Chapter 25, Drive

The screams got louder as Nick and Claire made their way through the hall. She didn't even want to imagine how it would sound outside. They were following Big Rob, heading to the back exit. They rounded the corner and the screams suddenly got muffled. The door at the end of the hall was most likely free of fans. Claire smirked both at the fact that they were avoiding them like a mob of paparazzi and that it was so easily done. No one would suspect a thing.

The sound of the fans got drowned out as the exit came into view. Claire was walking ahead of Nick, down the narrow hallway. He kept his eyes on her back, wondering about the things on his mind at the moment. He wasn't sure what he was expecting of the upcoming night, about taking her to a place where they were all alone, and he definitely wasn't sure about his feelings.

Nick wasn't sure about a lot of things, except one.

Claire turned her head back towards him and flashed him a reassuring grin. It hit him like a ton of bricks. He was sure he wanted to get closer to her.

He wanted to take her hand, like he'd briefly done in the dressing room. He wanted to hold her tight and never let go. He wanted to-

His thoughts got interrupted by Big Rob opening the exit door, letting in a waft of fresh air. His train of thoughts got clouded as he headed into the chilly night.

The car door opened, and Claire slid into the seat next to Nick. She blew a warm breath into her hands as he started the engine. Nick flexed his jaw, muscles tense.

'Maybe I should just bring you home. It's late and it's cold.'

Claire looked over at him with wide, surprised eyes. 'I can handle a little cold.'

'It's still late. It's getting dark and Kaylee and Joe are probably worried about where we are.'

She sighed and stared out in front of her. He wasn't sure if she was looking at the window itself or past it at the road ahead.

'No they're not.' She glanced at the clock. 'Let's get going. We've got time.'

Nick studied her face for signs of.. anything that showed she didn't want to be alone with him.

'Claire, I think it's best if-'

She cut him off, voice loud and clear. The determined look in her eyes made sure she didn't have to say it twice.

'Drive.'

Nick's '68 Ford Mustang Cobra sped up, racing past all the green lights. Claire had no idea where they were going. For all she knew Nick didn't even have a destination in mind. She didn't care. It felt superior enough just sitting in his bad-ass car. Claire focused on Nick, his eyes steady on the road.

Out of his peripheral vision Nick saw Claire's head turn his way, and he glanced at her. The night was full, the moon bright and strong, high in the sky, and the moonlight reflected in her eyes. She'd been quiet throughout the entire ride, and they were almost there. Nick coughed.

'Are you okay?'

Claire gave him a warm smile and looked away without an answer. A second later she reached for the radio and put it on. The song "Drive My Car" by The Beatles started playing in the background. Nick grinned at the irony of the song right now. He thought back to when he'd covered this song with his brothers at the tribute to Paul McCartney at the White House. Claire softly sang along, knowing all the words.

Nick slammed the car door and skipped around the car to open Claire's. She thanked him shyly and stepped out. The night was unusually still and devoid of wind, it wasn't as cold as expected. Nick scooted onto the hood of his car and patted the spot beside him, watching as Claire made her way next to him.

'You're right,' she said with eyes on the sky. 'The stars really do shine brightest here. It's breathtaking.'

He murmured a vague "Hm-hm", his eyes permanently fixed on Claire. The stars weren't the ones who left him breathless.

Claire blew out some air and watched her breath swirl into a white cloud before dissolving. Millions of stars lit up the sky, and thousands of lights lit up the windows in the houses below, but no light reached them here. It was quiet and peaceful. She looked up at Nick, finding his eyes on hers. It dawned to her how many times they'd been in this position – alone, motionless, close enough to kiss – it almost felt like deja-vu. It was as if fate kept pushing them towards each other, and they'd end up in the same situation no matter what they did or how much they tried to avoid one another. This wasn't how Claire had planned it to turn out; her life. If someone had asked her a year ago how she thought her life would have looked like now, she would have said something like "Still a desperate Jonas Brothers fan. Still that girl with no father and a miserable social life."

But somehow, somewhere, someone had decided to give her a second chance. And now an utterly crucial moment had arrived; she was sitting next to Nick Jonas, waiting for something to push her into the decision that was now spooking around her mind.

But she still couldn't, and broke away from his deep, brown eyes.

'Have you ever relied on your emotions, without thinking something through?' she asked him.

'Here and there. I think about my actions, I just never think twice.'

She snorted. 'That helps.'

Drip. One single raindrop ran down her nose. Drip drip.

A second later, the rain was coming down buckets at a time. Nick groaned and moved to the side, planning to head back into the car, but Claire caught his arm.

'Wait,' she said through a mouthful of water. She could already feel her clothes getting soaked. 'Lets stay. Lets talk.'

He relaxed beside her, but he was squinting against the heavy downpour. 'About what? Catching a cold?' His tone was mocking.

'Maybe. Maybe I just feel like sitting in the rain with you.'

His expression changed. 'You're crazy. And you're crying.' A smile pulled on one side of his lips.

'No way,' Claire said with a frown, and wiped one finger across the length beneath her eye. An alarmingly big amount of mascara was smudged on the tip of her index finger. 'Oh please.'

Nick chuckled, and reached out with one hand. She held perfectly still while his fingers stroked away the smears. Her heart started racing as soon as his fingers made contact, and she knew he could feel it too. The effect he had on her was immense; flushed cheeks, warm skin, fluttering eyelashes, beating time-bomb in her chest, sweaty hands. She just couldn't help herself.

But neither could he.

He moved the hand that was lingering near her cheek in a way that it was cupping her jaw. Then he slowly but certain leaned closer, without taking his eyes off of hers. He hesitated less than an inch away from her lips, maybe waiting for her rejection, and matched his breaths with hers. Rain was ticking down on them, soaking them to the bone.

And then he gently pressed his soft lips against hers, his lips faintly tasting like salt and water.

A second later, he already started pulling away. But Claire reacted like a magnet, moving along with him. She needed this kiss, with every inch of her body. Her hands reached around his neck and her nails dug into the wet curls at the back of his head. Nick copied her reaction, pulling her closer.

The rain turned into more rain; the kiss turned into more kiss.