Studying The Star Crossed Lovers

❧ Chapter 8 ☙

Graze on my lips and if those hills be dry. Stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie.

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The party after Justin's funeral was coming to an end. Claire was overjoyed that it would soon be over and she could return to the comfort of Annie's room. 

She was sitting on the back stairs as workers bustled around her. She let the cool air flood over her, glad she had escaped from the suffocating heat that had been caused by so many people in a room together.

The door opened and she realized it wasn't just another worker when some designer men's shoes appeared in her eye line.  

"Can I take a seat?" Asked the man who Claire recognized as James. She was surprised he had found her out here. 

"I don't think I could stop you." 

James sat down next to Claire on the cold hard concrete. The warmth of his suit jacket on her bare arm was a welcome surprise.

"Do you want to go?" Asked James into the silence. 

"Where?"

"We can just drive around. Let's get you some food, I haven't seen you eat all day." 

"I didn't know you were watching me enough to know I haven't eaten all day." 

"Stop being defensive and come get a burger with me." Replied James as he held a hand out for Claire to take. 

Claire let James lead her to his ridiculously expensive sports car. She was used to it though. Everyone staring at whatever car she was in as she drove. That was the whole point of the cars though, at least it was her father's reason for buying them.

"Are you okay?" Asked James as he looked over at his friend who was leaning against the car window. 

"Can we talk about something else?" 

"Sorry."

"Can you pull over?" 

James pulled the car into a small carpark off the side of the road and Claire opened her door to let the cool air in while she leaned back in the seat. 

"I'm sorry I'm being difficult." Mumbled Claire avoiding James' gaze. 

"You're not being difficult. You are just mourning." 

When Claire turned to look up at James she was closer to him than expected. She didn't mind it though. 

They both began to lean in and before either of them could stop themselves they were kissing. Claire's hand rested on the back of James' neck and they had to awkwardly lean further over the seats to deepen the kiss. 

They found it had to get lost in the bliss of tongues and hands when their backs and necks were hurting. 

"Fuck it." Said Claire as she pulled away from James and pushed him back into his seat. James was shocked. 

It wasn't until Claire pulled off her heels and climbed over her seat and onto James' lap that things became Claire to James. They resumed kissing and found themselves finally finding a way to ignore the stress and sadness that was overcoming them. 

It wasn't until Claire woke up a few hours later did she realize it might not have been smart sleeping with James. With the enemy. 

"Shit." Whispered Claire as she looked at her phone realizing it was four in the morning. She opened the door as quietly as she could in hopes of not waking up James. 

There Claire was, in a random car park at four in the morning, in a full gown with a pair of designer shoes and a designer handbag in her arms. 

"Annie, can you come to pick me up?" Asked Claire through the phone once Annie finally picked up.

"Claire you have drivers."

"They will tell might parents, please. I'm desperate."

"I'm on my way, share your location with me." 

It took Annie thirty minutes to get there and Claire was overjoyed to see her car pull in. 

"Is that James' car?" Asked Claire the second Annie hopped in her car. "James Dancy? Tell me everything." 

"Well, he offered to take me to get food last night. I told him to pull over so I could get some fresh air. Then we started kissing, and then we..." Claire trailed off while Annie gasped. 

"You slept with James Dancy. Oh my God, your Father would kill him if he knew." Claire groaned. "Well was he good?" 

"Annie! Shut up."

"Well was he?"

"Yes." Mumbled Claire through her hands. In fact, Claire was quite sure the bar was set very high for any future lovers she would have. 

"If I shout you breakfast will you give me all the grimy details?" Claire laughed at her friend but in the end, she would share it with Annie and Annie knew that. They spent the early hours of the morning in a McDonalds while Claire relived the entire experience for Annie's entertainment. 

When Claire walked into the front doors of her home in the early hours of the morning she didn't think she would be noticed. She thought that if anyone spotted her it would be a maid and they would pretend not to see the girl that looked a mess. Claire did not expect to see her mother standing in the entryway. 

"Where were you?" 

"I was with Annie." Claire's mother gave her a doubtful look. "Check the tapes if you don't believe me. It was Annie that dropped me off." 

Claire knew sometimes her mother liked to play the devoted parent but she got bored of it quickly. This was different from her mother's usual production though. 

"You know I love you and your father very much. I love our little family and I would hate for it to ever break."

"What do you want, mum? If it's not important can I go take a hot bath then get some sleep?" Snapped Claire who was running on too little sleep to play her mother's games and decode her riddles. 

"Claire don't talk to me like that." Mrs. Whiting stepped closer to her daughter and began to whisper. "Now can you please not tell your father about Justin and I's friendship. I think it would be better for us all if that secret was buried with Justin. 

"Fine, I won't tell anyone." Claire began to walk up the stairs but stopped and turned around to look down at her mother. "But if I ever challenge Dad about the rules then I expect you to support me." 

With that, Claire went upstairs to shower off the sex, sweat, and grime before she collapsed into bed. She had dreams of soft lips, warm hands, and Justin. She woke up feeling nice.