What is there’s another one he’s thinking
of?
Maybe he’s in love…
I’d feel like a fool
I don’t know what to do….
-Tell Him by Celine Dion
“Are
you in love with him?” Niki’s concerned eyes ripped apart Claire’s defenses, leaving her feeling bare.
The younger
blonde wrung her hands anxiously, trying to find a way to tell the truth without telling
the truth. She’d been so good at that when she was a teenager…beating around the bush whenever her dad asked about
her powers. But now that Claire was almost twenty, her talent for craftiness had died with her old life.
“Yes,”
she croaked out, giving up the plan to withhold the truth. It wasn’t so bad. Niki had become her best friend, second
only to Peter, and the only other strand of estrogen that Claire knew anymore.
Niki sighed,
looking at Claire sympathetically. “Well, now that you’re sure of it, you know what you have to do, right?”
Claire
tried to shake her head, but she could barely move. Trembling had taken over her body and Niki grabbed her friend’s
hands to steady them. Now that you’re sure of it. Only then had Claire truly
discovered, and understood what this meant. I’m in love, for the first time in
my life, and it’s with Peter.
For the
past two years, she’d been breezily admitting to herself that she would always be a little bit in love with him. If
a handsome stranger died for any girl, she’d probably be slightly smitten with him for life, too. Claire had been so
young; just a kid. She never thought about anything further than strong platonic love with Peter. There was that age difference,
Simone Deveaux, and the business of saving the world, all ample distractions.
Simone was
out of the picture pretty fast. Once Issac came home clean, she left Rebound Boy Peter and ran back into her ex’s arms.
The saving the world thing went by pretty quickly too, when they caught Ted Sprauge and Sylar, and Hiro worked his time traveley
magic. But the sheer fact that Claire was barely eighteen and Peter was twenty-seven buried all possibility of them being
together.
Then Claire
grew up, and Peter noticed in a big way.
He made
her dinner. He bought her a gorgeous dress and took her to a Broadway play. He kissed her on the cheek on New Year’s
Eve. And with every little action, Claire melted deeper and deeper into a pool of fondness for her hero. It had gotton to
a point where she could barely look at him without blushing. However, during the normal day, Peter seemed indifferent. He
just treated her like Claire, the girl he’d forever known. It puzzled her to the point of hair-ripping proportions.
In her current
situation, Claire was sitting opposite Niki, vaguely aware that she’d been asked a question.
“No,”
she replied, hushed. “Enlighten me.”
Niki shrugged
simply. “You have to tell him.”
Claire stood
abruptly. “What?! I can’t tell him! It would ruin everything!”
“Shh,
shh, calm down,” Niki insisted, putting her palms up. “It’s not gonna ruin anything.”
Staring
aghast at Niki, Claire put her hands on her hips. “Yes it will. He doesn’t love me back.”
Niki rolled
her eyes. “Oh yeah. Sure he doesn’t. He only spent hours working on that scavenger hunt for you last Christmas,
and dropped work to take you ice skating, and,” she looked at her watch, “I’d mention everything else, but
I’d be late to pick up Micah from school.”
“He’s
my friend,” Claire breathed miserably. “My best friend, not to mention
he’s the world’s nicest guy to begin with.”
“Fine,
then,” Niki concluded. “Live sad and alone regretting what you could have had with the greatest guy you’re
likely to ever meet. It’s not my problem.”
Claire glared
down at her. “I don’t want to tell him. He’d never talk to me again.”
Niki arched
an eyebrow. “He lives with you. He HAS to talk to you, and he’s not gonna kick you out because you said that you
love him. Do you realize how idiotic that sounds?”
Agreeing
that she was being very melodramatic, Claire changed her wording. “Well, it would make things so awkward. And what if
we broke up? Then it would be ruined.”
“Why
would you ever break up? It’s Peter. He’s not exactly the bum abuser player type. ”
“I
dunno, but we’re not gonna stay together forever, are we? Then we’d be getting married, and having kids, and…”
Claire half-laughed. “Those kinds of dreams just don’t come true.”
“You
don’t know that,” said Niki firmly, grabbing Claire by the sholders. “I can tell he loves you. It’s in the way that he looks at you; in the way he says your name. The ways that he
always has, he just was too shy and, totally Peter
to admit it.”
Claire was
afraid that her heart would wring itself to death if she argued anymore. Instead, she tried being more agreeable with Niki.
“How
do I get him to say it?” she sighed. “He’s the man. It’s
supposed to be the girl that chooses and the guy that takes the shot.”
Niki pulled
at one of her wiry platinum locks. “Ask him if he’s in love with you. Put him on the spot. He’s not just
going to say ‘no’ heartlessly, because he’s Peter. Also, if things go bad, you can always cover by saying
‘Oh, everyone’s been asking me about it’ or…something like that.”
Claire nodded
quickly. “Good idea. When should I ask him? At dinner?”
“Noooooo,”
Niki cried, “Totally not. Then you’re both stuck there at the table if he says no. You should ask before bed,
or some place you can make a fast getaway. Or if he says yes, then you’re not missing anything when you drag him to
the bedroom.”
“Niki!”
“Okay,
that was a bit much,” confessed the mother. “No sex on the first date. Ever. Remember that.”
Claire rolled
her eyes at hearing the mantra for the umpteeth time, and Niki looked at her watch again.
“Crap,
I’m running late,” she grumbled. “I gotta go get Micah, Claire. I’ll give you a ride, if you want.”
“No
thanks, I’ll just take the subway.”
Claire picked
up her purse as Niki fussed around her apartment, looking for her keys and other neccessities. Niki put an arm around Claire
and kissed her protectively on the top of the head.
“And
just remember, sweetie,” she said gently. “Even if your heart does get broken, I’ll be right here waiting
with a carton of Ben and Jerry’s for you, okay?”
Claire giggled
wearily. “I think I might need a tub of Godiva to get over this one.”
Niki smiled.
“Whatever it takes.”
The women
parted ways in the downstairs lobby, with Niki rushing to hail a cab and Claire taking a right to head to the subway station.
Even though she was glad to have her friend’s support, the sweetness of double fudge just didn’t compare to the
taste of Peter’s kiss.
TO BE CONTINUED….
In the next,
and final chapter, Claire and Peter have dinner….just read to see how it goes =)
Title: Tell
Him, Part Deux
***
A pot of
worry and doubt boiled inside of Claire, even hotter than the marinara sauce that she was stirring. What if, what if, what if…it always worked out on TV. Rachel and Ross. Lizzie and Gordo. Mulder and Scully,
too, even though they had an alien baby or…something like that.
“Are
you keeping an eye on the bread?” asked a smooth tenor voice from behind her. “It sorta smells burnt.”
Peter opened
the toaster oven window and reached in to see if the French loaf of sourdough had hardened yet. He pulled the scorching pan
out of the appliance and slid it onto the counter. The 300 degree pan scalded his fingertips, but he nonchalantly shook it
off without a word. Claire gazed at him longingly, until he turned back to her. She then pretended to be very interested in
the pasta topping.
“Let
it simmer a few minutes,” Peter said kindly, taking her hand away from the oven and lidding the pot. Claire tried not
to shiver at the contact.
“Listen
to you, Mr. Know-It-All-Chef,” she said, miraculously managing to not sound garbled. Peter smiled crookedly and shrugged.
“I
know a little something about cooking,” he defended. “Especially something complicated like spaghetti.”
She knew
he was smirking boyishly again, and the mental image alone made her heart beat faster. Sensing that her face was turning redder
then the tomato sauce, she grabbed a stack of plates and utensils and started setting the table. Peter, ever so empathetic,
frowned and followed her.
“Are
you feeling alright?” he asked, turning her to face him. She looked up into his understanding eyes. A war raged in her
chest with the hunger to pull him in, and the terror that he’d push away. How she got by without melting, Claire didn’t
know. She may have lost her ability to lie, but not the one to put on a fake smile and act like they were just friends. After
all, she’d done it ever since she met him.
“I’m
just a little distracted, that’s all,” Claire replied, smiling tiredly. It wouldn’t hurt to tell some of the truth.
Peter cocked
his head quizzically, but didn’t ask her anymore questions. Once he left her to go check on the food, Claire’s
legs almost gave out underneath her.
“How
am I gonna survive this night?” she muttered hopelessly.
***
Dinner was
served a few minutes later, with Peter and Claire sitting across from each other at a tiny square dining table. The young
woman wondered if Peter felt as much tension between them as she did. Probably not. He seemed to be almost oblivious to the
fact that Claire was about to pass out from anxiety.
“So,”
he mentioned casually, pouring marinara sauce on his spaghetti, “what sort of things have been distracting you.”
Claire tore
her eyes away from her plate looked up at him. He saw a flicker of alarm in her green-grey eyes, but she covered it with a
carefree expression.
“Oh,
nothing much,” she said quickly. “I just went to Niki’s today, and we talked about some stuff. That’s
all.”
But Peter
was on to her, knowing full well that she was hiding something.
“Anything
you want to tell me?” he asked, still trying to keep his tone light and unpressuring.
Totally don’t ask him at dinner. Then you’re both stuck there at the table if he says no.
You should ask before bed, or some place you can make a fast getaway.
Claire heard
Niki’s advice echoing in her eardrums, but she plowed through, wholly ignoring it.
“There’s…er…something
I want to tell you, yes,” whispered Claire, putting her fork down. This conversation
had taken away her appetite.
Peter put
his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his fists. Claire stared at her navel, feeling his gorgeous eyes watching her
in curiosity.
“And
what would that be?” Peter persisted, his heart beginning to race as well.
“I-I…”
Claire stuttered. She looked up at him, shaking her head. “I can’t tell you.”
Peter rose
out of his chair and walked the couple feet or so to Claire’s side of the table. He kneeled to her eye level and put
a hand on her arm.
“Claire,
you can tell me anything,” he vowed sincerely. “I swear that no matter what
the next thing that comes out of your mouth is, I won’t think badly of you.”
I just hope the next thing out of my mouth isn’t vomit, Claire thought to herself,
as she tasted bile on her tongue.
Biting the
bullet, she looked him in the eyes. “Do you-,”
She hesitated.
Ask him if he’s in love with you. Put him on the spot. He’s not just going
to say ‘no’ heartlessly, because he’s Peter. Also, if things go bad, you can always cover. That’s
when it dawned on Claire, that she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t just put him on the spot like that, shoving him
into a bare cage of insecurity. One look at that adorable, handsome face framed by his perfect black bangs…it would
be so cruel of her. If she was going to do this at all, she was going to take the
leap of faith, not forcing someone else to. Especially someone she loved.
Claire took
his hands. “Peter,” she said, in barely a whisper. “I’m in love with you.”
His face
was unreadable, for as soon as the words came spilling out of her mouth, she unconsciously tore her hands out of his and brought
them to her tightly closed eyes.
“Please
say something,” she moaned quietly. A few seconds later, she felt his hands taking hers away from her face, caressing
her fingertips and pulling her to a standing position.
“That’s…”
he stumbled. “That’s got to be the greatest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Claire’s
eyes shot open, full of shock and joy. Peter was staring down at her tenderly, that half smile beaming. The girl almost fell
over in relief, and Peter steadied her.
“I’ve
wanted to tell you forever,” he sighed. “I just never thought that you wanted…”
She laughed,
finally relaxed for the first time in days. “I was scared to death; I thought that you
didn’t want us to…”
Peter pressed
his forehead against hers. “I thought I was being too obvious,” he chuckled.
Their light
laughter faded into silence, but this time, it wasn’t awkward. Claire looked up at him again, half-knowing what to expect,
and half thinking that this was all a wonderful dream that a hellish alarm clock would jolt her from.
Peter leaned
down a couple inches, the paused, as if asking her permission. She smiled and titled her head towards his, giving the okay.
He closed the gap between them, and had to steady Claire again, for she forgot to breathe. Not only was kissing Peter alone
a dream come true, but he was a fantastic kisser on top of all that. Then again,
Claire might have been a little bias.
He breathed
into her as his gentle lips lightly tugged on hers. His hands went down her back, but more to calm her than for his own pleasure.
Claire’s fingers ran through his lovely hair (why he hated it so much was still a mystery to her) and crept down to
his clean-shaven cheek.
They reluctantly
pulled apart, blinking in awe.
“God,
I love you,” murmured Peter. “I have ever since I can remember.”
Claire arched
an eyebrow. “I thought you were my hero.”
“If
I recall correctly, you saved my life too,” he pointed out.
Of course...when
he absorbed her powers after he dove off the building. Why hadn’t she realized that before? All along, she had been
a bit of his hero too.
He glanced
over at their untouched dinner. “Are you still hungry?” he inquired, grinning a bit.
“Not
really,” she replied, giving a slight giggle. It might have been her imagination, but Peter’s eye line seemed
to shift to his hallway, into his bedroom, for a split second, before he looked back at Claire as if nothing happened.
Claire remembered
that “first date” rule that Niki ground into her head, but she’d broken all of Niki’s other “rules”,
with a great outcome.
Maybe, just
maybe…one more disobedience wouldn’t hurt.
