Chibs kept his eyes locked in front of him as his Dyna Street Bob sped on down the street towards TM Auto. He had hoped that the familiarity of the open road and the cold air zooming by him would clear his mind.
So far he'd been out of luck.
His brain was still reeling from what had happened this morning in his apartment between Clara and he.
She had left for work after borrowing his shower, and he had dressed and left for work himself soon there after.
Clara had been in and out of his apartment quickly, just as she'd promised. She'd left expressing her gratitude with several thank yous and you're the bests.
She'd only kissed his cheek that one time, and he was both ashamed and confused to admit that he was disappointed it hadn't happened again.
He kept on trying to convince himself that the little kiss on the cheek had meant nothing to Clara. It was probably just a friendly little act of appreciation on her part.
The thought of that kiss being just a small act of affection between friends made him feel shockingly discouraged.
It was so frustrating and confusing feeling like this.
The kiss had felt nice. The fact that the kiss had been pressed to one of his scars had only made it sweeter.
His scars had always been a reminder of the family he'd lost in Ireland. It was a strange sensation to have something he was still, even after eight years, coming to terms with kissed without any fear or sign or repulsion.
It had been almost a decade since he'd felt this way about anyone. How had a little kiss on the cheek gotten to him so easily?
Chibs had found himself feeling almost giddy at the thought of Clara Munson.
After what had happened to him in Belfast, Chibs had been sure he'd never feel this way about anyone ever again.
Losing Fiona and Kerrianne had broken him.
He had been so in love with Fiona back then. She was so strong and so ambitious. She had been third generation IRA; a warrior for the cause. She fit that description in every way possible.
Fiona had gotten him involved with the cause soon after they'd met. They'd become friends rather quickly. She had told him exciting and passionate tales of her family's fight for the cause. Soon he had fallen for both her and the idea of a free Ireland.
He'd served those short five months in the Queens Armed Forces as a medic doing little favors for the IRA.
This of course had gotten him court martialed. As soon as he'd been let go from the armed forces, he and Fiona had married.
Soon afterwards Fiona had become pregnant with Kerrianne and they had become a family.
Their Kerrianne had been the perfect mixture of Fiona and he; curly hair and expressive dark eyes, and a pretty smile. She was a gorgeous girl.
Fiona and Kerrianne had been the lights of Chibs' life.
He had felt as though he was the luckiest man on the planet.
One night had changed things forever.
A man who Chibs had assumed was a friend to Fiona and he had taken everything he loved.
Chibs could remember that night like it was just yesterday. He could remember coming home to his apartment only to find it empty. Fiona and Kerrianne's things were gone. There was no sign of them, no note, nothing.
He could remember Jimmy O'Phelan stepping forward from the shadows a sharp switchblade in hand.
Jimmy O' had made things all too clear to Chibs as Jimmy had slashed the man's cheeks. Chibs had stared up at Jimmy in pain as the man had explained it all.
Chibs was as from there on out excommunicated from the True IRA. Fiona and Kerrianne were Jimmy's now, and if Chibs wanted his girls to stay safe and sound he'd get out of Ireland and never return.
Chibs had woken up in the hospital; having lost so much blood, his cheeks bandaged, and his spirit broken.
Chibs would have allowed the loss of his family to completely destroy him if he hadn't been so determined to not give Jimmy O' the satisfaction.
Chibs' heart had been shattered. His Kerrianne had been just an infant then, too young to even probably notice that her Da was gone.
He had lived with the injustice of it. He had done so knowing that the only way he could protect his girls was to stay far away.
SAMBEL had been Chibs' saving grace in a way.
He had been familiar with the motorcycle club given his ties to the IRA and the clubs ties to gun trading with the IRA.
Chibs had in a way become friendly with a few of the bikers. Chibs had always had a love for motorcycles after all.
He had owned his own bike though he'd not been able to get Fiona to ride with him as often as he would have liked.
It had been easy for Chibs to become friendly with several members of the club. He had often used his skills in the boxing ring at the fights the club liked to arrange for entertainment. The club always knew they could count of Chibs given that he was a strong fighter.
Chibs had become a close friend of the club. The men of SAMBEL trusted Chibs and Chibs trusted them.
SAMBEL's VP Needles had come to visit Chibs in that hospital soon after the attack. There in that dark tiny hospital room Needles had given Chibs a way to start anew.
Chibs had become Needles prospect, and after a year of busting his ass for SAMBEL Chibs had become a fully patched member.
Chibs had gone from being known as Filip to being known as Chibs; Scottish slang for knife. It was an ode to both Chibs' Scottish ancestry and the scars Jimmy had left behind on his cheeks.
SAMBEL had given Chibs a way to stay close to his family.
Chibs had spent five years watching his Kerrianne from afar whenever he had the opportunity. Fiona had found a way to smuggle him pictures of Kerrianne through Maureen Ashby.
Chibs had watched his little girl grow from an infant to a energetic five year old through the pictures.
He'd been satisfied to catch whatever glimpse of Kerrianne he could get. Though it had been painful to watch her knowing that he couldn't run up to her and scoop her into his arms.
He had known to keep his distance. If he'd ever gotten too close Jimmy O' would find a way to punish him.
Jimmy had only tolerated Chibs' presence in Belfast, in order to keep things civil between the club and the IRA.
This had changed though when Chibs had chosen to write a note to Fiona.
The note was meant for Kerrianne. Chibs had just wanted to explain to his daughter just who her real da was. He had wanted Kerrianne to know that he had loved her that he was sorry things had turned out this way, and that he hoped one day they could be reunited once again.
Jimmy had somehow discovered the letter on Fiona.
Jimmy had made it clear to Chibs' brothers in SAMBEL that if they wanted the gun trade to stay open then Chibs would have to leave Ireland for good.
SAMBEL had decided it would be best if Chibs patched over to the mother charter.
So Chibs had begrudgingly left his home and what little he had still loved for Charming California and SAMCRO.
He had only been in Charming for two months when he had met Clara Munson for the first time.
Chibs Telford hated Charming. No he wasn't just being dramatic. He really hated it here.
He hated the heat, and the too bright sun, and the unfamiliar food, and the American accents.
He longed for the cool weather and the familiar Irish brogue he had become accustomed to from living in Ireland.
Though Chibs had been welcomed with open arms into SAMCRO, he was still angry about the way he'd been transferred from Belfast to Charming.
SAMBEL's President McGee had been all too willing to bend to Jimmy O's will.
Chibs had felt that it was a betrayal in brotherhood.
The one thing that had given him a purpose these five past years now was making him feel miserable.
He worried about his girls. Who would watch over them now that he was in Charming? Who would protect them from Jimmy O'?
Chibs was tempted to just walk away from it all. The little sense of brotherhood he still felt for the club was the only thing that was keeping him here.
He had decided he'd give Charming and SAMCRO a chance.
Clara had taken an interest in Chibs early on in her summer visit to Charming.
The moody Scot was an unfamiliar sight in a place like Charming.
Of course she'd be lying if she tried to say that she didn't find the Scot somewhat cute.
She knew that she wasn't the only one. The croweaters had eaten Chibs' accent right up. Despite his rough appearance he'd gained the attentions of these women without any real effort on his part.
He was a handsome man despite the deep scars along his cheeks. Clara had been unable to stop herself from admiring his dark eyes and the dimples that appeared when he smiled. She had admired his muscular arms and the tattoos along them; an anarchy sign, a red and black iron cross, and a reaper of course.
Clara knew that she didn't stand a chance in hell at catching Chibs' attention. She was seventeen years old and had only had a few short term boyfriends.
She had barely managed to lose her virginity just a few months earlier at the hands of some clumsy boy at a house party.
She knew that she didn't have the experience nor the looks to attract a thirty something year old biker.
This hadn't dampened her little crush though. If anything it had made it more exciting.
Chibs was unattainable. He was the quiet bad boy she'd always gone weak in the knees for.
It wasn't just the bad boy thing though that had gotten to her. It hadn't taken her long to realize that Chibs had seemed miserable here in Charming.
She wasn't sure why seeing him so dejected had bothered her so.
All she knew was that she wanted to do something to maybe make California less miserable for Chibs.
It hadn't taken her long to find a way.
Clara let out a sigh as she walked out of the humid air-conditioned garage at TM Auto into the scorching June heat.
She peered through her cheap red knock off Ray Bans as she spotted Chibs.
She had noticed that he seemed extra miserable today. Apparently the man wasn't taking well to the California heat.
She didn't blame him. Though she'd lived in Nevada now for a year and had encountered harsher weather than this, today was still pretty rough.
The sky was cloudless which only made the sun more apparent. It seemed that the heat was radiating right off the pavement making the air heavy and thick.
The sound of an ice cream truck had been what had caused her to tear her gaze away from the overheated son.
She reached into the pocket of her bright red shorts knowing that this was the perfect opportunity to do something nice for Chibs.
Chibs had been a little dumbfounded when Bobby's seventeen year old niece approached him handing him a ice cold ice cream cone.
He hadn't really spoken to her in the two weeks she'd been here.
Clara seemed to keep to herself mostly. She sat by her uncle in the garage reading college prep text books or a thick looking novel. Chibs wondered how she could read it all so quickly. It was obvious that she was a bright girl.
Bobby had spoken quite fondly of his little niece. He'd told Chibs about how Clara had just graduated from high school and was due to start college next fall. The man was clearly proud of Clara.
Chibs peered at her through the dark lenses of his sunglasess. She was a cute girl; short statured, with dark long wavy hair ,and chocolate brown eyes. She was quite pretty having taken after her mother more than her Uncle Bobby.
She wore big silver hoop earrings, red denim shorts, a t shirt with Bob Dylan on the front, and a pair of old worn black converse. Her nails had painted with a lime green nail polish though now it was quite chipped. She wore several colorful friendship bracelets along her wrists along with a silver and crystal beaded bracelet her uncle had given her on her sixteenth birthday.
Chibs smirked noticing that her big black headphones were around her neck. He couldn't help but to wonder where she'd hidden her cd player given that he rarely saw her without it. It seemed that when she didn't have a book in hand she spent her time listening to her CD player. From what Chibs could hear through her headphones she seemed to have a soft spot for classic rock.
Chibs shook his head knowing that though Clara would be eighteen next month he still had no right to think of her as being attractive. She was only seventeen; still a little girl in so many ways.
Clara spoke up knowing that Chibs and she hadn't shared more than a few words in the past two weeks she'd been here. "I thought you could use this...it's hot."
It's hot, she repeated in her head not helping but to feel like a total idiot for that obvious statement. What was she going to tell him next that water was wet, she berated herself.
Chibs apparently didn't notice Clara's statement about the heat or he just didn't care since he unwrapped the treat and bit into it. He spoke the words falling out of his mouth in between bites of cookies and cream flavored ice cream and chocolate cone. "Thanks lass. Ya really didn't have ta waste yer money on me."
Clara shrugged her shoulders trying hard to play off her act of kindness. She spoke up hoping that her cheeks weren't flushing as she opened her ice cream bar. "I just thought you could use it...I mean I bet this weather is pretty different from Scotland."
"How'd ya know I was Scottish?" Chibs blurted out a little amazed that she'd placed his accent without any help.
Most of the people he'd met in Charming so far couldn't really place just where he was from. Most of them guessed Ireland.
"I had a Scottish foreign exchange student in a lot of my classes this past year...I guess I learned to recognize it. Her name was Lena...she complained about the heat a lot. It was pretty hard on her being in a desert town. We were on the swim team together. She's the only person whose ever beat me at a backstroke." She explained as she stared down at her own ice cream.
She was almost afraid to say more. She always did have a habit of shoving her foot into her mouth; It wasn't a habit she wanted to repeat here.
"So is it different...I mean Scotland? What is Scotland like?" Clara asked not giving him a chance to respond to her previous statement.
"Aye it's a different world. It's gorgeous. I've never seen a prettier place than Glasgow." Chibs replied not wanting to go into great detail.
He knew that most of his past wasn't appropriate for a sweet little teenage girl.
He had noticed Clara's crush and he wouldn't lie about how it had made him feel. It was a nice boost to his ego; having a girl that age think he was attractive.
After being scarred he'd been sure that no woman would ever find him attractive again.
Clara spoke up the words falling out of her mouth before she had a chance to think about it. "Do you miss it?"
She silently cursed herself for asking such a stupid question. Did he miss it, of course he did. It was his home of course he missed his home.
Chibs gave her a weak smile as he spoke. "Aye I do. I lived there till I was bout yer age. I moved to Belfast when I was bout eighteen. It didn't compare ta Scotland. I don't have nothin back in Glasgow fer me though."
Clara nodded her head not missing the crestfallen look on his face as he mentioned Belfast. She felt a wave of guilt hit her as she began to worry that she'd made him feel worse than he had before.
She cleared her throat as she attempted to give him a kind smile. "Well if you ever want to you know...talk to someone...or just have someone show you around town, I'm here all summer."
And with that she scurried away refusing to even meet his eyes. She was sure she'd made a gigantic fool out of herself.
Chibs chuckled to himself genuinely feeling contented for the first time since he'd stepped off the plane in the states.
Who would have thought a shy seventeen year old girl and an ice cream cone could cheer him up?
Clara had arrived at work an hour early had had jumped right into it.
She had started off the morning of course as an apparent errand girl. She'd kept a smile on her face even when Gemma had sent her to buy donuts for the men in the garage.
She hadn't lost her smile even as Gemma began to overwhelm her with all that it took to keep the office up and running.
All the smiling was beginning to hurt her cheeks.
Clara had dressed much more casually than she had the last time she'd been to the garage.
She had worn a plain black top and a pair of blue jeans with an old pair of black moccasins. She'd thought it was best to keep casual.
Clara still wasn't entirely thrilled with this job. It felt like complete and total nepotism to her.
Clara knew that she didn't have many options though. Work was work and a paycheck was a paycheck.
She would have to stick with TM Auto until she could find a job of her own.
In the mean time she knew that she had to do whatever it took to make it clear that she was both deserving and capable of having this job.
She knew that her relation to Bobby and her father's past were both working hard against her.
People would assume that she was only here because of her uncle.
They would assume that she expected to just float along here in the office without ever putting any effort into the job.
Clara wanted nothing more than to prove all these people wrong.
She knew that she would have to work harder and faster than most, but if that was what it took she'd do it.
More than anything Clara wanted to recapture the way she'd felt when she'd been running her own jewelry design business.
When she had ran her own business she'd felt proud of herself. She had something that she could call all her own.
She had been damn good at running her business. Her jewelry had sold well. Business had been kind to her. She had felt so strong and independent. She'd loved her work. She had loved the looks on peoples faces when they admired and wore her jewelry. Every paycheck had filled her with pride.
Clara wanted to have that feeling once again.
She wanted to find something that she could say she'd found all on her own. She wanted something that would make her mother proud of her once again.
She knew that she couldn't rightfully call this job in the office of TM Auto her own. It would be a good place to start though.
Gemma hated to admit it but she was pleased with Clara's work ethic.
The girl had a solid attitude when it came to getting the job done. She caught on quick and didn't ask stupid questions.
Clara looked up from the mountain of file boxes she'd been sorting through as Gemma spoke a surprisingly friendly tone to her voice. "Are you settling in well?"
Clara twisted her lips trying hard to fight the urge to question Gemma about her sudden gracious behavior.
Just last week the woman had been completely anti Clara, and now here she was being Miss. Congeniality.
Clara didn't trust Gemma any farther than she could throw her. She knew she had to play it safe for now at least.
"I'm settling in well. I'm enjoying my apartment." Clara replied keeping her comments short and to the point.
She felt her stomach flip as she thought of just how much she was enjoying her apartment, or in reality how much she was enjoying her neighbor.
Clara was confused about her kiss to Chibs' cheek this morning and more importantly how it made her feel.
She had taken herself by surprise being so affectionate. True she was always quite the affectionate person with her friends and loved ones.
It was the way she'd felt that had shocked her the most. She had felt far more than friendship towards Chibs when she'd pressed her lips to his cheek.
She had assumed that she had more than likely grown out of her little crush on Chibs Telford, but it seemed that the crush had only gone dormant for a few years.
Now that she was back in Charming the crush she had on Chibs was back in full force.
She shook her head knowing that she was being foolish being so into him. She probably wasn't even on Chibs' radar.
Clara had spoken to Chibs this morning for a brief moment. She was a little disappointed with the casual small talk to be honest.
She knew that it was best if she just forgot about Chibs Telford.
That was easier said than done though. Especially when Chibs lived right next door.
Chibs had always been so kind to her; sweet really. Maybe that was why it had been so easy for her to develop a crush on him?
She knew deep down inside that this crush wasn't going to just disappear.
Being so close to him would more than likely make the feelings grow.
Clara was unsure how to move forward with it. Did she keep her feelings in and play it safe or did she try going with her heart and express how she felt?
She knew of course there was always the possibility that he wouldn't feel the same about her. After all he was older than her. He didn't really take interest in women outside the croweaters. Would he even be interested in having something with her?
Gemma raised an eyebrow spotting the emotions flashing behind Clara's eyes.
She had noticed the way Clara's eyes had shifted to the floor when she'd mentioned her apartment.
Gemma knew that there was only one thing at that apartment that could make Clara react in a way; a certain Scot in a kutte.
The realization gave Gemma mixed feelings. She had been hoping that Chibs would move on from Fiona for years now, but she wasn't too fond of the idea of him moving on with Clara Munson.
The girl wasn't old lady material in Gemma's eyes. Clara's past troubles with the law made her a liability in Gemma's opinion.
Gemma knew she'd have to keep an eye on things for a while. It would take a lot to convince her that Clara was good enough for Chibs.
Clara felt her stomach drop as the second last person she enjoyed being around entered the office.
Clara had been hoping that she could somehow avoid the President of SAMCRO.
Clay Morrow made her anxious, though he didn't have quite the effect on her his wife did.
She still wasn't comfortable knowing that Clay had been the leading force behind kicking her father out of the sons.
She had the feeling that in Clay's eyes she was no better than her junkie father.
Clay gave Gemma a questioning glance that Clara wasn't too keen with before he turned his attentions to Clara. "So you're the niece Bobby is always bragging about. I don't think I've seen you since you were just a little thing."
Clara did her best to smile despite the fact she wanted nothing more than to run from the office as fast as her legs could carry her. "That's me."
"We're glad to have you here. Charming is a great town." Clay replied a smile on his face.
Clara could easily spot the fact that the smile didn't reach his eyes.
She cleared her throat as she spoke up trying to hide her suspicions. "Thank you for having me."
Clara hated the way Clay locked eyes with Gemma again before leaving.
She knew that she obviously didn't have Gemma nor Clay's trust.
She almost wished that they'd be out front with their distrust. Suspicious behavior would be a lot less obnoxious than a false sense of hospitality.
She wasn't sure how long she could take this before she cracked.
Chibs sat at the bar in the clubhouse as he sipped at his beer. Work had ended hours ago and he was doing everything he could do to resist rushing on home.
He was still trying so hard to deny that there was anything possibly blooming between Clara and he.
A girl like her deserved something more than an aging biker with an estranged wife and daughter.
What kind of life would a guy like him give her? It wouldn't be the life she needed.
She was looking to start over again. Giving her the life of an old lady wasn't the kind of fresh start she was probably looking for.
Clara was a good girl. She was smart and gorgeous and still so young. She deserved someone safe, someone who could give her a nice life.
She deserved someone she could one day marry, someone who worked a normal straight job, someone who she could count on growing old with.
She deserved someone straight-laced after what she'd been through with her bastard of an ex. Chibs knew he certainly wasn't straight-laced.
His life was a dangerous one. He couldn't guarantee that he would always be there for her. He couldn't promise that he wouldn't walk out the door one morning and never come home again.
He could be killed in an instant, he knew and accepted this.
Chibs knew that Bobby would knock his teeth in if he ever knew just how attracted he was to Clara.
Clara's uncle was always bragging about her and her achievements.
Chibs was sure that Bobby wouldn't encourage Clara to ever look twice at a man like him.
Bobby wanted something better for his niece; something that Chibs Telford could never provide her.
He glared down into his beer not helping but to wish that there was a way for Clara and he to move forward with one another.
Chibs wanted to feel more of what he'd felt when Clara had pressed her lips to his cheek this morning.
The scars on his cheeks did affect the way he saw himself. He had always thought that he was handsome before Jimmy O' had scarred him.
Now he didn't quite feel that way. In a way he'd learned to use his scars as a shield. He'd always just let his scars frighten people. If they were afraid then they wouldn't ask him any questions or give him any shit.
He hadn't allowed himself to grow close to anyone outside his dysfunctional little family within SAMCRO.
He sure as hell hadn't dated.
He knew that the croweaters weren't sleeping with him because they found him handsome. They more than likely didn't look past his kutte.
When Clara's lips had brushed over his scarred cheek Chibs had felt just plain content. For the first time in so long he felt that someone wanted him for more than his kutte.
She made him feel so amazing. He knew that he could easily grow accustomed to feeling that way.
Chibs shook his head knowing that it was only a dream. Clara would never want him and it would be better if she didn't.
He tried to look cheeful as Juice dropped down on a barstool beside him obviously feeling good more than likely from a joint he'd smoked.
Juice spoke up as the croweater behind the bar handed him a cold beer. "You know Clara pretty well right? I mean you two seem familiar with eachother?"
"Aye I guess so." Chibs replied trying hard to keep his face expressionless.
Juice spoke up a grin on his face. "What kind of stuff does she like? I mean she seems pretty fit ya know...nice figure and everything."
Chibs tightened his grip on the beer bottle he was holding trying to ignore the wave of jealousy he felt at the mention of Clara's figure. "Aye she likes workin out. She used ta be a swimmer...Bobby went to a lot of her swim meets."
"So she's single right? I mean that's why she moved back here...shit with her ex fiance?" Juice asked clearly oblivious to Clara's messy past.
Chibs let out a sigh knowing that it wasn't his place to repeat this part of Clara's life to Juice. He wasn't shocked that Juice was oblivious to it, the man could be a little ditzy at times.
Juice probably wouldn't notice if his own head was on fire, Chibs thought suddenly becoming very irritated with the man.
"She did." Chibs remarked wishing that Juice would just drop the damn subject.
He only felt worse as Juice spoke up. "Do you think it'd be a bad idea to ask her out?"
"Bobby probably wouldn't like it." Chibs pointed out deciding to leave out the second part of that statement and neither would I.
"I could make it clear to him that I only have good intentions." Juice replied knowing that Bobby would be a huge road block.
Juice was interested in Clara though. She was attractive, feminine, and she took good care of her body. Juice had always liked a woman that understood a good workout.
The fact that she completely ignored him, only made Juice more interested.
"I think I'm going to ask her." Juice blurted out as he stood up from the barstool and wandered off to join Jax in a game of pool.
Chibs let out a huff so tempted to slam his head down into the wooden bar in front of him.
Why didn't he say something, he silently scolded himself.
What could he say though? Go away I want her, She's mine not yours.
No Chibs knew Clara would probably knock him into next week if she ever heard him speak that way about her.
Maybe Clara would turn Juice down, Chibs hoped. After all she hadn't even mentioned Juice.
What would he do if she turned Juice down though? Could he ever work up the nerve to make a move on her, Chibs wondered.
Chibs quickly requested another beer realizing that he only had one option: get drunk.
reviews? Chapter title song : Just A Kiss- Lady Antebellum