"You came to Mineral Town without packing a bathing suit?" Karen looks over at Claire skeptically, averting her attention back to all of the pulled out dresser drawers in her room. Rather than neatly rummage through them, she tosses each article of clothing behind her shoulder as she searches, creating colourful, messy piles on the floor.
Ann picks up a purple g-string style bottom that's fallen at her feet, her blue eyes widening. "I only have some athletic-style one-pieces 'cause I hate bikinis, but you seriously have nothing, Claire?" She grimaces, pinching the edge of the fabric with her thumb and index finger, placing it on the corner of Karen's bed.
Popuri seems deep in thought, as though she's mentally going through her own wardrobe of clothes. "I mean, I own a few bathing suits, but none will fit you!" She points to her small breasts, drawing a mock tear down her face.
"I know, I know. I didn't come prepared," Claire says, staring at her feet and feeling like a total dumbass. How does she explain that the only times she ever even went swimming back in Boston were at the YMCA?
Karen waves her hand flippantly. "Chill. I've done a lot of shopping in my twenty-two years of life, and we're about the same size!" She offers Claire a wink, gesturing toward her boobs, before tunnelling through her drawer again. "Here we go!" She gleefully hands her a creamsicle-coloured two-piece, as if she's just accomplished a triumphant task. Claire touches the smocked fabric of the bikini with her hands, noting that it just feels expensive. It's a chic, scoop neck top that doesn't seem to dip too low, accompanied with high-waisted, cheeky bottoms that are cut boomerang style on the sides.
Claire sheepishly smiles, holding it out in front of her. The tags are still attached. "Karen, I can't. This cost you a ton, and it's still brand new!"
Karen shrugs. "So? I have expensive taste in bikinis."
"That you never wear!" Ann exclaims, surprised by the price tag as well.
"I honestly appreciate it, Kare," Claire says, scratching her head. "And I don't mean to sound ungrateful at all, but do you have a one piece by chance?" Will everyone see her scars in this get-up? At least it's not a string bikini, but jeez, Claire isn't sure that she can do this.
Karen thinks for a moment, before ploughing through the drawer once again. "How about this?" she asks, throwing Claire a flowery bathing suit with a deep v-neck and opened slits running down the sides. "Revealing" doesn't even begin to describe the back of it.
Claire smiles weakly, handing it over to her. "Umm, thanks. But, maybe I'll just go with the two-piece!"
"Okay, well, we're gonna save us a spot at the beach," Popuri says, tucking her waterproof bag over her shoulder.
"See ya soon!" Ann calls, clutching her towel. The two of them walk side by side, down the stairs of Karen's room.
"I dunno about this," Claire says, fiddling with the straps of the bikini.
"C'mon, Claire. You got a great bod. Show it off!" Karen smiles, retrieving a green bikini from her drawer. She holds it up over her clothes in the mirror in front of her, nodding at her reflection, as if decided that she's going with this option.
Claire bites her lip. Everyone's going to see everything. Everything! "Maybe I'll just wear a tank top and some shorts."
Karen cocks her head. "Tell me what's your ish."
She frowns. Her "ish" is that she doesn't want anyone to see the cut-up freak that she is. It still shocks her that she willingly felt comfortable enough let Gray see her scars. As loud as Karen is, though, she's completely trustworthy. She's honestly like the bold, older sister I've always wanted. If Karen can trust Claire (someone that she had only met a season prior) to be in her wedding party, can't she trust her with this?
Sighing deeply, she grabs the hem of her t-shirt to lift it up. "It's this."
Karen peers at Claire's front side, then her back, pursing her lips. "Uh, do you have a tramp stamp that I just don't see?"
"My scars, Karen! Don't pretend like you don't notice them."
"Oh, that?" she asks in confusion. With a wave of her hand, she lifts up her own top, revealing a deep, long, red scar that runs diagonally on the left side of her abdomen.
"How'd you get that?" Claire asks in astonishment. She had no idea that Karen even had that.
"Appendicitis a couple of years ago," Karen answers plainly. "My skin did not heal properly, but it's whatevs, Claire. I don't care at all. A scar just means that you came out stronger than whatever tried to hurt you."
She looks down at the bikini in her hands, realizing that she's never thought of things that way. Claire's always shamefully rubbed Bio-Oil on her scars, praying to one day rid herself of them. "I guess you're right."
"Duh, I've like, never been wrong. And yours aren't even that bad." Karen pauses, as though considering all of the factors in front of her. "The bathing suit I gave you is super high-cut, so it'll cover most of your belly button. And, it's pretty thick and long in the back, so it might even cover some of those scars too." She shrugs. "But, even if it didn't cover shit, who the hell cares? Anything that can be seen, you should show it off with pride."
Claire smiles, walking over to the bathroom. "That was really nice, Kare. Thank you."
She punches her shoulder and grins. "Don't sweat it, girl."
"Do you guys sell disposable razors at the supermarket, though? There's some things I don't really wanna show off with pride... like, at all." Claire scratches her head, self-consciously laughing.
Karen snickers, pulling out a stash of them from her bathroom cabinet. She hands one over to Claire swiftly. "Alright, now hurry it up!"
Gray stands impatiently next to the barbecue, rolling his eyes at Kai's "MR. GOOD LOOKIN' IS COOKIN'" grill-apron. "Is it ready yet?"
Stu sits on one of the stools by the bar of the Snack-Shack, pouting. "Gray, I ordered my baked corn first! That's no fair. You don't get to have some before me!"
Gray scrunches his nose at Stu. "How bout I eat both of ours?"
"That sounds like something mean that a mean man like you would do, Gray!" May chimes beside Stu, giggling. "Didja hear me, Grandpa?" She turns to Barley, tugging on his sleeve.
"Ehh?" Barley drones, like he's just been woken up from a nap. The only guy that's more senile than my own grandfather.
Doug leans over the bar, beaming at Kai. "You have to teach me some of these grill recipes for the inn, son!"
"It isn't that good," Rick says, chomping on his burger while sulking.
Kai flips a patty with his spatula, turning around to size Rick up. He points the spatula in his face. "Be careful, or I'll spit in your food."
Rick groans, exiting the Snack-Shack. Gray watches through the window as he sits himself next to Ann and Popuri by the ocean's tide. He grabs his baked corn (after Stu has received his; he isn't that much of a dick), leaving the wonderfully air-conditioned restaurant to meet his friends outside. Cliff shares Ann's towel with her, sunscreening her bony shoulders, while Popuri gazes off into the horizon, and Rick munches on his burger. The sun beats down forcefully; this weather is way too hot for Gray's liking.
"Where's Karen?" Rick asks, looking around for his fiancée.
Better yet, Gray thinks, giving the beach a quick scan. Where's Claire? All that he sees is a bunch of the residents in Mineral Town scattered around.
Maybe he's fallen for a complete flake this whole time, and he's just too dumb to realize it. He's stupid for thinking that Claire would actually show up today; Doctor Douchenozzle probably felt too uncertain about her wearing a bathing suit in front of other people. Everyone saw how insecure Trent was when that wedding rehearsal took place last night.
He listens to a soft, pattering pair of footsteps beneath the sandy beach behind him, and turns to watch Karen and Claire saunter in, much to his surprise. Karen already has on a jade green stringy bikini, while Claire wears a long sleeved, thin linen cover-up. She strolls next to Karen, laughing and unbuttoning the shirt as she walks, slowly peeling it off. The linen flies around in the wind, like a little white flag. Gray doesn't even mean to stare, but he can't help it; he does.
Claire is wearing a bikini that matches the colour of those light orange sodas his mom used to buy when he was a kid. The scoop neck design of the top part doesn't go incredibly deep, but it enhances her cleavage and the shape of her full breasts nonetheless. Her bottoms are cut high against her legs, the straps resting on the indents of her waist, accentuating her curvy hips and racy hourglass figure. Her stomach is slender, not defined or anything, but slim. The ribbed material covers her belly button, but a tiny sliver of the scar that she didn't show him that fateful night at the inn exposes itself on her tummy. When Claire turns to retrieve a pair of sunglasses from her rucksack, Gray can just make out parts of the collection of scars on her back, beneath the straps of her bikini top. Her bathing suit almost strategically covers the uneven grafts of her skin (was this intentional?), but the visible parts are completely insignificant to him. It doesn't even matter; she still looks hotter than any Baywatch guard he's ever seen.
She catches him gawking at her, and just haughtily tosses her long hair over her shoulder. Even though Claire's got sunglasses on, he can tell that she's glaring at him. Gray tears his eyes away rapidly, red blooming over his cheeks. He grabs the Stephen King book at the bottom of his bag next to him, jutting it in front of him.
When he hears a towel get tossed outward beside him, Gray pulls the front of his cap down over his face, like he's hiding. His heart is pounding. Stop freaking the hell out!
"Told you I'd be here."
Claire's voice pipes through the blood rushing in his veins. Gray props himself on his elbows nonchalantly, even though he's feeling anything but. "Hmm?" he says, as though he hasn't heard her. Of course he's heard her. He'd hang on her every goddamn word if he could.
She frowns. "You heard me, doofus. I wouldn't just ditch my friends for a guy."
Gray looks her over. Her short legs are extended out in front of her, toes nestled in a pair of striped flip-flops. "Would you like me to admit that I'm wrong?" he asks, lacking sincerity.
"I would want that more than anything," she replies complacently. Gray scowls and turns away from her, trying to focus on his book while shovelling forkfuls of baked corn in his mouth.
What a pain, he grumbles to himself. Claire rises from her towel, walking with Popuri over to the Snack-Shack. Her bikini bottoms are cheeky, and Gray can't help it; he's staring all over again. And what an ass.
Ann catches him gawking and offers him a smug little smirk. He glowers right back. Can Gray not have a break, for once, maybe? He's a dumb, horny teenager, and there's a gorgeous girl that he's accidentally (or maybe intentionally) fallen for, wearing a 90's style bikini that fills her shape perfectly, and he's just supposed to pretend that he's blind? Like he's not totally attracted to her? Gray inwardly groans, chewing on his baked corn with frustration now.
Claire returns with a rainbow snow cone and a drink of ice-cold water, sipping on it with her straw. She removes her sunglasses, and Gray can feel her eyes on him now. He's shirtless, wearing a pair of old swim trunks with a pathetic lifeguard logo on them.
"What do you want?" he snaps, sitting up. Isn't this his supposed "favourite question to ask a girl?" He imagined asking Claire this question once… only that time, in a very different context. She looks at him expectantly, taking a bite of her snow cone.
"You know what I want," she demands. There isn't even an ounce of seductiveness in her voice, but Gray can't help picturing it in his head.
He swallows, turning his gaze away so that he doesn't have to torture himself with Claire looking so good in her bikini. "Forget it."
And then something freezing runs down his neck, dripping slowly onto him. Gray's back stiffens tensely from the cold. "Agh!"
Claire pulls out another piece of ice from her cup of water, dangling it over him with a blank expression on her face. She kneels on his towel, squinting at him. "You heard me, Gray." When he doesn't say anything because he's so busy focusing on the fact that she's this close to him in her friggin' bathing suit, Claire tosses another ice cube at him.
"For fuck's sake." Gray stands up quickly, darting over to Ann and Cliff. They laugh, with Ann sticking her leg out in attempt to trip him.
Claire tosses another ice cube at him. It slides on his stomach, painfully chilly on his skin. He freaking hates the heat, hates the cold, and is just never really content with virtually anything.
"GRAY."
"Jesus Christ, Blondie, I get it. I fucking get it. I was wrong."
"And you're a jackass," Claire say, her playful smile returning. She's looking so coy and so good in her swimsuit… Gray is about to explode. Her expression shifts seriously. "And you need to stop crap-talking Trent for no reason."
Not happening. It's not like his hatred derives from zero reason at all.
She shrugs like she's achieved victory (even though she sure as hell has not) wandering over to Ann, who readies a can of sunscreen for her. How did Claire hide the fact that she looked like this underneath her regular clothes? She's so cute, sweet, and totally clueless one minute, and then so unassumingly sexy the next. She looks better than the poster of those photoshopped girls that Gray has. Probably just as unachievable though, but hey.
The thing is, Claire is actually real, with a small waist, light stretch marks on the backs of her legs, and shoulders covered in daunting little freckles. Everything about her is so damn real.
Has Gray ever even considered her to be sexy? She's beautiful, obviously, but looking at her now, she's just so effortlessly sexy. When Ann sprays Claire with the sunscreen, it looks shiny and slick against her skin. The beaming light makes it appear like her body has been rubbed with oil. And those high cut bottoms that sit atop her hips… How the hell is this good girl so goddamn hot?
When Claire saunters back to her towel, she stumbles over her flip-flops, landing on the sand with a painful "ow!" Gray pulls himself out of his thoughts, instinctively rising to help her up, staring at her whole front half covered in sand. The sunscreen that Ann applied on her acts like a glue for it.
And Gray laughs. He laughs at this sexy, clumsy, silly girl that he's probably loved since the beginning all along. Like, maybe she's always been meant for him, and maybe it took him so long to realize it because he's the truest definition of an idiot. And maybe it's too late.
But maybe, he can muster up the nerve to tell Claire how he feels, and it won't be too late at all. "Told you that you always manage to trip on your own two feet," he says through his laughter. Claire dusts off her sandy shoulders all over his plate of baked corn.
"You-" Gray starts, splashing his cup of water at her. Claire screams, sprinting over to the sea, like when The Little Mermaid ran back to the ocean and celebrated her new legs. She is snorting and stifling her laughter as he catches up to her, grabbing her waist to toss her in the water. She dives under, swimming away from him, before coming up for air with a gasp. She chokes on the salt water, covering her mouth to stop herself from snickering so hard.
Gray wants to just shut up and kiss her. He used to be so confident in the city, so sure of himself, so unafraid of the consequences to any of his actions. It's kind of insane that he was once similar to Kai, in a sense that he got girls under him no problem, but now, he's having trouble with simply disclosing to one how he feels. What if he does tell her, without an ounce of fear in his voice, and she rejects him? What if he reverts back to his old, fearless self, and he's able to reveal that he thinks she's beautiful, damning, sexy even? What if, despite his previous gawking, he assures her that kissing and holding her will be more than enough for him?
Karen runs over to the ocean, joining them with a giggle. Pretty soon Rick, Cliff, Ann, and Popuri each tag along, too, flopping into the water. Kai notices his friends and runs on over, tossing his lame apron at Doug and removing his t-shirt before jumping in. The rest of the villagers watch this group of crazy, young adolescents, who can't seem to stop their heightened shouting. Kai grabs a squealing Popuri, scooping her up in his arms, while Ann hops on Cliff's back, and Karen shares a kiss with Rick under the water.
Claire stares at all of these couples sadly, and looks down at her feet that are buried under the water. Gray quickly understands that while all he's thinking about is her, it probably isn't mutual.
But she glances at him, wet hair stuck against her back, and he feels a determination inside of him. Gray walks over to Claire, her hair streaked against her, thousands of water droplets coating her body, swimsuit soaked to the touch, looking down at her. She looks up at him right back, and where has he seen this image before? Oh yeah, when I "platonically" kissed her for those few seconds at the inn. When he pushed her against a wall, pressed his body to hers, felt their tongues, mind, soul collide. When he came to the conclusion that he'd give anything to romantically have her like that again.
Claire interrupts Gray's thoughts, grabbing his muscular waist to taser him with her fingers. When's the last time someone did something so childish to him? When he was, like, eight?
"Ha!" she calls.
He wordlessly grabs Claire's hips, hands clutching her as he dips her back into the water. She sputters, coming up for air with breathless giggles, before choking on the water so unattractively, that Gray realizes his feelings can only be attributed to love.
He doesn't even want to undress her. Sure, Claire looks fantastic in her swimsuit, and sure, he was gawking before like a dumbass, but he doesn't want to feel her up, or touch her, or make this all about that. He just wants to be happy, to have her with him.
But is this proposition even something that would make her happy?
Popuri runs over to the two of them, splashing Claire's face, while Kai noogies Gray. Cliff shoves Kai down, while Ann runs over to interrupt Rick and Karen's tender moment with a kick of water. Each and every one of them is laughing so hard that they feel dizzy. No one realizes how long they're playing around in the water for, until they see the pruniness of their fingers, and hear the deep "ahem" of the town's medical doctor behind them.
"Ah, Trent! You came!" Claire exclaims, waving him over. He stands by her towel on the shore wearing his work clothes, expression unreadable.
She runs over to him when he does nothing, her feet making giant splashes in the water with each step. She extends her arms out to hug him, but Trent seizes her shoulders to stop her from getting him all wet.
"You aren't dressed for the beach," she points out with a giggle.
"No, but I can tell that you are," Trent says, knitting his brows in irritation.
His words concern her. Why does he sound so mad? Is he angry? She tilts her head, confused. "Huh?"
Trent frowns at her perplexity. "Claire, I told you to put some sunscreen on. You're completely roasted." He sizes her up, before stopping his eyes on her chest.
Claire moves her bathing suit strap off of her shoulder, checking her tan lines. Her skin is a little burnt, but nothing too terrible. "I used some, though."
"Did you reapply throughout the day? You know that an over-exposure to the sun's UV rays is no laughing matter."
"He's right, Claire," says Gray sarcastically. She didn't even notice that he and Kai have made their way over to them. Kneeling down on the towel, he rummages through his bag like he's looking for something. As if. He's only there to be snarky, and Kai's just listening in to eavesdrop. Gray watches as she adjusts the strap back on her bare shoulder. "It's very serious," he adds.
Trent shoots him a glare, before turning his expression back to her again. "Why don't we take a walk along the shore?" he suggests, his mouth a tight line.
"Sure," she replies uneasily, throwing on her brown sunglasses. Claire kicks off her flip-flops, digging her toes into the sand, leaving Gray and Kai by the towels. She walks closest to the water, while Trent is opposite to her in his nice loafers. Although their fingers are intertwined, it feels tense.
"I came here to pick Stu up for Elli," Trent says, after they haven't spoken. He gestures toward the snickering little boy who runs with May in reverse behind them.
"I was already here," Claire tells him. "We could have just dropped him off."
"Who's we? You and Gray?"
She actually meant herself and Popuri, but his nasty tone only confirms his jealousy. "Trent, Gray's my best friend. Don't even."
"I get a really sick feeling that something has happened between you two."
Oh boy. Claire can't just lie to his face; how wrong would that be? But she also doesn't want to tell him that she's the one who asked for that one kiss; how stupid would that sound? "I mean, we kissed during this dumb game that we played at the inn, but it truly meant nothing. It was strictly plat-"
"You did what?" Trent's jaw clenches with his limited words.
Claire scoffs at him. "I'm trying to be transparent, Trent. It meant nothing to both of us."
Well, maybe it meant something to her that night. Maybe it ignited a fire inside of her when Gray held her close, but it was only because she thought that it meant something to him all the same. That wasn't even a possibility, though; Claire's come to realize this. If their kiss were at all meaningful to him, he would have said so, instead of losing it on her the next day. The two of them are friends, and nothing more.
"This explains everything," Trent snaps, dropping her hand.
She stops right in her tracks, glaring at him. Crap. He can't see the coldness in her eyes with her sunglasses on. "Um, explains what exactly?"
"Claire, don't be so naïve. I can see the way that he looks at you."
She pulls her sunglasses up, to show him that she's rolling her eyes hardcore at his ignorant statement. "I'm in a two-piece today, Trent. The men have been ogling all of the girls since we got here."
"Well, it doesn't help that you're prancing around in that bikini."
His words sting her. Prancing around? She's just having a fun day with her friends at the beach, wearing completely normal beach attire. It isn't her fault that she has cleavage or hips or anything like that. If it were up to Claire, she'd be in something a bit more modest, but Karen's bathing suit (and words of encouragement) made her want to wear it.
She squints, nodding in disgust at him. "Wow."
"You're taking it the wrong way," Trent says when she starts walking away from him. He seizes her wrist, and Claire jerks it backward to try and make him let go.
"I think that I took it exactly how you said it. You can't be jealous of my friends." Claire pulls away again, freeing herself from his grasp. The strength of his grip comes as a surprise to her.
His expression instantly softens when he hears her words. He tenderly touches the spot on her forearm that he had been previously grabbing. "I'm… I'm so very sorry," he apologizes. Claire says nothing, until he pulls her close to him, like he doesn't care anymore that she's wet. "That was unkind of me. You look… absolutely fantastic in that bathing suit. I suppose that I just want you all for myself."
He squeezes her tightly. She tries to release her anger by slowly and tentatively hugging him back, before abruptly pulling away to look him in the eyes. I guess if I knew that there was history between him and Elli, I'd be sort of weary too. "Trent, you really don't need to worry about that. We're all just friends."
He kisses her forehead gently, his hands on the small of her back. "And you're sure that everyone is on that same page?"
"Of course," she answers, moderating her tone.
"Okay, Claire."
"Okay, Trent."
He prolongs their embrace, pulling her even closer to him as he presses himself against her body. The soaked part of her bathing suit leaves small wet spots on his lab coat. She can feel her nipples getting hard against him, and wonders if this is from the cool breeze of the air blowing by her wet bathing suit, or the romantic stimulation that he just always brings upon her. Trent dips her chin up, kissing her carefully. Claire stops, before kissing him back, his mouth on hers and her body on his.
He's watching them cautiously. When Trent lets go of Claire's hand angrily, when he grabs her wrist, when he looks like he's giving her shit, Gray sees it all. He readies himself to go over there, but Kai stops him hastily. And then, the doctor is embracing her, French-kissing her in front of everyone by the pier. She's wrapped around his goddamn finger.
"Try and tell me that they're not dating." Gray doesn't bother hiding the bitterness from his voice, watching disdainfully as Trent squeezes Claire's ass. He averts his attention away to stop himself from getting so mad.
"Look, if he hasn't asked her to be his girlfriend, then it's not official yet," Karen points out. She offers him an expectant look, one that says "you can still make a move!" Gray just scowls at her, stretching his arms out behind him like a makeshift pillow.
He listens for Claire and Trent's footsteps as they gradually make their way back to the towels. He catches a glance of the doctor's flushed face from the action he just got, feeling annoyed.
"I'm going for one more dip before the sun sets. Sit for a bit," Claire tells Trent, kissing his cheek. She kneels down to put her sunglasses away in her bag, lowering her voice so that only Gray can hear her. "Be nice," she mutters to him, raising herself up from the ground before strolling over to the ocean with Popuri and Ann.
"Be nice." No fucking way in hell.
"Learn to relax!" Claire shouts to Trent, her projected voice skittering across the waves of the sea.
"I'm sure that you can show me!" he calls back, and Gray feels his fist almost instinctively tighten up. What. A. Cock.
Trent's gaze stays on Claire's backside, to the portion of her scars that peek out of her bathing suit top. It's like he's studying it inquisitively. Guess he hasn't seen them yet.
Well, Gray hopes the fuck not.
"Hi, everyone," Trent says, addressing the group with a smile, like he was completely unaware of their presence prior. Even the drawl of his Southern accent irritates Gray.
He tilts his cup of water into his mouth, taking a drink. "What's up, doc?" he asks, deadpan.
Trent blinks. "Oh, just, um… you know… chilling," he answers, sitting on Claire's towel like an uptight prick. Is "chilling" even in his vocabulary? Gray feels the doctor's eyes on him, staring curiously, like Gray is an amoeba specimen under his microscope. What does he want? Is he pissed 'cause he saw me trying to flirt with Claire by throwing her in the water earlier?
Good; let him be pissed.
"So, what's your story, Trent?" Cliff asks nicely.
"Well, I just graduated from medical school under two years ago. I decided to do my dissertation in oncology."
Shittiest oncologist I've ever seen. Trent hears Gray's chuckle, staring through his eyes. The look that he gives is one of… recognition. Painful, eerie recognition.
And Gray realizes that the doctor remembers everything that happened in the city. He knows.
That's right, dipshit. I don't give a shit about what anyone says; you're the reason that I don't have my mom here anymore.
"Cool," says Kai, interrupting Gray's newfound comprehension. He isn't thinking straight. "Want a burger, doc? I can grill you one right now."
"Oh, no thank you, Kyle," Trent replies with a shake of his head. "That shit clogs your arteries."
"It's 'Kai,'" he corrects, glowering. Karen shrugs, as if to say that she doesn't care, before taking a large bite of Rick's unfinished burger.
Trent throws his hands up in mock-defeat, like he didn't hear Kai. "While arguably tasty, the real issue with saturated fats is that…"
And he drones on. And on. And on; about shit that no one asked him to explain. What does Claire see in this boring-ass motherfucker? If Trent cared about his patients as much as he cared about lecturing others regarding their lifestyle choices, then… maybe things would have turned out a lot differently for Gray's life.
He keeps his gaze forward to avoid himself from getting more upset than he already is, focusing on the view in front of him. Claire is giggling, trying to avoid getting splashed by Popuri and Ann.
And he doesn't care if Trent can see him staring. He doesn't care that Trent put the pieces of the past together. He just doesn't care. Gray is treading in very deep water, and he doesn't give even the tiniest bit of a shit. He's helplessly fixing his eyes on this effortlessly beautiful, yet clueless, girl in front of him.
Trent catches him looking at Claire, and Gray does nothing besides smirk to himself.
When Claire returns from the ocean. Trent stands up to hand her the towel that he's been sitting on. She wraps it around herself, rubbing the cotton fabric against her wet skin to dry off. "You should join us next time, Trent. Maybe you could borrow a pair of swim trunks!"
Screw that.
"I should be going. It was wonderful to see you all," Trent says, before taking Claire aside. "But especially you," he tells her, loud enough for everyone to hear. He kisses her long and hard before making his way into the Snack-Shack, emerging with Stu seconds later. Claire goes to the entrance of the beach to wave them a goodbye as they leave.
"What a cock," remarks Karen. She doesn't even know the truth behind Gray's hatred, and she's already got the 411.
Gray falls back onto his towel with a groan. "That's what I said."
"What did you do today, Stu?" Trent asks, as he and the little boy walk up the stone-infused paths of Mineral Town.
"Ran with May," says Stu, skipping along. "Ate lotsa baked corn."
"That's completely covered in oil!"
Stu looks down at his feet. "But I like it."
"Did you see Claire today?"
"Yeah, everyone was at the beach. Like Miss Popuri, and Kai, and-"
"What was Claire doing?" Trent interrogates, having little patience for Stu's stories. It's just that he has to know.
He never meant to lose his temper on Claire. But how could she be so daft? Didn't she understand why he was mad?
"Huh? I dunno, Dr. Trent. Everybody was playing with their friends!"
"Was she with Gray?" Trent isn't happy that Claire and Gray have some sort of a history, whether it be "meaningless" or not. He's also not too happy that Claire is completely oblivious to the way that Gray looks at her. And he's especially not happy with all of the gawking that Gray did today, right in front of him.
Just 'cause of what happened back in Chicago, this kid thinks that he can throw around his disrespect at me? He's surely got another thing coming.
... He better not fucking tell Claire.
"What?" Stu looks puzzled. "Well, yeah. She always is."
Always. Even a six-year-old boy could take notice at these sorts of things… so why can't Claire? Either she's a damn good liar, or incredibly oblivious. But she would never be dishonest with him, right?
Trent hesitates, before further inquiring: "Did he rub sunscreen on her?"
He knows that this is a ridiculous question, a question filled with his own paranoia, but he can't stop himself from asking it. Trent imagines that blacksmith's hands on his girl, and he feels himself getting heated. He takes a deep breath, trying to return to a state of Zen.
Stu makes a weird face. "Uhh, I dunno! That's a really weird question, Dr. Trent."
"Sorry," Trent mutters, stopping by Elli's house. He knocks on the door, readying Stu's drop-off.
Claire would never be foolish enough to allow Gray's hands on her like that, right? Yet, her oblivious nature worries him. How can she be so ignorant to that guy's obvious feelings towards her? Trent knows that he hasn't fallen for just some floozy. He knows that he's woo-ing Claire more and more each day. She's the girl for him, and he won't allow some blue-collared punk, or his own secrets, to come in between that.
