50 Shades Of Claire Bear (Andrew's POV)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Claire...

She's the only thing on my mind anymore.

No matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about her.

"Andrew, heads up!"

I barely catch the basketball Collin throws during one of our drills.

Jesus, I need to concentrate.

Kyle jogs up to me. "Dude, what's up? You never space out on drills."

He already knows everything, what else is there to tell him? "Oh, nothing. I'm just a little distracted today.

Kyle passes his ball to a player across the court. "Okay, I have to tell you something."

Fuck.

Here it comes.

Claire doesn't like me and my instincts have been all off.

"Listen, I know you're probably just trying to help, but I don't want to hear it—"

"Claire likes you," he interrupts. "She likes you, man. As in wants to date you."

My mouth instantly dries. My throat is tight. Breathing becomes hard. "What? I mean—are you sure?"

Kyle nods. He's my best friend—he wouldn't lie to me. "You know what this means, right? The ball is in your court."

Suddenly light-headed, I sit on the bleachers. "Okay, this is going to sound weird, but can you pinch me? I need to make sure I'm not dreaming."

"Dude, you're not dreaming—"

"Just pinch me!" I yell and he obeys. I blink a few times, making sure I'm not in an alternate reality of some kind.

Claire actually likes me?

"See. You're not dreaming. You're all she talks about, man."

You know how you wish and wish for something for so long that when, or if, it finally comes true, you don't believe it because at this point you know it's too good to be true? I'm in that place. I can't believe what he's telling me. If he's right...

"Look, before I act on anything, I need to make sure you're okay with this," I say. Kyle starts to groan, but I stop him. "No, seriously. You're my best friend. I need to make sure that you're okay with...Claire and I. If she herself is even okay with it."

Kyle and I have been through a lot together and I can always trust him to tell me the truth, even if it hurts. He's told me for years that Claire had no interest in me. It hurt, but I at least knew where I stood. Now, he's telling me different. I have no reason not to believe him.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me in for a hug. "You have my blessing, dude. I'm so happy for you."

God, I got lucky with the Mitchells. I can never take them for granted.

"You know I love you, right?" I say.

"Yeah, I know," he responds. "Just...keep some physical things to a minimum when I'm around. I'm perfectly fine with it, but it doesn't mean I want to see it."

I laugh. "You got yourself a deal."

---

From the second I walk through the front door, I rush myself. I take a five-minute shower, I struggle with my contacts for five minutes before I just give up and decide to wear my glasses and I take my homework out of my bag so it's ready when Claire gets here. I retrieve the first Harry Potter book from my desk—my mom set it there for me—and rush downstairs.

"Hey, Mom?" I say, moving her away from the dishes. "Um, I'll be downstairs with Hershey to make sure she doesn't have an accident. Can you just send Claire down there when she gets here?"

She nods her head, glancing at the book. "So, you're actually gonna start reading those?"

"Ouch, I'm not that bad of a reader, Mom."

She laughs. "No, it's just—you always ragged on them. Said you'd never read them because they're just 'wizard versions of Lord of the Rings.'"

Yes, I do remember saying that. "People change, Mom. I'm mature enough to read these now."

"Well...let me know what you think. I'm sure Claire is happy you're reading that."

Fuck. I should have known she wasn't stupid enough to believe my excuse. Everything I do, I do because of Claire.

"It's one more thing we'll have to talk about," I admit. "She loves them and I want to make her happy because I love—"

Shit.

My mom blinks rapidly. "Because you love her?"

I clear my throat. "That's not what was going to say."

She slowly puts down the rag and walks closer to me. "Honey, if that's how you feel, you can say it. You shouldn't ever be afraid to tell people how you feel."

I'm afraid because her feelings may not be as strong as mine and I could scare her off by being too forward. "Yes, Mom. I love her. I've loved her for so long that now that it's not completely one-sided, I don't believe it."

"It's not one-sided?" She raised her eyebrows. "She loves you, too?"

"God, no. But she at least likes me and I'll take what I can get at this point." There's no way in hell Claire actually loves me. She might just have a silly crush.

Mom wraps her arms around me. Though I've grown much taller than her, she still thinks she can hug me like I'm still ten years old. "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart. Are you going to ask her out?"

"Yeah, but not tonight—"

"Why not? I'll help you."

I gently push her away. "You know, as much fun as that sounds," I say sarcastically, "I need to do this myself. And in my parents' house isn't exactly romantic."

She buzzed her lips. "Oh, whatever. You do it how you want, but you have your window. Please, please take it."

I had no idea how adamantly she was rooting for Claire and I. It must be because most good parents want their child happy, and I'm happy with Claire. More than happy.

"Anyway, I'll be downstairs. Please, just send her down without any hints?"

She sighed and went back to the sink. "Fine. But if you don't make your move in two days, I'm doing it for you."

I laugh. "Fine."

I jog down the stairs and only momentarily get distracted by Austin watching the Two Towers. No, I need to read.

Our new puppy, Hershey, sits in her cage as we attempt to potty train her. I finally open to the first chapter and all I see is Claire.