Clara struggled to roll her cart through Charming's biggest grocery store and hold her cell phone up to her ear at the same time. She tried to focus on both her phone conversation and finding the cheapest prices as she shopped.
She let out an exasperated sigh as she stared up at a display of tortilla and potato chips. "Yes mom I'm really doing just fine. I don't need you to send me any money."
"Are you sure honey? I know that garage job can't be paying you all that much." Tammy Munson replied her voice filled with only the kind of patronizing concern a mother could manage.
Clara knew that her mother wasn't too happy with the idea of her daughter working at TM Auto. She didn't want Clara anywhere near SAMCRO and the only way you could closer to the club was either working at the garage or being in the clubhouse.
Tammy was just thankful that it wasn't the clubhouse.
Most women would be proud to have their daughters follow in their footsteps, Tammy was not one of these women.
She didn't want her daughter to follow in her example. Tammy's worst nightmare was Clara being just like her when she was a young woman; wild, flirty, and so hungry for excitement no matter the risk.
Tammy had been a real wild child and it had come back to bite her in the ass.
She wanted a different life for Clara; a safe conventional life. Tammy wanted her daughter to settle down with some normal joe who worked a nine to five job. She wanted her daughter to have a little house full of children, a golden retriever, and a white picket fence.
SAMCRO didn't offer any chances for a simple kind of life. Tammy feared that Clara would get caught up in SAMCRO's web and never find her way out.
SAMCRO didn't give any chance of security or longevity. It wasn't safe. Tammy knew that her daughter deserved better than anything SAMCRO could give it.
Tammy wasn't going to come right out and express her displeasure or her fears though. She preferred to drop little passive aggressive hints.
She knew that if she started in on Clara then it would just push Clara away.
Clara was fiercely loyal to her Uncle Bobby. Tammy knew that the two were close.
Tammy knew that her daughter loved her uncle more than anything. In Clara's eyes Bobby was the best.
Of course Clara knew about the less than savory parts of her uncle's life. Clara just chose to focus on the positives when it came to Bobby.
Clara knew that though her Uncle Bobby might be an outlaw, that he at least did his best to give her just about anything she wanted. He had always taken care of her and that was enough for her to ignore his involvement with anything shady.
"I'm doing really well actually. I mean I still have some of the money left over from my trip here and that should last me until my first paycheck. Uncle Bobby covered my first month of rent. So I'm all good on that front." Clara explained as she tossed a value-sized bag of sour cream and onion potato chips into her cart.
"Are you going to be able to repay him?" Tammy asked letting out a heavy sigh. She knew that her older brother had given Clara quite a bit of money.
"I'm working on it." Clara replied her eyes shifting to the floor as she pushed her cart forward.
Her brand of working on it had been filling up a big empty gin bottle with spare change and cash at the end of each day.
She knew that this method of saving money wasn't the best nor the fastest. It was better than nothing though she told herself.
Maybe once her financial situation was a bit more stable she'd find a more efficient way to save up the money to pay Bobby back.
Tammy spoke up concern clear in her voice as she remembered her daughter's habit of isolating herself. "Have you been getting out at least? Have you made any friends?"
"Yes I've swam a little in the pool at my apartment complex. I actually have plans with friends tonight." Clara replied choosing to not mention just who these friends were.
She was sure that her mother's idea of the ideal friends for her daughter weren't two outlaw biker friends of Bobby's.
Clara couldn't help but to feel giddy about tonight. The idea of sitting in Juice's dark living room right beside Chibs made her feel both anxious and excited.
She felt like a teenage girl all over again; excited by the possibility of sitting by a cute guy in a dark room.
Clara knew that Juice might not be too pleased that she had invited Chibs to their movie night.
She wasn't naive enough to think that Juice wasn't going to jump right into this whole just being friends plan.
She knew that men could be really immature when it came to being turned down. Or at least most of the men she knew could be immature.
Juice had to understand why she'd decided to invite Chibs though, she kept on telling herself.
She hated the idea of Chibs being all alone on his daughter's birthday. She just wanted to do something nice for him.
If Juice couldn't yank his head out of his ass and accept that then maybe she shouldn't even be friends with him, Clara told herself.
Clara wasn't very sure of what she expected to happen tonight. She really didn't expect anything, she tried to tell herself.
It wasn't as though she expected Chibs to drop to his knees and express his ever-lasting love for her.
Things like that didn't happen to girls like her. Or at least they didn't happen in real life. No a girl only found the man of her dreams in a fairy tale or some cheesy romantic comedy.
If this was a fairy tale Clara knew she'd have a wicked step mother or some evil queen blocking her from her prince charming. She was pretty sure most people wouldn't call Chibs Telford a prince charming.
If this were some comedic romantic film Chibs and she would dance around one another through several zany trials and tribulations until that final scene. In the final scene Chibs would race through an airport and stop her from getting on some flight to Paris or Rome or some other far off location. He would give some immense tender speech and then they'd kiss in front of a group of clapping spectators.
Then the screen would go black and the audience would be left to believe that the couple they'd watched fall in love had lived happily ever after.
Life didn't work quite like that. There was no handsome leading man or some knight coming to whisk her away to a happily ever after, Clara knew this much.
Clara knew if she knew what was best for her she'd just forget Chibs and move on with her life.
It wasn't that simple though and she knew it. The heart was a stubborn bitch when it came to things like this.
She hung up her phone and shoved in her purse. She kept on pushing her cart not paying any attention to what she was doing as she rounded the corner.
She let out a surprised squeak as she slammed her cart into another cart. She looked up her cheeks bright pink as she spoke. "Oh god I'm so sorry."
The man who was pushing the other cart let out a deep chuckle as he spoke up his voice flirtatious. "I bet you tell that to every guy you try to run over with your grocery cart."
Clara felt her cheeks darken even more as she studied the man. He was quite handsome to say the least.
He had a muscular frame from what she could see underneath the polo shirt he was wearing. She read the company name that was emblazoned in bright red letters over the white shirt; Trim Flex Gym. That explained the fit body.
He was tall; over six feet. He had a strong jawline and a tanned skin. He had trim sandy blonde hair that he had hidden under a San Francisco Giants baseball cap. His smile gave him two dimples over his cheeks. His eyes were a deep shade of blue that made Clara think of the ocean.
Clara couldn't help but to think that he looked as though he'd walked out of some men's fitness magazine. His body was clearly well toned. He was obviously a fitness junkie just like Clara.
The man raised an eyebrow as he stared at the flustered woman in front of him. "Don't I know you from somewhere? Do you go to that new gym down the street from Fred's Diner? Or wait a minute...Did you go to Redwood High School?...class of 99."
"Only for a few years. I was class of 99 but I moved when I was sixteen. " Clara replied quickly recovering from her embarrassment.
"Karen...or no it's Clara right? Clara Munson?" The man asked a smile developing along his face as he finally placed a name to the face.
"Guilty." Clara blurted out her cheeks flushing as she realized she had no idea who this man was. They had gone to high school together but she didn't remember him at all.
He chuckled at her little joke as he spoke up. "You probably don't recognize me...it's been years. Roman Becket...I was pretty scrawny back then. We sat next to each other in math and science. You tutored my sister Rachel in Biology."
Clara widened her eyes remembering both Roman and his fraternal twin sister Rachel. He wasn't joking about the scrawny comment.
The boy she remembered had been thin and too tall for his age. He wore a black Sublime beanie and rode a skateboard. He wore a Green Day t shirt every Friday.
"Oh wow...it's been years." Clara remarked feeling awkward about this entire situation.
She didn't remember Roman that well. She'd been shy before she'd moved to Vegas. She hadn't fit in at the high school in Charming.
Once she'd started up high school in Vegas things had gotten easier. She'd been the new girl in town and had made friends quickly. She'd joined the swim team and had made several friends. She'd been somewhat popular in her high school in Vegas.
It didn't help that her life hadn't turned out quite the way she thought it would back when she was seventeen.
Things had gone awry for her. It was embarrassing to realize that her life wasn't worth bragging about.
What was she supposed to say if he asked about what she was doing now? It wasn't like she could blurt out well i was investigated for embezzlement and fraud but I'm totally innocent, yep I just had a shitty con of a fiancé. What about you?
"I thought you moved to Vegas." Roman asked as he leaned a little closer to her not hiding his flirtations.
"Yeah I just got back. There's no place like home I guess." Clara replied as she scooted back.
He was a conventionally attractive man. He seemed friendly enough but there was something about him that made her anxious. His smile didn't quite meet his eyes.
Her gut was telling her not to trust him.
She had always been told to trust her gut when it came to meeting new people. Roman made her guts lurch and churn in the worst way possible.
From what she remembered Roman had been such a loner in high school. He'd been so strange and almost too quiet. She was surprised to see that he was so talkative as an adult.
Of course Clara knew she shouldn't judge about high school behavior. After all she hadn't been popular at Redwood High.
Roman gave her a flirty smile as he spoke up. "No doubt about that. So are you staying here in Charming? I mean I'd love to get together some time...have a few drinks and talk about the good old days."
"I don't know...I mean I'm pretty busy this week." Clara replied her gut reaction telling her to say no.
Roman dropped his smile for only a moment before he reached into his jeans pocket. "How about I just give you my card. You can call when you have the time. No pressure."
Clara took the card from him stuffing it into purse knowing deep inside that she would probably keep on following her gut on this. "Thanks I'll give you a call when I'm free."
"Awesome. I hope we can catch up soon. It was great seeing you Clara." Roman replied giving her a wink.
She nodded her head giving him a tiny wave as she moved away. "Yep awesome."
Clara let out a sigh trying her best to shake her head and forget about Roman.
Maybe she was just being too cautious, she wondered. She knew that she did have a nasty habit of pushing perfectly nice people away.
She knew her gut though. Her gut was telling her to beware and she wasn't going to ignore it.
Clara took a deep breath going down the aisle that contained snack foods like popcorn and nuts as she tried to put her focus back on movie night.
A movie night would take her mind off of all her problems, she reminded herself.
Little did she know Roman might turn into a problem due to no fault but her own.
Chibs spent most of his Saturday trying his best to convince himself that anything he felt for Clara was just tied to infatuation. He tried to tell himself that all he felt when he looked at her was lust.
Of course the feelings he had for her could all be tied to lust he tried to persuade himself. She was an attractive and charismatic young woman. Clara was sexy and full of life. She was all of the things that a man Chibs' age would find attractive.
Chibs tried to focus on all of Clara's faults hoping that he could talk himself out of wanting something real with her.
She was too young he told himself. Youth usually always meant immaturity and inexperience.
A girl Clara's age needed a man her own age. She needed someone whom she could experience all of lives firsts with. Someone who'd be experiencing all these moment for the first time as well.
She needed somebody who could keep up with her. She needed someone she could grow old with, not a man who would be an old man long before she even reached retirement age.
He tried to focus on the fact that Clara was an exercise junkie. He was not. Yes he lifted weights and boxed but he had a soft spot for shitty food.
Clara needed a fellow exercise fanatic. She needed somebody who could keep up with her routines; swimming, going on morning runs, and eating health food.
She needed someone she could go on hikes with. Someone who could take her out to eat all that organic and vegan food she loved.
She was a little bit of a hypocrite, Chibs tried to remind himself. After all she was supposedly so concerned with her health, but she smoked like a chimney.
If she was such a health freak then why did she always have a pack of menthol cancer sticks on her?
Clara's life was a mess he reminded himself. She was still reeling from her past.
He knew of course that he shouldn't be one to be too judgmental when it came to messy pasts though.
Every time he thought of her past he had to remind himself that he had no room to judge her. He should keep his trap shut considering his own mistakes were so much greater and far more dangerous than hers.
He tried hard to convince himself Clara probably had no idea who she really was yet. Most people her age hadn't had the chance to grow into themselves yet.
Clara probably needed time to find herself before she even considered being in a relationship.
She had been through hell in Vegas. She needed to have time to recover and rebuild her life before she brought anyone into it.
Chibs tried to remind himself that Clara had spent the past two years of her life isolating herself from everyone here in Charming. She'd hidden from everyone up at that apartment in Vegas.
She had been stubborn to just come on back home. She was too prideful to admit that she was in over her head back in Vegas.
She'd only run to Charming when things had gotten to be too rough in Las Vegas.
She was an escapist, he told himself. When shit hit the fan she chose to run off and avoid the fallback.
Clara couldn't be counted on to stick around when things got difficult Chibs tried to tell himself. She wouldn't be able to handle his lifestyle.
He told himself that flaw was part of her immaturity; running away from her problems, or just plain out hiding from them.
Chibs tried to tell himself that Clara wasn't right for him. Not to mention he wasn't good enough for her. His world was a dangerous one. She didn't need that kind of life. She'd come to Charming for a better life. He couldn't give her what she deserved. He'd never be able to provide that better life for her.
Clara's flaws were too much he told himself.
She was too dependent on others. She was too obsessive about things that didn't even matter at the end of the day. She was too damn proud for her own good. She was too hard on herself; always the perfectionist.
No matter how hard Chibs tried he knew that hyper focusing on all these flaws was entirely useless though.
No matter how much he tried to tell himself that she wasn't right for a man like him, he couldn't deny how much he enjoyed being around her.
He liked that Clara was hardheaded. He liked that she was a perfectionist. He adored how she tried so damn hard to do her best even to the point of exhausting herself.
It was just a sign that she cared what others thought of her, he told himself. She wanted to present the best version of herself at all times and there was nothing wrong with that.
He liked all of the things about Clara that should irritate him.
He loved that she was almost too cheerful. She was so positive and friendly to everyone, once she let you past her shy exterior that was.
Yes it irritated him that Clara was so sunny that it could get obnoxious, but Chibs had to admit that her optimism was refreshing in a world that he knew could often be anything but sunny.
He loved that Clara still remained so bubbly despite all that she'd been through with the drama involving her ex fiancee.
Clara had lost everything that she held dear to her, but she still got up every morning and did her best. Chibs admired this quality. She was tougher than she looked.
Yes Clara could often talk way too much especially when she was anxious. Chibs felt as though he could probably listen to her talk for hours on end though.
He liked her stories and he enjoyed hearing about her passions in life. She was funny and surprisingly charismatic once you got to know her.
He loved that Clara was driven and intelligent enough to have had her own business. She had the balls to follow her dream. Chibs hoped that she gained that confidence back. He didn't want her to give up on that dream.
Chibs knew that no matter how hard he tried to deny that he felt something more than lust for Clara, that it was useless.
Chibs liked being with Clara. He knew that when he was around her he felt good. Clara could be good for him in the long run. Chibs couldn't deny that fact.
When Clara and he were together he felt light, cheerful, and just plain content. It was a feeling he hadn't had in years, not since he'd lost Fiona and Kerrianne.
Clara had an amazing ability to help him feel a sense of normalcy. He hadn't felt like a normal human being so long.
He had let his past get the better of him and weigh him down.
He hadn't focused on the personal side of his life for about eight years now.
He had put all his energy and focus on to the club.
He had ignored the side of himself that longed for companionship and acceptance. He'd tried to dull these needs with booze, oxy, pot, and croweaters.
He would try to say that this distraction technique worked, but that would be a lie. Sure it worked to distract him for a short while, but the loneliness always returned.
At the end of the day he was always left feeling the same; alone, angry, and damaged.
Being around Clara gave him some sign of hope; hope that he could feel happiness once again.
Clara Munson was and had always been something special.
He could remember when he'd first come to this realization. It was back during his first summer here in Charming:
After a few tense days Chibs had finally decided to take Clara up on her offer to show him around Charming.
He could admit that he'd only taken her up on the offer knowing that it would be an opportunity to have a break from the daily stresses of clublife.
It was a decision that had proved to be more than enjoyable for both Clara and Chibs.
It hadn't taken long for Chibs to realize that once one got past Clara's shy tendencies she was quite talkative. She was full of energy and stories and jokes.
When he talked to her he didn't feel as though he was talking to a seventeen year old girl. He was impressed with how well spoken she was.
Bobby was always going on about how Clara was Miss. Popularity at her high school in Vegas, and Chibs could see that he wasn't joking about that.
Clara was a social butterfly. She was so clearly quite outgoing.
Chibs alsoe realized that Clara was passionate about her hometown.
She had shown Chibs the old movie theater downtown that still only sold tickets for a few bucks.
She showed him, the community gardens where you could plant just about any flowers or vegetables your heart desired.
She showed him the best record store in town which was her favorite place in Charming. She loved flipping through the wide vary of old rock albums that had been given away once the record player had gone out of style.
The last place she'd shown him was an old book store down the street from Floyd's Barber Shop. The book store was like heaven to Clara. She could spend hours soaking up all the books. She could easily go broke there buying more books than she could probably ever read. The owner sold old books for only a few dollars a piece. Clara's favorite books were the books about historical fashion. She loved the fashion of the roaring twenties. She liked to try to copy the patterns and designs on to her own jewelry and clothing that she made. Chibs had been impressed with this store. He'd been thrilled to find a seven vintage Harley manuals for only five dollars total.
They'd only been away from the garage for a few hours and Chibs was surprised to find that he was enjoying every second of it.
Chibs' growling stomach began to lurch as Clara pulled her used white Ford Festiva up to one of her long time favorite Charming haunts; an old taco place that had been around for ages now.
It was a tiny trailer that you could go and place your order in. There was seating outside.
"Do you want something to eat? It's all on me." Clara asked Chibs holding up her red tote bag to show that she was paying for lunch.
Chibs cleared his throat wanting to tell her that the Mexican food he'd eaten so far had made him a little queasy, but he quickly decided that answer would be rude. "Sure...can ya order? I'm not that familiar with this place."
He took a seat on one of the many benches that had been placed beside the taco truck. The owners had thought to decorate the trees surrounding the benches with red and green Christmas lights giving the area a festive feel.
He watched Clara walk up to the trailer and order their food before paying.
He couldn't help but to find Clara a little cute in the red sundress she was wearing. It was something she'd sewn together herself. The two pockets on the skirt were shaped like hearts. It matched her red converse perfectly.
He felt his stomach roll as Clara and he brought a big plastic tray of several paper plates of food over to him before taking a seat at the bench across from him.
He tried to hide his apprehension as he stared down at the tray; fresh soft homemade tortillas and perfectly seasoned steak meat, lots of plump sliced tomatoes, ripe green avocadoes, ice cold sour cream, shredded mexican cheese, and fragrant onions and spicy peppers.
He cringed as Clara took a bite of a thick looking jalapeno pepper without even breaking a sweat. Apparently the girl had a taste for spice.
He spoke nodding down to the paper plate of various hot peppers. "When I firs came over to tha states Tig gave me a habenero pepper. He told me it wasn't even hot. I didn't know that drinkin beer would jus make it hotter. I swear my tongue and my eyes and everythin was burnin like it was on fire. I swore off peppers after that."
"That sounds like Tig." Clara pointed out trying not to chuckle at the look of misery on Chibs' face as he recalled this incident.
She thought about telling him that Tig's daughter Dawn was a chip right off the old block, but she kept that opinion to herself. "Just avoid the peppers if you don't like spice. The avocadoes and the tomatoes will cool you down. They make everything here fresh every single morning. They buy their ingredients fresh from the little Mexican market out near the library. I've been coming here since I was a kid. Back when I was young my mom could only afford the bean and cheese burritos. The owner would always take sympathy on me though and throw in some fresh Conchas. They're amazing it's like huge sugary bread. They're my favorite things on the planet. If I could eat Conchas all day without ever getting fat from it I would."
She felt her cheeks flush realizing that she'd just blurted out how broke her mother had been. Not exactly an attractive subject for a friendly conversation.
He ignored this tiny comment as picked up a plastic fork. He sunk his plastic fork down into a green avocado as he spoke. "So yer from ere originally?"
"Yep. We moved to Vegas right after my sixteenth birthday. My mom found a job on the strip. She works at a casino as a barmaid. She worked her ass off to get me a car for college." Clara explained a frown on her face as she remembered how she hadn't wanted to move.
"We?" Chibs asked curious to know what other family Clara had besides her Uncle Bobby. He had never heard Bobby mention any siblings or her father.
Clara nodded her head as she took another bite of spicy peppers this time with a bit of steak meat. "My mom and I. Mom isn't too fond of Charming."
She cleared her throat knowing that he'd find out about her father's past in the club one way or another. "My dad kind of...he was exiled from Samcro. My mom feels like he tainted her reputation I guess. He split after that...no letters, no phone calls, no emails, nothing."
Chibs nodded his head knowing enough about the club to know that once you were exiled your family could take the fallout.
"I know how that feels. I've had enough experience with deadbeat das lass. Me own da left when my ma was pregnant with my little brother." Chibs confessed remembering how hurt he'd been when his da had walked out. He'd only been eight years old then.
"A lot of deadbeat dads in the world I guess." Clara replied as she stared down at the food a little embarrassed by the conversation.
She didn't want Chibs to think that she was some weak little girl who was plagued with daddy issues.
She wasn't going to allow her father to taint her reputation or the way she presented herself to the world.
He gave her a tight lipped smile as he changed the subject. "Yer close to yer uncle? I mean he's always talkin bout ya."
"Yeah I guess I am. I mean he's pretty much been a dad to me. He's kind of awesome. He actually started up a college fund for me...my own mother didn't even think to do that. I guess she couldn't afford it even if she did though. I mean Bobby's always encouraged me with my education. I'm going to be the first one in our family to go to college." Clara explained a genuine smile forming along her face.
"Yer goin to college next fall? Are ya goin to school here or back in Vegas" Chibs asked knowing that he didn't have much to offer on the subject. After all he had never even thought of getting a higher education.
Clara took another bite of avocado as she nodded her head eager to talk about her college plans. "I'm going to school in Vegas. I wish I was attending college here, but my mom's weird about Charming. I guess it brings up a lot of bad memories. I'm tied between rather I want to study fashion or business...I want to do something with jewelry. My mom wants me to major in something more reliable. She's pushing me to go into science. I mean I am good at it, but I don't love it the way I love fashion. I want to be one of those designers that people wear and talk about for generations like Chanel and Dior."
"Ya seem ta have a better head on yer shoulders than I did when I was yer age."Chibs admitted chuckling to himself as he remembered what a mess he'd been at seventeen.
He spoke again giving her the advice he'd give to himself. "As far as tha major goes. Only major in somethin if ya love it. If ya love what ya do yer goin to be happy till the day ya die."
"Did you always want to be a mechanic?" she asked putting emphasis on the word mechanic.
He smirked knowing she had added the emphasis to that word as a way to ask 'so have you always wanted to be an outlaw biker'. "No not really. I jus knew I liked bikes. I liked riding. If I could afford it I'd buy a million old bikes that I could restore all one by one. I worked odd jobs when I got outta secondary school but nothin stuck. I was in tha military for a bit actually. I was a medic."
"So you can save me if my arm is blown off by a grenade?" She asked tilting her head to the side.
Clara knew she was flirting, of course she knew that it wouldn't matter if she did or not. She was too young for him, she reminded herself a bit bitter at this realization.
"I could stop ya from bleedin fer a while and maybe suture it up till ya can get a real doctor." He replied knowing that he was walking on thin ice with her.
He liked that she flirted with him, but he knew that it wasn't appropriate to acknowledge it.
Even if she would be legal in just a few short months, he knew that he wasn't the type of guy she needed.
He knew that she would more than likely go off to college and find some great guy. He'd be just a memory for her to look back on and laugh.
If only she was bit older, he thought to himself.
Clara spoke up as she took a sip from one of the cans of soda she'd bought for them as she spoke. "Well when I become a famous designer I'll buy you a fleet of motorcycles."
He chuckled nodding down to a napkin. "Can I ave that in writin."
She grinned pulling a pen from her tote back before scribbling something down on a napkin.
Chibs burst out laughing not expecting her to take him seriously as Clara handed him the napkin.
He stared down at her messy writing taking in what she wrote: I Clara Munson hereby promise to buy one Filip Chibs Telford an entire fleet of motorcylces as soon as I become a famous designer. This gift will be presented as soon as Mr. Telford attends my first big runway show. Signed Clara Joanne Munson.
He shook his head wanting to tell her that he probably wouldn't fit in at some snooty runway show.
He kept his mouth shut letting her hold on to the dream.
He shoved the napkin into the pocket of his kutte as he spoke up. "It's a deal lass."
Clara smirked nodding her head down at the stack of remaining napkins. "It better be. I want you there sitting front row beside Bobby. And you better bring me like a dozen roses. I expect you to work for those bikes buddy."
"Aye I will." He replied genuinly laughing for what felt like the first time in so long.
And it was at that moment a friendship between two very different people had first formed.
As soon as Chibs followed Clara through the front door of Juice's rental house, all thoughts of why Clara wasn't right for him disappeared from Chibs' head.
She'd worn a pair of black denim shorts that made showed off her pale smooth legs, and Chibs had taken notice.
He was pleased to see that she'd worn her glasses once again along with a baggy Beatles t shirt and converse sneakers.
As gorgeous as Chibs found Clara when she was dressed up in the rockabilly styled clothing she'd gotten from Victoria, he still liked Clara in a baggy band shirts and shorts the best.
He had followed her old station wagon to Juice's house knowing that there was no way she could carry all the junk food she'd bought for tonight on Chibs' motorcycle.
Juice wasn't entirely pleased to see that Clara had brought Chibs along. He kept this opinion to himself though knowing that it was best not to piss of Clara or Chibs by being a brat about this.
Juice would be lying if he tried to deny that he didn't plan on at least trying to move past this just friends thing with Clara.
He realized that it wasn't going to happen tonight though, not with his brother hanging out on the sofa with Clara and he.
It was more than awkward having Clara sit on the sofa in between the two men.
She remained ignorant of the reasoning behind the awkward energy sure that it was just her own anxieties about being in a social situation after isolating herself for so long.
Chibs couldn't help but to let his eyes scan both Juice and Clara watching for any sign of the two of them being a couple.
He was relieved to see no sign of romance between Clara and Juice. He feared though that maybe they were just holding back though. After all he was technically the third wheel if they were dating.
Chibs could admit that despite his jealousy about the idea of Juice and Clara being together he was enjoying himself.
Chibs was grateful that Clara had invited him to come along with her. He hadn't had an opportunity to wallow in self pity even once tonight.
It was nice being around Clara, he wouldn't mind more of it.
He wasn't sure though if the enjoyment was because the beer or listening to Clara and Juice squabble over zombies.
He tore his eyes away from the decaying zombie on Juice's huge big screen TV, as the monster bit into some poor screeching man's head. Chibs grinned as he listened to Clara let out an exasperated sigh. "It's not possible."
"And what makes you say that?" Juice asked sounding just as exasperated as Clara.
Chibs bit his bottom lip trying not to burst out laughing at the ridiculous nature of the argument.
Clara let out a huff shaking her head. "Because it isn't medically possible for a zombie to even function. Without a functioning circulatory system they wouldn't even be able to stand or walk. Not to mention their bodies would be taken over by rigor mortis within a few hours of death."
"Yeah but their brains are still functioning. It's that primal thing in our brains that controls the desire to just consume. Their bodies are affected by rigor mortis...I mean they're all stiff and slow when they walk." Juice argued narrowing his eyes at the woman.
Juice knew zombies. The zombie survival guide was his gospel. Clara wasn't about to win an argument about this.
Clara shook her head refusing to buy into the idea of the walking dead as anything other than fantasy. "We talked about this in my science class in college. Zombies aren't possible because of the idea of them being dead. Dead people's bodies aren't functioning. Your brain needs oxygen and nutrients to function correctly. Not to mention a dead body certainty isn't able to produce leptin. Leptin is a hormone that interacts with the brain to tell you when you're hungry. The entire idea violates all the rules of biology."
Juice let out a huff knowing that she'd gotten him. He turned to Chibs hoping that the other man would back him up. "What do you think Chibs?"
Chibs took a swig of his beer knowing that he didn't have much of an opinion. To be honest he found zombie films to be kind of idiotic. He much preferred his horror to be a bit more realistic than walking corpses.
"I agree with Clara." Chibs replied deciding that sucking up to the girl he was pining for couldn't hurt. Not to mention the fact that Clara did have a good point. Zombies weren't medically possible. It just wasn't logical.
Clara gave Juice a triumphed grin as she spoke. "See Chibs knows what's up."
Juice rolled his eyes not happy that his brother had sided with Clara. "Whatever. It's not my fault Clara has a freaky amount of knowledge about medicine."
"It's not medicine. It's science. I was almost a science major. I wanted to major in Biology for a long time." Clara replied sticking her tongue out.
Chibs chuckled as he spoke up. "Don't be a sore loser Juicy boy."
"Me? She's the one that stuck her tongue out." Juice huffed as he took a handful of chips from one of the bags Clara had brought along.
Clara and Chibs turned back to the television Clara subconsciously scooting a little closer to Chibs.
Juice glanced over at Clara and Chibs suddenly realizing that he didn't stand a chance in hell with Clara.
He shook his head as Clara glanced at Chibs for a long moment her cheeks flushing as she tore her eyes away. When Clara looked at Chibs there was a look of total adoration in her eyes. It was like she was looking at a beautiful sunset or a fine work of art. Juice knew that Clara had never even once looked at him that way.
She had been giving Chibs little glances all night, her cheeks flushing when Chibs came close to catching her.
Juice quickly realized that Clara would never be anything more than just a friend to him.
Her heart was already in Chibs' hands; Juice just wondered when the Scotsman would finally notice it.
Reviews?
Chapter Song Title: I Want You Around - The Ramones