Claire Korey (_clairevoyant_) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-06-29 21:35:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-06-06 |
The Perfect Situation
Who: Claire and Gabe
Where: Dinner, by the river
When: Evening
Warning: NSFW
Even though they weren't going anywhere fancy, Gabe had taken his time to look good for Claire. He'd showered, shaved, and combed his hair. He'd thought about aftershave or cologne, but found that both were still too much for his senses. Then he'd pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a polo shirt, standard fair for him when he wanted to look a tiny bit better than just wearing a t-shirt. There was no way he was going to impress her, but that wasn't really the point. Claire didn't need to be impressed. She just needed to have a good time with him on their first "date". Parking his car out front, he walked up to the door and knocked, hoping she'd be the one to answer. It would make things so much easier.
Claire wanted to look good too. She couldn't quite bring herself to wearing a dress or skirt - not that she owned many anyway - so she settled for a pair of jeans and a nicer, green top to maybe bring out her eyes a bit. She combed her hair and slipped a headband in to keep it away from her eyes. She decided against perfume since she knew it might overwhelm him, and instead hoped her Dove soap would be enough to make her smell nice. She heard the door downstairs and quickly pulled on her black sandals before hurrying down the hall to try and beat her mom to the door. "I'm going out," she shouted behind her before she tugged open the door and smiled at Gabe. "Hi... you look nice." He always looked nice but she liked how the polo shirt made his arms look... she'd always liked his arms. And body. And... now was not the time to start thinking about that.
The second she opened the door, Gabe was sure he was beaming, and then he wondered how long he'd been doing that-- lighting up when she was around. It was hard not to. "Thanks. So do you," he smiled, stepping up to her. He wanted to kiss her hello, but to do so on her doorstep would just be inviting someone to see them. That didn't really go along with their plan of not telling her mom, so instead he had to settle for taking her hand. She smelled good, clean, with a soft scent of... something. It was nice, and definitely not perfume. "Ready to go have the best spaghetti and meatballs in town?" It might not be the very best, but it was good and casual, which was what they really wanted. "How was your nap?" he asked as he led her down the walk to the car.
She wanted to kiss him hello too, but like his train of thought, she didn't want her mom to see. Maybe when they got to the restaurant she could lay one on him. However, holding hands with Gabe was allowed since she had been doing it for ages and if her mom was peeking through the curtains, she wouldn't think much of it. "I'm more than ready for food. I don't think I've eaten since pancakes this morning, and even then I ate them so fast I barely remember tasting them." She laced her fingers through his, giving his hand a small squeeze. "But the nap was really nice. I only woke up a couple hours ago. What about yours? Was your mom okay with the house when she got home?" She and Gabe had cleaned pretty thoroughly but at a party, you never knew what could end up in the weirdest places.
"I ate a bite of something around two, but I'm still starving," Gabe said. "I pretty much crashed as soon as you dropped me off. Mom was actually pretty pleased-- the only spills were beer, no one threw up that I could find, and the house doesn't smell like it was overrun with teenagers. I'm gonna do a bit more deep cleaning tomorrow, but she let me slide for now." He'd done much worse in the past, which was probably why this one had appeared to stay under control. Also, not having punch had been a good idea. "Later this afternoon, Charlotte called and wanted to check out the zombie thing in town, but Ransom was at work. We went and checked that out. You should totally go back with me," Gabe said as he opened her door for her.
It seemed most people at the party were well behaved - for the most part. And she was relieved there was no vomit to clean up like before. Claire glanced at him at the mention of going with Charlotte to the zombie thing, which she was assuming was the movie. "You mean the movie they're filming? I heard some people saying they were going to sign up as extras. What's it like?" She wasn't bothered by the fact that he hadn't called to take her along with them. They didn't have to spend every waking second together, despite that sometimes she wanted to. "Are you going to be wandering the movie set, craving brains?" Claire asked teasingly.
Gabe had thought about asking Claire, and he would have, except that kind of defeated the point of letting her have a few hours to herself to sleep and do her own thing. Plus, he'd wanted to catch up with Charlotte. She was one of his little sister types, that he liked to make sure was okay from time to time. "Yeah, the zombie-vampire movie. Today it was mostly waiting in line and getting signed up to be an extra. I don't know yet if I'm gonna get to be a zombie or a human," he snickered. "But if they need me, you should come! I'm sure they'll need more people on set and I think it'd be fun. It has to be. I mean, it's zombies!"
"I don't know if I would be any good at it," Claire said with a small smile. She wasn't terribly outgoing, and she was sure they would probably want people to be if they were trying to act like zombies. "They might not need anymore people at this point anyway. But I'm sure you and Charlotte will have fun doing it." And half the town if they all showed up for the thing. She felt sort of left out, since it sounded like something she and Gabe would have done together for a laugh, but it wasn't that big a deal. She doubted she would have been 'chosen' anyway. "How's Charlotte, anyway? I didn't get to talk to her much at the pool party."
"Aww, don't say that," Gabe said. "You know, they need humans too, so even if you didn't want to be a zombie, I could attack you and get to munch on your arm. Something tells me you'd be good at screaming," he teased. "I'm not sure I'll get to go back, depending on when it all happens. With the full moon coming up, I just don't know. Maybe Ransom can go in my place and we can do something together. Rent Return of the Living Dead," he grinned. They'd seen the first one together, but he didn't remember them watching the second. And even if they had, it was still a fun time. "Charlotte's good. Very happy with Ransom. We talked a little about the camping trip. Did you happen to mention it to Madock?"
"I can scream with the best of them," Claire said with a grin. "But I think if you munched on my arm, I would probably start laughing and ruin everything. I would be all for renting a zombie movie though. And if you happen to get called back to be an extra, I'll even pay the ten bucks to go see it in the theater." That was one of the first things she and Gabe had done as friends... renting horror movies and lounging around his house all night watching them. Not terribly exciting, but she had always had more fun doing that than going to parties. Claire nodded when he asked about the camping trip. "Apparently Jessalyn is going, so he's going too. I think he's going to drive her, actually. I figured he would go, if she was going, and I was going. I'm glad to hear Charlotte's good though... she and Ransom are pretty cute together."
"If you started laughing, then I'd start laughing," Gabe grinned. "We'd probably be kicked off the set for being silly. That would totally be worth it." It was easy to imagine, since once they got laughing, it was hard to stop. "We'll have to have a zombie night," he said decisively. Even if he wasn't in the movie, it sounded like something fun to do. "I told Charlotte that if Jessalyn was going, and you were going, that she could probably count on Madock going. She's got her mom's SUV, and she's asked me to drive the extended cab truck, and someone else has an SUV, so that'll make it easy to carpool. You'll ride with me, right?" he asked with a grin, sure the answer was yes. "We talked about the tent arrangement. She and Ransom want their own tent, and I told her you and I would like our own tent. Hope that's okay."
"Do you know how many people are actually planning on going?" Ransom, Charlotte, Madock, Jessalyn, and she and Gabe. That was six already. If there were a bunch of people, Claire was going to bet she didn't know them very well. "Sharing a tent is fine with me... I guess I sort of assumed we would anyway. Madock would want to share with Jess, and I'm not about to be a third party in that tent." She liked the idea of sleeping next to Gabe anyway. And if they were alone in a tent, even better. "Do you know when we're leaving? I need to make sure I can get out of working." She had been off the last few days for graduation and the festivities, but she still had a job to go back to.
"I'm not sure," Gabe smiled. "I think Charlotte was going to send out an email to confirm who wants to go and who's willing to share a tent. I kinda assumed, but I just thought I should ask." He didn't want to be presumptuous just because they'd spent one night together. He figured if other couples were sharing, then maybe people wouldn't make a big deal of it. Plus, they didn't have high school to return to and deal with the gossip. "I think she's talking about Tuesday through Thursday. Will that be okay?" It wasn't too long a trip, plus she could work Sunday and Monday if need be. Maybe. Gabe didn't know how to help there and wished he'd notified her of the dates sooner, but he just hadn't known.
"That should be. If I'm scheduled, I can just see about someone else switching shifts with me." Claire had worked there long enough she was sure someone would be willing to help her out. She wasn't wanting to miss out on spending a couple days away with Gabe, even if there were going to be other people there. She kind of wanted people to know they were together. Claire grinned a touch and pushed her hair behind her ear. "I told Madock about what happened last night. Oh, wait, not everything but the general idea of it." She didn't know if Gabe had told Charlotte, or his mom yet. Maybe it wasn't something to 'tell' really, but she was kind of excited about it, as much as she was anxious.
For a moment, Gabe thought Madock had been told a lot more than Madock needed to know. Not because Gabe was shy about what they'd done, but because Claire was his sister and Gabe didn't want to get his ass kicked! It was also kind of a private thing, even for Gabe, and he didn't really feel like sharing all the intimate details. He was glad to hear that Claire had kept some of it to herself. "Glad to know I don't have to worry about your brother chasing me down," he laughed. "I told Charlotte, and my mom, that we're dating. I kinda want to tell everyone," he said, grinning. He couldn't seem to shut up about it, even when there wasn't all that much to talk about. He was just so happy that it seemed a bit ridiculous.
"Believe me, I doubt Madock would be all that upset," Claire said dryly. Madock had been the one who had begun pushing her to open her eyes and see how Gabe felt about her in the first place. And he was the one reassuring her everything would work out. "He may not want the details, but he's happy for me." She glanced over at him when he said he told Charlotte and his mom. She hoped both women were okay with it... she knew Charlie would be, but Claire worried a bit about his mom, since she was aware of her son's curse and everything that came with it. Claire didn't have many friends to tell, but that was okay. "I think after the camping trip, most people we know will hear about it anyway. I might have a hard time keeping my hands off of you." Claire's cheeks flushed as the words slipped out of her mouth. "You know what I mean."
"I'm glad he took it well," Gabe grinned. It made things easier for all of them, especially if they were going to be living together next year. Gabe was already doubting his ability not to be all touchy-feely with Claire about him. "Charlotte was excited for us. So was my mom, even though I got a warning to be careful," Gabe said, rolling his eyes. He knew his mom was watching out for him, which he appreciated. It was just unnecessary in this case. "I like the sound of that," he grinned. "You know you're not gonna embarrass me, right? I mean, unless you go a little too wild, and I'll let you know." He'd never had an issue with public displays of affection, and really preferred to kiss Claire whenever he wanted. He just didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
"We're always careful, with whatever we do," Claire said, relieved to hear his mom was more or less happy about it. She liked Gabe's mom and wanted her approval almost as much as she wanted her own mother's. But she also knew Thessaly was probably warning him about sex, which Claire could understand. Claire felt like she would have to probably warn herself as well a couple times. It was hard to think rationally when Gabe touched her. "I know I won't embarrass you, and you know I won't get wild," she said with a small laugh. Wild wasn't in Claire's vocabulary, though one never knew. "You won't embarrass me either. Just so you know."
Being careful sucks. That was Gabe's thought, though he knew he would be. He wouldn't trap Claire in a relationship she didn't want to be in, which he knew wasn't the case now, but what if it was in the future? It wasn't a decision he took lightly and he knew she felt the same. It just sucked because he wanted her so very badly. While he was confident about the start of their relationship, he wasn't going to put them in something so permanent this early on. And if it ever went that route, he wanted to do it right. "A little wild can be fun," Gabe said with a wink. "But I'm glad to hear I won't embarrass you. I just wanted to make sure before I tried to steal a kiss in public."
Claire was also of the mind that being careful sucked. She was still getting used to this relationship, but that didn't mean she didn't want him. Had she not had his curse in the back of her mind, they might have already slept together. She knew they were doing the right thing by staying away from being that intimate, but she had a hard time keeping her mind off of thinking about it. It still sort of irritated her, that other girls got to be with him and now she couldn't. Not yet at least. "It's okay," Claire assured him, smiling at the thought of him kissing her in public. Where people would see. "I think it would definitely help my reputation to have Gabe Winters kissing me in front of people." She poked him playfully in the arm.
Gabe laughed, swaying a little as she poked him, as if such a little touch could do so much. "Before you know it, people will be chasing after you. I'll have to scare them off, tell them you're mine." As he said it, he hoped that she wouldn't be bothered by that. He hadn't always been so possessive, but now it seemed to be second nature, especially when it came to Claire. "Sorry," he said with a smile. "I promise not to mark my territory in any obscene sort of way." Definitely not like a normal dog would.
"I'll have hordes of men camping outside of the house," Claire agreed with a nod. She laughed and then looked over at him. "I think it would be kind of... hot if you scared them off." She had never thought she'd like being with a possessive guy, but for some reason, it made her feel kind of good to know Gabe might be one. "Just don't pee around my bed, and we'll be good... I think I might settle for a lot of public kisses or something. That might be work... and be more sanitary."
Gabe grinned, then leaned over to kiss her lips as he stopped at a stop sign. Something about her answer was just what he wanted to hear, since he couldn't really turn it off. "Promise not to pee inside the house," he teased, unable to imagine this being the sort of thing she'd have to worry about. Then again, Charlotte's yard smelled an awful lot like Ransom. "Public kisses and little hickeys," he snickered. "The second sounds pretty middle school, but I like the idea," he admitted. There had to be other ways to mark her as his, more appropriate at least.
"Hickeys... yeah, I haven't had a hickey since the sixth grade," Claire said, laughing at the thought of having one now. Though if she did, that meant Gabe was suckling at some part of her body, and that wouldn't be so bad, now would it? She wanted to roll her eyes at herself... at how girly she was becoming over a guy. She never acted this way before... it was definitely a new experience. Not necessarily a bad one, but one she was unused to. "I wouldn't worry about having to keep guys away from me, Gabriel. I guess if you're worried about it though, I could walk around with a little bell and a 'I love Gabe Winters' sandwich board," she teased.
Even though he knew she was joking, just hearing those words out of her mouth made his heart skip a beat. If he didn't know better, he'd have returned the sentiment, but instead he grinned and laughed, reaching over to take her hand. "I was thinking of something a little more old school," he said. "Might sound silly, but would you wear my ring?" Around her neck, of course, since it would just fall off her finger. He'd let her wear his letter jacket, but they were going into summer and that didn't make an ounce of sense. They might have graduated, but it was the thought that counted, right?
Claire blinked and looked over at him in mild surprise. She hadn't thought he was really serious about wanting people to know she was taken, but... apparently he was. And it made her feel kind of mushy inside, which was exasperating for her. Soon she was going to be giggling and blushing every time someone said his name. "Yes, I would... if you're comfortable giving it to me." She squeezed his hand gently. "I wish I could give you something... I guess I'll just have to write 'Claire's Property' on your forehead or something."
"I wouldn't offer it if I wasn't," Gabe smiled, almost shyly. It took a lot to make Gabe Winters shy, but it happened occasionally. "You don't have to give me anything. I'd give you something nicer, but this all kind of happened really fast and I probably shouldn't speed it up," he said with a little laugh. Giving her jewelry would definitely do that. He'd love to, which was odd, since he hadn't been into giving his past girlfriends gifts, but then he hadn't cared for them like he did for Claire. "Anyways, I've heard the way I look at you screams 'taken' to other girls anyways." That was coming from his guy friends, even when they didn't know how much he wanted Claire. The only one who'd been completely oblivious was Claire herself, but he didn't blame her a bit. "We could make t-shirts," he grinned.
She shrugged one shoulder and glanced out her window. "I don't need anything nice," she said. She really didn't. She felt like getting something nice would make her uncomfortable. She preferred it when he gave her small things... like cds with his music, or something like that. "I know it happened fast, but it doesn't really feel fast," Claire admitted. "It feels... I don't know." She didn't want to say 'right' and risk freaking him out. Though why she was scared of freaking him out, she didn't know. Claire looked over at him, another smile playing at his lips. "Good... as long as they all know to back off. I'd hate to get into a hair pulling fight because some girl hit on you. Though t-shirts sounds pretty damn funny. Can you imagine people's faces?"
"It feels good," Gabe said with a smile. "Right." Perfect, though he didn't say so as he didn't want to freak her out. "It's not like I have to spend time trying to get to know you," he pointed out. "Makes it a little harder to move slow." He already knew her, and that was part of why he cared for her so deeply. And he didn't necessarily want to slow down, not when it felt right. "I don't know; I think it'd be great to watch you kick some girl's ass over me," Gabe laughed. "But then, if she got a hit in, I'd have to jump in, and it'd be all kinds of wrong. What would our shirts say? Property of Claire Korey?" he grinned. "We'd definitely get looks."
She nodded, since it was like he read her mind. It did feel good, underneath all the anxiety she had about it. Maybe her crush never fully went away? Otherwise she was sure she would feel more awkwardness than this. "It kind of feels like we're already on our like... thirtieth date or something, if that makes sense." Only there was kissing involved. "Maybe we should just move at our own pace?" She didn't know what that would be, but she didn't think she and Gabe could really follow the 'new relationship rules'. They already knew one another, better than most couples. She just didn't think they could shift back over two years or so and start over. She really didn't want to either. "Oh, if she got a hit in, that just means I up my game," Claire told him with a small laugh. "I've only ever been in one fight before, in fourth grade... I got a bloody nose but I also got a chunk of her blonde hair, so I figured it was even..." Her thumb brushed over his knuckles absently. "Property of Claire Korey... yeah, that sounds about right. Maybe with a warning to back off or face major butt kickage."
Gabe nodded, in complete agreement. It didn't feel like a first date, but like they were at least several months into their relationship. But then they'd known eachother for years, so there was still more known between them than just a few months. "We can go with whatever we're comfortable with," he smiled. "No one's gonna tell us we're doing it wrong. There is no wrong." Especially if they just went with what felt right. So far, it was going quite well. "I'm not sure I should be encouraging you to fight for me, but I'm glad you would," Gabe laughed. "I'd have to break it up and tell the other girl off, then take care of you, or something like that. She obviously didn't read the warning on the shirt first. You get one for me, right? Just so I can at least say they've been warning before I throw a punch."
That's what worried her... going with whatever they were comfortable with. Claire was afraid she would be comfortable with a lot of things she probably shouldn't be. She wanted to be with him in just about every way, which was a bit overwhelming for her to deal with. "Take care of me? Come on, you know I wouldn't have a scratch on me. I'm stealthy," Claire joked, knowing she was the complete opposite of stealthy. She would probably be too clumsy to fight properly. But she had a feeling she would, if she had to. She didn't like the idea of any girls hitting no Gabe, though she was sure it was bound to happen sooner or later. She arched an eyebrow in his direction. "No fighting for you, Gabriel. And I doubt you'll have anything to worry about. I think you need the 'Property of' shirt more than I do."
He tried to imagine Claire being stealthy. She could be, if she wanted, since she was able to sneak out of her window and all, but that almost seemed more dangerous than the fight itself. Then again, when someone had a reason to fight, they were usually better than they thought they could be. "I guess you've learned a bit since the fourth grade. No more bloody noses," Gabe smiled, then pulled into the parking lot. The Spaghetti Factory wasn't too nice, but definitely had good Italian food. He hoped she would approve of his choice. "No fighting for me," Gabe said rolling his eyes with a smile. "But that's only because I've got a reputation; guy's know better than to go after my girl." With the car in park, he pulled his class ring off his hand and turned to her. "Plus, this is a lot better than a t-shirt. And maybe a bit more classy."
"You've been really good at resisting the urge to fight with people," Claire pointed out. At least since he had been bitten. Gabe tended to have a temper, and she was glad he'd been able to curb those impulses lately. She definitely approved of the Spaghetti Factory. It wasn't fancy, but she still loved their spaghetti. And cheesecake. She looked over at took the ring from him, smiling as she closed her fingers around it. She had a chain at home she could put it on. Non-silver, of course. It was still a sort of surreal feeling, being with him in this way. But she found she really liked it. Having something that made her this happy? That gave her something to look forward to now? She didn't want to lose that. She wished she had something to give him, but she didn't. Maybe she could come up with something just as meaningful. Claire unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over to kiss him.
Gabe knew how important it was not to fight. He might want to kick someone's ass, but he didn't want to kill them, and if it got bad enough, then he wouldn't be able to control himself. It was one of the drawbacks from being a bitten werewolf. Much as it bothered him, he knew he shouldn't be fighting anyways. Gabe smiled as she took the ring, butterflies in his stomach as his fingers closed around it. He'd never given a girl his ring, never thought so seriously about wanting something to work. Before Claire, dating had just been for fun. He liked girls, they liked him, and they were just out to have a good time. Sure, there'd been a couple he'd had deeper feelings for, but no one like Claire. His eyes shut as he kissed her back, fingers raising to brush along her jaw and neck. Kisses were all he needed in return, even if she didn't know it.
She felt her skin tingle where his fingers moved over her, and she wondered if it had always been that way and she had just never acknowledged it? They had been affectionate as friends, but now everything felt different in a really good way. Claire allowed herself to linger in the kiss before she finally pulled back, more for the need to breathe than the desire to eat. Smiling, she slipped the ring into her purse so that she could put it on her chain when she got home. "Ready for some messy Italian food?" She figured eating was necessary, and then maybe they could kiss some more afterward. One could only hope.
It was almost as if Gabe had gotten everything he'd ever wanted with Claire, except the part where he couldn't be with her completely. At least that wasn't due to lack of wanting on their parts, and he hoped that maybe, just maybe, they'd get to that. He'd always been a romantic and an optimist. Every little kiss seemed like a spectacular sort of gift. He never wanted to stop, but reminded himself there could be more later. After spaghetti. "Definitely," he grinned, letting her go so that he could climb out of his side of the car. Coming around, he took her hand to head inside. "So, we've got this whole summer ahead of us. Other than camping and house hunting, what adventures should we plan?"
Claire followed him into the restaurant, more than ready for some food. She just had to remind herself not to overeat. Maybe she could go running with Madock in the morning or something. Which led her to think she should start exercising if Gabe was going to be seeing more of her. Then she wouldn't be so self conscious in a bathing suit. "Camping, finding a place to live... uhm, I suppose the rest of the summer is open pretty wide, isn't it?" She couldn't really afford to go on too many trips, but she was sure she could manage to have a bit of fun this summer. "I really think I would be up for trying just about anything," Claire said after a moment of thought. "You and I generally find things to keep us entertained, I doubt that will be a problem this summer."
Leading them into the restaurant, Gabe asked for a table for two, then followed the waitress to their designated table. The smells of Italian food were incredible, and he had to remind himself that not everyone could smell them as clearly as he could. It made his stomach growl. "I know it's not exciting, but we could figure out our schedules for next year, maybe have a class or two together. And I'd like to go explore the campus at some point. I just don't wanna be wandering around with a map on the first day," Gabe smiled. Like Claire, he was sure they'd find more than enough to occupy their time. They always did, especially in the summer when it was warm enough that they weren't stuck inside.
"We can go look around campus whenever you want," Claire said. She sat down and set her purse beside her. "I've been wanting to do that since I decided to go there. I don't want to get lost either and look like an idiot. Do you know what kind of classes you want to take?" Claire's heart was set on journalism, but she was sure she would be interested enough in other things to branch out a bit. It would be nice to have a couple classes with him though, since she was sure if they didn't, it would be harder to see one another during the day.
"I haven't really decided what direction I want to go in. I figure freshman year's mostly the basics, but it'd be good to really see what my options are," Gabe said. He hadn't put as much thought into his future as he probably should have, and now he was beginning to wonder what to do about it. It didn't matter in high school, but you had to have a direction in college. "A part of me wonders if I'd be any good in medicine, since it seems to run in my family, but I'm not really sure. What about you? Got any ideas?" He had a feeling he knew what Claire wanted to go into, but he wasn't sure if it was just something she enjoyed in high school or if she actually wanted to pursue it.
"I want to write," Claire admitted, picking up a menu to look it over. "I don't know what kind of writing yet... a book, magazine, newspaper... just something. I thought about trying to get an internship, or some kind of job, at the paper. I figured that would look good on any resume, right?" She smiled over the top of her menu at him. "I think you would be good at anything you decided to do. Medicine is a good field to get involved in, if you can deal with the blood and disease aspect of it." She didn't think she could handle seeing sick people on a daily basis. It was too depressing.
"I think you'd be a good writer," Gabe smiled. "I always like the stuff you put together for the school paper. And that might help you get an internship. You've got good experience to begin with, so I'm sure they'll want you." Gabe knew Claire liked to say she wasn't good at anything, but she was. She just didn't think the things she was good at counted. In his opinion, her ability to write was way more awesome than his ability to ice skate, or run, or play basketball. He didn't see himself as a professional athlete, but he could easily see her in the realm of publishing. "I think I can deal with all the blood and disease. I don't know. I've never really been sick, but I've taken care of my mom when she is." Which wasn't all that often, now that he thought of it.
She smiled, feeling warm at the compliment. It was always strange to hear someone say something nice about her, but it was better when it came from Gabe. "Thanks. I guess we'll see. I was thinking about going into the newspaper offices later this summer and seeing what they had open." She would probably end up a mail pusher or something, but everyone had to start somewhere. "Maybe you could have your mom hook you up with a job at the hospital? Then you could know for sure if it's something you would enjoy."
"That's a good idea," Gabe said, not sure why he hadn't thought of it. Probably because his future beyond the now hadn't really been on his mind lately. He'd been much more worried about tomorrow night than the upcoming year. "I'm sure they could use some orderlies, or something like that. Even if it's nothing much, it would let me know how I felt about the atmosphere and all." Which was probably important. He'd hate to get through all those science classes to later figure out he couldn't handle the sight of blood.
"Plus, I think you would hot in scrubs," Claire pointed out before pausing. "That probably sounds weird, doesn't it?" Still, it would be nice to know Gabe had a job he enjoyed, and one he could make a career out of someday. Although she didn't really care what he did for a living, as long as he was happy doing it. "I think I'm going to have the spaghetti. And try really hard not to end up with half the plate on my shirt." And there wasn't much garlic in spaghetti either, so that would help keep her from getting self conscious later when she kissed him again.
"Not at all," Gabe grinned. "It's reason enough to try it out." He liked the idea of a profession she found attractive, even if it was for the outfit. That wasn't enough to get him through medical school, of course, but it made him smile. "I've never mastered the art of eating spaghetti without making a mess of myself, so maybe it's good I'm not wearing a white shirt," Gabe laughed. "I'll go for that too. With meatballs. You know, if we're living in a house, we're gonna have to cook for ourselves next year. Which means I'm gonna have to expand my cooking abilities, or we'll be eating a lot of spaghetti," he laughed. "At least while I'm cooking."
"Spaghetti, ramon noodles, mac and cheese... the three gourmet meals of college freshman," Claire said before she laughed and set her menu down. "I know how to cook! Sort of. I mean, you and I tried to cook a couple times at your house, didn't we? I didn't think we did so bad. We made pizza, remember?" She slid her foot against his, liking the simple contact since she couldn't very well straddle him in this place. "Maybe we can just bribe or blackmail Madock into cooking for us every night. He'll be our own personal chef, and butler."
"I think we could do a good job together. It's more fun when it's with you," Gabe smiled, biting his bottom lip as his foot slid back against hers. It was really too bad they weren't somewhere private right now. He wanted to do a lot more than play footsie with her. "But I'm all for bribing or blackmailing Madock. Except what do we have against him? Blackmail only works when someone has something to hide, and I don't have any good way to bribe him." Now Gabe was thinking, though, just because it was fun. "We could always say we'll be quiet in the bedroom that night, but that's no fun either," Gabe grinned.
Claire grinned and was about to respond when their waiter arrived. They both ordered their spaghetti - Gabe's with meatballs - and she waited until the guy was gone before refocusing on Gabe. "I grew up right across the hall from Madock. I've got plenty of embarrassing stories I can threaten to tell his girlfriend. Although I don't know if eating Madock's food would be the healthiest thing for either of us." She had never played footsie with anyone before, but it seemed like a natural thing to do with him. She slipped her foot out of her sandal and slid it up to his ankle. Okay, so she was doing that. In public. But it was under a table so no one knew, right? "I think Madock could one up us if he brought Jess home, and I don't think we need a contest to see who's louder in the bedroom."
"We'll just have to play chef then and use the blackmail for other things," Gabe smiled. The feel of her bare foot on his ankle sent goosebumps up his leg and he thought his ears might be turning pink. He wondered if everyone in the restaurant could tell. He wasn't selfconcious, but he'd never been quite so excited to be with someone. Reaching across the table, he took her hand in his, since slipping off his own shoe wasn't so much an option. "Is this based on hearing Madock or guessing about Jessalyn?" he laughed. "And we're not exactly quiet, though maybe that was more due to the stumbling up the stairs and the laughing." Still, he thought he could get her to let go, and he'd never been especially quiet.
"I think that might have more to do with the drinking aspect," Claire said, feeling her own cheeks start to burn. She didn't know if she was 'loud' or not. Actually, the couple of times she had actually had sex, she was pretty sure she'd been fairly quiet. Especially since none of those encounters had been overly memorable. "I think it's just a guess. I don't necessarily want to think about my brother getting busy with his girlfriend." And she wasn't sure she liked the idea of Madock hearing her either. But that was something they would have to deal with if they were all living together. Claire's toes slipped up under his jeans until she felt his bare skin. It was more to see his reaction than anything else, since she was actually allowed to do things like that now.
Gabe inhaled through his teeth and tried not to let her effect him, but it was so damn hard! He wanted to touch her, wanted to lay her out on the table and show her just how that little tiny touch made him feel. He knew it was ridiculous, that he should be able to control himself, but he didn't really want to. It was Claire! And she was playing footsie with him! That was plenty reason to get excited. "Maybe we can soundproof the room. Or play music, just in case," Gabe said. "I promise to provide a distraction any time you want." Any kind of distraction at that.
Claire arched an eyebrow before she laughed a bit and settled back against the booth seat. His skin was really warm and even at his ankle and calf she could feel the muscle there. Total benefit from being a hockey player, she assumed. "I appreciate that. I think you're going to have a harder time blocking it out than I will... with your super sonic hearing and everything. You're good at distracting me most of the time though, so I'll probably have to take you up on that offer."
"The sound, I can probably deal with. The smell?" Gabe curled up his nose. "I'm not looking forward to knowing every time they've fooled around." That was the downside, being able to smell those hormones, allowing him to know even after the fact. "Course, if I can distract you in the meantime, then I'll be properly distracted with your scent," Gabe said thoughtfully, then smiled at her. "I love the way you smell." All the time, any time. After a shower, after fooling around, even when hot and sweaty, which was harder to explain.
Claire wrinkled her nose a bit, not wanting to imagine Madock's smell either. Ew! Thank god she wasn't a werewolf. Though if she was one, then there wouldn't be any worry about the mating part, would there? And... she had no idea why that thought popped into her head and she pushed it to the back of her brain quickly, refocusing when Gabe commented on her scent. "But I don't wear any perfume around you," Claire said. "I sort of changed from my body washes to regular soap and everything." She knew those scents could be overwhelming for him.
Gabe smiled and licked his lips, wondering how he could explain this to her. In human terms, it seemed very odd, but now that he was living it, it was second nature. "You have this scent that's just you. There's a little bit of soap and shampoo, deodorant and stuff, but... I don't know how to describe it. You know how people's houses have their own scent sometimes? It's kind of like that. I like it," he said, his smile becoming a little more of a smirk as he lowered his voice. "I really like it when you're turned on. It's... exciting." In almost every way. "You changed soap for me?" he asked, his heart speeding up. That meant so much.
She felt herself flushing again, except this time it was all over. She wondered if he realized how small comments like that affected her. It wasn't so much embarrassment, but knowing that he could tell by her scent when she was turned on was a bit... exciting? Overwhelming? She didn't really know. She supposed it was a good thing he liked her prior to being bitten, because he probably would have been able to tell that he turned her on occasionally, even when they were just friends, and that could have made things awkward. "I'm glad it's a good scent then," Claire finally managed to say. "I didn't realize you could tell when I was... you know." So she wasn't becoming shy again, but maybe that was because they were in public. Claire smiled and glanced down at the table. "I did. I mean, do you remember what it was like? Being around all those girls in school doused in perfume? I didn't want you getting sick or nauesous or anything." She shrugged, as if it wasn't that big a deal. She had also put away her silver jewelry. It was just a natural thing to do.
"I didn't know what it was at first, just that sometimes your scent was different and that-- that I wanted to jump you," Gabe said with a little laugh, his own cheeks flushing at the admittance. A few days ago he could have never told her such a thing, but now that they were together, he felt more comfortable in sharing. "I used to describe it as delicious, but that makes it sound like I want to eat you." And now he was sure he was bright red. "Which I suppose I do, just not in the big bad wolf sort of way." Gabe laughed, running his fingers through his hair. "I really should shut up now, shouldn't I? But yeah, I remember how bad it was at school, with all the girls wearing perfume. It just means a lot to me that you'd change something like that. So... thank you," he smiled. "You don't need perfume to smell good to me anyways."
He wanted to jump her. Because of her scent. Obviously he knew without knowing what it was that she was turned on in one form or another. Claire's blush deepened and she suddenly felt like someone had turned up the thermostat in the place. Even more so when he called her scent 'delicious'. God, she was going to die. Claire's lips parted in surprise at his comment, and then a nervous laugh escaped her lips even as her heart sped up. He could hear her heart beating, and apparently tell when she was turned on. Now was not the time for that! Not in a public place anyway, but she felt heat all over, especially between her thighs now. Because she was imagining it, and imagining being able to do things to him too. At the dinner table! Yes, she was absolutely going to die. "I... the big bad wolf thing is kind of sexy. Not in an eating me sort of way... like... you know." Okay, time for her to shut up. Claire brought a hand up to her reddening face and laughed again. "You're welcome." What else could she say? She could barely think at the moment.
Taking a deep breath, Gabe realized they were going to have to have some private time after dinner. He didn't care where-- his car, the park, wherever-- just as long as he could be with her. Because holy fuck. "I've never wanted anyone like I want you," he said. "I wish I'd had the chance before, but... maybe that would make it worse. Or, not worse, but more difficult." With his scent so strong and so close, he was having trouble thinking, keeping his mind from straying elsewhere. "Have you ever done it on a table?" he asked, laughing softly and shutting up as their food arrived. This was probably not good for public conversation, but why not? If anyone listened in, it was their own fault.
He kept saying things that made her heart race and her blood heat up and she was wondering if she was going to be able to eat now. No one had ever affected her that way and it was a feeling she wasn't sure she would ever get used too. She didn't know if she wanted to. She kind of liked the way it made her feel. Claire's eyes found his and despite all the heat flooding her, she felt a twinge in her chest when he said he had never wanted anyone like her before. How was that possible? And was it simply because he had been crushing on her when he was bitten? Did that heighten everything? Would he want her this badly if he was still vanilla human Gabe? She didn't know, and Claire was aware she was overthinking things again. She began to respond when their food arrived, and she was forced to sit there with images of them doing things on that table while the waiter placed their food in front of them. She was sure the guy knew exactly what was going on, she was so red. When he disappeared, she forced herself to pick up her fork before managing a smile. "I've never done that... no. Uhm, it's really only been on beds. Actually, I did it in a walk in closet once. That was probably the er, craziest place. Have you?"
"A walk-in closet?" Gabe asked with a grin. "I'm jealous." Though he said it in fun, he really was. He hated that other guys could have her and he couldn't. What if she got sick of waiting? What if she never wanted the commitment that he had to have, but missed the sex? At an age when their hormones were running most rampant, Gabe was stuck waiting for 'the one'. Even if he thought it might be Claire, he didn't know how she felt, and they'd barely even tried this all out. They weren't in a position to make such a decision. In the meantime, he hoped she was willing to settle with huge amounts of foreplay. "Only beds and sofas. I didn't even have a car the last time I went that far, so my car's never even been christened. At the moment, though, I've got a table on my mind." This table in particular. With Claire.
She was thankful she hadn't taken a bit yet, since she probably would have choked. Since he was obviously thinking was she was thinking. She supposed it was her own fault, having not dated a guy in so long, or even thought about it. Now that she was with Gabe, all those pent up hormones were bubbling to the surface and she had no clue how to deal with them. She knew they could do stuff, although just thinking about those things made her want to blush. But she knew he couldn't have sex with her, since that would have bigger repercussions than either of them were probably ready to deal with. A part of her was sure he would never want to take that step. Not with her anyway. He would probably find someone better, or another werewolf. There was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach at that thought, but she banished it, not wanting to ruin their night by thinking of the worst case scenarios. "Yeah... that was sort of on my mind too." Maybe she could help christen his car somehow. "You really haven't done that since you got your car?" Having watched Gabe with a few girls over the couple of years they had been friends, Claire had it in her head that he probably got lucky every day they hadn't spent together.
Gabe thought a lot about sex. He always had. He'd been a fairly sexual creature since hitting puberty, but really only took things all the way with girls he really cared about. It wasn't something he talked a lot about, and he knew most guys thought he'd slept with every girl he dated when that wasn't at all the case. He'd never done anything to dispel the rumors, however, since it made him a bigger hot shot among the guys. And with Claire, they didn't always talk about it. It had been another part of his life and he'd never felt like kissing and telling was right with her. "I've done other things in it," he laughed. "But it's been a good year or so since I..." Gabe shrugged. It didn't matter to him how many girls he'd bedded or how long it had been. Chrissy had been the last, and they'd had a very public break-up of sorts. "Maybe you can help me change that. Eventually," he smiled, that shyness kicking in again. It wasn't just the sex. In fact, it wasn't the sex at all. It was the meaning behind it.
She wrinkled her nose briefly at the thought of Gabe doing anything with any girl in his car. Maybe she didn't need to help him christen it after all. Which made her want to pout, but she resisted and instead took a bite of spaghetti. She was not going to be the kind of girl who got jealous about her boyfriend's past relationships. Hell no. Her eyes lifted away from her plate to his face, and she was thankful she managed to eat her food with some kind of grace. Did he actually want to have sex with her? Like, beyond just the fantasy of it? With the commitment and everything? There it was... the panic. Anxiety. And some kind of fluttering in her chest that felt really... nice. She pushed her spaghetti around her plate with her fork. "Do you think about that? I mean... doing that with me?"
He cut his spaghetti and began rolling it onto his spoon, rolling it way past the point when he should take a bite. Claire was distracting. Distracting in a good way, yes, but still very distracting. "Yes," he said, his heart racing despite his attempt at remaining calm. "But I know how you feel about commitment and-- and I don't want you to feel trapped in a relationship." Like her mother was. He knew that was Claire's fear and he refused to do that to her, not unless she was absolutely positive that she wanted it. But then what if she changed her mind? Divorce happened. It happened a lot. Gabe was normally optimistic, but this was an area where he had trouble. "I probably think about it more than I should," he said with a little smile. "I just don't wanna freak you out."
"I don't have... a problem with commitment," Claire said after a moment of trying to gather her thoughts. "Admittedly I'm a little jaded when it comes to relationships, but that's only because I've never really witnessed a good one. I don't want to end up like my mom, but... I also know that not every guy out there is like my dad. There are reasons I didn't date a lot in high school, because I know eventually I would get hurt, or I would hurt the guy, and I wanted to avoid that." She paused to take a drink of her water. She was admitting a lot of stuff to him, and it was probably stuff he already knew, but she did have a point to it all. She set down her water and looked at him again. "I'm not going to follow my hormones and doom you to a lifelong relationship with me, but honestly... if I were going to take that chance with anyone, it would be you." There, she said it. And her heart felt like it might pound right out of her chest and land in a bloody heap on her spaghetti. "But I also know that you might... I don't know, maybe someday you'll start to think about being with another werewolf. Why would you want to take such a risk with someone who isn't like you when there's that possibility I could leave? Not that I'm saying I would, but I'm sure it's crossed your mind, hasn't it?" Claire paused and shook her head. "I'm overthinking again, aren't I?"
"I wouldn't call a lifetime with you 'doomed', Claire," Gabe said, smiling softly. These days it was hard to differentiate between the wolf's instincts and his own. He knew that he had to start thinking of them both as his, since the wolf wasn't going to go away. "I... I've actually considered it, and nothing makes me happier. But my greatest fear is that you'd eventually want to leave me, and then you'd feel trapped, and then you'd resent me and... that's me over-thinking," he said with a wry smile. He'd already told her how much he hated people leaving him. This was an extreme situation and he didn't know how to handle it. "You're right-- things might be easier if I was with another werewolf. But I don't want another werewolf. I lo-- I want you," Gabe said as all the blood in his body seemed to rise to his face. "You don't choose relationships based on what's most convenient. You go with your heart. And you're worth the risk of breaking mine."
Claire watched him as he spoke, realizing she wasn't surprised by those particular thoughts. She was well aware that he had abandonment issues, due to his father and maybe even Cynthia, though that particular leaving hadn't exactly been her choice. She couldn't sit there and say that would never, ever happen. Or maybe she could. She didn't know. She was still working through her feelings for him, though she knew they were strong. Maybe it was the feelings she'd had for him that had for so long been buried starting to overwhelm all the doubt she carried with her. She wasn't a kid anymore, was she? She was going to move out of her house, be on her own, go to college. She couldn't imagine doing any of that now without having him there. "Gabe, I wouldn't resent you. I know that much. I'm here because of you. Staying because of you." Granted, she stayed for Madock too, but maybe deep down Claire knew she would have turned down Brown because she didn't want to leave Gabe behind. Claire inhaled sharply and felt a bit overwhelmed by the entire conversation. She hadn't ever expected to have it with him, especially not tonight. Her eyes locked onto his and she wondered if he was about to say that he loved her. Maybe she had been hearing things, but what if he had said it? What would she say? Or do? Panic? Freak out? Say it back? God, she was overthinking things again. "I want you too. I know I could continue to worry about it, or fret over what might happen in the future, but I think at this point that would be a waste of whatever time we get to spend together. It's easy for me to be worried about this stuff, because of what I've always thought about when I thought about relationships, but you're worth the risk too. Right now I can't imagine being with anyone else. I don't want to break your heart and I'll do anything I can to make sure that doesn't happen. But I think I also need you to trust me, and trust that I'm not going to abandon you. God, I'm rambling..." And despite it being Gabe, she felt flushed and embarrassed from being so candid. She had never been that honest with anyone before.
"I trust you," he said softly and squeezed her hand. Despite how terrified he felt at times, how overwhelmed he was by his feelings for her, he still trusted her. He wouldn't have been able to be with her, even like this, if he didn't. He harbored the hope that one day they'd be able to take that step, but right now seemed too soon. They were still feeling each other out in this new relationship and they had enough pressure as it was. He knew it was better that they talk about this before it happened, rather than after, though he hadn't really expected it to be so soon. "I didn't mean to get so serious over spaghetti," he smiled. "And you're allowed to ramble. Whenever you want. It means a lot to me that we can even talk about this, though I hope I'm not bringing things down." He really, really wanted her to remember this night as a good one, not one overly heavy with conversation.
"You're not bringing anything down," Claire assured him. At least the topic of conversation had cooled her blood a tiny bit. Though she was still wishing they were somewhere more private. "It's probably best we talk about this stuff, so we're at least on the same page, right?" They were adjusting to this new situation between them after all, and even if there was no sex involved, Claire was happy they were at least communicating. It was something she never saw between her parents. "I think we've got an advantage, having been friends for so long..." Though a tiny part of her saw that as a disadvantage as well, since it was the reason she still harbored some doubts and concerns that she would eventually lose him completely. "I like that we can talk to each other, and we don't have to pretend to be people we're not." They would just have to keep their hormones under wraps, for the most part. Despite her own desires, and his wolfish instincts. Claire was pretty sure they could do it.
"I like that too," Gabe smiled. "I've always felt like I could talk to you about anything, whether it's serious or not." It made him wonder how much he'd really wanted some of his past relationships to work in comparison. He'd been closer to Claire than almost every girlfriend he'd ever had, and that was even before they started dating. He was pretty sure they'd all hated that, but tough luck. "How's your spaghetti?" he asked, having a bite of his. Now that he wasn't ready to jump her, or feeling his heart in his throat, he was really pretty hungry. "I heard it can be fun to feed spaghetti to each other with your fingers, but I don't think the restaurant would appreciate that." It was a change of conversation, but hopefully not as heavy.
"That's because you didn't have to worry about impressing me," Claire pointed out with a small grin. "I wasn't some girl you wanted to jump. Makes it a bit easier to open up." If they had started dating before they'd become friends, she was sure things would have been massively different. "The spaghetti is good, now that I've been distracted from fantasizing about making out with you in your car and can actually enjoy it." She smiled and took another small bite. "I would probably make a total mess of things if I tried to do that. And yeah, we would probably get asked to leave." Which would have actually been kind of funny, she was sure.
She was right. His mind wasn't completely and totally focused on jumping her bones. That made being open and honest a little bit easier. "Doesn't mean that making out in the car is out of the question," Gabe grinned. That hasn't completely left his mind and probably wouldn't. At least he'd stopped fantasizing about screwing her on the table. That was definitely out of the question. "I don't think it's meant to be clean," he said with a small laugh. "Something like that, the point's to be messy. We'll have to wait till we have our own kitchen to try it out." It really could be fun, he thought. "What's your favorite food to eat? Not counting white chocolate."