Welcome to this quickie fluff shot!
Legal: I own nothing but the idea.
Important things to know before reading:
*Maya and Clare are both attending Ryerson; Clare in her senior year and Maya in her sophomore year.
*Clare did have cancer, she was pregnant and lost the baby but Adam did not die and is going to school in New York. He did his best to stay out of the EClew love triangle and immersed himself in other activities.
*Since I don't watch Next Class I can't tell you what's different so I'm just going to assume this is total A/U from Next Class.
*The shot is all in Clare's pov.
And the rest is in the shot hope you enjoy!
The Best thing about Bermuda
"Clare, Clare are you listening?" Tom snaps at me.
"Sorry," I apologize looking up from my drink and looking at my boyfriend, "but I thought we came to Bermuda to get away from work. Maya and Bobby haven't left their room all day. You spend most of the day studying and I finally get you to take a lunch break and all you'll talk about is work."
"I have a huge test when we get back you know I had to study this morning," Tom responds.
"You spent six hours studying! This is supposed to be a vacation Tom our romantic vaca…" I'm interrupted by Tom's cell ringing and he holds his finger up to silence me.
"It's my boss," he says.
"And you're on vacation, he knows that don't answer," I tell him.
"If I want to move up in this law firm I can't ignore his call Clare," Tom replies incensed.
"You're a researcher, one of many I'm sure they can go without you for five days, and you're still in law school. This vacation was supposed to be all about us, if you answer that call we're done," I give Tom an ultimatum.
He gives me condescending look and answers his phone. I huff and angrily leave the table, storming out of the restaurant and our hotel. I walk down the street and find a bar with pool tables, for the mood I'm in a drink and some pool sounds great. I go in and order mudslide from the bar, when I get my drink I walk over to the pool tables. Leaning on the wall watching the end of a game when a guy approaches me, looks to be in his mid to late twenties, dark red hair and some five o'clock shadow.
"Care for a game Cutie?"
"Sure, but let's make it interesting," I reply.
"You want to play for money? How's ten dollars a ball?" He asks.
"Sounds great, you break," I reply.
"No ladies first," he says walking to an empty table. He racks the balls while I take a pool cue, chalk the end and calculate my shot.
When I sink two solids I grin, moving to the other side to take another shot. I sink five balls before he gets a turn and I win on my next turn.
"That's the game, now pay up," I demand holding out my hand for the money.
"No way you hustled me," he refutes.
"I didn't hustle you I asked if you wanted to play for money and I never pretended to play badly. Now pay up," I demand again.
"How about I just buy you a drink and take you back to my room for a good time," he smiles lewdly leaning over me with his hand on my hip.
"You're a disgusting pig, now give me the money you owe me," I snap at him and then hit his arm with my pool cue so he'll stop touching me.
His face turns irate and he grabs the pool cue raising it to hit me but someone grabs the pool cue before it strikes me. My savior shoves the guy away, punching him as he sets the pool cue down on the table. To my shock and surprised delight my savior is none other than Mike Dallas!
"Now I know you weren't about to hit a lady. Get out the money you owe her and disappear," Dallas orders him. The guy looks at Dallas and back at me before finally getting out his wallet and giving me my money.
"Thanks Dallas, lucky for me you were here. Can I buy you a drink?" I smile at him.
"Sure, but call me Mike, I prefer going by that now. And let's do it somewhere else," he replies.
"Okay Mike, there's a nice lounge at the hotel I'm staying at," I tell him. He grins, offers me his arm, I take it and we leave the bar walking down the street to the hotel.
"Hey this is the hotel we're staying at too," Mike says when we approach the hotel.
"We? Should I be on the lookout for a jealous girlfriend?" I ask and Mike chuckles.
"Don't think Owen is the jealous type. Had some time now that hockey and football seasons are over and we wanted to take a vacation in the sun with lots of hot girls."
"I heard from Adam that you got traded to the Marlies this year. I already knew Owen was on the Argonauts but I don't watch sports or follow them. I don't even see Owen around town," I comment while we walk into the lounge and sit at a table.
"Should I be on the lookout for a jealous boyfriend?" Mike questions while we look at the menus.
"Not anymore. Maya and I barely convinced our boyfriends to come on this vacation. It's our first full day here and my boyfriend was studying at eight this morning, when I finally got him to take a break for lunch all he would talk about was work. When he got a call from his boss he took the call, so I told him we were through. I hope Maya and Bobby are having a better time," I remark.
"If Bobby is Owen then she's having a great time," Mike remarks pointing to another part of the lounge where I see Maya and Owen. She sees me and I wave them over.
"I'd say fancy meeting you here but it turns out we're all staying at the same hotel," Owen grins as they sit down. They both have drinks that are half gone so they've obviously been here a while.
"I thought you were still in your room with Bobby," I remark to Maya. Before she can answer the waitress comes over and gets our drink order.
"He probably doesn't even realize I'm gone. His nose hasn't left his books since he woke up this morning. He can have his books, we spend six months planning for this vacation, saving, they did nothing but pay their portion and all he can think about is that he has a test when he gets back. What about Tom?" Maya questions.
"Same, studying all day and then talking about work. When he took a call from his boss I told him we were done. I went down to a bar and played some pool, the guy wouldn't give me my money and got rude and Mike came to my rescue. So, what about you two?"
"After walking out of the room I came down here to get a drink and Owen saw me. We've been talking for the last couple of hours," Maya replies.
The four of us sip our drinks and talk, mostly catching up since I haven't seen Mike or Owen since high school. Maya lost touch with Tristan after he moved to California upon graduation. After finishing our drinks the four of us walk down to a beach side restaurant and have dinner as we watch the sunset. I did know from Alli that she and Dallas broke up not long after he moved to Japan. Although Alli and I are barely in touch any longer, we both got so busy and she only makes it home once a year.
"You girls want to walk along the beach?" Owen asks after dinner.
"Sounds wonderful," I smile.
The guys pay and we walk to the beach, taking off our shoes just before we step into the sand. We walk down towards the water and Mike takes my hand interlacing our fingers. At first the four of us walk side by side but then Mike and I slow down, Owen and Maya getting several paces ahead of us.
"You know my biggest regrets are mostly about you," Mike admits.
"Me? What regrets?"
"Well, starting with our kiss in the storage room. It was a terrible time to kiss you, I really had no tact in high school. Living in Japan I learned a lot about respect. Then of course, there was wrecking your party, and the garden."
"You did actually apologize for those," I remind him.
"Yes, but don't forget I told Drew you were using him as a rebound and I told him he wasn't the dad. I should have kept my mouth shut at the hoe down and I should have let you tell Drew on your own time. I was really an ass in high school," he says and it makes me giggle.
"Talking to Drew you shouldn't have done. Although I'm fairly certain he and I were headed for disaster no matter what. He just seemed so excited when he thought he was going to be a dad, when he saw the baby I didn't know how to break it to him. Senior year of high school seems a million years away," I remark looking at the moon on the water.
"Yeah, it really does, both of them for me," Mike says and I giggle again. "I am sorry for my part in anything that upset you. I always did like you, and thought you were way too good for Drew," Mike comments and I giggle again.
Owen and Maya have sat down in the sand, watching the waves and the moonlight. Mike and I sit down with them, he puts an arm around me and I put my head on his shoulder. For a long time we sit there in silence watching the water.
"I guess now that you two have broken up with your boyfriends you'll need a place to sleep?" Owen inquires as we begin walking back to the hotel.
"Yeah, I guess so, and I think the hotel is full," Maya replies.
"You girls can stay with us, we have a room with two queens it will easily fit the four of us. When do you girls fly back?" Mike questions.
"Thursday," I tell them.
"Us too, stay with us," Mike grins.
"I guess we'd better get our stuff from our rooms," I remark to Maya.
"Yeah and I should probably break up with Bobby," Maya replies.
"I'll go with Maya, you go with Clare and we'll meet you back at the room," Owen says and Mike nods.
We walk through the sand back to the restaurant and put our shoes back on. Walking back to the hotel and riding the elevator together as Maya and I got rooms next to each other. Maya and I lead the boys to our rooms, I enter my room with Mike following. All of Tom's stuff is gone and there's a note on the bed. I sit on the bed and look at the note.
C,
Had to go home early for work. I know you're mad but we'll talk when you're back.
Love,
T
"Did he run out on you?" Mike asks.
"Went home for work. I don't think he got the message when I broke up with him," I reply tossing the note in the trash can.
I pack my stuff and call the front desk. I tell them we're checking out early and they can charge tonight to Tom's card. Mike takes my bag, and we go to the room he's sharing with Owen, which is on the top floor.
"I probably should have guessed you two had a suite," I remark when we enter their two-bedroom suite.
"Yeah, well if we met girls while we were here we didn't want to be sharing a space. This is our room," Mike says taking my hand and pulling me into the room on the right.
"Spacious," I smile as Mike sets my bag down.
I walk to the window and look at the moon, Mike comes over putting his arms around me from behind. I put my arms on his and his lips place a gentle kiss on my earlobe.
"I'm incredibly glad I ran into you today, and that you and Maya were vacationing here at the same time as us," Mike comments and I grin.
"So am I," I reply looking back and turning my head up to kiss him. Our lips stay sealed until we hear the front door open and then shut again. I break the kiss and we go out to the living room. "How'd your breakup go?" I ask Maya.
"Not so well but I'm glad it's done," Maya replies.
"Tom went home and left a note. He seemed to miss the part where I broke up with him."
Owen suggests we order drinks and dessert from room service and that's just what we do. We spend the night drinking, eating, watching TV, talking and laughing before we go to our separate rooms to go to bed. While Mike is in the washroom I change into the only pajamas I brought with me.
"Holy crap," Mike exclaims when he sees me.
"It's all I brought. I thought this would be a romantic trip with my boyfriend," I remind him explaining the black satin baby-doll I'm wearing.
"Yeah and he did not deserve you. If you're going to sleep in that I may not be responsible for what I do to you tonight," Mike comments. I can already see the bulge in his boxers.
"I can always push you in a cold shower to cool off, or send you to sleep with Owen," I smirk hitting his stomach lightly.
"I promise I'll be good," Mike says.
I smile as I grab my toiletries bag and go into the washroom to get ready for bed. When I come out Mike is in bed, I sleep in his arms that night using his chest as a pillow. For the next four days, the four of us have a great vacation on the island. Sunbathing and swimming at the beaches, snorkeling, cocktails at sunset, enjoying good food and every moment together. When our last night comes it seems to come too soon.
"I can't believe we're going home tomorrow," Maya remarks as we sit in the sand on our last night.
"Me either it went by so fast," I agree.
"Hey, we're on the same flight and all going home to the same city, it's not like tonight is goodbye," Mike comments.
"This is most definitely not goodbye, we'll see each other in Toronto," Owen concurs.
"Damn right we will, and just to be sure Clare will you go out with me tomorrow night?" Mike asks and I giggle.
"We've been sleeping in the same bed the last few nights and spending basically every moment together the last few days. Asking me on a date seems like we're going backwards," I laugh.
"I could ask you to marry me," Mike replies with a snarky tone.
"Let's start with a date, Maya and I share an apartment you can pick me up from there," I tell Mike.
"I'll go with you to pick up Maya," Owen remarks before looking at Maya, "that is if you want to go out with me Saturday?"
"I would," she grins.
"So, good vacation after all?" Mike asks holding me a little closer.
"Wonderful, Bermuda is beautiful but the best thing about this vacation was you," I smile before gripping Mike's shirt and crushing our lips to his.
Hope you all enjoyed this fluff shot. Next updated is You Believed in Me, Let Me be Right for You.