"Okay, what the hell is up?" I finally let out frustrated.
Embry looked up at me from SNL which was playing on the TV. "What do you mean? What's wrong?"
"Claire. She's been acting really weird lately. I mean you know how she basically lived at La Push. She hates coming now. I have no idea why." It's only been two weeks since mine and Claire's relationship rekindled. Things have been great and Claire and I are actually closer than ever before. I kind of thought that was impossible but I think we are both trying to make up for lost time.
Embry cleared his throat rather nervously and glanced down at Collin and Brady who were sprawled out on the floor. "Maybe she's just uncomfortable coming around us now," Embry said quietly.
I shook my head confused. Claire has grown up around the guys. She was like their little sister. Why would she be uncomfortable around the them? "That doesn't make any sense." I voiced. "What do you guys know that I don't? " I eyed the three of them suspiciously.
"Well, you see-" Collin started but Brady cut him off.
"It's just that, we knew how much you were hurting when she left, and when we found you two together we just sort of-"
"We confronted her and told her we were mad at her. She got pretty upset. We thought we were doing the right thing, Quil. We all feel horrible." It was Embry that finished.
I stood up, blood boiling. "Who are you all to be mad at her? You don't even know the whole story. She thought she was protecting me! She wanted me to move on with my life! You of all people, the guys who are in my head for hours almost everyday should know just how important she is to me. She is my life! I can't even look at you." I made my way towards the front door grabbing the keys to my truck on the way out. "Oh my god! That's why she wouldn't tell me what was wrong that morning. Because she didn't want to get you in trouble." I was absolutely livid now. My Claire was trying to protect them after they made her cry. My sweet, sweet girl. I stormed out of my house.
"Where are you going?" Brady shouted after me.
"Take a wild guess," I spit as I climbed into the drivers seat.
The ride to the Young's house was shorter, it seemed, when I was angry. I let myself into the house as always. The twins were eating mac and cheese that Carlie had made for them and she was sitting on the kitchen counter, swinging her legs back and forth. She smiled when she saw me come in. "She's upstairs," she told me, knowing exactly who I wanted.
I ruffled both the boy's hair before taking the stairs three at a time. I knocked on the door twice before entering. My anger melted away the moment I laid eyes on her. She was laying on her bed with her legs crossed. She was reading a book and I could tell it was one of her "bum days." She wasn't wearing any makeup, and her hair was up in a messy ponytail. She was still wearing her pajamas. A pair of hot pink and black cheetah print pants and a plain black tank top. She looked absolutely adorable. I always secretly relished these day because I always thought that Claire never looked more beautiful than when she didn't care or try.
I closed the door as quietly as I could and joined her on the bed. She was so lost in the book that she didn't even notice my presence until I was sitting directly next to her. She finally pulled away from her book and smiled brightly at me. "What are you doing here?" She asked. "I thought you were going to hang out with some of the guys today."
"I was, but then I decided I would rather spend time with you," I told her, half truthfully. I don't think I needed to bring up my fight with Embry, Collin, and Brady just yet.
"Oh, well, I'm not doing anything too exciting," she told me. "But you're more than welcome to be boring with me."
"It's a date," I laughed.
And we sat there for hours. We talked and talked and talked. For hours on end. Claire was sitting up in her bed, and my head was resting in her lap."Why didn't you tell me what they said to you?" I asked her, sitting up.
Her pretty eyes widened in surprise, "What do you mean?"
"Embry, Collin and Brady told me earlier today. They told me about that morning and how they told you they were angry with you. Why didn't you tell me that morning? Why didn't you tell me at all actually?"
She sighed heavily. "I guess I was trying to win them back. Aside from you they were my closest friends. I kind of always thought that they loved me and much as I love them,"she shrugged her shoulders to play it off like she didn't care. I knew she did though.
"They do love you, Claire. They were just upset with you. I think they feel bad. I think they miss you, " I said to her as she rested her head against my shoulder.
"Is that why you came to me today? Because you were angry with them?"
"Yeah, that's part of it. I also missed you. But I'm not going back. Not tonight. I need some time to cool off."
She sighed, "Don't you ever wish we could just run away together?" She nuzzled into my neck. "Away from my parents, away from my mess of a life, just you and me. Forever."
And for a moment I considered it. Having Claire all to myself. Never having to share her with anyone else. Claire having my kids- when the time came of course. And I got scared. I got scared of how much I liked the idea. I got scared of what I realized.
I thought back to the past few months. Every time I saw her I was struck with her beauty. But I had been since the very first time I saw her. No, this is different, I told myself. She literally takes my breath away. Best Friends don't think that way about each other. I thought back to patrol. Collin's thoughts about Claire. I had been thinking about our trip to the beach. Claire in her pastel orange bikini. How amazing the color looked against her tan skin. How amazing she looked in the bathing suit in general.
He had whistled in my head, Claire certainly is all grown up now. Isn't she, Quil? I could feel the lust running through his thoughts. I sure would like to take-
I never did let him finish telling me. I lunged at him, going directly for his throat. It took three other wolves to pull me off of him. When I finally calmed down enough to phase back into my human form, I decked Collin square in the face. At the time I told myself I was just being protective. Claire had always been my baby. But now I recognized another emotion. Jealousy. Burning hot, overpowering, maddening jealousy. Nobody should think about Claire that way except me. She is mine. Even now, just thinking about it, I could feel the white hot emotion spreading across my chest.
I think about how I feel like I'm floating in thin air every time I make her laugh or smile. I think about how I'm only happy if she is. I think about how I would die protecting her. I think about how amazing I feel knowing I'm the only one that can make her feel better when she's sick or upset. And suddenly I'm scared.
I'm scared of the fact that I'm falling in love with Claire.
A/N Aaaaaaaaaand cliff hanger.