Chapter 21 Through your eyes

It had been raining whole week. Claire and Mel just had started school. There were not as excited as they should be. Claire had presented Mel in her cheerleading squad. However, Mel was more interested of her history books than being a cheerleader. Claire could not blame her. She got bored too, but her reason was different. Peter was missing whole week. He went at some conference in Dallas, Texas. Claire was lonely and grumpy all the time. Nobody could speak with her normally. She preferred to stay alone and her behavior was strange even for her family.

Mel had tried to talk with her, but Claire did not want to listen. After they got school, she just shut herself in her room. The weather was just like her mood now. Dark and heavy. She hugged her pillow and lay on her stomach watching the pouring rain outside her window.

'Makes you want to cry, isn't it?' Claire heard Mel's voice.

'No.' Claire replayed, without even looking back. Her friend closed the door and came closer.

'Makes me want to cry.' Mel said quietly and finally Claire looked at her. She stood at the down side of the bed and stared through the window. 'You know, every time it rains I want to cry. It reminds me of my first kiss with Sean. How naïve I was, back then… I thought I could handle it. I thought that this could stop and it'll pass someday.' Mel paused for one second. 'But still hurts you know. Every time I have to hide just to be with him. Every time when I have to lie to my father that I am okay and kissing Sean was a mistake. I wasn't a mistake!'

'Sean is here now, Mel.' Claire looked at her friend and got off the bed. She walked to the window and stayed there. 'You can be with him and the scandal of you two being together it's not going to be that big. You are nod blood relatives after all.'

'Still, it'll be a scandal and I can't do this to my father.' Mel walked closer and stood beside Claire. 'I can't live without him either.'

'Why are you telling me this?' Claire hung her head between her shoulders.

'Because you're bad now. You are feeling ripped up in two. Your family is standing at one side and you do not want to disappoint them. You loved them and that is normal. Peter is on the other side and he holds your heart. You can't deny it forever, Claire.'

'What are you trying to say, Mel?' Claire looked at her friend with confusion.

'Don't let go of your love...Cause maybe, just maybe you'll let go of your life.' Mel looked at her with sad eyes. 'Trust me, it hurts like hell!'

'I won't let go of him.' Claire frowned. 'It's nothing like that.'

'Then what?' Mel turned around to her friend. 'You know you can tell me.'

'I just… miss him. That's all.' Claire looked back through the window.

'But you can't let everyone notice this.' Mel insisted. 'It's dangerous.'

'I don't care.' Claire shrugged. 'They'll think that I'm not on the mood and that's all.'

'Oh yeah! When Peter comes back then what? You will be so smiley that they would not notice that either.' Mel rolled eyes sarcastically.

'Sometimes I think I can't do this anymore.' Claire whispered. 'Sometimes I wished we could be far away from here and didn't have to hide.'

'It's not fair, I know.' Mel sighed. 'But if you want to continue this, you have to be strong Claire.'

'You're saying that from experience?'

'Yes. This is not an easy love.'

'I know, but I just can't stop thinking about him!' Claire leaned hand on the cold glass of the window. She traced few raindrops with her fingers. 'I don't know what is happening with me. I don't know how I fell in love with him, but now I can't even imagine my life without him.'

'Oh, Claire.' Mel looked at her friend with sympathy.

'Hey beautiful.' Peter's voice made them twirled around. He was standing in the middle of the room. 'Hey, why are you crying?'

Claire did not say anything. She just ran and jumped into his arms. Her legs wrapped his waist and her hands held his shoulders. She cried and hid face at the crook of his neck. Peter looked at Mel puzzled, but she just shrugged and leaved the room.

'Claire.' Peter rubbed her back and sat on the bed, placing her onto his lap. Claire hugged him even tightly. 'Claire what is wrong? You start scaring me!'

'Nothing.' She mumbled on his shoulder. 'It's nothing.'

'There is something.' Peter insisted carefully. 'Because of me? You're sad because of something I did?'

'No.' Claire sniffed and lifted up her head to look at him. 'It's not your fault. It's mine.'

'Yours?'

'I'm such a crying baby.' She tried to laugh, but Pete did not buy it.

'You are not crying baby and that's why I'm concerned!'

'I just thought about some things.'

'Such as?' Peter started loosing patience.

'Such… us.' Claire sniffed again. He sighed and locked the door telekinetically.

'Look, I thought about it too and it's normal to have second thought about it.'

'I don't have second thought!' Claire frowned this time.

'You don't?'

'No!' Claire pulled back slightly and looked at his beautiful face. 'I just thought about my life without you and that made me sad.'

'Why?'

'Why what?'

'Why you thought about this?' Peter reached and wiped out her tears. Claire closed her eyes with that move. 'There must be a reason for this.'

'The weather.' Claire nodded at the window. 'It's dark and my thoughts weren't very shiny.'

'Would you share with me?' He asked carefully.

'I thought how hard all this is for us.' Claire shrugged and lay head on his shoulder. 'We're stealing moments, but I realized that I want more. I want more with you.'

'We talked about this, beautiful.' Peter kissed her temple and felt her nod.

'I know we talked about it, but I keep thinking about this.'

'And that's what makes you sad?'

'I missed you too.' She admitted quietly.

'But I was gone only a week!' Peter did not laugh at her emotions and that made her love him even more. 'It's not like this was the first time.'

'I know, but it was the first time since we are together.' Claire whispered and Peter nodded again, inhaled the sweet scent of her hair.

'I missed you too.' He stroked her hair and she smiled for the first time this week.

They had special dinner, celebrating Peter's arrival. Claire was so smiley that Mel got concerned about the looks Heidi repeatedly threw at her. However, the night went without any catastrophe. Mel could breathe easy this time. She was not surprised when she saw Peter walking into Claire's room. She knew what was going to happen this night between them and honestly, she was little jealous of them right now. Honestly, she missed Sean badly, but she knew that he was still afraid of being with her. Mel sighed and closed the door of her room.

The rain still poured when Peter woke up in Claire's bed. They had talked a lot this night – about them and their future as a couple. Claire had shared her fears and Peter had shared his. They agreed that it was painful to live in a lie, but it was more painful to live without each other. Therefore, Peter had stayed in her bed and hugged her thought the whole night. They just slept together, nothing more.

He got off early and teleported into his room. The breakfast was not ready, so Peter had to wait in the living room. He was sitting there, scratching something into his notebook when he heard steps, coming from the staircase. His head lifted up and he gazed at her in one long moment. Claire gazed at him back with light smile on her lips. It was secret smile, meant only for him.

'Are you alright?' He heard Heidi's voice and snapped up his head.

'Huh?' Peter looked at her with confusion.

'You looked mesmerized.'

'Um, no… I was just thinking about something.' Peter shrugged and looked down at his notebook. His blood ran cold. This was impossible! It was terrifying.

'Good morning!' Claire walked into the room and Heidi looked at her strangely.

'Good morning sweetie!' She said and her daughter kissed her on the cheek.

'Morning, Peter!' She sang and Peter looked up at her, but his eyes were empty. Claire, clearly sensitive about his feelings, felt something wrong in him. 'What is it?' She asked and sat beside him.

'Huh?' He looked at her but again it was, as he was not seeing her.

'What's wrong?' Claire looked up at her mother with worried expression. 'Give me some water, please!' She insisted and Heidi listened to her this time. She had seen Peter's pale face too.

'What's wrong, baby?' Claire asked once again, but Peter just sat there in shock. She saw the notebook in his hands and took it. The picture showed fire in the middle of New York. Claire could recognize the burning buildings. She closed Peter's notebook and rubbed his back. 'It's okay, Peter. Calm down.' She said with calming voice, but he still looked shocked.

'It could be me.' He mumbled in trance. 'I could do this. I could kill…'

'Peter!' Claire screamed and grabbed his face in her hands. His eyes finally looked at her. 'Stop scaring me and act like yourself!' She snapped, trying to reach him.

'You saw the picture?' He asked her with still pale face.

'I saw the picture, but this can't be you, okay?' She tried to convince him. 'Stop thinking about that!'

'But I…'

'No, Peter!' His voice was firm. 'Just stop!'

'The water.' Heidi said and Claire saw her coming closer. She took the full glass and handed her to Peter.

'Drink now!'

For Heidi's surprise, Peter listened to her and drunk the water. Claire acted far more like his girlfriend than his niece. Heidi had seen her holding his face and demanded him to listen to her. She could not hesitate when she had to do it. Peter did not fight with her. He did not argue or frown. He just let himself in her hands.

'I'm better now.' He said and smiled at her.

'You sure?' Claire rose up her eyebrows and took the glass from his hands.

'I'm sure.' Peter said again.

Heidi was sure that he did not lie to Claire. He just could not. Heidi had seen the look in his eyes and that scared her.