» we'll leave this town in ruins [Claire]

[elliotdavis]

As she put her head on his shoulder, Elliot began to feel a little bit anxious. They were alone. In a hotel room. They were drunk. And they liked each other. His thoughts jumped to one thing and as Claire kissed his cheek he wanted nothing more then to kiss her back and never stop. Maybe it was the alcohol thinking for him and hell, it probably was, but Elliot couldn’t help but feel the sexual tension and soon it would be hard to hide it too. ”I knnooww, Claireseykins, I always have fun with you. It’s cause I like you soooo much,” he voice was light and slightly lower then before, the tone serious, even though he seemed like he was joking. ”AND because we are drunkkk. We should get drunk a lottt more, you know. And then we would kisss more, which would be a good thing.” He smiled, even though she probably couldn’t see it from the way they were sitting.

He shifted his weight underneath her, lifting her head gently so he could get up. Standing up, he was suddenly unaware of what his intentions were. He looked at her, still lying on the bed and moved back towards her. This time, instead of lying down beside her, he came over top of her. Kneeling on the bed, as he leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Elliot didn’t care what it would mean come morning, he was living in the now. And now he was drunk and Claire was pretty.

[freddy]

As he looked at her, Claire found herself wondering what he was thinking. She wanted to be able to see into his mind, just to know if the only reason he was saying these things was because he was drunk, or because he actually did like her. Having to wonder was unsettling, but they were both totally wasted. Emotions ran wild with people when they were that drunk, but did that mean that he was lieing? She sure as hell wasn't, and now wasn't ashamed to admit that she did like him. "You know Ellyyyyy." She mused. "We could kisss when we aren't drunk you knowww. It might be even more fun that way." And she would remember it come morning, which was all she needed.

Claire almost wanted to wince as he stood. Had she freaked him out? After all, they were in her hotel room alone. Maybe he really didn't like her like that. Maybe...Her thoughts raced, even as he came back over to her. They stopped short though as he lay on top of her. In fact, everything seemed to stop. Time, her breathing, her heart, her thoughts. They hardly continued even as he kissed her, but did just enough to keep her still alive. Her eyes slid shut as their lips made contact, and she wrapped her arms around his neck slowly.

[elliotdavis]

Her arms wrapped around his neck and he pulled her upwards, his lips still pressed with hers. Normally his mind would be picking apart everything he was doing. How was his breath? Was he a good-kisser? What did think of him? That sort of thing, but right now he was fine. His mind was clear except for the wonder of why they hadn’t done this sooner. It was becoming obvious that they liked each other and through their drunken flirting they were only now taking advantage of it. His hands moved to her back, moving up and down.

This was a new experience for Elliot. Sadly, he can’t say he’s made it much past first-base and this would be his first full-out make-out session, not to mention what it was looking to turn into. He had no idea what he was really doing and was hoping the mood would take him along for the ride, telling him what to do. His hands moved under her tank-top caressing the bare skin. He didn’t want to go farther then she did, but somehow didn’t see that as being a problem.

[freddy]

Although none of this was new to Claire, she almost felt like it was. It seemed that Elliot's touch sent her spiraling into a mixture of fear, anxiety, and happiness. It made her shiver at first, but then she became more and more used to it. It seemed that it just hadn't been right at all with Jacob, but now, everything was perfect. Well, except for the fact that they were drunk. Claire knew what she was doing, and wasn't afraid. Well, not really.

Faaaade.

The next morning, the harsh sunlight of a new dawn peered between the room curtains. Claire stirred, trying to block out the harsh rays. Her head ached, and it took her a moment to recall why. Then, the night seemed to come back to her in a rush. First, she felt okay about it, until she remembered who she was lying next to. Her eyes snapped all the way open, panic making her brain move painfully fast.

Slipping as quickly as possible out of her bed, she swayed slightly as she got to her feet, but hurriedly began collecting her clothes and throwing them on. Claire found herself wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. She was happy that her first time had been with Elliot, a guy she'd liked for months, but somehow, she was also afraid. Afraid of what he might say or do. Afraid of facing him. But also afraid of leaving. Was she really that shallow?

"Oh god..." She mumbled, slipping on an over-large shirt of hers that was strewn on the floor from her earlier unpacking. "Oh god...Way to go, Claire." Self pity wreaked through her mind as she whispered to herself. "You might have just wrecked one of your best friendships, all because you were fucking love struck and wasted." She shook her head at herself as she slipped on a pair of sweatpants. "Oh yeah, way to go." She flopped down on the other bed in the room. It was Haley's, but she didn't seem to be there. Claire crossed her legs, putting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands.

This was going to be a long morning.

[elliotdavis]

A stream of light passed through the opening in the curtains, landing straight across Elliot’s face. His eyes flickered underneath his eyelids, but he remained asleep, or well, half asleep. He felt the body beside him move and a thought of concern rushed through his mind. There was body in bed with him. He opened his eyes slightly, so that they were tiny slits, bringing up his arm to shield them from the light. He caught a glimpse of a dark-haired girl shuffling around the room and although his mind wanted to worry about it, the headache that was pounding inside his skull told him he needed to go back to sleep. He could vaguely hear her moving around and the fact that it was Claire had yet to become evident. He tried to drift back to sleep, changing his position in bed as he did so, but it was too late. His mind was waking up, meaning his body would follow shortly.

He heard the other person mumble to herself, not hearing anything specifically, just the voice and the voice was one he recognized. Claire. Shit. His eyes still closed, he pulled up the sheets on the bed, as he suddenly felt a little self-conscience. Had they done, what he thought they did? He couldn’t exactly remember much. Just hanging at the club and drinking. Oh, god. He had probably drunk much more then his skinny body could take, and his gag reflux was almost put into action at the mere thought of alcohol.

Rubbing his eyes, Elliot lied there, not wanting to freak out. ”God,” he muttered groggily. ”What time is it.” The whole, “I just had sex with my best friend” thing had yet to sink in and he turned over, lying on his back. He looked over and saw Claire, sitting on the bed, all dressed and uncomfortable looking and the nights previous activities suddenly flooded his brain. Double shit.

He smiled weakly at her through his headache and confusion, sitting up, keeping the bed sheet close to him. ”So… hey,” he said quietly, unsure of how to start the conversation. Damn, this was going to be awkward.

[freddy]

Claire glanced up for a moment as he spoke, a little surprised that he was already awake. Then again, it was kind of late. She bit down on her lip before looking at the clock and answering. "It's about ten thirty." She said quietly. Even talking that much though made her head throb painfully. Damn, being drunk was good, but the after effect was horrible. She wondered why people did it in the first place, then remembered a little of her own experience. Skipping...Or attempting to skip down the streets of Las Vegas, and then kissing Elliot. Then...Everything else. For a moment, she was almost glad that it had happened with him, then remembered that Elliot was her best friend. Having sex with your best friend had a big fat 'NO' sign over it. That was just something you didn't do.

"Um...Hey." She said slowly, knowing that he remembered now what had happened. Claire took a deep breath, folding her hands down and looking at them. Her fingers linked together, and her thumb went up and down nervously. Claire found herself wanting to do the same. Except she just wanted to get up and run away from the room. If it wasn't her hotel room, she migh have done just that, but at the moment she had no where else to go.

"Elliot...I..." Damn. She didn't know where to start. She was happy about it, but also mad that she'd allowed herself to have sex while drunk. Claire also found herself becoming a little sad. What if this ruined their friendship? She could never forgive herself if that happened. After all, this was her room, and she had made the first move. "Look...I'm sorry." A lame thing to say, but it was the only thing that Claire could think of to say. Not that it made her feel any better.

[elliotdavis]

He could feel his cheeks reddening as they sat there, a silence falling between them. His eyes jumped from Claire, his clothes lying scattered around the bed, to his hands which were currently holding up the bed sheet that was covering him and back to Claire. She looked a little freaked out and he couldn’t blame her. Rubbing his eyes he sent her a weak smile, meant for comfort and to say that he wasn’t necessarily upset or mad about the whole situation. It was what he had wanted after all, it just hadn’t happened in the right order. Him and Claire were supposed to get together before they got together.

"Elliot...I... Look...I'm sorry."

She was sorry? Fuck, not exactly what he wanted to hear and for a second struggled to figure out to reply. Did that mean that… what did that mean? Elliot looked over at her. ”Uh… yah, I guess… I guess I am to,” he nodded in an attempt to convince himself that that’s what he actually felt. He was falling back on old habits, telling people what they wanted to hear. Hadn’t Claire said something about liking him last night? He racked his brain trying to remember but it was all so fuzzy. Maybe it had just been him who had said it. Maybe she didn’t like him at all. Maybe, maybe, this whole thing was one huge mistake.

He wanted to get up out of bed, but for some reason he couldn’t move. He was glued to the seat so he leaned back, running his hands over his face in a frustrated manner. He couldn’t, shouldn’t settle for this. He was always settling and as much as it hurt and as much as he didn’t want, Elliot sat back up. ”Actually, I’m not sorry,” he was always the guy who let over people dictate what he should think. He never ever stood up for himself or let anyone know how he truly felt. He had screwed things up with Nikki and he wasn’t going to make the same mistakes with Claire.

”Claire, seriously, I like you and I don’t want to look at this as a mistake,” he paused, taking a deep breath and looking over at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. ”So, I’m not sorry.”

[freddy]

She looked away as he blushed a little, getting red herself. She wanted to get inside his head; to know what he was thinking. But as he said that he was sorry too, the blush left her face. Was he serious? When she had apologized, she was lying. Right now, as Elliot was lying under her blankets, completely naked, she wanted nothing more than to blush again before going over and kissing him one more time. If he really was sorry though, then that would only make things worse.

“Well…Okay then…What n-" Claire stopped mid sentence as Elliot said something that sounded a hell of a lot like he wasn’t sorry. She blinked a few times, surprised, yet pleased, at the fact that he did actually like her, and it wasn’t just his completely wasted state that had spoken. She could feel the walls of her heart crashing down further, and it almost knocked her breath away. Her emotions turned raw, like an open wound that someone dunked in salt. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time; the fact made her ecstatic, but also very, very afraid of herself.

Claire took in a slow breath, blinking back a few tears that dared to edge around her eyes. Now came the hard part. He’d confessed to her, so the natural thing was to tell him back. But she didn’t know how to say it to him. She’d never told anyone before that she’d liked them. At least no one like Elliot. Her breath left her lungs in a rush, with a slightly frustrated noise. Clamping her jaw shut for a moment, she scrubbed at her eyes, closing them for a moment before speaking again in a cracking voice.

“Elliot, for once, I lied about something. I’m not sorry either, but I am afraid.” There. She’d said it. Both fear and love were confessed to him. But now came the real test; would he run? Or stay?

[elliotdavis]

Elliot sat there, his eyes glaring at her waiting for a response. How would she react? After all, she had apologized for the night first, and Claire wasn’t one to lie, especially to him. Oh god, his stomach felt sick, and not just from the alcohol consumed the night before. She didn’t like him in the same way he did, Elliot knew it and it was causing him some distress. He had just lost his virginity to her, not necessarily a big deal, but hey, having sex with the girl you like who also happens to be your best friend is kinda a big deal, especially when you wanted to remain friends afterward. What would happen to them? It was only the beginning of Vegas, not too mention the school year was only a few years in. Would they move past this? Would things ever be the same?

“Elliot, for once, I lied about something. I’m not sorry either, but I am afraid.”

Okay, so she wasn’t sorry. His eyes grew wide and he gazed back at her. For a second he didn’t know how to reply. Talking, seriously, like this was supposed to be, to girls was never Elliot’s strong point. Cliché, sure, but he didn’t necessarily have an easy time talking to anyone seriously, like this. ”Okay, good,” he placed on hand on his bare chest. ”You had me worried for a second,” a nervous laugh escaped his lips as he thought about how she said she was afraid. He didn’t want her to feel afraid about this, as for once he was without fear. ”But… but don’t be afraid Claire,” he shook his head slightly, before stopping due to the pain that it caused him. ”It’s okay, you don’t need to be afraid.”

[freddy]

Claire clenched her jaw, waiting for him to say something. Her back was straight, her muscles tight, and her eyes a little wider than normal. But as he said that it was in fact good that she wasn’t sorry, Claire let herself relax a little more, shrugging her shoulders a little to loosen them up. The relaxation, however, only made tears threaten her eyes again, but this time, she let them come. She knew that she didn’t have anything to be afraid of with him now. Well, not much anyway.

”It’s okay, you don’t need to be afraid.”

“Can’t help it.” She muttered with a laugh, wiping at her eyes again as a pair of tears slid down her cheek. “I’m kind of a coward like that sometimes.” A smile wavered on Claire’s lips, but it came off a little sadder than she would have liked. She wasn’t used to having her emotions this plain. Slowly, she stood, unfolding her legs and wincing as her head throbbed. Walking shakily across the room, she moved around the bed, sitting down near his feet. “But…D-did you really mean the things you said…Last night? About…Liking me and all?” It was the question that had burned her mind since she’d woken up, and she was surprised that she could remember it all, but she also thought that the words would be implanted in her head for a good and long time.

[elliotdavis]

He bit his lip as she started to cry. Girls and tears, two things he didn’t exactly feel confident around, and mush them together and you get one uncomfortable boy. However, even with the hangover, and the realization that he was still sitting there naked, he didn’t really feel uncomfortable. Something about Claire pushed all the anxious thoughts out of his mind and he simply wanted to comfort her, tell her it would be alright, tell her that he had never lied to her. Straight up from the beginning, or at least the beginning of last night, but hiding your feelings wasn’t lying it was just with holding the truth, so technically he had been honest the whole time. ”Claire…” he muttered softly, sympathy in his voice as he watched her wipe away the tears. “Can’t help it.” He smiled nervously as she laughed, hoping the mood would maybe lighten up a bit, but knowing the two of them, only serious conversation lay ahead.

“I’m kind of a coward like that sometimes.”

”I know,” he replied, looking down at his hands in his lap before meeting her eyes. He may not have known entirely, but they were good friends, best even, and Elliot had picked up on things. He wasn’t scared himself, just slightly nervous, Claire was one of his favourite people and they was no way he wanted to loose her. What happens when this doesn’t work out? He wasn’t trying to be pessimistic or anything, but relationships fizzled out, and not having much experience wasn’t necessarily a benefit. Where did they go? Being friends was possible, maybe a little awkward at first but entirely possible, but would he be able to let himself throw away what could be a great thing, just cause he’s not that optimistic. Shaking everything from his mind, Elliot told himself to focus on the here and now. ”And it’s okay,” he shrugged his shoulders, not really knowing where else to go with it. His cheeks were a light shade of red and he desperately needed some kind of pain reliever, and yet, he didn’t move from his place in the bed, leaning up against the headboard.

His eyes watched her as she came over towards him. She looked so cute all covered up in the baggy clothes and he noticed as she winced in pain slightly before sitting down. Bringing his legs up underneath the sheet, he crossed them, sitting up a little more so that he was closer to her. He liked that. He liked her.

“But…D-did you really mean the things you said…Last night? About…Liking me and all?”

The memories were vague, but it would have made sense that he had said that. The truth had a tendency to escape when he was a little less then sober, but this time Elliot didn’t really mind. The thing about exposing secrets when intoxicated gave it a little less credibility then had he said when sober. Right now he could shrug it all off, tell her that it was just the alcohol talking and that the sex was all part of the package. But, Elliot wouldn’t do that, it was too late for lies and he didn’t want to ruin what they were kinda building right now. A comment like that would surely ruin it.

Nodding, he met her eyes with his. ”Yah, I did,” taking a deep breath, he smiled. ”Claire, I know we were drunk and everything, and quite honestly, I can’t remember much, but I know that I meant what I said,” nodding again for reassurance of what he was doing, Elliot hoped that she wouldn’t freak out and leave him all alone. However, this was her room, a thought that had yet to penetrate his brain, so she probably wouldn’t go far. ”And if I wasn’t such a loser, I would have told you that a while ago, when I wasn’t so drunk and annoying.” It was the simple truth, and he bit his lip once again as he waited for her reply, hoping it was one he wanted to hear.

[freddy]

Claire smiled a little as he said that he knew how much of a coward she was. That was a thing she loved about being friends with Elliot. Even though they hadn’t been friends for a really long time, he seemed to know everything about her. She didn’t think that anyone knew her that well; not even her dad. Her dad might have just said she was being a baby, and should get over it. But Elliot seemed okay with the fact that she was crying. The fact soothed her, stemming her tears after a moment. With anyone else, Claire might have been afraid that someone could see so far into her, and know that deep down beyond all the barriers she had between her heart and the world, she was just as afraid as anyone. More so in some cases. “Thanks. For telling me it's okay I mean.” She whispered, curling her knees up to her chest and using her feet to rock herself slowly back and forth. Closer to him, then far away. It seemed to suit her mood. She wanted to run, because she was still a little afraid, but she also wanted to be as close to him as she was the night before.

Claire looked down at her hands as he spoke, explaining to her what he’d said a few times the night before. Her heart started to beat faster as the words sunk in, imbedding into her very soul. Now she knew that, even though she was drunk, she wouldn’t soon forget this feeling or experience.

“Good to know.” She said, still looking down at her hands, now clasped together. Her thumbs pushed against each other so that they went back and forth. Another nervous habit that went with the rocking. “And you weren’t annoying. And you’re not a loser.” Claire looked up a little, so that she could see him again. Now that the truth was being revealed, she couldn’t seem to have the ability to lie about him any more. She took a deep breath, opening her heart slowly to him. “Elliot, I was pretty damn drunk too, but I don’t regret anything. I don’t take back anything I said, and if not telling me how you felt makes you a loser, then I must be one too. After all, girls are usually the ones who tell a guy how they feel. But I guess that might have something to do with my being a coward too.”

[elliotdavis]

He simply nodded as she sat there, rebounding his confession. Again, the pessimistic side of him was making its way into his brain. It always seemed so… fake, for lack of a better word, when someone told you exactly what you wanted to hear when you had just confessed something. It was like saying “I love you” for the first time, when the other person says it back, you’ll always wonder if they were simply saying it because you had, or if they really meant it. Claire wouldn’t lie to him like that, it just wasn’t what she did, and he believed what she said.

”It’s okay,” he repeated once again. Elliot hated how awkward he was being, he wanted his brain to work fast enough to come up with timely, reassuring replies, ones that Claire would appreciate. Instead, he always seemed to let the awkward silence creep in and bring down his confidence. ”And if anyone’s a loser, you’re definitely not. I don’t tend to fall in like with losers,” he smirked up at her, hoping to bring some happiness to the situation, despite the obvious hangovers and awkward conversation. Allowing the smile to fade from his face, he sighed. ”But, where do we go from here? Like once we leave this room?” he shrugged his shoulders as he phrased the last question.

”More then friends?” he raised his eyebrow, hoping that she picked up that that was his passive way of asking her out. Colour rushed to his cheeks and he avoided her eyes.

[freddy]

Claire felt like she could breathe again; like a giant weight had just been lifted from her shoulders and her lungs. She laughed softly at his comment. "Then again, there are different kinds of losers. There are nerdy losers, regular losers, and then there are losers that cheat on the girlfriends and stupid shit like that." His attempt had worked, even though her head pounded, she was feeling better emotionally. Untangling her legs, she got off the bed and went into her bag. Pulling out a bottle of Advil, she took out four and went to go get a couple glasses of water. "As for when we leave this room...I'm not entirely sure. I've never thought I'd tell you what I just did..." She shook her head slowly, putting two of the pills and a glass on the bedside table next to him, then sitting back down.

Popping the pills into her mouth, she almost choked on her water as she heard the next words that left his mouth. Not that being more than friends would be a bad thing; no, far from it. Claire had just never expected him to ask. Swallowing the pills, she took another long drink of water. She hoped that he didn't think she was going to decline his offer. She just needed to digest the conversation for a moment. Was he, Elliot Davis, actually asking her out? How should she reply? She was excited, but would being too eager push him back? Smiling a little, Claire looked back at him, seeing his red face.

"I'd like that." she said quietly, toying with the cup in her hand. "I'd like that a lot, Elliot."

[elliotdavis]

He smiled at her as she defined the different types of losers. ”Well, regular losers are okay, I guess. I mean if I had to classify us as losers, we’d be regular ones,” he nodded, teasingly as if to exemplify his point but soon stopped after his head went all fuzzy. ”No offence or anything,” he added, grinning sheepishly over at the girl he was all of a sudden not so shy around. It was funny, up until this point, having a discussion like this, one that exposed his feelings in such a way, would have freaked him out and yet, he could feel nothing but a sense of happiness that it was all out in the open… and that she felt the same way. He watched her mouth as answered his question about how they would be after leaving the room. He nodded nonchalantly and couldn’t help but smile through his serious tone as she coughed a little on her water. He knew it could mean good or bad, and hoped to god it was good.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he hastily moved around, throwing on his clothes as he waited for her answer, he wasn’t getting ready to leave, but if her answer was no, he didn’t want to stick around for much longer.

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot, Elliot."

He looked over at, a shy smile slowly gracing his lips before he bit it, out of nervousness and sat back down where he had been previously placed, this time fully clothed. ”Cool…” Elliot mentally slapped himself on the forehead. Cool?! Cool? What the hell kinda response was that. Cool was what you said when someone brought their pet lizard to school and kept it in their pocket all day. Cool was how you replied when you didn’t give a shit about what the other person was saying. Cool was not what you said when someone agreed to become your girlfriend.

”I mean… yah… I’d like that a lot too,” his face was warming but he choose to ignore it and couldn’t help but grin over at Claire. He leaned across and kissed her softly on the lips. Their first sober kiss. He pulled back, not caring how forward he was being, no, that didn’t matter now, they were past all the stupid awkward stuff.

”But,” he began again, his tone light and slightly cheerful, despite the headache and reoccurring urges to vomit. ”You should know I’ve never really done this before,” he had one relationship since entering high school, in ninth grade. Needless to say it was one of those short-lived, barely ever even talked to each other after they started dating kind of things. All the did was make-out for a couple weeks and called it quits. Elliot didn’t miss it too much, but still, it didn’t do anything for his lack of experience. ”So yah,” he shrugged his shoulders, hoping it wouldn’t be a big deal.