She shot straight up in bed, cold sweat covered her form. Her head was throbbing, her mouth was dry. She ran a shaky hand over her face and slowly got out from her bed. It was three AM and she knew there was no way she was falling back asleep.
She crept through her loft, her feet cold from the hardwood below, the only sounds were the city and her uneven breathing. A cold glass of water was what she needed as she leaned against the kitchen island, the clock on the microwave spelling out 3:02 AM.
Claire Lyons only sighed, and stared out her kitchen window. She was due to be at the airport in four hours time, she had enough time to take a shower, be presentable and board. But she was surely dreading it, she hadn't stepped foot in New York since three years ago, at the age of twenty six, Claire Stacy Lyons was a grown woman.
Confident.
Cool.
and Collected.
Her three C's.
Yet the mere thought of being greeting at LaGuardia left her, insecure, anxious, and lost. The exact opposite of her motto. She really shouldn't have a problem with going to New York, it was Massie's wedding, she'd been asked to be Maid of Honor, what as so horrible about that? Seeing him was what. She really wanted to kick and scream at that anxiousness, Cam didn't rule her life.
But the memories of that day still left her mind reeling, and her face heated, she still felt so embarrassed. It didn't help that the wedding would remind her of what she could have had. She could have been married right now, maybe with a kid. But life didn't always worked out the way things were planned. She had to get over it.
The day was about Massie not her petty problems.
She'd be in the wedding party for Massie, she'd walk down arm in arm with Cam for Massie.
Yes because Massie was her best friend, and she deserved for her to swallow her pride for one day, since it was Massie that held her as she cried her eyes out, and it was Massie that forcibly made her re-emerge into society, and it was Massie that got her - her first photography gig post-Cam that really set her in motion to who she was today. And really, it was Massie that made her forget Cam.
And it was Massie that handled the chaos that followed after Claire ran out of the church that day, when Cam didn't show.
She owed showing up to Massie.
It was the least she could do.
.
.
.
Massie Block would like to consider herself a patient woman, the years that had followed her middle school bratiness days changed her.
For the better.
She learned to be kinder, nicer, softer, humble it was a good refreshment for her soul. It was why she considered herself to be a patient woman, but when tested and pushed to her limit, there was only so much that she could take until the claws came out. And oh they were so close. There was only one person that could push her to her limit and get away with it.
One Todd Lyons.
What?
I know right, Massie had been just as surprised when she fell for him, but she fell hard. Age doesn't so much matter in your twenties, and even now they were only separated by two years. And honestly, Massie had always expected to end up with Derrick or James but Todd was a welcomed nice surprise. She had been guaranteed to be looked after and very well loved with Todd, he did have that obsession with her when he was younger.
But it was so much more different, and she got to see him in that light when they both helped Claire three years ago. She felt slightly jealous then to never have had a sibling, and jealous at how close Claire and Todd were. The older the both of them got, the closer they had become, gone was the sibling rivalry that was a part of their lives when they were in their pre-teens and early teens, but they were genuine siblings, that knew each other inside and out, they knew each other's fears, their happiness, their sorrow.
And she had been jealous of that.
But then, Todd, the way he was so careful towards Claire, really had her attracted. And through those ups and downs they got to talking to the other, sharing memories and stories, becoming friends, and slowly and gradually something more.
And there she was now.
Two weeks to her wedding to Todd Lyons. And she couldn't have been more excited, well except perhaps for one not so minor detail.
"You asked Cam to be your BestMan?" She said it with venom.
Todd didn't get a chance to answer edgewise, "What were you thinking, oh no, you weren't thinking, are you completely forgetting that he left your sister and my best friend at the alter, do you remember?"
"Do you?"
She was on a rampage as she walked throughout their room, "And then you had the audacity to call her and tell her that he was bestman no questions asked?"
She glared at him, "are you out of your fucking mind! Do you want to mess with her sanity?"
"You know she's probably a nervous wreck right now and all because of you, what in the hell made you even want to include him in the wedding party? Do you even remember what he did?"
"Now Mass."
"Don't you dare, Mass me, Todd Lyons, you better explain quick or I will call off this wedding!"
Now they both knew she wouldn't do that.
Well, Todd Lyons hoped, if he had learned one thing from dating Massie it was to never take her angry word too lightly.
"Of course I remember what he did, and I still remember my anger, but Mass, I swear he's changed, and he's still a friend and I don't know we had a heart to heart, and trust me he fucked up huge, I know and he knows but he deserves another chance, and maybe a part of me wishes for them to end up together."
Her eyes were still cold, with a warmth underneath them, "Todd, he fucked up big time, and I don't think that I could ever forgive him for what he did to Claire, you saw how broken she was. It took us months for her to be truly smile again, and I know that she still thinks about that day. Why would you even think that this could go over well?"
He could only shrug sheepishly, "I'm a romantic at heart Mass, it will work out."
He hoped.
She gave him the cold shoulder, "Well, I'll be sure to greet her at the airport, Traitor."
He cringed, "Well..She had to change flights because of a photoshoot scheduling conflict, and unfortunately neither you or I will be able to pick her up."
She nearly popped a vein, "What? Pray tell Todd what will we be doing?"
"We have that interview with that magazine."
"We can always reschedule." She said briskly.
"Its the third time we have Mass, theres not another one after this, and I already confirmed it."
"What the hell Todd Lyons! Then who is picking her up, if you say C-A-M, I swear I will pull a Lorena Bobbitt."
Fuck now he was hurting all over.
"Now you'll be glad that I actually thought this one out, It won't be Cam, I promise, I asked Harris instead."
"Harris Fisher, you asked her ex-fiancee's brother to pick her up. Smooth Todd, very smooth. Why didn't you ask Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, Skye, Olivia or hell Layne! Any single one of them would have been more than happy to."
"Well..They would have only served to bash Cam, and he needs another chance."
"Lyons, what the hell have you been smoking, did he brainwash your mind?"
"No Massie, he didn't do any of that nonsense, I mean you know that after what happened him and I we didn't talk for a year, and even after that it was hard. But we're guys, we beat the other up and we were okay. There's still some sore feelings, but we've talked a lot, and he is genuinely sorry, I can feel it. He loves Claire so much, I think he deserves another chance, and I know that claire still loves him."
She stared at him hard.
"I'm still angry, don't think you're off the hook. I hope you know what your'e doing, because you're not just playing around with Cam's heart, you're messing with Claire's too, and if your game causes her to get hurt again, I will kill you."
He knew.
And it already weighed heavily on his soul that he would put his sister through this, but he knew that in the end this was what Claire needed. A clear head, and no better situation than to sort her own emtions and wants out, rather than at the wedding of the social year, the Lyons and Block Wedding.
.
.
.
Claire walked against the current of her airport. Her steps soft as she looked around for anyone whom she might recognize as familiar. She hadn't been able to get in touch with neither Massie nor Todd to see who would be picking her up. And she cursed the possibility that it could be Cam.
She didn't want to see Cam.
Already being in New York made her nervous, and she still cursed the fact that her photoshoot had to be moved up. If Elite Models didn't hire her so often, she would slam the door and say no, but since more often than not they were paying for the lease on her loft, she did as they commanded. Oh the life of a freelance photographer.
She was also doubling by going to the wedding, she was also assigned Head in Chief Photographer, per Massie's request, all of her cute wedding pictures had to be taken by her - Claire. But that wasn't the main point on her mind, it was finding her 'ride' to her hotel. Part of her to be honest, didn't want to leave the airport, it was filled with so much activity, so many candid moments that the artist inside of her was dying to come out.
So much so, that she gave in, her let her bags stand by her side and she dug out her camera. Her eyes filled with wonder, as she took snapshot after snapshot.
Some of them would go into her portfolio.
She was so enthralled that she didn't sense someone sneaking behind her, not until he tapped her on her shoulder, and her eyes widened in fright. She turned and blue eyes met green.
Harris Fisher.
And suddenly her heart was beating faster.
End Chapter 1
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Tell me your opinions, should I continue?
This story is obviously set in clique universe, all the ladies are older, about 26 to 27 so they're classy bitches. Hahaha, but really I hope you guys like it, and stay along for the ride with me.
The Elite chapter 13 is currently being written - for anyone reading that, and the next chapter will be up in the next week or so.