So here's the next chapter. Review/Comments/Judgements are all appreciated. Any flashbacks you really want to see? A glimpse of Clare's dark period will be coming up soon, promise. I really appreciated everything you all had to say about the last chapter. Hopefully you still enjoy this one. Thanks once again!
Chapter Seven.
Tuesday. Today was the day Clare's mother would be arriving and Clare was nervous. Not just about her mother visiting (it was always a little nerve-wrecking having to put on a charade, but deep down, Clare knew it was for the best).
It was the fact that these past forty-eight hours had all been a blur for Clare. She barely remembers storming off away from Eli after telling him that she hated him. How her heart had managed to once more snap in two even though it had already been broken for so long. The fact that after that scene, they hadn't talked. Clare knew it was stupid, the wanting him to reach out to her again when she had basically told him to fuck off. Regardless of how much it hurt her to see him, it was so much better being with him than being without him again. Coupled with the fact that Adam kept checking in on her when he thought she was asleep, just to make sure she wasn't doing something…reckless, Clare knew it was best to keep busy and act normal.
There were tasks to be done, things to complete for the whole charade. Who was she kidding, charade was just a euphemism for liar.
Clare took a few moments to pause before organizing her bedroom closet for her mother's visit by pulling back a white curtain and looking out the window. She saw the lamplight. It was off still, but it would be on soon since the sun was setting. Creating a low amber glow in her room, accenting the shadows of the room's contents against the blank walls.
Clare never put up photos. Because all too-often there was a dark-haired man with a smirk on his face right next to her, hugging her, kissing her, teasing her, and Clare just didn't want the memory. Now, she did have a photo of her and Adam's wedding day.
'Adam, just give me one photo and I'll give you a lifetime supply of Mountain Dew!' Clare playfully shoved Adam's shoulder back as she held up the camera once more in her left hand. Steadying the camera, she prepared to smile when Adam spoke once more.
'A lifetime supply?' he questioned her slowly.
'Yes, you dork. I promise that there will always be Mountain Dew in the fridge for you.'
Adam held out his hand for Clare to shake. And as her pale hand entered his, the deal was done. Mr. and Mrs. Torres would have Mountain Dew in their fridge forever.
Adam turned his head and plastered that wedding smile and Clare did the same. She pressed down and the shutter clicked. Clare mentally checked off that she now had photo evidence of the whole charade. And with that, they continued on with their list, heading over to Walmart to grab a cheap wedding band.
She left from her spot near the window and pulled out a box of things for this occasion from underneath her bed. First she pulled out the large wedding photo that Clare took, with it's simple black frame around it. She mentally reminded herself that she'd have to hang it up somewhere in the living room. Preferably somewhere her mother would see it often.
The second thing to come out was a set of gold wedding bands. Simple, no stones or anything. They were thin, round, and cheap. They served its purpose for the few days out of the year they had to play house. Slipping hers on her ring finger, she stuck Adam's in her jeans pocket to give to him later.
The third was the set of "trivia" questions that they had come up to keep their story straight. Pulling out the few sheets of paper, Clare made another mental note to go over these with Adam later before her Mom arrived.
She got up and kicked the box underneath her bed again and moved towards the closet once more. She straightened Adam's clothes on their hangers. Her clothes were now relaxed, bunched together, their companion returned once more to fill the space.
Originally, the plan was to just keep one suit in the closet because that was all they needed. But then her mother's car broke down two visits ago and she stayed a few extra days while it was repaired. It was only after a quick story and good behavior after Adam was caught downstairs in the basement lugging clothes in a shopping bag upstairs to Clare's room that the two of them decided that it would be best to just put most of his clothes upstairs just in case.
She shoved the clothes around, her fingers threading in and out of shirts, pants, and dresses to make sure that none of them were bunched up and taking up too much room. She went through quickly, her fingers stopping momentarily on a plastic bag in the back. She pulled back her hand quickly, attempting to stop the memory from flooding in but it was too late.
'This is it,' Clare said softly to Alli. She felt a tingle down her spine and a small tear enter her eyes which she quickly rubbed away with a delicate finger. She looked at herself and for once, Clare felt beautiful.
The dress was a lot more simpler than all the other dresses Alli had made her tried on. The ones with the huge flowers, the large bows, all similar to the prom dresses that Alli tried on during their high school years. But Clare had been caught looking at it and quickly grabbed it due to Alli's rushed comment of, 'Just grab it! We only have an hour before we have to meet Wesley about a possible band playing at your wedding!'
It was tea-length, which was nice, since their wedding would be outside in a nearby park close to Clare's church. It was a compromise of sorts; Clare had wanted a ceremony to involve her religion in some form, and Eli wasn't really one for the whole preacher-worshipper thing. Since Eli wanted to make sure that everything was perfect, he had personally talked to Clare's minister for a special arrangement.
Clare was going to be the first woman in her family to not be married in a church. But she would get to be the first woman to get married walking on grass instead of cold stone. Eli would have to listen to the man speak, but he didn't have to glance at the stained glass panels when he wanted to fantasize instead of paying attention to his words.
The sweetheart neckline accentuated her collarbone and shoulders nicely. The dress was just plain white, no lace, stones, ruffles were influencing it in anyway. And there was a thick black ribbon around the waist. A nice 'shout-out' to Eli, as Adam would say.
It was perfect. And as Alli came up close to her to give her a warm hug, Clare smiled at Alli's teasing words, 'He's going to take one look at you and want to ravish you.' Clare's face became hot as her blush skimmed across her cheeks. Alli continued, this time her eyes softer and her words more quiet, 'No man could ever turn you down in this dress, Ms. Hottie.'
Right. Clare gave a light shake of her head and got back to her tasks. She shut the closet door quickly and made her way to the blow-up mattress that was now finishing its inflation and shut it off with a quick tug at the power cord. She dressed it in non-Grandma sheets (they were Chinatown Saga sheets that Adam bought off Ebay while at work) and folded up a blanket on the end of it just in case Adam would get cold (regardless about how much he despised her covers, it didn't stop him from stealing them in the middle of the night that one time when she was unconscious in slumber) and then headed downstairs to get dinner ready.
Adam sat at the kitchen table, gently tapping away some Dead Hands beat that had been playing in the car stereo forever. Clare walked over and gently set down the gold wedding band. Watching him slip it on his finger with only a short pause, Clare began the trivia: "Okay, Adam, first question. How did you propose to me?"
'Hey, Blue Eyes,' began Eli as handed over the daily crossword from the small local paper. 'I'm having trouble with this one. Do you mind?'
'What? At a loss for words finally?' Clare teased, a smile edging out from her lips.
Eli smirked, handing over his pen. He got up from the table and left, taking his dishes to the sink and exiting the room as Clare inquisitively gazed at the puzzle, a pen now caught between her lips as she thought.
4 Across: What I first pushed you to do when we first skipped class together while at Degrassi. S-C-R-E-A-M.
9 Down: Most handsomest guy ever. E-L-I.
14 Down: Two words. Who we saw at our first concert together. D-E-A-D-H-A-N-D-S.
22 Across: Two words. Where we went on our first date. T-H-E-D-O-T.
25 Down: Two words. The most perfect woman in the world. B-L-U-E-E-Y-E-S.
27 Across: We were alone at the beach looking at planets and stars when I told you I wanted to spend this length of time with you: E-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y.
28 Down: Three words. That same night, right after that, what did I tell you for the first time. I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U.
30. Across: Two words. The most crucial question that I'm waiting on bended knee to ask. M-A-R-R-Y-M-E.
Clare looked up from the crossword, pen falling from her hand and clinking on the tabletop. A blush escaping across her cheeks. She whisked her head around and there was Eli, true to his words, on one knee, with a black box in his hand.
She brought her hands to her warm cheeks as she felt her eyes water in pure bliss. Eli slowly opened the box and inside was a diamond ring. 'Clare,' he began, a deep grin forming quickly. 'You know I love you. And I want to spend forever with you…' Eli gave a pause as a smirk began to form lightly. 'I mean, you know that Adam has been saying forever that we just need to shut up and get married. So, please, Clare, with all of my heart, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?'
Clare nodded quickly and lunged at Eli as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her chest moving quickly from a mixture of tears and joyous laughter reverberating through her. She could feel Eli's smile against her cheek as he whispered into her ear, 'Looks like you're at a loss for words, Blue Eyes.'
Clare pulled away, rubbing away a few stray tears as her grin grew. 'Yes,' she said simply.
Eli's brows furrowed. 'Yes to a loss for words or yes to marrying me-'
'You,' she said quickly right before she smashed her lips into Eli's, a warmth spreading across her cheeks and her body as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, winding her body around his. He threaded his fingers through her hair as they pressed their bodies closer to together.
This was pure happiness.
