Chapter five. A transition peice.
I am working thru writers block. To try to prevent this, I am keeping the chapters around 1,000 words each. Sorry.
On a Brighter note, I get to meet Alice Cooper next week!
Don't own, Don't sue.
John
I awoke with Claire's arm covering my chest. She lay on her stomach, face turned towards me. I looked over at the clock. It read 2 am. I carefully moved out from under her arm and reached down to grab my boxers, pulling them on, then walked to my jacket and pulled out my pack of cigarettes. I moved to her window, cracking it a bit before lighting up. The wind was cold and blew in the room fast. I saw Claire shiver, so I smoked quick. I looked out over the frost covered yards of Shermer, IL.
The perfectly situated houses, so different from my own, but such a fitting place for Claire. She never would have survived with parents like mine. She was barely surviving with her own.
What the fuck was I doing here. I wasn't doing Claire any favors, that's for sure. Looking out the window, I could have easily climbed down to the ground and just headed home. When Monday morning comes, I could just tell her that it was a mistake. She'd be upset, but in the end, would it be better for her than to have to deal with me? I couldn't do that. She thinks that I am worth it. And I have never felt this way. Never thought that I could make something more for myself than just a tiny run down house and nothing but a pack of cheep beer in the fridge to look forward to. With Claire, I could have more than that.
But could she have more without me in her life? I stared out the window, then felt a touch on my shoulder. I turned to Claire standing there, wrapped in my flannel shirt. I buried my face in her chest, inhaling the scent of her. She took the cigarette from my hand and took a drag before handing it back to me.
"You shouldn't smoke." I told her. She raised an eyebrow at me.
"You're one to talk."
"Yeah, I am. I smoke. It's a nasty habit that I wish I didn't have." I answered her, crushing the cigarette out by rolling it in my fingers outside her window.
"Then why don't you quit?"
"Cause it's not that easy." I told her, taking her hands and walking back to the bed. I pulled her next to me tightly. I wanted to protect her from the world. I could understand why her father gave her everything she could ever want. If I was him I would do it too. I kissed her before closing my eyes and succumbing to sleep again.
Sunlight woke me that morning. Not my folks screaming at each other, not an aching back, just bright sunlight. Claire had moved over a bit, her arm brushing mine. Not a bad way to wake up. I climbed out of bed and used her bathroom. I found a new toothbrush in her medicine cabinet and helped myself. No need to have morning breath if not needed, was there. I finished up, pulling one of her hairbrushes thru my tangled hair, and climbed back into bed with her.
She had a magazine on her bedside table and I picked it up and leafed thru it. It was a Rolling Stone with Prince on the cover. I thought his music sounded fluffy, at least I told my friends that, but man that guy was a perv! Had to give the guy credit. Claire stirred next to me. She rolled over and offered a grand yawn to the room.
"And good morning to you too, Princess." I told her. She looked at me smiling.
"You didn't leave."
"You thought I would?"
"I thought you might."
"Why?" I asked her.
"Hey, I'm not saying that I thought you would just up and leave, I just didn't know if you would really want to stay here all night."
"Well, it was either stay here, in a soft bed, with a really sexy' I leaned in close to her face, "Woman laying Naked next to me, or I could have gone home; in the cold, to my cold house, and my cold hard bed, and slept by myself. Do I look stupid?" I told her. She smiled at me again.
"You think I'm sexy?" She asked modestly.
"Did I stutter?" I teased. She swatted me with her hand as I tickled her waist. Claire laughed loudly, squirming to get out of my grasp. A knock on the door stop us instantly.
"Claire?" What's going on in there?" a mans voice asked thru the door. Claire's eyes grew wide and I thought quickly, jumping into her closet.
"Nothing daddy. I just was laughing at something a friend wrote me in a note.' She called thru the door. "Was there something you needed?" she asked him.
"No. Just heard something. I'll see you later sweetheart." He told her. I waited until I heard Claire open the door to the closet before I came out.
"That was just a bit close. What is it with you and me and closets anyway?" I smirked.
Claire rolled her eyes and smiled at me.
"We're going to have to get you out of here." She told me.
"Yeah' I said, walking to her. "Any ideas of how we will do that?" I asked.
"Well', she paused, lips pursed, "I could go downstairs and distract them and you could go out the side door. Then ring the bell on the front and I'll answer. They'll never guess." She suggested. I nodded an agreement to her and we got dressed and put her plan into action.
Claire went first, checking to make sure the coast was clear. A few times she shoved me back so that her father didn't see me. I snuck into the kitchen as she ushered her father into the dining room. As I opened the door to go out the side entrance I heard her talking to him.
"Daddy?"
"Yes dear?"
"Do you think I could use the car today. I saw something when I went shopping the other day that I wanted to get but didn't, and I would really like to pick it up." She asked him sweetly. I slipped out the door before I could hear his answer.
Okay. Once again, there you go. If you liked it, let me know. If you didn't, I don't care! hahahahahaa. Really. Don't review if you didn't like it. It causes writers block and I would have to think about how you value your time if you decide to keep reading something you don't like.
Thanks to Pam for her great advice. I think I look and sound like a fool reading it out loud to myself, but it works.
