Listen To Your Heart ~ Book One.

More than friends?

"She belongs with me!" (He growls.)

(I turn towards him and smile.)

"Finneas...You do realize that I own a gun...right?"

(Finneas stares at me, trying to decide if I'm bluffing or not. He lets go of my arm and leaves. Billie follows him, talking to him. I shake my head and go back into the house. Claudia is still laying on the sofa with her eyes closed. I sit in the chair nearby.)

"Do you really own a gun?" (She asks softly.)

(I smile.)"Okay...thought you were asleep?"

"I was. Heard the two of you arguing. Do you really have a gun?"

"Well..." (I go over to a desk. Unlock it and pull out a 44 magnum. I walk over to Claudia and aim the gun at her as I pull back the hammer. Her eyes widen in surprise. I squirt water in her face, and smile.)

(Claudia wipes her face dry.)

"Fuckin smartass!" (She grins.)

"Yep." (I put the gun on the table and sit in the chair.)

"David?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think of Finneas?"

"He's an asshole."

"And perhaps a bit controlling?"

"Yea...definitely."

"He means well. It's just sometimes...he over does it."

"Hmpf! That explains why he fucked his sister then. Control. I wonder why you deal with it?"

"Because I'm giving him one more chance. That's why."

"I'll keep my comments to myself on that deal."

"David?"

"Yea?"

"Thank you...for holding me."

"You're welcome, Claudia."

"Well...goodnight."

"Goodnight."

(Claudia closes her eyes, as I pick up my notebook, and begin thinking of some more lyrics. Suddenly I feel water hitting my face. I look up and Claudia is shooting at me.)

"Why you!" (I jump out of the chair and chase her thru the house. She runs thru the house laughing, and runs into the bedroom, and falls back on the bed. I climb on top of her, and yank the gun out of her hands, and toss it to the side. Then I begin tickling her.)

"STOP! I'm ticklish!" (She says laughing.)

"Oh...really?" (She continues laughing until I stop tickling her. We look at one another for a while. My fingers trace the outline of her lips. I wanted to kiss her so badly, but there was something about a woman being pregnant with another guy's child...I raise up quickly.)

"Goodnight, Claudia." (I leave the bedroom.)

(Claudia lays on the bed totally surprised. She had felt sure that David was going to kiss her, what the fuck had happened? Then she remembered.)

"Fuck! I can't do this!"

(Claudia gets off the bed and goes thru the beach house looking for me. She can't find me anywhere in the house.)

"David?"

(She continues looking. She finally finds me sitting outside on the back patio in the dark with my head down. She quietly opens the sliding door and closes it behind her. She sits beside me, as we stare at the ocean.)

"I'm sorry I lied to you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not pregnant. I only said that to kind of push you back towards Billie. I'm sorry."

(I pull away from her.)

"But...why would you lie to me? I thought...I thought you were different? I thought...you cared about me."

"I do care about you, but you and Billie need one another. Please don't be mad at me."

"This was Finneas's idea...wasn't it? I'm not sure who to trust now."

(Claudia kisses my cheek.)

"I'll always be your friend."

(The next day, Claudia and Finneas and Billie are headed back to Los Angeles. I call Valerie, telling her about the video and everything that had happened. I upload the video to my tablet and P.C... for safe keeping.)

======== (Days later.) =======

(Billie hasn't heard anything from David. Finneas was still having issues with Claudia. Billie lays on her bed. 'I'm going to go crazy waiting like this.' she thinks. She had been feeling a bit nauseous in the morning, for days now... but she figured it was just from stress and an empty stomach.)

"Fuck this shit!" (Billie says.)