Heated Hearts
Summary: Summer is coming, and Minerals Towns love pentagon is heating up. Claire has been in love with Kai ever since Summer two years ago but Kai has his sights set on Karen. But Karen is best friends with Popuri so a relationship with her ex is sort of out of the question. Claire's best friend Gray is head of heels for her but Claire is totally clueless. Mary the shy librarian fancies Gray but is to quiet to say anything. Pairings a secret, cracked pairings ensued.
T for slight language and sexual referances later on.
Talk about a massive love pentagon… MaryGrayClaireKaiKaren....love really is a bitch, isn't she?
Enjoy...
Claire POV
My eyes flitted up through the obscurity, squinting slightly as I tried to make out what time it was. A seemingly impossible task to anyone but me, but years of sleepless nights had trained me in the art of superb night vision. I had often considered investing in a digital clock but I loathed any miniscule amount of light penetrating the shadows of my room when I was trying to catch some Z so the mere thought of light up digits was enough to make me shudder. 11:59pm. One minute to go. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the god forsaken second hand, and with every tick I could feel my dread mounting. Tick Tock, Tick Tock. Crap, crap, crap, crap. Midnight. It is officially the beginning of Summer and it marks the next thirty days of my inevitable torture. There was no way I would be able to shake the image of that flawless tan skin and mesmerizing chocolate eyes now, seeing as he would be here in flesh and blood to infiltrate my life-along with ninety percent of my daydreams. But I couldn't blame him, not really…What sane person could blame that level of perfection? I held my own bloody idiocy responsible. I chastised my disgustingly love-sick mind constantly as I tried in absolute and utter vain to force him out of my heart. But of course there was the miniscule part of me that always, always won. That small, fleeting atom of hope never failed to keep him imprisoned there. It was that hope that flooded my mind with unrealistic images of me and Kai entwined together, me and Kai walking along the beach hand in hands….Kai's lips pressed against my own….
**
I rushed out the door in a flurry, eager to be first down at the dock so if I was particularly lucky I would be able to steal a few moments alone with Kai. I glanced hastily at the mirror before grimacing, the heat had not been kind to my blond tresses nor had the late night to my eyes. I diverted my eyes away quickly trying to rid myself of the image I had just seen. My usually sleek locks had become uncharacteristically frizzy and my eyes had dramatic bags attached underneath, proving my point that my body refused point blank to co-operate with me. Ever. The ridiculously fast speed in which I was running was most likely not helping with the hair dilemma but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered except him. Hair streaking behind me I skidded to a halt at the steps that led to the beach. I froze, panting ever so slightly.
What the hell was I doing here? Was I honestly trying to torture myself? God, it was times like this that I actually believed the philosophy of "dumb blondes". Encounters with Kai only lead to ridiculously flushed skins and copious amount of internal cringing. So why on earth was I trying to inflict that on myself? Had I gone insane or subconsciously suicidal? It was a tribute to how much I longed to see him that made me descend those steps (at a more human pace) with the knowledge that I was about to make a complete and utter idiot of myself. I saw him immediately; my eyes were attuned to that exact striking shade of his skin and the rich of purple of his bandanna. Hearing the quiet crunch of my footsteps in the sand he turned around casually allowing my brain to go into overdrive as it tried to process that amount of sheer sexiness.
"Claire, what brings you here so early? Not that I'm complaining gorgeous" Kai's alluring accent was in complete harmony with the scenery and it was impossible not to blush slightly as his voice caressed my name.
"Word on the street is that an exotic traveller has just arrived in Mineral Town, had to come see for myself" The words leapt out of my mouth before I could stop them but thankfully I managed to keep my voice light, so he couldn't hear the burning truth behind them.
"And…?" He prompted smoothly, his trademark smirk teasing his lips.
"I hate to say I'm disappointed, it's only you" He chuckled to himself and I couldn't help but crack a grin.
"Still in denial, are we?" His voice rang through, cocky and defiant but I refused to fall prey to his charm.
"Still got an over inflated ego?" I challenged, my eyes lighting up.
"Ah how I have missed you Claire" He said winking, flirtatiousness lacing his voice. My insides literally began to salsa around as I process his words. Kai missed me. I remained under the masquerade that I didn't care though, there was no way I was going to cave. Yet.
"Wish I could say the same" If only Kai knew, If only Kai knew how each season rolled by endlessly as I both dreaded and longed for Summer and by default his arrival. "But I will admit, summer just isn't the same without you" The mock hurt Kai had plastered on his face from my earlier comment transformed rapidly into smugness.
"Of course it's not darling, who else would you scab free snow cones off?"
"I'm sure if I asked extra nicely Doug he could knock me up one" I replied innocently, as if I didn't have some inhuman fetish for raspberry snow cones.
"I never took you for a woman who would settle for second best" He countered.
"Touché" I said reluctantly, giving way to the truth. Kai's cooking was superior contrary to popular belief and I would be a fool to deny it. "So, speaking of snow cones…" I trailed off, my eyes ridden with pathetic hope. Although snow cones certainly were delicious, I had of course an ulterior motive and the many times I had apparently visited the Sea Shack to sample them, the real reason was to spend as many minutes in Kai's company as possible and create fuel for my indecent thoughts. So my guilt of the façade heightened as Kai beamed a yes, his teeth looking whiter than ever as they contrasted starkly with his dark skin.
"If I didn't know you any better I would say that you only came to see me 'cause of the food" Kai's brows were creased slightly as he tried to contemplate the impossible. I wasn't lying when I said he had a massive ego even if his looks justified it.
"Lucky you know better then" In all honesty I was rather proud of myself, I hadn't been reduced to my usual demeanour of a stuttering, overly flushed farm girl. In fact our good natured bantering could almost be considered as flirting. I was so immersed in self gratitude however that I didn't notice that Kai had begun to saunter off towards the lodge.
"Coming babe?" Humiliation jolted me out of my reverie and I quickly jogged to his side. He casually flicked on the lights, gesturing for me to follow him inside. It was a pleasant surprise to note how familiar the yellow table cloths and searing cool air had become as I took the seat closest to the counter. I watched in awe as he gradually crushed the ice, his face alight with concentration before drizzling a dashing of red onto the ice. "Raspberry, of course" He murmured, adapting to the peaceful vibe of his lodge as he placed the icy wonder in front of me.
"Of course" I muttered, shovelling a big spoonful of freezing raspberry goodness into my mouth but much to my regret my face began to contort rather unattractively due to the brain freeze that was now reaping havoc on my body. And of course fate wasn't finished being a bitch because soon enough I began to wheeze and splutter, much to Kai's amusement. Yeah now's about the time a massive black hole comes and sucks me up into another universe, preferably one where I am not totally incompetent at being normal.
Ha, dream on.
"You know…" Kai began in between sniggers "Body heat is excellent at warming yourself up; perhaps I can offer my own services?"
A young and painfully beautiful brunette waltzed in just at that moment and once again I found myself cursing my rotten luck, kudos Karen on ruining the moment. "Gosh Kai, buy the girl a drink first" Yeah Karen would know all about drinking. I had had no previous qualms with Karen apart from the slight twinge of jealousy here and there due to her unfathomable beauty, no problems until of course now. I loathed her now with every atom in my body. I loathed her for interrupting what could have been the best moment of my life. I loathed Karen for sparking that unmistakable lust in Kai's eyes, a lust I could never trigger with my own mediocre appearance.
"Is that a hint?"Kai teased turning his back to me, so he could take in as much of Karen's splendour as possible. Karen bestowed Kai with a smile that we mere mortals spent hours in front of the mirror trying to replicate.
"Well you know I am partial to a wine or two…" Or maybe five, six or seven? Karen's voice chimed like a sirens, and Kai was well and truly under her spell.
"8 O'clock at the inn tonight cool with you?" Kai suggested, his voice tinged, with I swear, desperation. I leaned back in the comfortable seats all but forgotten.
"It's a date" Ok this is so not what happened in my head. In my mind Karen declined Kai's offer and floated off, whilst contemplating her own inhuman perfection she would be hit by Barleys tractor. Kai who is now totally ridden with grief would become completely dependant on yours truly and whilst I was comforting his poor, fractured soul he would fall completely in love with. "Anyways…" Karen declared "I have to get going to meet Popuri, I only really popped in to say welcome" Oh yeah, cause the beach is totally on the way to the Poultry Farm.
"Kay, tell Popuri I said hi, and to come visit me anytime" There was a trace of guilt in Kai's words and I knew why, the whole of Mineral town would know why. Last year Kai completely broke Popuri's heart by breaking up with her, for no apparent reason. But if you were me, who had been rendered invisible by Karen, the reason was pretty damn obvious.
"Will do, catcha tonight Kai" Karen flashed her pearly teeth one last time before turning on her heel and gliding out the door, basking in the glory of her beauty.
"See ya" Kai's eyes grazed Karen's body one last time, lingering there long after she had disappeared from sight. An uncomfortable silence enveloped the lodge as I searched furiously through my brain for something to say.
Once again my body proved uncooperative as the best I came with was "So, a date with Karen eh?"
"Claire…? Huh?" Kai turned around gradually, his mind registering my pitiful existence again. "Oh, yeah, I forgot you must have heard that" Bitterness welled inside me as Kai's confirmed the worst. I was nothing to him, any hope I had previously had vanished in an instant. I was just invisible, pathetic Claire. Well there was seriously no point damaging my heart any further or wasting his time, it was time to find Gray and have a long winded rant about the injustice of life.
"You know what, I actually have to leave too, thanks for the snow cone" I gestured at the melted red waste.
"Oh okay then, it was nice seeing you again" Kai's voice was distant, and there was definitely none of the crestfallenness I had witness earlier with Karen's departure.
"Likewise, bye" Tears threatened to break through my eyes as I tried to work out who I should direct my hurt to; Kai the love of my life or Karen the overly gorgeous yet seemingly innocent object of Kai's affections. It wasn't until I was halfway home that the answer hit me: It was no ones fault but my own dreary looks and dull personality. I allowed one tear to caress my cheek as the realization crushed me.
So, Karen vs Claire, the war is on! Who do you want to win?
Woah, isn't Claire the little spiteful drama queen? Ahaha, I love making my Claire an annoying brat because it makes a refreshing change from all the sues. Don't worry brat haters like myself; Gray is in the next chapter and that's when a whole new, less whiny side of Claire comes out.
As always, reviews are greatly appreciated ^__^
