As Flint turns into the driveway of his home, he sees Clara anxiously lean forward.
"You okay?" He asks.
Clara doesnt respond. He parks and shuts off the ignition. He exits the car and goes to the other side to open her door but she already opens it.
"Follow me into the house. We dont want a repeat of last time," Flint says with a soft chuckle.
"Yea," Clara mumbles.
Clara follows Flint into the house.
"Pack for a couple of nights. We will come back by Friday. I was hoping to set up a space for you this weekend," Flint explains as he begins to climb the staircase with Clara behind him.
"A space for me?"
Flint can tell she is set off by the words. He chuckles.
"A place for you to study, a space of your own to do with as you like. One of the rooms on the second floor should do, right?"
Clara sighs with relief. "Yea, thatll be great."
Flint cant help but chuckle again.
They enter the bedroom. It looks the same as it did when they left it. Clara's shoes remain in the same place like in Vanessa's photo.
"Did you think I was gonna have you sleep in another room?" He asks. Clara cant tell if he is annoyed or amused. It was a little of both.
"If that was the case I would have asked Najeem how much rent costs for the apartment above the bar," Clara snaps suddenly. Clara goes to the bathroom to get her makeup bag and other toiletries.
Now he is annoyed. "Okay. Whats wrong? What suddenly changed on the car ride here?" He asks as he pulls a suitcase from under his bed. He places the suitcase on the bed and opens it.
"Callum said you know who broke in. He made it seem like it was something bad like he didnt want to get involved and coming from Callum that means its something really bad. I've been waiting for you to tell me and yet you act as though everything is fine!" Clara explains frustratedly. She lays the items on the bed. With the bed between them, Clara looks at Flint with a look of dissapointment wereas Flint scowls.
"You could have asked. I cant read your mind, Clara."
"But I shouldnt have to! You should be telling me these things. You are keeping things from me. Not just who broke in but other things."
Flint sighs. He knew he was keeping things from her. Unloading it all was too much right now. He needed to give her time for each omission.
"I should have told you who broke in when I found out. This morning, Jaime came in for her shift only it wasnt supposed to be her shift. She said Vanessa and her had switched and that Vanessa said she told me last night when she was at my place."
"Im confused..."
"I know, so was I. Vanessa has been telling people that she and I are involved. I told Jaime it was a lie but then she showed me a picture Vanessa had sent last night. She was waiting here in lingerie. I think shes-"
"Here! She was waiting here in our room!"
Flint smirked a little. Our room.
"Why are you smiling! Thats such an invasion of our privacy!"
Flint laughs. "You said our room. I just liked the sound if it. Calm down."
"So what are you going to do? Are you going to file a police report? You are going to fire her, right?"
"Of course I am firing her. Clara, I am not exactly thrilled about her invading our privacy or being so obsessed. I am quite livid at the idea that had you seen her here and got the wrong idea you mighy have been mad or, God forbid, left."
Clara bites her lip. "Did you two ever... before you met me-"
"No! God, no! Clara, I dont make it a habit to sleep with my employees."
"What about me?"
Flint runs his hands over his face.
"You know that we are different. We arent just sleeping together, Clara. You know you are my girlfriend. You know how much you mean to me."
"I was just asking. I'd like to be prepared if something like that comes up. Like you said I should ask."
Flint grinds his molars. "Fuck! You are... so... good at arguing," Flint ends in a soft chuckle.
"Dont laugh! We are talking about something serious."
Flint shakes his head. "Its kind of hot. The arguing. It reminds me of when we first started."
They are silent. It was like the invisible string that connected them was snaping back and they were about to collide.
"We need to pack," Clara says suddenly and moves to find her clothes and suitcase.
"So are you going to fight with me all night or is there some sort of hot rough sex that comes after?" He asks calling after her.
***
Clara packed her school bag just in case they stayed the weekend. She also prepared to work. Even with her broken hand she still wanted to try to wait some tables, at least she could take orders, right? Flint however was dead set on her not working until her hand was healed completely. He also wanted her to focus on school.
On the way back to the Bar they talked about dinner and possibly watching a movie while Flint checked in on the bar every now and then. Clara was pretty much silent about it which pissed off Flint but never the less he didnt respond or argue.
They unloaded the car, making to make a few trips for the pillows and blankets. Once they were finished, Flint suggested eating food from the bar. Clara told him what she wanted without argument which threw him off. She didnt suggest any other place or say it was a good idea either. He bit his tongue not saying anything.
Clara set up a streaming service on her laptop, dragged the mattress into the living room; which was very hard to do with one hand. She set up the pillows and piles of blankets. The coffee table, she pushed towards the wall, had her laptop propped up as a TV. The matress resting at the foot of the couch. Although it was difficult she enjoyed the finished result.
While waiting for Flint to return, she texted Josie about her argument with Flint. Josie make a joke about how "older men think arguments are discussions. Just seduce him, he'll forget about it." Clara did not want to seduce Flint. Not everything could be fixed with sex. Sure, some things could, but not all. She wanted Flint to actually talk to her and seducing him would be the opposite of talking.
A moment later Flint returned with a bag to to-go meals from the bar.
"I got you some soda and water. I didnt know what you wanted to drink," he says.
"Thanks," she mumbles.
Flint puts the food on the kitchen counter. He begins to pull out the food from the bag when he looks up. He sees the work that Clara had done to make things a little more cozy.
"You shouldnt have moved things with your hand. I could have done it for you... but it probably wouldnt have looked as nice as your work," he says trying to end positively. He did not want to piss her off.
But she is really hot when she is mad. His subconscious reminds him. He tells himself to not go down that road.
Before he can scold himself on the misogyny of his thought, he hears Clara's voice.
"I was hoping we could watch a movie together or catch up on Game of Thrones, or start a new show to binge this week," She says sweetly.
He smiles. "Whatever you want to do is fine with me."
"Anything?"
He chuckles. "Anything."
After gathering their food, they settle on the sofa, facing one another.
"How about some music, and we can talk."
He shrugs not wanting to repeat himself that they can do whatever she wants.
Clara puts on a random Spotify playlist, something themed with love and titled with the word "Cozy" something.
As they began to eat Flint wondered if now was the time to tell her.
How exactly do you tell someone you have literally sold possibly your life away in exchange to avenge them? To give them the guarantee that they are safe forever?
"Baby, I want to talk to you about something," He says awkwardly.
She nods, her mouth full, enjoying the burnt ends sandwich.
He chuckles from seeing her face. The feeling of doom sunk in again and he began.
"Baby, I want you to know that before-"
His phone was ringing. The interruption came quickly and he was not happy. Groaning, his nostrils flaring, he grabbed his phone from the side table and answered.
"Is there a problem?" He answered the phone knowing it was Najeem.
"Yes. Vanessa is here. She wants to see you. She is insistent. I told her you were busy but she will not leave and is making a scene."
His patients was running thin with this girl. She needed to be fired and it needed to be now or she would continue to cause problems.
"Okay, I'm on my way down."
As he hung up, he could feel Clara's eyes bore into him.
"Vanessa. I'm going to fire her now. She is making a scene downstairs."
He stand up and begins to walk to the dokr when he realizes the small shadow following him.
"I'm going with, dont argue with me!" She says before he can even turn around to confront her.
They descend the metal stairs, walked around the corner to the bar's enterance. They enter the bar and imediately see Vanessa at the bar. She is dressed in a small black dress with matching stilettos.
"I should ask where she got that dress, its cute," Clara thinks but imediately shakes her head of the thought.
"My office," Flint tells her. He turns around to Clara. "I cant have you in there," he says. She rolls her eyes but complies.
Flint looks at Najeem, "Make sure she doesnt get into trouble."
With Vanessa at his heels like a dog, he makes a b-line to his office. He shuts the door behind him.
"Please sit," he says.
"We wont be doing much in these chairs, captain," Vanessa says laughing.
He needs to rip this off like a band aide.
"You're fired, Vanessa."
She looks like a deer in headlights. "Excuse me?"
He repeats himself.
"Is this so that we can start fucking? So that I'm not an employee?"
"You broke into my home, you spread very innappropriate lies about me, you switch shifts constantly, you bully the other waitresses, you never comply with the dress code. I could go on but its pointless. You're fired."
She is quiet for a minute. She paces a little. Flint wonders if she is accepting it or is looking for a way to argue back.
"So thats why youre firing me... does this mean we can-"
"For the love of God! No! I am dating Clara!"
He let it slip. He knew Vanessa would target Clara for her rage.
You are a fucking moron! His inner monologur scolded him.
You do realize that when women fight its not with pillows or end in a threeway like in pornos, right? Clara already broke one hand!
"That fugly virgin nun!"
"Get out of my bar... now."
She doesnt hesitate to storm out. Her heals click as she stomps away, through the back room and around the bar.
"Youll have to be married for a decade before she sucks your dick!" Vanessa tell Flint loudly.
Clara cant help but smile, turning her head to Flint.
"We've been married for a decade, huh?"
Vanessa groans, angry by hearing Clara's words. The ex-waitress slams the bar door behind her.