Chapter 6
Claire woke up the next morning with the strangest feeling. For a short moment she thought that the previous night was just a dream, but then she realized that it couldn't have been. It was too real to be a dream. She started remembering everything from that night - Alex picking her up, their dinner, the drive home and finally the kiss. The kiss that left her totally speechless after Alex went back to his car. The kiss that made her feel the taste of Alex's lips on hers long after they parted. The kiss that made feel like she was falling and flying at the same time. The kiss that probably ruined her friendship with Alex, but hopefully was the start of something even more beautiful.
Her dreamy thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on the door.
"Claire, wake up!" she heard her sister's voice and a second after Tess stormed into the room. Claire looked at her alarm clock, it was barely 4:30 and she didn't plan on getting up for at least 15 more minutes.
"What is it Tess? Is the house on fire? Because if it's not, I still have a couple of minutes to sleep."
"Yes, I know, but before you get yourself lost in your chores, I need to talk to you abou t last night." Tess said excitedly and sat on Claire's bed. "Because I saw you, you know?" she added with a devilish smile.
"Yes, I know you saw me, we live together."
"No, but I mean I saw you." Tess repeated saying 'saw' for at least 5 seconds. But Claire still didn't seem to realize what Tess was talking about.
"Can you be a little more specific? I'm not in the mood for mind games."
"Do I really need to spell it out for you?"
"Yes please."
"Alright." Tess took a deep breath and for a second studied the expression on Claire's face. "I saw you and Alex kissing last night!" Tess exclaimed almost in one breath.
"Oh that." Claire said as if Tess was talking about choosing which boots to wear and not about her kissing Alex Ryan.
"Oh that?" Tess was genuinely disappointed in her sister's reaction. "That's all you have to say? Come on Claire, you kissed Alex!"
"I know Tess, I was there. Plus it's not that big of a deal, it's not like you haven't done it. You know what it's like so there is no reason why I should be telling you anything about it." Claire answered sleepily and turned her head to stop facing Tess. But Tess wasn't going to give up that easily as she quickly jumped to the other side of the bed.
"Oh come on Claire, you know it's different."
"How is that different?"
"Me and Alex...We were just fooling around, you know? It was fun, but there was never really a spark between us, you know? With you guys it's different, it's the real deal. I can see it, everyone can see it. It's surprising it took you and Alex that long to see it."
"You and your romanticism Tess." Claire shrugged.
"But it's true, can't you see it? You guys are perfect for each other."
"Goodbye Tess." Claire said meaningfully as she covered her head with a pillow.
"But at least tell me about the kiss." Tess started shaking her sister. "Please Claire, I'm dying here."
"And just what do you want me to say?" Claire looked at Tess from under hear pillow. "That I felt the earth move and heard birds singing and saw the stars?"
"Well did you?" Tess asked enthusiastically and awaited Claire's response.
"Yeah, I did." she said a couple of seconds later with a big grin on her face, although she realized how cheesy that must have sounded.
"I knew it!" Tess exclaimed and headed for the door. "I told you, it's fate." she winked at Claire and ran out of the room as she saw Claire's pillow flying straight at her.
"You're crazy!" Claire shouted after her, but wasn't sure if he could hear her. It took her another couple of minutes to get dressed and go down to the kitchen for breakfast. Tess, Meg, Jodi and Becky were already there.
"It's about time." Meg said with a smile.
"Come on, I'm not that late." Claire replied sitting down.
"Oh you know I'm not talking about." Meg smiled even more and looked at Claire meaningfully.
"OK, so has anyone NOT see me kiss Alex last night?" Claire asked trying to sound annoyed, but even she couldn't help but find this situation a little bit funny.
"Well, I'm not sure Roy did." Jodi joked and everyone except for Claire started laughing.
"I am very glad that I could be of so much entertainment to all of you! I feel very needed. Did you get popcorn?" she asked as she finally gave in and started laughing along with everyone else. "So what do you guys think about this? Me and Alex I mean? And I'm not saying that there is a me and Alex, but if there ever was..."
"Well I think it's great." Jodi was the first one to speak up. "I mean I like you, I like Alex, so there is no reason not to like the two of you together."
"I agree, if anything was to happen between the two of you, I couldn'be happier." Meg added as she took Claire's hand in hers.
"You already know what I think." Tess kissed her sister on the cheek.
"Yeah, yeah, I do, no need to listen to that again." Claire gave her sister a loving look and started eating. "And no need for me to starve because I kissed Alex Ryan." she added and everyone else started laughing again.
"So you and Claire, huh?" Nick still couldn't believe that Alex and Claire finally started to give in to their long hidden feelings.
"Yeah well, things happen." Alex said with a sigh and smiled at a mere memory of Claire.
"Well this one has been happening for like like 15 years." Nick laughed as Alex poked him on the shoulder.
"You laugh all you want, but I'm still gonna be happy." Alex replied and looked at Nick in a way that let him know that no matter what Nick says or does, it was not going to make him stop feeling the way he felt.
"There goes your boyfriend." Tess almost sang as she saw Alex's ute pulling up at Drovers.
"He is not my boyfriend!" she insisted and suddenly felt like she was 15 and was bantering with her little sister abut boys. Well in a way she was doing that, except that she was not 15 and Alex was not a boy.
"I'd better leave you two alone." Tess raised her eybrows playfully and disappeared into the shearing shed.
"Hey you." Alex approached Claire, but wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to greet her, so he just kind of kept his distance from her.
"Hey yourself." she greeted him with a smile.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Actually I had a nightmare. I dreamt that this really horrible guy took me out to dinner and then kissed me."
"Like this?" Alex took her hand and pulled her close for a kiss. She responded to it immediately.
"Yeah, like this." she grinned. "And it's funny, because you look exactly like him."
"Do I?" he asked in between kisses.
"Yes, you do." she said giggling. "And now let go of me, because I've got work to do." she tried to leave, but Alex wouldn't let go.
"I'll let you go under one condition." he said looking into her eyes.
"And what would that be?" she decided to play along.
"You have to agree to go out with me." he said tightening his grip.
"Go out with you? Like on an outing?" she asked stressing the last word.
"No, more like on a date." he suggested and patiently waited for a reply.
"After hell freezes over!" she blurted out happily as she broke away from his grip. She looked at him meaningfully and started walking away.
"So pick you up at 7?" he called after her.
"Make it 7:30." she called back and with that she was gone. He smiled to himself as he knew that she was the woman he wanted to argue with for the rest of his life.
THE END
