Diamonds In The Sky [ON HOLD - Editing In Process]

Diamonds In The Sky - Claude, This Doesn\'t Change Anything (Chapter 38)

Claude, This Doesn\'t Change Anything

The sun was beginning to set, the oranges and yellows from the once blue sky were now coloring my all white bedroom. The chilly air was beginning to set in, hovering over  my warm skin. I put down my father\'s diary and placed it under my white, fluffy pillow. I let myself fall on my back, plummeting into the comfortable sheets of my bed.

I hadn\'t seen Claude all day and I assumed he would be back from dropping off Rose by now - but no, I was wrong. There was no indication that he had ever come home, no familiar scent tickling at the base of my nose, no noise, no anything.

As I lay on my bed, my thoughts floated on. Everything was a jumbled mess of who, what, where, when, why, and how - especially how. How was I going to fix all of this? How was I going to defeat the Chamberlain Clan and the Ramseyers? How were the Royals going to react to one of their own being the cause of the deaths of people  they all loved so dearly? How this and how that. Unanswered questions that lingered in my head.

A gentle knock on the door startled me and I sat up in a flash. I furrowed my brows, wondering who it was - but my question was soon answered as the delightful, familiar smell tickled the insides of my nose. The small smile on my face was soon replaced by a frown as an image of Claude kissing Cherry popped up in my head.

I walked over to open the door, still in my pajamas and my hair up in a ponytail. I stood there for a second, contemplating if I should even open the door. Stop acting so childish, Viola, I thought to myself. Sighing, I turned the knob and the door propped open.

My eyes ran over Claude\\\'s slicked back hair. A black blazer hugged his body in all the right ways, a white shirt underneath exposing all of his muscles. He wore dark jeans that pulled his outfit into looking somewhat professional - or like if he were going to take out some fancy woman on a date. Despite his clean cut look, he still wore those black lace-up boots that I loved.

For a moment, I held my breath as my inner wolf howled in satisfaction. I fought against the urge to bit my lip as my eyes raked Claude\'s body. When I finally looked back to his face, a crooked smile appeared. His blue eyes twinkled, the sunset reflecting in them.

\"What are you doing?\" I finally breathed as I didn\\\'t break eye contact with him.

He pondered his answer for a moment before answering, \"Come with me.\"

I had missed the sound of his voice, though I didn\\\'t know that until this very moment.

He reached out his hand for me, waiting for me to take it. \"Wha-\" I began to say.

He cut me off, \"Just come with me, Viola.\"

I looked down at the pajama pants and black tank top I had on. My messy hair was in a ponytail and I didn\'t even look as great as Claude did. I shook my head and replied, \"I\'m not dressed for-\"

\"You look marvelous,\" Claude whispered.

I opened my mouth to speak but I found no words. The way Claude was looking at me, well that was the way my father used to look at my mother - “utter astonishment and amazement” is the way my father described it.

My eyes looked from Claude\'s extended hand and then back to his pleading blue eyes. I let out a breath I didn\\\'t even know I was holding in. I hesitantly placed my hand in Claude\'s, surges of sparks running through my body. I closed the bedroom door behind me as Claude inched forward to me.

\"Where are we going?\" I gently asked.

\"It\'s a surprise,\" Claude whispered as he began to walk forward through the hall, his hand still connected with mine.