No Time To Die- ARTHURMORGAN x O/C

part 18- Hunting Budies

Claudia enters the saloon the bottom of her dress and her heals covered in mud from the swamps. It goes quiet as she enters by herself, drunken eyes of men follow her as she gets to the bar.
"What do you want misses?" The bartender asks as he polishes a glass in his hands.
"Whiskey, please" She says leaning against the wooden bar. He places the shot glass by her and fills it up pushing it forward to her. She nods to him and drinks the shot.
"My, Miss Jenkins what a surprise" A recognisable voice speaks by the side of her. She turns her head to see Jesse Cooper.
"Well, Mister Cooper. What a surprise" She answer back placing the glass back down on the bar. The bartender quickly came over and fills it up.
"Why is a pretty lady like you out here all by yourself?" He questions taking a sip from his bottle of beer.
"Well I had an argument with my friend and I left" She smiles drinking the whiskey that the bartender set in front of her.
"I thought you were with your father" He wonders placing his hand along her waist.
"I was and two other men, part of my family, but it's complicated. I don't really have a good relationship with him" She explains, Jesse looks at her but he can't takes his eyes off her beauty.
"I have a hotel room rented, if you would like to join me" He invites her with a mischievous grin upon his face.
"I would love to join you" She smiles, forgetting everything about that argument with Arthur.
"Excuse me, two bottle of your finest whiskey" He gets the attention of the bar tender.
"$20, son" The bartender says as he passes the bottles to him. Jesse places the dollars onto the wooden bar. 
"Shall we leave Miss" Jesse holds his hand out to Claudia. She smiles taking his hand as they leave the Saloon.

The sun seeps through the curtains covering the window of the hotel room. Claudia opens her eyes, seeing Jesse peacefully sleeping by the side of her. She sits up looking around seeing bottles of whiskey and stubs of cigarettes on the bedside cabinet. The stuffy smell of sweat, cigarettes and whiskey fills her nostrils, an arm wraps around her pulling her back down to the bed.
"Just 5 more minutes, please" Jesse yawns cuddling her close to him.
"Fine but I will have to leave soon" She accepts smiling at him. He smiles back with his eyes still closed.
"What are you actually?" Jesse asks sitting up on his side, leaning on his arm.
"What do you mean?" She stutters keeping the blanket over her naked body.
"I saw the knife when you were taking your dress off last night, I don't normally see women with a knife in their dress" He questions raising his eyebrows.
"Well a woman got to protect herself, hasn't she?" Claudia smirks twisting her hand in his curly hair. He smirks back knowing that she is lying, but he will not question anymore.
"I'll see you soon, Miss Jenkins" He says sitting up resting his head against the bed headboard.
"You will Mr Cooper" Claudia says as she picks up her dress and slips it back on. She gathers her belongings and closes the door behind her. Her smiles getting bigger and bigger the memories of yesterday night still replaying in her mind.

As she walks through camp, it's quiet except from the morning rustles from people getting out of their tents to start the day. Arthur stands by the front door of the broken down manor watching her enter camp. He didn't even look at her, both of them not sharing any interest into each other. Hosea walked out seeing the tension between the two.
"Miss Jenkins, lovely to see you back" He says strolling over to her.
"Nice to see you as well Hosea" She replies walking over to her bedroll, seeing Mary-Beth and Tilly talking, whispering, hiding something from her. The word must of went around last night about her argument with Arthur.
"I need you to go hunting with Arthur, he needs a hunting buddy" Hosea exclaims waving his hands in the air. Arthur head pops up hearing his name.
"No I don't" He snaps back angrily at Hosea throwing his cigarette on the floor from his mouth.
"Yes you do, the both of you need a chat to sort things out" Hosea smiles walking back to where he was reading his book. Claudia's smiles disappears from thinking about Jesse but now have been bombarded with memories of Arthur from yesterday. Arthur huffs storming away to his horse. She goes into her tent and gets out of her dress, putting on her dark blue trousers, white top, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
"You coming or not?" He calls out from his horse, his patience wearing off. Claudia sighs picking up her hat from the floor, she steps out of the tent.
"Be patient!" She yells back, sending daggers towards him. She walks over to Nyrah and feeds some sugar cubes to her horse. "Good girl".
"Come on I want to be back by sun set" He mutters digging his spurs into his horse. The air thick with tension as they made their way to New Hangover, they reach forestry finally. The chatter of birds and rustling of leaves in the wind fill the silence between them. A distance hung in the air, a fragile barrier of stubbornness.
At last, Claudia sighs unable to bear the weight of unspoken words any longer, she turns towards Arthur they slow their horses down into a gentle trot. "Why are you so mad?" She asks, he voice soft edging with challenge.
Arthur clenches his jaw. "I'm not mad," He replies, "I just... don't understand it, Claud". Claudia heart sinks as he calls her by her nickname.
"Understand what? That I fell in love with someone in the middle of a job? That I'm trying to find my own happiness?" Her frustration bubbles, "Not everything is about you, you know."
He takes a deep breath, the cool air filling his lungs as he steers his horse off the narrow trail, coming to an hauler. "It's not that," He defends, his voice more vulnerable now. "I'm worried about you, Claud. You don't know what kind of trouble can come falling for the wrong person out there, you are one of the closest people to me. I just don't want to lose you."
Claudia's expression shifts, surprise replacing the anger in her gaze. "Arthur, I care about you, too, but you've got to understand that we are friends. I don't feel the same way as you do."
"I know" He admits and in that moment, all the walls he had built around his feelings began to crumble. "But I can't help how I feel. And it scares me to see you with someone else— a stranger who could hurt you."
"Oh, Arthur..." She starts but Arthur interrupts her.
"Just promise me you'll be careful alright? You're my friend, too" he says, his voice softer than it was before. The anger subsiding into a cautious understanding.
For a moment, Claudia looks tentative, a flicker of realisation dancing in her eyes. "I.. I promise. But you need to understand that I have my own path to forge, with or without you." He nods, a mix of acceptance and regret swirling within him. He hates feeling confined by his own feelings and wanting something that feels so unattainable. "Come on let's hunt, we don't want Hosea to think he has just bickered all the time" She laughs, making a small grin on Arthur's face.
As they continue to hunt, both having a deeper understanding, not just of each other, but of their own hearts in this unpredictable world.
"I think this is enough" Arthur huffs swinging the rabbits over his shoulder holding them by his legs after skinning them.
"Arthur, I just want you to know" Claudia looks up at him as she mounts Nyrah, "You are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time, I haven't had someone to speak to in a long time. And i'm grateful for that, I really am."
"Well that's what friends are for" Arthur says as he mounts his horse knowing that he will never be enough for Claudia.