Luke's P.O.V
I can practically hear the gasps coming from inside the banquet hall. Whispers starting to form about the daughter of such a powerful man kissing a boy no better than a street rat in their books.
But those thoughts quickly fall from my mind until the only thing I'm thinking about are Claire's lips on mine. I kiss back harder and she lets out a moan, running her hands through my hair.
I can't stop myself. I'm not even sure I would be able to stop right now if I had to. The warmth of her skin on mine, her hands in my hair, the slight breaths she takes between deep kisses, it is driving me crazy.
I take steps forward, making her step back until I hear her back bump slightly with the tree I knew was going to be there. I kiss her deeper, trying to take in every single aspect of her by just her lips.
I love her. God I love her. I don't care if she can't say it back, if it's not as real for her as it is for me. I don't care. All I can think about right now is how I'm possibly going to stop when I eventually and inevitably have to.
Claire surprises me by hooking a leg around my waist, pushing me closer to her body. I let out a low moan as pressure increases on my lower unmentionable.
She lets out a soft laugh. "Carry me to your car" she says, followed by a kiss. Her lips are forming a smile. "Now before my father kills us both".
I suddenly remember where we are. I turn towards the door to see many gaping faces at the window, along with the wide mouthed douche bag and a very red faced Mr. Adams.
Claire lets out a giggle. "Now!" she squeals as her father takes a step towards us. I don't think twice before scooping Claire into my arms and running as fast as I can towards the open gates.
"Go go go!" Claire shouts into my ear, thumping my shoulder as if that will make me go faster. I quickly reach my car and open the passenger side for her. As soon as I make it to my car door I hear a shout.
"EVANS!" Claire's father shouts, running towards us. I turn the key and peel out of the parking lot, narrowly missing him on the way out.
Claire can't stop laughing. "Oh my god" she states before bursting into laughter again. The sound of her laughing brings a smile onto my face as I keep my eyes on the road.
"Are we going to your house now?" she asks.
"You do realize you live almost directly across the street from me?" I point out. "No, we're going somewhere else".
She rests her head on the back of her seat and mumbles something. It is either "Anywhere away from him" or "Anywhere with you". I can't tell, but I hope it is the latter one.
I keep my eyes on the road as Claire slightly hums next to me. That's another thing I've learned about Claire. She despises silent moments in a conversation. To fill the silence she will either hum or ramble on about an idea or something random that she is thinking of. Her mind is like a typewriter that never stops writing down new ideas.
I pull the car into the driveway of an old house I am familiar with. The house is wooden and had been abandoned for a good 40 years. It looks like one of those haunted houses in those old horror movies.
Even though it looks scary from the outside I have never been scared of it. I look over at Claire to see her staring at the house like I did all those years ago, with a mix of curiosity and awe.
"Come on" I say, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the house, trying to ignore the buzz of electricity that passed through our connected hands.
The inside looks like what you would think an old house would look like. Everything is covered in a sheet of dust and spiderwebs. The only thing different is that the main room doesn't have a roof at all, making the starry night visible in every spot in the room.
I don't expect a big expression out of Claire at the sight of such a normal looking house but I'm pleasantly surprised as Claire's lips turn into a small smile, taking in the scene in front of her.
She looks up at the stars and laughs gleefully before spinning in a circle a few times, as if the image of all of those stars in front of her will change depending on where she stands.
"How did you find this place?" Claire finally speaks, still spinning.
I smile at her. "Back when I was 8 or 9 Darren and I liked to play hide and seek outside a lot. I found this place when I ventured out farther than the boundaries. This house became a type of safe haven for me. A place to be alone, away from-" I don't finish my sentence.
Claire luckily understands and doesn't question me further but simply looks at me with shining eyes. "Have you told anybody else about this place?" she asks softly.
"No" I answer honestly. I should have told Darren about it all those years ago but I didn't. I didn't want anyone else to know about my secret place but something told me Claire needed this place as much as I did.
She examines the floor before doing a turn on it. "You know, this house isn't half bad, besides the lack of furniture" she jokes.
"I know something to make up for that" I say before walking over to a corner of the bare room where I had placed a wooden box. From the box, I retrieve a bottle of whisky I had stored a while back for a big occasion. I guess showing another person my safe haven counts as a special occasion.
Claire sees the bottle and places her hands on her hips and pulls a stern look that could easily pass as my mother's.
"Mr, Evans" she teases, a smile creeping at the corners of her mouth. "Are you trying to get me drunk?".
"No, I'm trying to get you to have something good to look back on about tonight" I explain, opening the bottle. "I mean, besides my stellar kissing skills".
Claire suddenly gets serious at my words. "Luke, about the kiss-" she starts.
"Let me guess" I interrupt. "You don't want me to mention it because it's too early to think about dating someone else. Don't worry, I know you only did it to piss off your dad".
And I did know that. I didn't expect anything different and tried to ignore the small twinge of disappointment when I thought about her lips being pressed to mine only for the simple fact that it mad her father angry.
"That's not-" but she stops herself from lying and looks at me. "Wait, isn't that why you came in the first place? To help me piss off my dad?" she asks.
"No, I came to make sure you were okay. Now, this is going to be a long night if you keep asking me these questions so why don't you just stop talking and take a swig of this" I say, holding out the bottle towards her.
She hesitates before taking the bottle and tilting her head back slightly. I watch her grimace at the taste before handing it back to me. "Uck! How do people drink this?" she says.
I laugh slightly. "People don't drink this for the taste Sleeping Beauty. They drink it for the feeling it gives them" I say before tossing my head back and taking a long swig of the alcohol that feels like fire in my throat. I make a slight grimace before handing the bottle back to Claire. "Bottoms up Sleeping Beauty".
After only 6 more swigs Claire is looser and is giggling a lot more, telling me that the alcohol was starting to take its toll on her.
"Luke" she giggles as she moves her arms up and down. "Haven't you ever wanted to be a bird?" she asks", flapping her arms harder.
I chuckle at her. Usually Claire didn't let go as much as she is right now. She is always conscious of not making a scene around other people. I guess she was taught all her life to keep her feelings inside and act like everyone else wanted her to act. But it was times like these, when she let herself speak and feel whatever she wanted that I admired her most.
Suddenly my gut twisted. She's not herself though my inner conscience sneered. It's the alcohol you idiot.
And as soon as I become reminded of that I hate myself a little bit, but not as much as I hate the people that taught her to keep everything inside. Not as much as I hate the people like her father.
Suddenly something catches Claire's eye. I watch her as she runs, (well, stumbles) over to a corner of the room. I suddenly remember the black book I had put on top of the wooden box in an effort to find the bottle of whisky but before I can call out for her to stop, her hands are prying open the book.
She looks through the pages curiously. "Luke-" she starts saying but stops and instead starts reading some of the words I had written.
"Claire, give me the book" I say sternly, walking over to her. I've got to say though, for a partially drunk person Claire is quick on her feet.
She sidesteps me and starts reading out loud the words I had written so long ago.
"I told her my past. I don't know why I did but it just seemed to spill out of me. I wasn't thinking clearly and she was using those teary eyes to see straight through me" she starts.
I lunge for her again but she does a simple twirl out of the way and continues backing up while reading further.
"It's all his fault. That Zack kid. It's not fair. He waltzes into this town and is automatically handed everything that is mine. He takes my quarterback spot. He takes away my potential bed buddy-" she flinches slightly here at how I describe Nicole being a future friend with benefits. I cringe as well. How had I ever been attracted to anyone so shallow? So arrogant? So not Claire?
I give up trying to stop her and just stare at the wall as she continues. "But I think this plan could go well. Claire, like every other girl is under the new boy's charm so it will be easy to use her so Zack will forget about Nicole. I just hope she doesn't accidentally fall for me".
Oh the irony I think to myself.
She looks over at me. "Did you write this after that night when you told me about your past?" she asks.
"Yes" I admit. I try to read her face for specific expressions but I can't find anything. Another thing Claire is good at is hiding how she truly feels.
"So is this some sort of diary?" she asks, handing the book over to me. I take it and quickly throw it to the side of the room. "No" I answer. "Sometimes I just need to write out how I'm feeling. That's what that book is for".
Her eyes suddenly brighten with some sort of realization. "You want to be a writer don't you?" she exclaims.
My eyebrows furrow together. "What? No. Well, I never thought about being one. I just don't think I'm very good. If I tried to write something it would probably be lousy".
"I don't think it would be" Claire states. "You've always had a way with words". I smile at her compliment. "Thanks sleeping beauty but I'm just going to stick to trying to get into college first".
"I'm serious Luke" she says taking another swig of the whisky she has just retrieved from the floor.
"Just shut up and drink the dang alcohol" I state, not really wanting her to get drunk but wanting even less to continue this conversation.
She obeys and takes another long swig before putting the drink down. "You know this place isn't half bad. It would probably look great if someone decided to fix it up".
"Like who Sleeping Beauty? Bob the Builder?" I tease.
She lets out a drunk giggle. "Like us. We should fix up this place into a dream house. We could put in bouncy hardwood floors so I can dance" she says motioning towards the floor, letting out a hiccup.
"And then, we can have a wall just for your writings" she continues, gesturing wildly at the back wall of the room "We can tape up the pages and it can cover up the whole wall so we can read them whenever we want and this wall-" she pauses to throw her hands towards the opposite wall.
"This wall can be covered with pictures. A ton of them. Of anything we want. Doesn't that sound amazing Luke?" she asks, finally turning back towards me.
I can't help but smile at her enthusiasm about these ideas. "That sounds amazing" I answer.
"I know!" she squeals in excitement. "And then after a long day we could meet up here and just lie down in the middle of the floor and look up at the stars" she says before dropping onto her back carelessly, landing with a thump.
I chuckle at her. "You've got some big dreams Sleeping Beauty" I tease.
She sits up on her elbows. "But couldn't you see it?" she says, taking in the room like she could already picture it. "And no one else would know about it. It could be a safe haven. I place for only the two of us. Somewhere only we know".
The thought of sharing something with Claire makes my body grow slightly warmer. "That doesn't sound half bad" I admit.
She beams at me and stands up. "Great! You agree!" she says cheerfully. Walking over to me.
"I'm not so sure about the wall with my writing all over it though" I say as she walks closer.
"What about the dancing floors?" she asks teasingly. I shrug. "I'm not much of a dancer sleeping beauty" I answer.
"Liar" she states, taking both of my hands. "You danced with me at homecoming".
"That was a one time thing" I state. "I don't dance anywhere else". Claire suddenly grins like a Cheshire cat. "Then what are we doing?" she asks.
I look down and am surprised to see my feet moving from side to side. I didn't even realize that Claire and I were swaying slowly in a circle.
"You tricky little rat" I exclaim and Claire lets out a hearty laugh. The sound of it makes my smile grow bigger.
"Come on Superman, show me your best moves" she says before stepping away, holding one of my arms and then spinning back into me.
I raise an eyebrow before grabbing both of her arms and swinging her down so that her body slides between my legs. She is laughing as I pull her back up to her feet in front of me.
"Is that the best you've got?" she teases. I raise an eyebrow at her before twirling her twice so that she is uncoordinated. I spin her out and bring her back in but as I bend her down into a dip I lose balance and the both of us go falling to the ground.
Claire is laughing nonstop now. She continues laughing as I roll onto my back beside her, laughing as well.
"Luke" she giggles. "Don't ever be my dance partner again". I poke her in her sides, making her laugh even more.
She finally calms down and lets out a long sigh before looking up at the stars glowing above us. "It really is beautiful here" she says.
"I know. And if you tell anyone else about it I'm afraid I'll have to kill you" I say, only half kidding. She lets out a short laugh before her smile suddenly falls into a frown as her forehead crinkles slightly.
"Penny for your thoughts?" I ask, looking up at the stars again as I hear her sigh beside me.
"Everyone is going to be talking about me tomorrow" she says. "How I'm such a bitch for leading Zack on so far and then dumping him out of nowhere. How I'm just a stupid slut that hops from boy to boy for attention".
My mouth turns into a frown at her words. If there is something Claire is not it is a slut. She also wasn't a bitch who wanted attention.
"Claire, none of those things are you" I say. I hear her sigh slightly. "I'm not so sure about that" she mumbles quietly.
I turn to look at her. "It's not your fault that you and Zack broke up. You said so yourself, you didn't feel anything for him anymore. It would have been worse if you lead him along further. You did what you felt was right".
Claire smiles slightly at me. "How do you always know what to say?" she asks. I shrug and smirk. "Well you said so yourself, I have a way with words".
And then we are silent, staring intensely at each other. I take in all the features of Claire's face. The way her eyebrows were thicker than most girls'. How her cheeks always have a tint of red in them. The fact that her eyes were actually grey.
And then she is leaning towards me again and I forget about everything else but her. My lips hungrily attach to hers. Even though I had tasted her lips earlier tonight, I still couldn't get enough of it. I couldn't get enough of her.
Claire's P.O.V
I stop thinking. About Zack. About what people are going to say about me tomorrow. I focus solely on Luke and the way his lips feel against mine.
His lips are warm and soft, much different than Zack's cold and firm lips were. I run a hand through his hair and take in the sound of his moan.
Luke rolls over so that he is on top of me as I press my tongue into his mouth. I breathe in his essence, and tightly grip him, as if he will disappear if I don't.
"Claire" Luke breathes out and my heart jumps slightly at the sound of my name on his lips. "I love you Claire. I love you" he says again.
My stomach ties itself into knots at his words. At his pure admittance and how he didn't expect to hear it back. He just said it for the simple pleasure of hearing himself admit it.
That's when I realize that I have the same feeling. The feeling that I might collapse if he suddenly leaves me for someone better or prettier than me. The feeling that I could spend forever in his arms and not give a damn how much time passes by.
I love him.
My eyes snap open and I suddenly push him off of me. It's too soon I think to myself. People expect me to still be heartbroken about Zack.
Luke's eyebrows are furrowed together and concern is clear in his eyes. "I'm sorry Claire. I didn't mean to-" but he stops himself, knowing that neither of us believe his words.
"Can you take me home now?" I ask quickly, avoiding eye contact with him. He nods and stands up. "Of course" he says softly with a hint of sadness in his voice.
My heart swells at the thought of him being sad because of me. I suddenly feel a wave of repulsion travel through my body. Repulsion for myself.
Why was I hurting him? I love him. My feet stumble slightly as I say those words again in my head.
I feel awful as we drive silently home. As he pulls into my driveway my stomach drops at the sight of my father's car in the driveway. I can't handle an argument with him right now. Not after what I have just realized.
"I can't deal with him right now" I say. Luke looks over at me. "Do you want to climb up your balcony?" he asks.
I nod and open the car door. I silently walk over to the wall that has holes spread out on it for some stupid decorative reason.
I start climbing up the wall and am surprised when Luke starts climbing after me. I pause and look down at him. He sees my face and simply says "In case you fall".
My stomach whirls at his comment and I silently curse him for being so caring and considerate. Couldn't he see that he deserved so much better than me?
I finally reach the rail and swing my legs over so that I am safely on my balcony. Luke joins me a second later and brushes off his hands on the tux he is still wearing from earlier.
"Goodnight Claire" he says and I can see a hint of stubbornness in his eyes, showing that he didn't really want to say goodbye to me.
"Goodnight" I say simply before swinging my door open and shutting it as quick as I can, tears already starting to prick my eyes.
I start to think about random memories of Luke and I. When we jumped into that lake, when I spent Christmas with him and his family, all of the hours we had spent together studying, the homecoming dance last year, jumping off of the Ferris Wheel together, recently realizing that I love him.
I love him. I love Luke Evans. And for some reason I wasn't telling him.
It's too soon my inner self reminds me. People expect you to still be heartbroken over Zack.
"Well then they can go fuck themselves" I suddenly state, not caring about what other people will think of me anymore. Why should I care what they thought about me? I love Luke and I have let him walk away from me too many times.
I swing the door open again. "Luke!" I shout, hoping he is still here. I see him with one foot swung over the railing and the other still on the balcony. He turns to look at me. "Yeah?".
I don't stop myself from grabbing his tux and bringing his lips to mine passionately. He stills for a second before kissing back.
I finally break the kiss and pull him so that both of his feet are on the ground. "Sleeping beauty?" he asks me, questioningly.
"I love you too" I say and kiss him again quickly. When I pull away Luke's expression is unreadable.
"I'm sorry" he says, scratching his ear. "Could you please repeat that?"
I roll my eyes before speaking. "I love you Luke Evans. And I don't care what everyone else thinks. Somehow you have made me fall in love with you and I'm so thankful that you have".
His face breaks into a crazy grin. "I love you too Claire" he says in a sort of whisper. As he leans towards me I take a step back and walk to my door.
"Goodnight Superman" I say teasingly and send him a smile before opening the door and softly closing it behind me.
I stay there with my back to the door and listen as I hear Luke sigh loudly. "Why does she do things like that?" he says but I can tell he is still grinning. "I love you too" he repeats, softer this time. I stay standing there until I hear him climb back down the wall.
That night, I fall asleep with a smile on my face.
A/N- I know a lot of you have been waiting for this so you're welcome but don't think that Luke and Claire's story is anywhere close to the end. They've still got plenty of time to make mistakes and fight with each other and I am just evil enough to not tell you what's going to happen next. But let me assure you, it's going to be good.