burned into me, lingering every time I thought about him.

"We're going to dinner tonight," Popuri told me, once we'd settled in at Chicken Lil's. We sat around the table in the dining room where I'd eaten so many of my meals as a child. The house seemed so much bigger now that Lillia had moved out, even though she was standing in the room. She'd moved in with Zack, in his little cabin on the beach. I thought of the last time I'd been in that cabin, two summers before during a storm. But that was so long ago. It wasn't worth remembering.

"We are?" I asked, glancing across the table at Rick, but his expression gave no explanation. "Who? The five of us?"

"No, six," Popuri said, and it seemed she was taking extreme care not to look in her brother's direction. "Kai's coming with us too."

"Oh, is he?" I cocked an eyebrow, but neither sibling responded to my disbelief. Lillia and Zack stayed quiet. I gave up and tried another question. "So, where are we eating?"

"The inn," Popuri answered, and of course I'd already known she'd say that. It wasn't like there was anywhere else to go in Mineral Town—and besides, I could hardly picture us all sitting around this table like a family. I snorted out a laugh, causing Popuri to shoot me a queer look.

Rick, Popuri and I got quiet then, the three of us lapsing into deep contemplation. Rick was probably going off on some inner monologue about how awful Kai was, and Popuri was already daydreaming about the dinner and how perfect she hoped it would be, even though it was doomed. Lillia and Zack started chatting in attempt to steer the conversation towards something more lively. As for me, I almost broke into a cold sweat at the thought of seeing Popuri and Kai together. It made me sick to think of it, but I felt just as horrid for my envy in the first place. Maybe I was just destined to be one of those girls, the pathetic kind, the kind that just had to have the one thing they couldn't.

x x x

As usual, Popuri, looking for an excuse to treat me like a doll, made me dress up for the dinner. I'd grown so used to it, I didn't even wince as she pulled out a couple of hairs tying it up. The dress she lent me wasn't as loose in the chest, I noticed with some satisfaction, though it strained and puckered slightly across my waist. Oh, well. Popuri assured me it was fine.

Once I was ready, Popuri started getting herself primped, and I wandered out of her room and into the hall, straight into Rick.

"Oh, hi there," he said, his hands resting lightly on my arms. They were so warm. "I was just going to check if you two were ready yet. Mom and Zack are waiting downstairs."

"Yeah, um, you know Popuri. She'll be out soon." I looked him up and down as discreetly as possible, took in his dress shirt with the top two buttons undone, a small tan triangle in view. Paired with his new haircut, he looked undeniably good. Really good. I was starting to forget why I'd wanted to push him away so badly.

"You look great," he said softly, and I wished the hallway light was turned on then. It was too dark for words like those—it made me nervous.

I laughed, but it came out funny and high. "Oh, thanks. Popuri's always been good at making me look presentable. I really like this dress, the pattern's really nice…" I was babbling and I knew it, but that didn't make me stop. It felt safer to fill the space between us with superficiality.

"I didn't mean that," he said, interrupting me. "I mean, yeah, the dress is nice. But I meant you. Makeup or not, you look amazing."

Oh, shit. And then my mind was off, prancing through fields of giddiness and girlishness and foolishness, and I couldn't stop it any longer.

Amazing, he'd said I looked amazing. He'd said great, too, hadn't he? Him, standing there with his snazzy new hairdo and his slightly unbuttoned shirt and his warm hands that used to cup my face, and other places…

"Um. Thanks. You look good, too. I like your hair." Oh shit, I was starting to babble again. But not in the way that made me feel safe. It felt exactly the opposite, in fact.

He laughed gently. "Thank you. I thought it was time for a change…"

"Yeah, I mean," I continued, digging myself deeper, "not that it's just the hair, but I really like it. You look good."

"Yeah," he said, laughing again, "you just said that."

"Oh. Well. You know."

Popuri appeared in the hallway just then, and I immediately turned from Rick, so grateful for the distraction.

"Ta-da! How do I look?"

"Fine. Let's go already. You take forever," Rick told her bluntly over his shoulder as he headed for the stairs. I smiled a little at the usual sibling tension—he might've changed his hair, but a lot was still exactly the same, that was for sure.

She made a face at his retreating back and then turned to me, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "So?"

"You look perfect," I told her, meaning it. Then I forced out another sentence I wasn't so eager to say. "I'm sure that Kai will love it."

x x x

As the five of us walked to the inn—we were meeting Kai there—Popuri and I fell back behind Rick, Lillia, and Zack. Once we were far enough away to whisper, Popuri linked arms with me, pulling me closer conspiratorially.

"So, I think you're in need of a little girl talk," she said in a low voice.

"I am?" I answered, amused.

"Yes. And though normally I would be, you know, like totally grossed out about talking about my brother and his girlfriend, since it's you I'll make an exception."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" I stopped walking, but she tugged me forward insistently.

"Please. You and Rick are acting totally weird. Did something happen last summer? At the wedding? You guys barely contacted each other at all this past year. And since you got here, you haven't even kissed or anything—"

"Popuri!"

"—when you used to be all over each other—"

"Um, we were never 'all over each other.'"

"—and it makes me worry, because you're my friend and yes, as much as I try to deny it, he's my brother. So spill, because I know there's something going on."

Okay fine. You're right. The thing is, I'm apparently a commitment-phobe because I freaked the second Rick even implied he wanted to marry me last year, and oh yeah, I discovered I'm kind of into your boyfriend. Just a tad.

"Nothing's going on. We're both just…growing up. It's an adjustment phase." Jeez, who was this bullshitter doing all the talking? I actually almost sounded legitimate.

"Well, you guys better make up soon—"

"I just said we're not fighting! Are you even listening to me?"

"—because it's making me jumpy being around you two when you're like this. Okay?"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but laugh. Popuri might not know the full story, but she did know when I was full of shit, and I appreciated her willingness to call me on it.

x x x

"He's late. Of course he's late," Rick grumbled to me, but loud enough for Popuri to hear.

"He's not late. We're early," she snapped, kicking me under the table.

"Ow!" I yelped, kicking her back. "What was that for?"

"Sorry. I was aiming for him."

We were all seated around a table at the inn, and already it was off to a wonderful start. The sibling love fest was cut short, however, by Kai walking in right at that moment.

Popuri jumped up out of her chair and made a big show of throwing her arms around Kai. Lillia just chuckled and Zack stood to clap him on the back, while Rick steamed.

I watched Kai as he stooped to kiss Lillia on the cheek. He gave a good-natured nod towards Rick, who didn't return it, and then finally made his way around the table to me.

"Come on, Claire, don't I get a hug at least?"

There was an awkward pause where I hesitated, but everyone—excluding Rick—was staring at me imploringly. So I stood and let him put his arms around me. My eyes started to shut but it was already over and he pulled away, patting my arm and then taking a seat on the other side of Popuri. I tried to sit down too, but my chair legs were somehow entangled with Rick's, and it was a whole big production before I could sit down again. I knew it didn't actually matter, that nobody cared but me, but it made my face burn with embarrassment.

"Are you okay?" Rick murmured to me, touching my leg under the table.

I straightened myself in my seat and plastered a smile on my face. "Yeah. Fine."

Dinner was surprisingly not as awful as it could have been. We all did a careful dance, making sure Rick and Kai never had to speak directly to each other, and for some reason, I determinedly avoided saying much to Kai. There weren't any fights, or too many awkward silences.

It was before we'd ordered dessert that Lillia stifled a big yawn. "I think maybe Zack and I will go home early. You kids should stay and catch up," she said, rubbing Zack's arm affectionately.

"Are you feeling okay, Mom?" Rick asked worriedly, quickly sitting up from his slumped position.

Lillia smiled at his worry as she got to her feet. "I'm just tired, that's all. A lot of excitement today. Claire, it's so wonderful to have you here again."

"Are you sure? We haven't even gotten dessert yet," Popuri chimed in, her concern only slightly subtler than Rick's.

"I'm fine, I promise. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

We all said good night to each other and watched her leave with Zack.

"And then there were four..." Rick muttered, sitting back in his chair. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Popuri jumped to her feet.

"You know, we're feeling tired too. I think we're going to go now," she said, putting a hand on Kai's shoulder. He got the hint and stood up as well.

"What? Really?" I asked, a little bewildered. Sure, this whole dinner thing wasn't my cup of tea either, but I wasn't expecting her to bail on us.

"Yeah. Sorry." She faked a yawn. "Well, good night, guys. See you."

"Good night," Kai said over his shoulder as Popuri yanked him away.

"Wait. What the heck just happened? Why would she say good night? Aren't we going to see her later?"

"Not likely," Rick said through clenched teeth.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Popuri's taken to having sleepovers of her own."

It took me a second to process this, but then my jaw dropped. "What? Are you serious? Your mom lets that happen?"

Rick shrugged and sat back in his seat, sighing through his nose. "She doesn't know about it. Or she does and she turns a blind eye. I mean, it's not like she's living with us anymore... And besides, she's been pretty wrapped up in Zack lately, they're somehow still in honeymoon stage…" He trailed off and I gave him a questioning look. He held his hands up in defense. "Hey, I'm not knocking them. Zack's great, and I'm happy for both of them. Just, I'm worried about Popuri, too."

"Well, she is almost eighteen," I ventured cautiously. "So no one can really stop her from making these kinds of decisions…"

"I really don't want to talk about the kinds of 'decisions' she's making," Rick answered, not angrily but wearily.

"Yeah. Me neither."

We sat in quiet looking at each other.

"Well," he said finally, "I guess we ought to head home too."

x x x

I know, it made me a dirty, rotten hypocrite for judging Popuri, but I couldn't stop myself.

We were on each other the second the front door of Chicken Lil's. We didn't even turn the lights on. He carried me straight to the couch and laid me down and we made out like that for a while. We were still both fully clothed (okay, so maybe Rick's shirt had become a little bit more unbuttoned in the fray), but I could feel the heat from his body like I was hugging a space heater.

It was amazing. It felt like the tension from the whole day had been building up and building up, only to be released in the best way possible. How had I gone practically a year without doing this? And why had I ever wanted to jeopardize it?

"Rick," I finally managed to say, gently grabbing both sides of his to make him pause. I suddenly had the urge to apologize. "I'm sorry about how I left things last summer, when I said we should slow down. I was feeling overwhelmed, I think."

"Overwhelmed?" he asked, brushing my bangs out of my eyes. "About what?" His face was flushed and his hair was disheveled, and in that moment he looked very boyish, reminding me of the old goofy-looking Rick. It was endearing.

"About us," I said, giving him a rueful smile. "About…well, it's kind of silly, but…"

"No, what is it?" he asked, smiling back and then nuzzling my neck. "I want to hear it."

"Well, there was a time, right at the end of the summer, during the wedding…"

"Yeah?"

"I thought that…I mean, you said some stuff, and it made me think that…you wanted to get married."

He pulled himself off me then and carefully maneuvered himself into a sitting position on the other side of the couch.

I sat up quickly, feeling suddenly cold for a number of reasons. "Rick? What's wrong?"

He leaned forward, with his elbows on his knees, and stared at the floor. He was quiet for a long time. "Claire, there's…there's something we need to talk about."

Oh, shit. I didn't know what was coming next but I had a feeling, a crazy, fleeting thought, and it terrified me. "What is it?"

He got up then, without answering, and walked until he stood right in front of me.

And then he got down on one knee.

"Rick," I said, moving to stand up as quickly as I could, but he put his hands on my shoulders, lightly pushing me down.

"Please, Claire. Just hear me out."

I was trapped. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. "Okay."

"Yes, Claire, I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife. I know we're both young, and we haven't seen each other for almost a year, but I love you."

"Rick, I—"

"Please, give me a chance. I have to finish this." I shut my mouth and nodded and he took a deep breath. "I want you to know I've put a lot of thought into this. I'm not just asking this on a whim, or because I have some fantasy of what marriage would be like. And I'd really like it if you could do the same. If you could think about it before you give me an answer. And...I was hoping you could wait until the end of the summer before you give me your reply."

I was so deathly quiet while he spoke, hardly even breathing, that I thought for a second I might've forgotten how to speak myself. "Rick…this is…I don't know what to say."

"I know. I understand. I know it's intimidating, and I don't want to scare you away. But I promise I won't bother you about it after this. It's just something I think we should consider." He took my hands, and his tenderness made me want to cry. "Claire, I would be so happy to spend my life with you, you know that? I'm not trying to pressure you into this, and I really do love you. No matter what, I want you to be happy."

"Thank you," I said, and for the sake of honesty I added, "I love you, too." I paused before I spoke again. "Um. I think I should go to bed now. This is a lot, and I'm really tired."

"Okay. Yeah. That makes sense," he said, letting my hands go and getting to his feet. I could see him trembling slightly and it only made him feel worse. It had obviously taken a lot of courage for him to ask what he did. "Okay. Good night, Claire."

He kissed me again, shortly and sweetly, before I went up stairs, still in a daze.

x x x