Chapt. 28

Claire woke up to a text from Sadie.

"So, Jon is amazing. Super sweet and he's hot, let's just be real here haha. Oh and maybe things went to the next level last night. Anyhoo, lunch?"

Claire grinned, happy for her friend. She sent a text back that lunch would be good. Besides, she needed to talk to Sadie about Joe. She needed her thoughts on it all.

He'd been gone when Claire woke up that morning. There was no note, no text, nothing at all. Claire assumed he'd just gone to the gym since that was his typical morning routine. She'd just catch up with him later.

Her phone vibrated and she saw Sadie had text to tell her that they could meet in the lobby of the hotel in about half an hour. Claire wondered why on earth her friend wanted to have such an early lunch. Thirty minutes? She glanced to the clock and saw it was already 11:30. Well hell, she thought, she hadn't realized that she had slept so late. Claire told her that would be just fine and hopped up to get ready to meet her friend.

After pulling on jeans and a tank, putting her hair into a messy top knot, and dabbing on some lip stain, she walked out and slipped her feet into her Converse before she grabbed her purse and headed downstairs with five minutes to spare. When she hit the lobby she noticed that her friend was already there waiting. She had a smile on her face, looking down at her phone. She was most likely texting Jon.

"Am I interrupting," Claire asked laughing.

Sadie looked up and smiled, blushing at the same time. "No ma'am, you are not. How are you?"

Claire nodded with a small smile. "I'm okay. I'd ask how you are, but I think I have a pretty good idea." Claire giggled. The blush that had barely faded from Sadie's cheeks flared up again, brighter than before.

"I mean, I can't lie. I have been worse." Sadie fell into step beside Claire and they walked out onto the sidewalk. "I thought that we could go to that little farm to table a block down this way."

That sounded good to Claire so they walked in a comfortable silence, knowing all too well that the traffic noise would drown out any conversation that they might have attempted. They got to the restaurant and sat down, ordering their drinks and looking at the menu.

"So, talk woman."

Sadie sighed and smiled, like a teenager in some old fifties sitcom. "He's so wonderful. He's beautiful, yet he's so self-conscious about his body. He's the last one who should be." She paused and sipped at her tea. "Last night was… oh Claire it was incredible."

"Oh but Sadie, you so totally deserve it. I'm beyond happy for you."

"Thank you. So, how are things with you and Joe?"

Claire smiled and looked down at the table, sipping her lemonade before speaking. "Good. He was up and gone when I woke up today. I figured that him and Jon had already headed out to the gym as usual."

Sadie looked up, confused. "Huh? No, Jon was in the room all morning, even when I left out. Joe had text him saying he couldn't make the gym session so Jon decided to skip out too." Her brows furrowed as she spoke.

Claire looked back down at her drink. She took another drink and shrugged. "Oh, well, maybe he had a meeting or something this morning." Claire saw Sadie's lips purse up. "What?"

"Talk to me, Claire. Please."

Claire sighed heavily. "It's nothing really. Nic thinks Joe is talking to his ex again."

The waitress had just brought the food and she had been about to take a bite, but let her fork clang to her plate. It made a loud metallic sound that echoed in Claire's ears. "Is there any truth to that statement? Anything at all to make you think or even wonder just how right Nic might be?" Sadie saw Claire's brief hesitation and felt her anger begin to simmer. "Claire what the hell is going on?"

"I don't know Sadie. I wish I did, but I don't. He's been on calls that end when I show up. He's changed his cell phone's security code, and didn't mention it at all. But he has been busy, so it's likely it just slipped his mind. Look, he loves me." Sadie raised her eyebrows in Claire's direction. "He does, in fact, we made love last night."

"Oh, and just how did that go?"

"Well, it was… it was different, but… well rougher I guess. I don't know how to explain it."

Eyebrows raised again, Sadie said. "What? Like he was in bed with someone else?"

Claire opened her mouth to reply, closed it before opening it again, and in the end she clamped her lips tightly shut. She felt a painful pang in her gut. She realized that was the exact way it had felt, and that feeling was not a good one.

NIC

He felt his phone vibrate from its spot on his arm, he heard the music's volume dim and then rise back up again, signaling a text. Before he checked his phone he finished the last three reps in his set and sat the weights back in their spot. Standing, he grabbed the towel and wiped at his face, clearing the sweat and chugged his water. He pulled his phone out of the arm band that secured it for workouts and unlocked it. It was Claire.

"I think we need to talk. As much as I don't want to, I think that I need to hear you out on somethings."

Scratching his head in confusion, he wondered what on earth she was talking about. Of course, it didn't matter, if she needed him he'd be there. "Okay then. Just finished up at the gym, so I can meet you wherever you want. Just let me know."

"How about that little coffee spot about a block down from the gym. I know you so I know which one you went to, and I know the area."

"Sounds good, give me fifteen. I need a shower. I'm smelling pretty damn ripe kiddo."

There was no reply which was in and of itself her agreement to his text. He showered and dressed quickly, tying his Converse and grabbing his bag in under ten minutes. Five more minutes and he was ordering them both a coffee and taking a seat in a back booth. From his seat he could see her when she walked in. She looked like she hadn't slept all that well, but maybe he was wrong. She just looked worn down.

"Ordered for me I see?"

He smirked as he passed her the cup. "I figure that I know you well enough by now to know that you like the caramel anything on the menu so I gave it a go."

He waited for her to sit before he did, and then he looked at her, really looked at her and saw that she was indeed worn down, but it didn't seem to be from lack of sleep. It seemed to him more like an abundance of thought. "Talk to me kiddo. What's on your mind?"

She took a deep breath and blinked quickly. "The other day you said something Nic. I need you to elaborate and tell me what you can. You said that Joe was talking to his ex-girlfriend again. I need to know what you know."

His breath hissed out through his teeth and his mind immediately wondered what that Samoan jackass had done to make Claire come to him about this. Nic wanted to put his fist through the pearly white teeth of the idiot, and he didn't even know the whole story. "Claire, what happened for you to ask me about that?"

She shook her head. "I need answers more than you do right now Nic. Please."

God, how he didn't want to tell her all he knew and yet he knew that he had too. It needed to come from him, or at least someone who really gave a damn about her, and well, that left him with the task since he was the one with the information. He took in a deep breath, letting his lungs fill with thick, heavy air. "Claire, are you… if you're sure then I'll talk to you. I just, I don't want to see you hurting at all." She looked down at her coffee and he slowly exhaled. "Okay then. The other day I was in the shower area of the locker room and he was in the locker room. He had no idea that he wasn't alone. I heard his whole phone conversation and at first I thought that he was talking to you. It was all hey baby, I miss you, yeah I love you too stuff. Then I heard him say, 'no, she has no idea and I'll keep it that way.' It went on from there until he hung up. I walked out and just kinda gave him this look and he knew I'd heard it all."

A WEEK BEFORE

"So, you think it's cute to fuck around behind Claire's back huh?"

Joe looked up at Nic and knew that the other man had heard his phone call. Damn it, he thought. "I have no idea what you're talking about Nic. Maybe you just hit your head a bit too hard tonight."

Nic shook his head, fighting the urge to smash this asshole's face in. "I must have because I know that there is no damn way you'd do to that woman what you know every other man has. You don't want her, leave her now."

Joe stood up, towering over Nic it seemed. "Listen, I do what I want, when I want to do it and I don't need some love sick puppy like you advising me on shit. I think the best option in all of this would be you keeping your damn mouth shut and go on about ya business like you didn't hear me breathing."

"You may be bigger than me, but I can promise if you hurt her, I will beat your ass." Nic turned and walked out of the locker room, sure that anyone passing by would see the steam rolling out of his ears.

PRESENT TIME

Nic watched as her eyes fought the tears pooling behind the lids. Her hands were shaking and her chest was heaving as she took deep breaths. He reached over and wrapped her hand in his. "I'm sorry Claire, but you asked me and I couldn't lie to you. It would have just hurt you and us when you finally found out that I knew. Believe me Claire, there is nothing in the world that I want less than to be the one who speaks the words that hurt you."

She nodded and the first tears spilled down her cheeks. She wiped furiously at them. "It isn't your fault Nic, not at all. Thank you for being friend enough to tell me."

Nic hated the hurt in her eyes, the pain she shouldn't have to feel yet again in this life. He watched as she stood, she gathered her things and tried her best to smile down at him.

"I think I just need to get back to the hotel."

"I can walk you back," he offered, but she just shook her head and turned, walking out of the café.

CLAIRE

Turning down Nic's offer to walk her back to her hotel, Claire left the café. When she entered the lobby of the hotel she went straight to the reservations desk, booking her own room for that night. She took the new key and headed upstairs to the room she had been sharing with Joe. For a minute she wondered if he would be there, but she dismissed that thought, knowing he most probably wasn't back yet. When she let herself in she saw that she was right, that he wasn't there and hadn't been while she'd been gone. Oh well, she thought. She wasn't ready to see him just now anyway.

She started packing up her suitcase with all of her things and while folding her shirts, she took out her cell phone and did something that she had never before done. Claire called out of work. She told some lame, worn out story about not feeling good and apologized before hanging up. She slipped the phone back in her purse and zipped her suitcase up. One look around the room to be sure she didn't forget anything, and she walked out the door. She took all of her things to the new room and then headed back to the room that was now just Joe's. She sat on the end of the bed with her back straight and her hands folded in her lap. She thought about all she'd heard today, all of the things she'd seen lately that backed up the words. She hurt. She sat there on that bed and hurt.

Claire couldn't be sure how long she sat there until she heard the room key in the door. Her stomach turned, making her sick feeling and yet she still tried to look like nothing was wrong. When she heard the door click closed she forced herself to stand up, stretch, and try to smile.

"Hey pretty mama," Joe said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You looked so peaceful sleeping this morning and I didn't want to wake you when I left out." He lowered his head to kiss her, but she turned so that his lips only met her cheek.

"I'm sorry, my throat's been hurting today and I've had this cough going on. I won't wanna risk you getting sick if I am." She walked over to start a pot of hot water for some hot tea. "So, how was your day?"

He twisted the lid off of the beer he grabbed from the mini fridge and took a long drink. "It was good. Jon and I got in a great workout."

Well there it was. The lie she had known would come. He didn't know that she knew he was lying though so she faked a smile. "Well that's good. So do you have some time that we could talk before you have to head out to the arena?"

"Sure mama, what's on your mind?"

Claire took a deep breath, worried this wasn't going to go well at all. "Well, Joe you know how the locker room talks. A lot. Some of the things are finding my ear Joe."

She saw his clench and unclench and then that small, slow, twitch set in. "And how about you tell me just what kinda talk you're hearing. Who do you hear it from?"

"There's no one in particular really. It's just talk about you talking to Galina. Not about Jo either."

He shook his head and threw his beer bottle down hard on the desk. Claire waited to hear it break but it just rolled angrily to the carpeted floor with a muffled thud. "And you buy it? It's bullshit Claire. Straight up bullshit! Hey, great to know that you trust me and shit though."

Claire didn't meet his eyes. She couldn't. Her hands were shaking and she hated it. "You changed the lock code on your phone." It was barely a whisper leaving her lips.

"Oh, so that of course means that I'm talking to Galina right?"

He was angry and it was obvious. Claire's skin was prickling with a fear that was more so a learned reflex than anything. "Yeah, yeah okay Joe."

"No it isn't fucking okay Claire! Who the hell's been filling your ears and mind with this shit? That blond bitch ass man friend of yours? You know he's only trying to end us because he wants what I got right?" Joe grabbed his bag, swinging it roughly over his shoulder. "Now I have to get to work, so how about before tonight you get these stupid ass ideas out of your head." He stormed out of the room, slamming the door as he did.

Claire collapsed on the bed, sobs racking her body. She cried until she just couldn't and then, dropping her key on the dresser, she walked out of the room, headed to hers.