So I know that this story is causing some questions about Eli and Clare. This chapter will answer some of them and the chapter after this will clear it all up. Please be patient. I know it seems strange, but the idea is taking a solid form and will be sure not to let you all down. Enjoy!
CLARE'S POV:
I knew just what Eli was insinuating and wanted to squash that thought from his dirty little mind immediately. What kind of girl did he think I was?
"I am not having sex with KC!" I spat, surprised at my ability to have such candour with a virtual stranger. Why was I discussing this with Eli anyway? "Subject is closed!"
I spun around in my seat, turning my back on him. But the truth is that I wasn't as angry with Eli as I was with myself. I shouldn't have even begun this conversation. It wasn't right. Eli was someone I'd known for all of two seconds and here I was confessing my deepest, darkest sexual secrets to him? How much more stupid could I possibly be?
"So you don't want to break up with KC, but you also don't want to have sex with him?" Eli asked quietly, as though I hadn't just ended our conversation. He paused and just when I got to thinking that he'd given up trying to break through my wall of silence, he whispered, "Well there's always option number 3."
Dammit! Sorry God, but it was necessary. Eli had just made my curiosity awaken and, try as I may to ignore it, I couldn't. I turned back around, slowly, using my subtle body language to let Eli know that I wasn't a willing participant in this topic we were discussing.
His eyes smiled wickedly, knowing that he'd bested me and was enjoying every minute of his victory. He licked his lips and said, "Option number 3 is not one that most people even know exists in this particular situation, but it may be effective here."
"Oh will you stop talking like a scientist and just get to the point," I lashed out.
His eyes grew wide and he looked affronted at my snap. "Easy there, Blue Eyes. I thought you'd closed this conversation anyway?"
He was teasing me, dragging this out with his own personal means of torture. I leaned closer to him and softened my voice. "Eli? Eli, will you please tell me what you're thinking?"
"Now that takes all the fun out of it. You don't play fair. I'm a sucker for a girl that begs."
I shot him another annoyed look and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for him to get the hint that I was less than impressed with the line he'd just fed me.
ELI'S POV:
I loved this! Playing around with Clare was the most fun way I could think of to spend forty minutes of boring old English class. I wasn't even sure where I came up with half of the shit that came out of my mouth, but somehow, I'd come up with this ingenious plan. Clare thought I knew so much, but the truth was, aside from Julia, my level of knowledge on the opposite sex was pretty limited. Not that I was about to admit that to the one person who wanted to use me as her own personal sounding board for her sexual issues.
"Okay, enough playing around. Let's get right to the issue here. You want to hold onto KC, but you absolutely don't want to have sex with him, right?"
Clare nodded her head, her cheeks in full colour again. I wanted to rest my cool hand on one of those cheeks and soothe away all of her insecurities and embarrassment. But that was not going along with the plan that was slowly beginning to unfurl in the deep recesses of my mind.
I leaned closer to Clare and asked, "Why can't you just step up your game a bit?"
"Oh I don't know. Maybe because I have no game? That's the problem here, Eli. Where have you been through this whole conversation?" she asked me, frustration all over her pretty face.
"So get a game, Edwards," I pushed. "Give KC a little action."
She sighed. "If I do that who's to say that it won't get carried away and out the window goes my morals?"
I couldn't believe that she was this innocent. It was like she'd just come out of the nunnery and all hell was going to break loose if she loosened a button on her blouse!
"You seem to have a pretty good hold on your convictions, Clare. Have a little faith in yourself."
"That's because I don't put myself into these situations. I haven't even kissed KC while we're horizontal. And with the way that my mind's been working lately, that might be all it will take for me to cross that line," she admitted.
I'm not a believer in God. I'm not exactly an atheist. I'm more undecided is all. But at this very minute, I found myself wishing to God that this wonderful girl could be mine one day. And maybe putting my plan into action would get me that wish. But was it really fair to Clare? You'll never know where any of this will lead if you don't at least try. Here goes nothing…
"I think that I can help you, Edwards."
"How?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You know how cars have an acceleration rate? I mean, a car can't go from 0 to 60 in a flash, right? They need a time period to build up to that fast speed. Maybe you need an acceleration rate too."
"I'm not following you at all," Clare admitted, shrugging and shaking her head.
"Racers practice on a dummy car, did you know that? They know that if they take out their number one car, they may blow the engine and then where would they be? You need a dummy car, someone to practice building up your resistance on, someone that you don't care about like you care about KC."
"You want me to do that with someone other than my boyfriend? No way!"
"I know what it sounds like, Clare, but it might be what you need to save your relationship with KC. You want to give him more, right? But you're scared that once you start doing all of this new stuff with him, you won't be able to stop. You know that KC won't stop, because he's a guy and he wants you. So learning to do this stuff with someone you're not attracted to might help you to build up that resistance. Then, when you're with KC, it's not a big deal. He's happy and satisfied. You're happy and satisfied. Your relationship is secure. And, most importantly, you keep your virtue. Seems like a brilliant idea to me."
I watched her mull it over and found it hard not to smile. She was actually buying this crap? I am so much better than I give myself credit for!
"But who would be willing to do this without expecting something more from me?" she asked.
And here was the clincher. Clare had no idea that my devious mind was doing cartwheels of victory right now. She had no clue that I had set this all up for a reason. Well, seems like now's as good a time as any to fill her in.
"I would."
