Chapter Thirty-Two
Claire held John's hand as they walked through the mall, happy that he'd decided to come with her to help her pick out some new clothes for school next month. She could feel his muscles tense every time an older man walked passed them, knowing that he was reminded of his days in the hood with his parents. "Would you relax?" She asked, stopping beside the dress wrack in Contempo Casuals. "You're so jumpy today."
He leaned against the wall beside them, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Claire, I'm not wearing sleeves." He stated, moving his bare arms to show the ropes of pale scar tissue. "You know how I get when I try to humor you with this."
Claire sighed, standing on her tip toes to press a kiss to his lips. "I like you better when you don't hide." She whispered, letting him kiss her again.
His movements were slow at first, but eventually turned to a pace that showed how hungry he was for her. He slipped his fingers under the back of her blouse, tracing little circles on her skin. "I fucking love you." He gasped, feeling her pull him into another kiss.
"Hold me." She breathed just before his lips touched hers, moaning as she felt his body press her into the wall at her back.
They were so immersed in their love that they didn't notice the camera flash go off, continuing to show their passion for each other.
John chuckled as they walked into the house, placing Claire's bags on the table before turning and almost walking flat into Thomas. "Holy shit!" He exclaimed, pressing a hand to his heart to try and slow it's racing beat. "Dad, you gotta warn me when you're that close."
Thomas held up a polaroid photo, showing John the image of he and Claire in the store. "Care to explain?" He asked, his dad instincts kicking in with concern for his daughter.
John looked at the photo, puzzled as to how Thomas had gotten a picture of he and Claire kissing. "I have no idea."
Thomas snatched the photo away from John, pointing a finger in his face. "Did you sleep with her?" He asked, his temper slowly building as he watched the kid start to squirm under his gaze.
John's temper didn't slowly build, instead it erupted like Yellowstone Park would if it ever decided to. "I wouldn't risk ruining our white wedding." He growled, trying to hold his temper down. "Claire hasn't even seen me naked."
Thomas cocked a brow, trying to see if the kid was telling the truth. "How does she know about your birthmark then?"
John glared down at the slightly shorter man, knowing that if he stayed in the house much longer something bad would happen. "I forgot my clothes when I took a shower!" He stated, his tone rising at the doubt in his father-figures eyes. "If you don't believe me ask your daughter, but I'm not sticking around to be called a liar when I'm not." He pushed passed the man, slamming the front door on his way out.
Claire ran after him, barely reaching the door when Vernon pulled her back. "Let me go!" She cried, tears pricking her eyes as she watched her boyfriend's figure walk away.
Vernon shook his head, holding her so that she couldn't run to the volatile boy. "He needs space." He stated, letting the other adults help him restrain the struggling girl in his arms. "He'll come back when he's ready."
Clarissa wiped her daughter's tears from her cheeks, feeling Dominic at her back. "It's not safe to go to him right now. You need to let him cool down."
Dominic nodded, knowing that John was the more hotheaded one of them. "He'll come back, he always does." He remembered how many times John had disappeared, sometimes for days at a time, always showing up after he'd had time to think and take his anger out on something. He chose not to remember the times he'd found John halfway to an over dose, and how he'd been forced to dunk his half-dead body into the river and force him to throw up to help clear his system of the drugs. "He'll be back soon."