Chapter Thirty-Five

You know what they say good things do not last. Similar to that beautiful song, it also ended. Cheers erupted from the crowd as Claire did two short bows. I joined in the clapping as well.

She's good. I mean very good. I can't believe she can sing. With a smile on her face, she walked away from the stage. Praises were thrown at her at every table she passed. She, in return, threw smiles at them. When she reached our table, I also said my praise.

"Well done. You were great."

"Of course, I am." She replied as she took a seat.

Of course, I already expected her confident answer. She picked up another glass of wine and took a sip.

"I can't believe I just saved your ass from getting humiliated. What was I thinking?" She complained.

At this stage of our friendship, I already knew she wasn't complaining. In fact, I now find it humorous.

"You know... It's too late to complain if the action has been done."

"True..."

I don't know why but we both ended up chuckling. We continued to eat and drink. Claire started to ask me about my thoughts on the snacks. And thus, it became an onset of random topics.

"Are you okay? I thought you can't get drunk." I asked a bit worried.

Claire was holding my arm as we walked out of the pub. It was already past 1 am. The pub is far from closing yet. But I told Claire that I already had my fill of this one-time escapade. So, she agreed for us to go home.

"I'm fine. I'm not drunk. I just got occasional dizziness."

When Claire said it, her voice was steady. I honestly would not blame her if she did get drunk. She was the one who finished all those drinks. But even her walking is steady. She doesn't seem drunk at all.

But to be honest, that is not the only thing in my mind. What occupies my thoughts is the fact that Justine Claire Solistre is holding my arm!

She's never this close to me. We never touched each other like this. Well, that is apart from that time in the parking lot that should not be mentioned. It feels weird that she's clinging to me like this.

My heart feels like it decided to do a marathon. This feels embarrassing. But at the same time, it isn't.

"Can you drive?" Claire asked me from my side.

It felt like a mistake when I turned to answer her. Our faces were so close. My lips almost kissed the skin near her eyes.

"Y-yes. Yeah..."

Damn! That sounded unsure.

Claire stopped walking and looked at me. Our proximity almost drove me to have a nervous breakdown. She's so close. If I leaned my head just a bit our noses would definitely touch.

Aside from that, I couldn't pull my sight away from her eyes. She gazed at me as if she were trying to see something in my eyes. We were silent. But there seems to be anticipation lingering between us.

Why are you looking at me like that, Claire?

I saw her open her mouth to speak. For a split second, I thought she heard my thoughts because of our closeness. However...

"I don't trust you. You looked flushed." She said as if she didn't notice our proximity.

Flushed? Did I look flushed? But I'm not drunk. If my face is red right now, it isn't because of the wine. It's because of her!

But because of my mini internal rationalization, I failed to respond in defense.

"Never mind."

Claire raised her free hand and then snapped her fingers three times.

What is going on?

I suddenly remembered something. But as I was about to ask Claire, a car came into view. It stopped in front of us. The passenger's door opened and out came a tall man. By the way he was dressed, he looked like one of Claire's bodyguards. They do follow her around!

"Good evening, Madam. What is your instruction." The bodyguard asked with a bow.

"Robert, drive us home. Drive me first, then him." Claire instructed as she handed her keys.

"Yes, Madam."

The three of us went to Claire's car. Claire and I went into the backseat while Robert took the wheel. The drive home was really quiet. I felt drained. I had never been out of the apartment at this hour. It's a good thing my landlady isn't strict.

"I feel dizzy," Claire said all of a sudden.

"Oh? Do you feel like you're going to throw up?"

"Not really. Just let me lean on your shoulder for a bit."

She didn't wait for me to give her permission. She just scooted closer and placed her head on my shoulder. She even held my arm and adjusted her head to find a comfortable spot. It felt warm and comfortable yet my heart keeps pounding in my chest. Why do I feel nervous?

"Don't stiffen your shoulders. It hurts. Just relax. I'm not going to bite you." she murmured.

Instead of replying, I just did what she asked. I did my best even though deep down I still felt tense. Letting out a sigh, I decided to look at Claire. She had her eyes closed. It looks like she's asleep.

And the more I look at her, the more I see how adorable she looks. For once, this devilish woman looked like an angel. I always believed that a beautiful girl like her is a heart-breaker. But I can't deny how pleasant it is to look at her. It would be nice if this is what I'll first see the moment I woke up.

Wait!!! Hold that thought right there! Why the hell was I thinking that? Erase. Erase. Erase.

Not wanting to ruin the moment with my thoughts, I decided to close my eyes to rest. It feels warm when Claire is snuggled to me like this. I wish we could stay like this a little longer.

"Are you sure I should do this?"

I looked at Claire once again with a pleading face, hoping she wouldn't push through with this. Why am I even doing this? It's pointless when I know I'll agree to it in the end. And, Claire knows that very well.

"Cyrus, you know that it is a good skill to learn how to ride a two-wheeled vehicle."

"I know but I'm not riding that," I said pointing to Claire's big and luxury-branded motorcycle.

It's been years since the last time he rode a two-wheeled vehicle. And that was just a bicycle. I never have ridden a motorcycle in my whole life. But as if she found her calling, she wanted me to experience this as well.

There's nothing wrong with learning to ride a motorcycle. But I was terrified. My lack of experience will cause me to make mistakes. A scratch on this motorcycle will feel like it's worth more than my life to fix.

But with Claire, this is not a good enough excuse. The best I can do now is make a compromise. But, how can I compromise?

An idea came to me. But the problem is, it is also terrifying. I tried to think of another idea but nothing came to mind. So, I decided to go through with this one.

"How about this? Just let me backride for now. So, I can, you know, get a feel of it."

Claire looked at me long and hard. By just looking at her facial expressions, I can tell that she's calling me a coward in her head. Well, I don't agree with that. After all, it takes courage to back-ride when she's driving. The few times I saw her riding a motorcycle is enough for me to say that she's reckless.

I gave her my best pleading smile and puppy dog eyes. Please give in to me just this once. Soon, Claire let out a sigh.

"Fine." She said.

Yes! I can't believe that worked.

"Hop on." She said the moment she got settled on the motorcycle.

I did as I was told. I hopped on the motorcycle leaving a breathing space between us. She gave me a helmet and I put it on.

"The helmet's on," I told her.

"Good. Then, grab on tight." She said.

"Where do I grab on?" I said as I looked at my sides to look for something to grab on.

"Onto me, of course."

Oh? Why didn't I expect that?

"Well, ah... where on you do you want me to grab on?"

Claire turned to look at me then she answered with a blank expression.

"My breasts."