Chapter 24
twenty-four
DAVIS
Finding Claire isn’t the problem, it’s trying to hide the fact that I know where she is. It only took me two stops before I landed on the right bar, and it wasn’t hard to spot her in the crowd of people.
Claire doesn’t normally use alcohol as a coping mechanism, she likes to feel her feelings, but today isn’t a normal day.
She’s dancing on the bar-top when I walk in, beer in hand, and singing her heart out to whatever rock song the live band is playing. Men stand all around her, cheering her on, and pawing at her like she’s a toy.
I lean against a wall and observe for a while, keeping an eye on her from afar.
Part of me is selfish for wanting this moment, wanting to be the only one she can confide in…
while the other part of me is doing it for everyone else’s well-being.
If Lucas were here, he would rip her off that bar-top and drag her out kicking and screaming, but I know Claire needs to get this out of her system.
A flash of blonde gets my attention, my eyes shift to the opposite side of the room, only to find Steph sitting in a booth not too far away.
My feet carry me over to her, and before I even have the chance to speak, she pats the seat next to her, “better sit down, it’s gonna be a long night.”
“So you know?” I ask, taking the seat beside her.
A dry laugh leaves her lips, “of course I know. I just didn’t know that you knew.”
Damn, and here I am thinking I’m special.
“The first year she pulled this shit, I had no idea. She came into our class looking hungover as hell and told me to shut it the second I opened my mouth.” She throws a lock of hair over her shoulder, keeping her eyes on Claire as she speaks.
“The year after that, I went out with her, still didn’t know what the day was, I just thought she was finally letting loose.
She got so drunk I was afraid she was going to get alcohol poisoning, almost called an ambulance on her ass when I found her hung over a toilet. ”
The thought of Claire getting so wasted sets me on edge. She shouldn’t have had to go through that alone.
“I was shitting my pants when I took her back to Tony’s. When I walked in with her draped over my shoulder, I was trying my best to stay as quiet as possible, but the old man was waiting for us. He surprised me when he didn’t say anything, surprised me even more when he looked sad, not angry.”
My gaze drifts from her to Claire. She throws her head back and chugs her beer, spilling some down her chin and onto her white shirt. Every guy goes crazy when they see the black lace bra through the wet fabric.
There are some people who are effortlessly beautiful, and Claire Taylor is one of them.
“The next morning I woke up before she did, went down to the kitchen to get some coffee and found him sitting at the table, waiting for me. I was expecting a huge speech about how stupid we were, how we shouldn’t have gotten that out of control, but instead he told me all about the day Claire decided she wasn’t good enough anymore. ”
I know that feeling. It doesn’t take much to snap into that headspace, but I try to keep myself away from anything that puts me there.
My Little Pixie isn’t around anymore to drag me out of the darkness, I have to learn to do it on my own.
“You know Chris found her, right?” She asks, cocking her head in my direction. I nod, and she looks up to the ceiling. “I can’t even imagine the fear he felt in that moment.”
Sighing, I rub my hands up and down my thighs. “Probably the same kind you’d feel if you ever found someone you cared about half dead.” Something flashes in her eyes, like guilt or regret, but I don’t press her on the matter. We may be friends, but I’m not the person she opens up to.
Claire is good, probably too good for the rest of us, but we keep her anyway because we’re selfish. I don’t think any of us can live without her anymore.
Me? Well, she’s the closest I’ll ever get to having someone know what it’s like, I don’t really know how I’d react if I lost her.
Miller wouldn’t know how to be soft anymore, I think he’d turn hard and cold.
August would do the opposite, all he’d ever be able to do is feel.
Blair would shut everything out, he’d close in on himself and fade further into the shadows than he already is.
Lucas… well, I don’t even know what would happen to him, but the closest thing I can think of is the world burning.
“Anyway, I swore to myself that she’d never deal with this day by herself ever again. So every year, I go out with her, let her get wild and watch. Better she has someone looking out for her right?” She wipes her fingers under her eyes and steels her spine.
Steph is normally so strong, she’s tough and snippy, so it’s weird to see her soft, even if it is just for a moment.
“I’m assuming the guys don’t know you’re here?” I ask.
“Do they know you’re here?” She arches a brow.
Touché.
Claire spills another drink on herself and pouts, “I’m all sticky.” I can barely hear her over the music, but the second she goes to lift the hem of her shirt, I step in.
Time to go.
I hear Steph protest from behind me, but whether or not this is something that Claire needs to do, I’m not letting her strip in this bar. She’s always pushing us to talk or take care of ourselves, it’s time I return the favour.
Pushing through the crowd, I grab her off the bar and throw her over my shoulder, “you’ve been naughty, Clairity, I think it’s time for bed.”
She falls into a fit of giggles, “I think it’s time for shots!”
One of the guys who was grabbing at her like a plaything steps in front of me. His eyes drift to her ass before coming back to meet mine, “I don’t think she wants to leave, bro.”
“With all due respect, I’m not your bro,” I say through gritted teeth, “and this doesn’t concern you, so step aside.”
Steph forces herself between the two of us, preventing it from going any further while she tries to pull Claire off my shoulder. “Both of you can fuck right off.”
The guy walks away, clearly annoyed but doesn’t put up any more of a fight.
“Put her down,” Steph demands.
I bat her hand away, “this isn’t healthy!”
Storming out of the bar with Steph hot on my heels, I try to keep a drunk Claire from falling flat on her face. She’s wiggling and yelling at me to put her down, drawing attention from everyone in the area.
“I’m not kidnapping her,” I announce, “I’m taking her home so she doesn’t hate herself tomorrow morning.”
Everyone looks away.
“Davis!” Steph runs out in front of me. “Davis, stop!”
I do.
“If you want to be here and watch over her, that’s fine, but don’t take this away from her. She only allows herself one night, one fucking night to let herself wallow in self-pity and self-destruct.”
I put Claire down on the ground, leaning her against my side and holding her upright. “Lucas is worried about her.”
Steph nods, “and that’s a conversation for the two of them to have tomorrow morning.”
Okay then, we’re doing this. We’re allowing her to do this. “Where to?”
Claire smiles sloppily, “shots!”