Keeping Claire

Chapter Twenty Five

                Chapter Twenty Five

Cody’s POV-

                That night didn’t hold much more conversation. We sat there for a few more minutes, then I could tell that Claire had fallen asleep, so I took her to bed. After she was all tucked in, I watched her sleep. She slept peacefully other than stirring a few times.

                Some nights, she would wake up sweating and in a panic, asking where she was. It hurt for me to watch her struggle like this, but those events hadn’t happened in the last few weeks. It told me that she was making progress.

                Memories of her panicked awakenings flashed through my minds as I cooked some pancakes. Those had grown to be her favorite. Just as I was thinking of her, two small arms wrapped around my waist. I smiled as I do every time she made small little gestures like this.          

                “Good morning.” She murmured into my back.

                I decided to poke fun about her habit of hugging me while I’m cooking. “Lately, you’ve been doing this a lot. It’s becoming a habit, ya know.”

                I could feel her smile into my back. But then, much to my disappointment, she backed away, sitting down at the kitchen table. I loved it when she flirted, it was adorable. But, as much as I loved it when she poked back, I could never let her have the last word. It just wasn’t my nature.

                I cooked the last of the pancakes, and then walked over to Claire, where she was reading a book. Before she had time to think, I picked her up then walked over to the counter, sitting her in front of me. She had a bewildered look on her face. But then she gained her wits back, smirking a little. “Well at least I don’t have a habit of randomly picking people up and sitting them on counters.”

                I laughed. I couldn’t help it. She just made me feel like I could walk on air. “Oh, come on, Claire, you know you love it when I do that.”

                She had no response. I smirked a little then stole a kiss from her. She obviously wasn’t expecting it; her body tensed a little and she gasped slightly. I smiled at her reaction. Once she realized what was happening, she smiled a little too, wrapping her arms around me and running her hands through my hair. I loved it when she did that. I lightly rested my hands on her hips, loving the way that they fit together like a puzzle. She returned the affection by wrapping her legs around my waist, pulling me impossibly closer. I tried multiple times for entry into her mouth, failing every time. Her playfulness amused me. I broke our kiss partially, “You’re such a tease.”

                She smiled mid-kiss, “Am not.” She replied shyly.

                Our little exchange distracted her, giving me an opportunity to invade her mouth. She pouted a little, but that didn’t stop her from exploring my mouth as well. I traced her bottom lip with my tongue as she ran her hands through my hair again. I held her tighter to me, deepening our kiss. She took the opportunity of me being distracted to nibble slightly on my bottom lip. This process went on for a few more minutes. Eventually, however, we had to come up for air. I leaned my forehead against hers, looking for any emotion in her eyes. All that was evident was content and happiness. She smiled at me, biting on her own bottom lip a little.

                “Our pancakes are getting cold.” I chuckled.

                She laughed quietly. Before she spoke, her stomach growled, causing me to laugh. Her whole face flushed as I allowed her to jump down from the counter and grab a plate of pancakes.

                We ate our breakfast talking over what time we would leave for my family’s house and what she needed to pack. The girl was obsessed about wearing the proper thing at the proper time. It was quite amusing. While we were cleaning the dishes, my phone rang.

                I answered it, “Hello?”

                “Hey Cody.” It was the secretary from the gym. “They just called a last minute meeting for all the trainers at the gym. Can you make it?”

                In all honesty, I could but I didn’t want to go. “Yeah, I’ll be there in fifteen.” I answered reluctantly.

                “Okay.” She said simply, then got of the line.

                I turned to Claire, she was reading a text on her phone, no emotion shone on her face.

Claire’s POV-

                “Yeah, I’ll be there in fifteen.” He answered with a frustrated tone. Must be something at work.

                As he was ending his conversation over the phone, I got a text from an unknown number.

                I told you to stay away, but you couldn’t quite accomplish that, now could you? It’s okay, though. I’ve got a surprise for you. Watch your back, Claire.

                                                                                                                                XOXO

                At this point, Cody was watching me carefully. I tried hard not to look completely scared out of my mind. For once, it worked. He just smiled. I smiled back, willing myself to look happy.

                “They just called an emergency meeting about something at the gym. It’s kinda crappy, but I have to go. I’ll be back in a little while, okay?” He looked at me, searching for any kind of emotion.

                I just smiled and nodded. He returned the grin, pecked me on the lips then walked out, locking the door behind him.

                I ran to the bedroom, closing it behind me. I jerked a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt on. After this, I paused for a second. Why was I being so jumpy? The number wasn’t even familiar. It was probably just a prank text.

                But then again, it did say my name. I would just stay in and wait for Cody. Cody would keep me safe. I walked back through the hallway, on my way to the living room. I walked past a mirror on the wall in the hallway. I stopped and backed up, studying myself in the mirror. I looked at the little arrow that was hook around my neck. I hadn’t taken it off since Cody gave it to me.

                I truly did love it. The arrow represented all that I had been through in my life. But the shininess of it reminded me of how bright my future could be, if I would just let it.

                I thought about the future as I walked into the kitchen, remembering that we hadn’t finished washing the dishes. I ran a little more water in the sink, pouring more soap into the sink as well. While I waited for it to fill up, I walked into the living room, searching for some music to listen to. I finally settled on OneRepublic, popping it into the disc player. I then walked back into the kitchen, turning the water off. I took my phone out, checking to see if Cody had called or texted. Nope. I sighed. The dishes weren’t going to do themselves I left my phone on the table then walked over to the sink.

                As I scrubbed at a pot, I thought I heard a weird sound, but disregarded it, knowing it was Cody. I felt someone walk up behind me. I smiled, waiting for him to wrap his muscular arms around me. Instead, a cloth with a funny smell was slapped over my mouth. The last thing I remembered seeing is rain hitting the window pane.