Claire's eyes widened visibly at his innocently dirty comment, and she simply stared at him. Her throat constricted, shocked.
"Absolutely not!" she finally managed to sputter, her heart beating like thunder now. Owen laughed and went inside, leaving a very flustered Claire in the car. She let out a long sigh and leaned her head back on the headrest.
When she was sure he had closed the door, Claire allowed her thoughts to pour out at last. Why did he say that? Does he like me? Well, he was flirting with me this whole time, right? Shouldn't that say something? But he hates me, doesn't he? And I hate him, too, don't I? Oh, God, oh, God. What do I tell him when he comes back? Should I pretend like nothing happened? Or should I joke with him? But, damn it, I can never come up with non-cheesy ways to joke! Oh, God.
But as she ranted on and on with her questions, she realized that she was lacking something more important: the answers. Claire moaned softly. Relationships had always been a hassle for her, which was why she had chosen to distance herself from her family and had not made many meaningful friends in the park.
Her older sister, Karen, would know how to approach this situation. She was just that kind of person. Then an idea struck her like lightning in the middle of a dark storm. It illuminated the lightbulb in her mind. Can't I just call Karen? If I make it sound like I'm calling her to tell her that her sons are having fun here, she wouldn't suspect anything, right?
Claire pulled her phone out and found her sister's contact info. She felt a bloom of shame when she realized that while most sisters would know each other's phone number by heart, she was still having to look hers up. With trembling fingers, she dialed Karen's number and held her breath.
"Hey, Claire!" She let out her breath.
"Hey, Karen. I'm... uh... calling to let you know that the-the boys are having lots of fun," she stuttered. She checked the front door to ensure that Owen was still inside. How long did it take someone to use the bathroom? Not long. Suddenly, she panicked.
"Karen?" she interrupted. "I need to ask for your advice. It's kind of urgent."
"What is it, hon?" Claire crossed her fingers.
"Okay, so I need to drive this guy to one of our paddocks and I think he might be flirting with me but I'm not sure and I don't know how to react to that because I don't want things to be awkward or anything but-" Claire rambled, twisting her watch around her wrist nervously.
"Wait, you're with a guy?! Who? Who?" Karen squealed like a high school girl whose bestie had just been asked out. Claire sighed- she had been worried that her sister would overreact and here she was, completely overreacting.
"Kaaaaaren..."
"Is he hot? Who is this guy?" Karen's voice quivered with excitement. Claire rolled her eyes.
"He's the raptor trainer I went out with almost a year ago," she said tiredly.
"Oh, my God! What's his name? Austin, isn't it?"
"It's actually Owen. Owen Grady." And despite herself, a tiny smile crept onto her lips. Claire had never been more relieved that Karen couldn't see her face now. She glanced at the rear view mirror and stared at her reflection intently, as if the mirror of life would eventually ripple and distort it.
"Hmm... I think you still like him... Don't you? Don't you?" True, Karen couldn't study her facial expression, but she could hear the subtle bashfulness in Claire's voice. It waved a red flag in front of her face. She waited eagerly for Claire's answer.
"KAREN!" Claire gasped, flushing from the tips of her ears down to her neck. I don't like him. Not one bit. She wiped her sweaty palms on her seat and peeked at Owen's front door. "Karen, just listen to me!"
"Alright, I'm listening. Are you going to confess something?" Karen asked cheekily. "Because then I'll need to get it on recording!" Claire swallowed hard.
"No! No. It's just that he's... um... flirting with me a bit... I don't know what to do!" she cried. She heard Karen's laugh on the other side of the line. Did I sound too desperate?
"Sweetie, it's okay to like him back. Flirt with him a little. Just be yourself! If you're not naturally funny, which you aren't, then don't try to be too funny because you'll sound cheesy, which could potentially ruin everything. Be sweet, maybe cute. And don't forget the most important part- don't be afraid to show some degree of vulnerability when you're around him." Karen had waited so long for this day to come. Now it was finally here, and she had so much advice to give her little sis!
"Vulnerability?" Claire asked incredulously. She was Claire Dearing, Senior Operations Manager. She was independent, strong, influential, commanding. She made an effort never to show weakness in her life. And now her sister was telling her to be vulnerable? And with this man?
"Yes, Claire. As horrible as it sounds, it's important. It demonstrates trust and makes the other person feel worthy. And also, it would totally make you look cute in front of him in a non-cheesy way!" Karen explained giddily. She was well aware of her sister's stubborn attitude and her reluctance to ask for help, to even need help.
"Fine. Anything else?" Claire took a quick glimpse at the front door. To her horror, it swung open and Owen stepped out in a new shirt and trousers. Her calm shattered and she let out a squeal. "Oh, God! He's coming! Oh, God, Karen!"
Karen started to squeal, too. "Oh, my God! Remember what I told you- be yourself, don't be cheesy, and show that you trust him. And no panicking!" Claire nodded frantically, groping blindly at the car keys.
"And that's it?"
"One more thing," Karen added. "I can tell that you totally like him!!" Claire gasped and reddened, purposefully not bringing her eyes up to the windshield as Owen approached.
"Karen! I'm just trying not to look like a fool in front of him because I can't damage my reputation. I really have to go," she protested.
"Alright, bye! Go get him, sweetie!" Claire rolled her eyes at Karen's last line.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She quickly put her phone away and leaned her head back with a groan. The passenger door opened and Claire jerked up, smoothing her blouse. Owen raised an eyebrow suspiciously as he climbed in.
"Everything alright?"
Claire nodded crisply. "Yes. Just close your door." She winced as soon as the words left her mouth. Her tone was sharp, even defensive, and she knew that if Karen were here, she'd be shaking her head in disapproval. Owen eyed her before closing the car door and settling back into the seat.
"Who were you talking to?" he asked curiously.
Claire sighed and kept her eyes on the road as she turned the car around. "My sister." There was a short silence. She glanced at him, now equally as curious as he was. "Why do you ask?"
Owen shrugged. "Nothin'. You looked pissed. You still do." Claire blushed and straightened her back in an attempt to seem less bothered.
"It was nothing. It's fine. And don't tell me that I look pissed," she replied briskly. Owen laughed.
"Well, you did look pissed. And you know, you're pretty good at lying to yourself, but you can't fool me," he remarked. Claire shot him an irritated look. "Not even if your life depended on it," he added with a smirk.
"Would you stop that?" Claire snapped. She pressed on the gas harder and tried to release some of the tension in her body by rolling her shoulders back a few times.
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone that you actually have a weakness," Owen said jokingly. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump and almost steer the car into a tree.
Claire wanted to shoot him a sharp retort, to protest, but his hand on her shoulder left her speechless and caused her heart to race. She could feel the heat of his palm through her thin blouse. It warmed her arm, which was now covered in goose bumps. What is he doing? She half wanted to pull back, but at the same time, she wanted to frame this moment of her life and hang it above her bed.
Owen was surprised at her reaction, which had been the opposite of what he'd expected when he touched her. Instead of slapping his hand away, she was blushing and keeping her gaze lowered in her not-so-subtle-bashfulness. He brought his hand down back to his side, not wishing to do anything that would make her too uncomfortable.
A spreading coldness crept down Claire's arm when Owen lifted his hand. She met his eyes almost shyly before averting her gaze and focusing on the dirty forest road. The car tires roused the ground from its slumber, leaving the protesting billows of dust to settle down again.
Claire watched the dust float lightly through her side view mirror. She knew that Owen was looking intently at her, but she couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. Her heart pounded, her mixed emotions too hard to sift through, floating like the countless grains of dust on the edge of the road.
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