Chapter 7: Almost kissed
The proceeding days inside Myrnin's laboratory have been increasingly busy and hectic. There wasn't a moment where Claire didn't do any scientific or analytical work. Either she was weighing, mixing, or tabulating things, endlessly working on the cure that Amelie has so needed from them(and the ticket to Claire's freedom). Myrnin, who looked bedraggled himself, did twice as work as she does. He was always in a hustle and bustle around the lab in blinding speed, almost always forgetting that he needed to sleep or eat, and had Claire to do the reminding for him.
Admittedly, Claire was grateful for the busy atmosphere. This is to hide the underlying awkwardness accumulating between them. After her embarrassing incident of being burnt by a chemical, things had been a bit 'loose' between them. And by lose, meaning detached and civil. As if they had not undergone any physical contact for two hours or as if he had not played the piano for her and named a song after her.
Shane, who has decided to regularly call Claire late at night, never failed to remind her to 'watch her back' and to 'always bring a stake in the pocket', usually together with his same anguished tone of displeasure and bitterness. He told her also, to be careful around the 'bloodsucking leech' as if he has not reminded her every time he called. Claire, who was starting to get tired and irritated of his unnecessary reminders, kept on switching topics to distract him.
There was this one time when him and Claire were talking on the phone, and Eve suddenly intervened, kicking Shane out of the room so that she and Claire could talk privately. After a few witty exchange that comprised mostly of "you suck!" and "bite me, loser", some screaming and physical noises of hitting, Shane finally gave in and left Eve to talk to her in private.
"That went well" said Eve sarcastically while Claire laughed on the other line "God, he sounds like a miserable fat kid with no cake—except that, you're the cake here Claire, and he must love you so dang much not to waste any dang second not hearing your voice. Isn't that paranoid or what? Anyway, how are you? Are you coming back here or are you claiming that grungy lab your permanent residence?"
"I'm okay. Everything's in control here. Well I do have to make a conscious effort to make it like that—in control, I mean. But yes, as of the moment, I'm fine, I'm alive and no, I have no bite marks"
"Thank Jesus in heaven for that!" said Eve "But when will you be coming back?"
"Oh yeah about that... I'm not really sure when I can get back over there. No one's keen on letting me out, apparently"
"Trust me Claire, Shane and I are so keen. Speak the word and we'll be over there, towing with us a flamethrower, if that's what it'll take to get you out. It would be so bad-ass."
She laughed "That's sweet, Eve. But I don't think Amelie's gonna like that very much"
"Yeah, I figured that wouldn't be the bad-ass part of the whole rescue mission."
"I figured too" Claire giggled "Anyway, how's everything back there? Is everything okay with you and Michael now?"
There was a long pause, and Claire had thought that Eve had hang up, but she spoke again after a while, and this time, Eve's voice was a little shaky, "He's not living in the glass house anymore Claire"
"He what? Eve! What the heck is going on?"
Eve gave a troubled sigh "At first he was a little incoherent, like he's troubled. We fought and talked about it, but he was getting a bit weird. Like he's sick or something. So we turned to Amelie for help, and she figured out what's up with him in like, three seconds. She said something about him getting too much 'sun exposure' I don't know, but she pretty much blamed the goddam sun like it's bad or something, then she told us Michael's not suppose to live with humans until he's well. So we let him pack and go, now he's out there"
"What?" Claire's mind was racing. So it was true, the sun has started to affect the Morganville vampires, and to Michael, no less. "Why didn't Shane tell me anything?"
"We didn't want to distract you by worrying. But I guess I wanted to tell you now. I feel like I'm gonna explode if I don't. Besides, Shane isn't exactly girl material. So he didn't get my feelings, you know?"
Claire heard her blowing her nose.
"I miss him"
"That is just sad, Eve" she said "I'm so sorry, but do you know where he is now?"
"No, nobody is telling me anything at all"
"It's alright. I know he can take care of himself. Eve, don't worry too much, okay?"
After they hung up, and Claire went to bed, she still thought hard. Michael was a newborn vampire, and if the sun has started to distribute the mystery illness to the vulnerable vamps, then she was sure it would waste no time to affect more stronger vampires if she and Myrnin aren't fast enough to make the cure. This alarming news troubled her more than ever, and for once, she wished that she was a vampire, so that she had the super-human abilities like Myrnin, just to make the scientific work faster.
It was the day after that phone call, that she decided to tell her boss the news about Michael.
"I am unsurprised" he said to her after she gasped out the alarming news. "And yes, I had expected something like this to transpire, although I did not wish for this to be happen to your friend at all"
She sighed in exasperation, his eyebrows meeting in the middle "If you're aware, then why aren't we making any progress? I thought we were in charge of the cure?"
"We are in charge, Claire" he said with an annoyed tone "and let me correct you young one: our progress has quickened upon the development of the titanium oxide. There is no need for your human paroxysm in an overwrought time such as this"
There he was again with his calmness at the most unexpected moments. Claire swore Myrnin had never been in control until now. She wanted to throw things again, just to satisfy the burning frustration deep within her chest. But she knew nobody would appreciate that at all. So what she did, she slumped on a stool and rested her head on the table countertop.
"Ugh!" she fumed "this sucks"
A few seconds later, she heard Myrnin's footsteps approaching, and then his hand was around her after that, coiling around her back softly, as if he was being careful. "Hush, Claire" he said softly "look at me"
She did.
And he was so close to her, but not very much that they could kiss. It was just the proximity that they would never normally go for, the one that transcended the employer and employee line, and it transcended indeed, with his big brown eyes boring into hers seriously, and his arms patting her back in a careful way.
"Claire, darling, master your emotions. Michael needs you. And for you to help with the only way you could, you need to stop and ignore your frustrations and get started on formulating the cure. Think about it, you can do absolutely nothing for him outside, nor can I do something for my kind. But if we lock ourselves here, and do our work as quickly and as accurately as possible, then there is a chance that we are offering them the biggest help they need"
With his thumb, he wiped the wetness accumulating in her eyes, before smiling at her. "Okay?"
"Okay" she gave him a small broken smile "Let's get back to work"
"Now that is the Claire I know
ooo
Their work, suffice to say, has actually improved a whole lot after Claire's newfound enthusiasm to find the cure. And also due to the development of the titanium oxide, Myrnin— just as well—is in high spirits. Due to their inspiration, by the end of the day, half of their work is done and the goal of making the cure is getting nearer and nearer, this results into an enormously hyperactive Myrnin, and a cheerful Claire.
"Claire, come here!"
At once, Claire came running to his side. He pointed at the bubbling substance stored in a transparent container, his eyes alight with excitement. "When this solidifies, then we will have in our hands the very first copy of what I call the vampire version of penicillin. This, as far as I have lived, is our greatest scientific achievement. Now, go child, and grab me my oldest bottle of wine. This is a night of celebration!"
And Claire, who doesn't have the slightest clue where his oldest bottle might be, ignored her confusion and tried to find the bottle instead, all the while, heart singing with joy at the thought of finally helping Michael to get better.
"Myrnin" she called behind her shoulders, after about a fashion of looking "I have no idea where to look"
"It's in the farthest closet, the auburn one!" Even then, his voice still sounds enthusiastic.
When she got back with the dustiest bottle she's ever seen in her entire life, she found Myrnin sitting on the couch, who when he saw her, smiled and motioned her to sit and join him. She set the bottle down before sitting. As she did so, she noticed two glasses perched on the table.
"You do realize I'm a minor, right?" she said "I'm not allowed to drink?"
"Yes, yes" he said absent-mindedly as he popped the cork "I am well-aware. You can whip yourself up with children's drink, if you'd like"
"A what?"
He looked at her, a small smile on his lips. "I was jesting" To which she was surprised about, since her boss never joke. Him, showing her this side of him is scary, and a bit thrilling. "Here. A tiny sip of wine will do." He gave her one jigger of wine. Then continued, "A shame, really, if you turn it down, this wine was a gift from a King in England, this happens to be very rare."
She took one look at the brown liquid, and smelt it with a crumpled nose, before taking a small sip. She almost blanched.
"Here's to a successful experiment!" he lifted his glass and clinked it with hers before downing it, and smacking his lips in pleasure. "This is mighty excellent"
Claire, as well, decided to down her drink. The effect was simultaneously overwhelming. She felt the burn in her throat travelling down her stomach, her head had gotten woozy and her eyesight blurry. But she blinked, and it was gone. Just like that.
Myrnin poured himself another glass, and she sat there, watching him.
"Can I ask you something?" she said
"Of course"
"I don't mean to be a total let down, considering that we're in such a good mood...but" she bit her lip, eyes shifting downwards "There's just something that bothers me. Or scares me."
He stopped dusting off the bottle to look at her, and immediately his mood changed. He turned serious. "What bothers you, Claire?"
"Do you really think this is it?" she asked, "I mean, what if it turns out to be a total B.S.? What if it's unsuccessful?"
"Claire" he said "You underestimate your capabilities"
She sighed "But that's the point, isn't it? If I don't underestimate, and just let everything be, what assurance will I get that it will be a success?"
"Then I will be enormously sad and disappointed if our hard work is put to waste. But will that be my reason to give up? I don't think so. After all, I still am a science genius. I make mistakes and move on, but this time, there's no room for mistakes when every single vampire is counting on us to be successful, and so, this lefts us with no choice but to give every ounce of our intelligence and heart into what we are doing, and have a big amount of trust. Trust in ourselves, in our capabilities, and most of all, trust in each other" he paused and looked up to smile at her "Trust" he said "is the answer Claire. Do you trust me?"
Now asking her if she trusted him was always an issue, even before now. And the way he was looking at her now, his eyes all serious and scrutinizing, made her more contemplative. She wasn't saying that he wasn't trust-worthy. But Myrnin was very volatile, even if he is sane. No one, even Amelie, can predict what he will do. So she tried to listen to her senses, searching for answers at the very back of her skull, the one that she always tried very hard to bury deep within, and she remembered who he is, when he is with her. And she realized, that maybe, she really did trust him even if he is a bit crazy. Maybe she even trusted him more than Amelie.
"Yes" she said, meaning it "I trust you, Myrnin."
"Good, because I trust you more than I trust myself."
ooo
Half a bottle of wine consumed later, Myrnin's face was a colour of light pink, and Claire was all slumped on the couch, a wine glass on her hand. It wasn't him that asked her to drink this time. But after all the stress and endless work, she thought that maybe she deserved to drink and forget that such horror is inflicting Morganville, and that their task with Myrnin at hand is tremendously large, that if they fail, Morganville will sink. And they would take the blame.
So she drank, and regretted nothing. Because this is what people do sometimes, escape.
"You know what I would do first if I ever get out of Morganville?" she said, her words slurring a bit "I would go to a normal town. And continue college. And maybe I would want Shane to propose to me so that we can get married. That too, would be great. Oh, God. I miss him so much. What do you think is he doing back home? Is he thinking about me too?"
And Myrnin, who had been grinning moments ago, immediately looked sour. "I have absolutely no idea what Mr. Collins is doing, nor do I give a single amount of care—"
"Shane is my soul mate" she whispers, "Sometimes when I'm with him, it just feels so right. Like I've found my purpose in the world, and he just...completes who I am, you know?"
"No, I don't"
"And I miss him so freaking much that if I ever see him again, I will hug him super tight and kiss him until I cannot breathe!"
"Not a pretty picture of you" he said "Anyway, I do not think I needed to hear that"
"And you know what else, Myrnin? I'd probably never look at anyone as much as I look at him, it's crazy right? But I am so sure he'll be the boy I'd end up with"
He set his glass down calmly and turned to face her. "You're drunk. I think you should go to bed and rest"
"No, no" she tried to whack Myrnin's hand when he tried to help her up, but is unsuccessful. "I think I can handle one more glass"
He sighed and let her be. "Claire, you know this isn't you."
"Isn't me how?"
"You, as an example of today's sappy version of young adult, I believe there has been too many of them, and you don't fit well to be in it."
"That's not true" she said "Every single person can get sappy when they feel it, especially when they're in love. They turn into sappy bastards. And here I am, and I don't even care if I sound so sappy that I sound like a sentimental poet, I just want to say what I feel"
"You're pretty definite about these things, aren't you?" he said "Haven't you considered the thought that—forgive me—maybe you are not meant to be with him forever? Forever is a long time, I haven't even gotten there and I am, well ancient, and you, what assurance do you have that what love you share now is the same love you will share in a long time?"
"It's just what you said isn't it?" she said, her tone rising "trust? Didn't you just say it's all about trust?"
"But this is different!" he argued "I see you being like this, like you are the surest person in the world! But in reality, you are blind. You cannot rely on your brains on this one, because this is not an experiment, this is real life, your life. The only thing you can rely on is time, but even that is indefinite, And trust for these kinds of things are always broken. I know. Because I have lived to tell the tale"
"Will you quit being so negative?" she said, straightening her back and facing him angrily "So what if we're teenagers? Does that always imply that things never work out because we're what? Immature? Aren't wise? If we aren't wise we would have died a long time ago! Living in Morganville made us grow fast, Myrnin. We aren't immature like you think. We have survived. And Shane and I will survive this. I am sure. I trust him."
He shrugged "If you say so" But he averted his eyes from hers to hide his disdain. He hated the boy with every fibre in him. "Now, I think that you need your rest. You have had too much alcohol I think. And Amelie would be gravely furious if she finds out. I am, after all, responsible for your safety here..."
He offers her his hand. When she accepted, he pulled her up, and held her gently with both arms. "Do you think you can walk?"
"Yes"
He let her go. She took one step, and nearly fell on her feet.
Myrnin immediately scooped her shoulders into an embrace to keep her from falling.
"I don't think so" he said, chuckling
She clung unto him tightly, like a life-preserver. His one arm was around her, the other was holding the wrist of her other hand, with that position, he half-carried, half-guided her into her room with very little effort. "Here we are. Now, invite me in so that I could tuck you in"
But what he got as a reply was only a snore.
"Claire?"
He checked her face. Indeed, her eyes are tightly shut, her face serene.
Not wanting to wake her up, he sighed and scooped her up bridal style, into his room instead. When he tucked her in bed, he decided to give a cold compress to her head to help eliminate a strong hangover the next day, all the while regretting his decision of letting her drink. When he was done, he stood up and gave her one last unreadable look, before walking out of his room and settling himself into a sleeping position on the couch.
He thought about what Claire had said, about her relationship with that boy Collins. And it gave him the most peculiar sensation on his stomach. Like tiny pinpricks trying to hurt him in every part of his body as possible. Unknowingly, his forehead crumpled in frustration. Claire was like Ada. And maybe this was just him coddling Claire, but he has come to the conclusion that maybe Amelie was correct. That somehow, how he looked at the girl was different from how he looked at her from day 1. That maybe, Claire was very special to him more than he'll ever admit to anyone, even to Amelie.
And that hearing her saying those things about Collins—in front of him, no less— made him feel as if he had sipped a very bitter-tasting blood.
He closed his eyes, still troubled.
ooo
Claire woke up the next day with the biggest headache. At first, she had let out a stream of profanities, while she got off her bed, her eyes half-closed. Why was the light so bright, anyway? It made her headache worse. That's when she noticed it. The floor's carpet was a dark red colour. Her room had a blue carpet. When she looked up, she realized that this bed was a four-poster, and a grand piano was in the room.
This was Myrnin's room.
Her heart tightened in panic. What the hell did he do to her? Why was she in his room? When she tried to remember anything that happened last night, her head hurt. She slumped back in bed, and immediately noticed a small parchment on his nightstand.
She unrolled it before reading, "Here's a tonic for your inevitable headache. And I know you will be surprised to find yourself in my room, but you already slept last night when I helped you to your room. And I couldn't get in without an invitation so I let you sleep on my room. Anyway, I hope you are well."
She picked up the tonic, and smelt it. Immediately, her eyesight was better. She decided to gulp it down quickly, ignoring the bitter taste. As soon as she put the glass back down, everything was so much better.
Claire got dressed, and was about to head out the door when there was a knock. When she opened, it was Myrnin with a very big grin on his face, looking astonishingly handsome.
It would be crazy to say it, but his enthusiastic face scintillated, and she'd love to blame the tonic for this but it was different, when she saw him like this. Claire found herself absorbing him in. His eyes, his cheeks, his defined jaw, suddenly it hit her, his charm, he looked divine with this face, as if he was so much younger than his actual age. His eyes weren't manic at all, just bright with happiness, and his red, red lips stretched widely across his face. "Claire"
Her heart skipped, and then picked up speed. "Myrnin?"
"Close your eyes, I have a surprise"
"But—"
"It cannot wait!" and with blinding speed, he took out an old tie and covered her eyes with it.
"Myrnin!" She exclaimed, terrified of his plan. "What are you doing to me?"
"A little trust please" His lips were against her left ear, sending chills down her spine. He then guided her to who knows where. Finally after her toe being stubbed for what felt like a million times, and Myrnin saying insincere apologies, they stopped. And he took off her blindfold.
"3...2...1...open"
She opened her eyes, and looked at what's in front of her, her eyes fell, then widened when she saw hundreds of pills stored in a sterilized container, all solidified and ready to be taken in. She also noticed a small bottle that said 'SUNBLOCK'. Trust, he'd said to her last night, before she got drunk. She remembered that. And it happened, she trusted him, and the cure was ready.
Immediately, she squealed loudly, jumped, and turned to face Myrnin who was grinning at her with that wining grin, making him look like a god.
She didn't think twice, she ran and hugged him so hard that her arms poked at his bones. "I love you, I love you, I love you! Myrnin, we are geniuses!" He hugged her back tenderly, patting her back, then her hair.
"Hey" he broke away and held her at arm's length. "Saying 'I love you' to me three times in a row will give me ideas. Can you tone it down, please?" he looked away and cleared his throat, his cheeks very pink.
She giggled, not thinking very properly. This was her moment of total euphoria. She never thought she'd be very happy in her entire life. This, seems like it. And she was sharing this moment with Myrnin. She didn't care if she'd said 'I love you' to Myrnin. She was very happy, and everything was bright and sparkling. Today, nothing would go wrong. She could even kiss Myrnin if he'd sit close to her. She really would.
"Now, a few adjustments to the chemical composition and acidity level, we can produce thousands of penicillin. And the sun block of course, doesn't need any more alterations. It's ready. But to pack it in a nutshell: Claire, we have succeeded. All the gruelling experimentation paid off—"
She didn't know what got into her, maybe it was the tonic, or maybe because their experiment was a success, or maybe it was just him and his heavenly face, but her brain had totally cut off from her body, disengaged and flew away, because what she did was: She walked towards him again, grabbed his head, felt his soft curly hair against his temples, before kissing him on his cheek.
When she let him go, she was panting so hard, her face was very hot, and her heart was in danger of escaping her body.
"Claire?" he said, tremendously surprised "Did you just kiss me?"
That's when a bit of her senses came back, and she felt the regret."I'm so sorry, Myrnin! I—"
He took her hand and grabbed her towards him. When they were chest to chest, he placed both his hands to the sides of her head, and leaned his head closer to her, all the while eyeing her lips. He was very beautiful up close. She could count the flecks in his brown eyes, and a few microscopic-like freckles on his nose. Myrnin whispered her name, one hand travelling down her back. And she held on to him as well, her hands at the nape of his neck.
She was very sure Myrnin was going to kiss her. And she has no idea how, or when it hit her, but she realized that she wanted him to kiss her. They were ready. Her eyes closed and waited for the inevitable, all the while her heart hammered so loudly that she knew Myrnin heard it.
"Get your hands away from her, you dirty old man!"
They both looked up, and saw that it was Michael Glass speaking.
A/N: I'm so sorry it took me this long to update! But how did you like this Chapter? Did you like the cliff-hanger? hee. Review and tell me all about it. I missed you guys!
