Don't Get It Twisted, page 21
Claire’s door was open and the bed neatly made when Haley finally stumbled out of her room and upstairs shortly after ten. The house was quiet, and her footsteps echoed in the wide halls as she looked for Claire, wondering if maybe she had gone outside to soak up the morning sun before the heat became oppressive. Instead, she found Noah at the kitchen island, drinking a cup of coffee while he scrolled on his phone.
“Hey,” he said, setting down his phone when she walked in. “Aren’t you supposed to be wearing your sling?”
“Morning,” Haley mumbled. “I forgot it downstairs. I’ll go down and get it in a little bit.”
“I can go—”
“No, I’ll do it,” Haley insisted. She was sick of feeling useless. Her stomach rumbled and she opened the refrigerator but, despite the massive grocery delivery the night before, there was nothing there she felt like eating.
“Where’s Claire?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Said she was going for a walk about an hour ago.” He glanced down at his watch. “Figured she’d be back by now. You gonna be okay if I step out for a run real quick?”
“I think I’ll survive,” Haley said, wishing she could join him as she followed him into the front hall. She was going stir-crazy trapped in the house, and a long, cleansing run sounded exactly like what she needed. She didn’t even know where her running shoes were, probably stuffed in some box piled next to her desk in the office. Not that she was going to need them any time soon.
Forgetting her injury for a moment, she flopped down onto the couch, immediately regretting it as jolts of fire coursed down her arm and across her chest. Tobey appeared from out of nowhere, cocking his head at her before jumping delicately onto the couch and settling down in her lap.
“Here,” Noah said, placing her pill bottle and a glass of water in front of her. “Call me if you need anything, I’ll be back in forty minutes, maybe an hour.”
The remote was just out of reach and Tobey was already comfortable, so Haley sat for a moment wallowing in self-pity as she stroked him softly between the ears. From her school years to chasing, she’d always had something to work for and having it all stopped for something outside her control…
No. It hadn’t been outside her control and she needed to stop lying to herself about it. She had put herself in the path of the tornado, and no matter how much everyone else kept calling it an accident, she knew it was anything but. A miscalculated risk like that was too reckless to be considered an accident. There was no one to blame but herself. And worst of all, that wasn’t the example she wanted to set. Maybe the stupid article was right and she didn’t deserve her platform at all. Maybe it was time to walk away while she still could.
“Haley?” Claire’s voice rang from the foyer. “Are you up yet?”
“In here,” she called back. Tobey raised his head at the sound of Claire’s voice but didn’t move from Haley’s lap.
A smile flashed across Claire’s face when she noticed the duo sitting together on the sofa, but her look quickly changed to concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just had a moment,” Haley said, even though the guilt still prickled at her core and Claire’s concern only added to it.
“Well, I brought you this,” Claire said, offering a white paper bag stamped with the logo of Erma’s Diner & Donuts. “In the interest of starting over.”
Haley’s cheeks flushed at the memory of her first date—no, that initial meeting was definitely not a date—but she smiled when she peered inside the bag. Two glazed donuts, a side of bacon, and a small carton of what she assumed was home fries smothered in ketchup.
“Did they get it right?” Claire asked.
“Perfect,” Haley reassured her. “And I was starving. Did you really walk all the way to Erma’s?”
“I got up early to get some work done but finished up sooner than I expected,” Claire said. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Consider me surprised,” Haley said, digging into her favorite, if unorthodox, breakfast sandwich.
“So what had you so deep in thought when I came in?” Claire sat next to Haley and pulled Tobey off her lap so Haley had more room to eat.
“Just thinking about how bad I fucked up,” Haley said between bites of potato. “That whole month, everything with Noah and then the tornado, it doesn’t even feel like it was me. I hate that it was.”
“Why did you decide to forgive me?”
“Almost dying puts a lot in perspective.”
“Yeah, but you texted me before the accident.”
There was that damned word again. Haley sighed. “My Nana always said carrying hate in your heart only hurts the person holding it. And I was hurting something fierce.” She didn’t want to admit she had sent it right after Noah rejected her.
“I’m sorry,” Claire whispered, reaching out to hold Haley’s thigh, her touch warm through the blanket. “And grateful for the chance to make it up to you. But don’t you think maybe you should forgive yourself?”
“That’s different,” Haley said.
“How come?”
“It just is.” She couldn’t forgive herself until she faced the footage and the thousands of notifications on social media. Until she faced her audience and knew they were still on her side. Once she was sure she hadn’t ruined everything, then maybe she could think about letting go of her mistakes. Claire sighed, and Haley could tell she was biting her tongue as she rose and took Haley’s trash from her before disappearing into the kitchen.
Tobey crept back into his spot as soon as Haley’s lap was clear, but not before Haley managed to snag the remote. Claire returned with her laptop and settled in to answer some emails while Haley looked for something to watch. As sick as she was of sitting around, it was comfortable when it was with Claire. Everything about their relationship felt natural, easier than anything Haley had known before, and it was hard to believe how close she’d come to losing it all.
“Okay, now I’m actually done,” Claire said, smiling as she closed her laptop a few hours later. “I didn’t think that would take so long.”
“I don’t mind,” Haley said. She’d taken a nap when the painkillers kicked in and spent the rest of the time half-watching a trivia show. Claire had an impressive knowledge of art history and literature, and together they almost swept the board. “Can I ask you a favor though?”
***
Haley giggled as they entered the basement bathroom together, feeling like she and Claire were doing something taboo even though anything she’d actually like to be doing was on hold until she was better healed.
“You’re sure it’s okay?” Claire looked worried as she shut the bathroom door and clicked the little button lock.
“The surgeon said I just can’t submerge the stitches, and I should change the bandage after I shower. As long as you don’t mind. I know it’s not very sexy.” Haley suddenly felt shy, remembering the last time she had showered with Claire under very different circumstances.
“You couldn’t be more sexy to me,” Claire said huskily, her fingers going to the snap buttons on Haley’s borrowed shirt and pulling them apart one by one. She guided the shirt gently off Haley’s arms, her eyes widening as she saw the gauze covering the long incision, then drifting lower to take in the sullen blue bruises and angry welts still receding from her seatbelt. “You didn’t tell me it was this bad.”
“Could have been worse.” Haley attempted a faint shrug and regretted it instantly. “I’ll just be happy to have clean hair.” She shimmied out of her sweatpants, feeling her cheeks turn red as she realized Claire was seeing her in her frumpiest underwear. Claire’s hands were at her hips, lovingly pulling them down and offering Haley a shoulder to steady herself as she stepped out of the pile of clothing.
“Wait,” Claire demanded. She reached into the shower and turned on the water, testing the temperature before nodding to herself. “Okay, that should be good.” She shed her own clothes quickly and stepped into the glass-encased alcove, offering an arm to make sure Haley didn’t slip as she stepped in. “Warm enough?”
“Perfect,” Haley sighed happily, raising her face to the warm water raining down.
“Good,” Claire murmured. “You just relax.” And then she went to work. Her touch was feather-light as her fingertips skimmed over Haley’s back, lathering sweet-scented shower gel into a rich froth that washed away sweat and grime Haley hadn’t been able to reach in days.
Haley sighed with pleasure when Claire’s hands moved to massage her scalp. It felt nice to be pampered when Claire was the one doing the pampering. Her movements were slow and deliberate as she worked lavender shampoo into Haley’s strands, as if the task was an honor, not a favor. Steam billowed around them, fogging the glass cubicle as the world disappeared and it was just her and Claire and everything felt right. Claire’s hand offered tender steadiness as it closed around Haley’s hip and she reached past her to detach the showerhead. Cascades of frothy bubbles streamed down Haley’s body as Claire’s hand slid to her stomach.
“I wish we could—”
“Me, too.”
“Ever since the first time you kissed me, I’ve wanted you so badly it hurt. You were all I could think about. I watched all your streams because it was less painful than the thought of never hearing your voice again. Even now, you drive me wild, rubbing my hands all over you and knowing I still can’t touch.” Claire reached up to replace the showerhead in its cradle.
Haley turned slowly to look at Claire, whose rock hard nipples echoed her avowals. The minimum four week sex ban had been the least of Haley’s concerns when the surgeon explained the precautions she would be subject to while she healed, but it suddenly seemed like the worst physical restriction of all with Claire naked in front of her, glistening with steam.
“You can’t touch, but I can,” she whispered, reaching out to trace one rosy peak. The surgeon hadn’t said anything about that. “And I can watch.”
Claire’s eyes widened at Haley’s touch, and widened more at her suggestion. “You want me to…?”
“If you want to,” Haley said, cupping Claire’s breast and wishing she could lean down to take it between her lips. Claire’s hand disappeared from the small of Haley’s back and went to her own mound, parting through light curls before one finger slid into her folds. Haley watched with rapt attention, her own core heating with unfulfilled desire as Claire began fingering herself rhythmically. “Tell me what you would think about when you would think about me.”
Claire closed her eyes and her pumping stopped. “Everything,” she sighed, a smile spreading across her flushed cheeks. “Imagining what it would be like to go to the farmer’s market with you, or have you there cheering for me at my volleyball games. Listening to you talk nerdy about the weather. Wishing you were there to kiss me when I got home from work. Kissing you in general.” Her wrist started moving again, slower than before.
“What else?” Haley asked, curious and turned on all at the same time.
“Undressing you,” Claire said, her voice deepening as she reopened her eyes to look Haley up and down with unmistakable hunger. “How my muscle memory would never forget sliding your shorts over your hips and the way they get hung up on the curve of your perfect ass. How I could just stare at that ass for hours, if the rest of you weren’t even more beautiful.” Her eyes raised to Haley’s face and her breathing quickened as she slipped her fingers out of herself and began rubbing her clit. “Oh God, Haley,” she moaned. “I was thinking about the way you taste with your thighs clamped around my face. The way my tongue fits perfectly inside of you. The way making you cum became my new favorite hobby the first time I tried it.”
It was a good thing water put out flames, because otherwise Haley thought she might incinerate under Claire’s smoldering gaze. Their eyes locked together as Claire brought herself to climax, bracing herself against the slate tile balls and moaning out Haley’s name. Haley brushed wet hair out of Claire’s face and traced her jawline, guiding Claire in for a kiss.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered right before their lips touched.
Claire’s movements became hesitant again and she pulled away too soon for Haley’s liking, reaching for the bottle of conditioner and silently guiding Haley to turn back around. She worked it into Haley’s hair, carefully detangling strands that were starting to mat after too long being uncombed before giving Haley a final rinse.
“Do I want to know why you’re wearing his clothes?” Claire asked as she patted Haley dry and helped her re-dress in clean gym shorts and another flannel pilfered from Noah’s laundry room.
“The snap buttons are easier for me to do with one hand,” Haley explained. “And they’re baggy so it’s harder to tell I’m not wearing a bra.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Claire said, drying and dressing herself. “So what now?”
“Now we go back upstairs and watch TV. Welcome to my boring life.” Haley rolled her eyes. The shower made her feel like a new woman, right up until she remembered how trapped she really was.
“I like watching TV,” Claire said cheerfully. “And you’re never boring.” She kissed Haley on the forehead and opened the bathroom door.
***
“Adelia is the first named tropical storm of the season, with a strong likelihood of developing into a Category One hurricane in the next 48 hours,” the weatherman intoned, gesturing to a mass of clouds on the satellite imagery of the Caribbean and Gulf Coast. “If it does, it will be the second earliest hurricane on record in the past forty years.”
Claire was laying on the sofa with her head in Haley’s lap as Haley played with her hair. Being with her was a good consolation prize since she couldn’t be out chasing. It was better than chasing, in fact. Haley’s heart never pounded as fast as when Claire took her by the hand, or felt a thrill anywhere close to the rush when their lips touched.
“Haley, can we talk? In the office?” Noah asked, sauntering into the living room with Tobey cradled in his arms like a baby. “Sorry, buddy, you have to stay here with your mom.” He deposited the cat in Claire’s lap as she sat up.
“Fine,” Haley said with a long sigh. She’d been avoiding the conversation for three days, but she couldn’t outrun it forever.
Noah cracked a Red Bull when they entered the office and handed it to Haley before sitting down. “So Claire’s leaving in a couple days?”
“That’s the plan,” Haley said, even though she kept putting off buying Claire’s return flight, which she really needed to do before it was sold out. She didn’t want to kidnap Claire, after all, but if Claire changed her mind and wanted to stay a while longer, Haley wouldn’t mind either. But Noah probably would. “I’m sorry, by the way. I should have told you she was coming. I hope you’re not too mad at me.”
“I was, but I’m over it,” Noah said, leaning back. “At least the cat is cute. And actually was wondering if you think she’d extend her trip. Got my eye on that storm creeping up the Gulf and was thinking I could intercept landfall if I leave tomorrow night.”
“You should go,” Haley said without hesitation. “I’ll be fine.”
“I’m not leaving you alone, but if she can stay…”
“If you’re trying to coordinate a babysitting schedule, you should have just asked to talk to her.” Haley grit her teeth, trying not to let herself get too grumpy with him. He had been going above and beyond to accommodate her when he didn’t have to, and the last thing she wanted was to hold him back.
“That’s not what I wanted privacy to talk to you about.” He looked down at his boots. “It’s been almost two weeks, Haley. They need to hear from you.”
Haley glanced over at her desk, the back of her neck prickling uncomfortable as she stared at the array of dead black monitors, boxed laptop, camera gear, and the external hard drive. “I’m not ready.”
“I’m not trying to push you, I just don’t want you to get pushed out. The twins just hit 250K.”
“Good. I’m happy for them.” They deserved it more than Haley did, anyway. They had built their channel from nothing, and she had had hers handed to her.
“Just think about it. Otherwise people are going to keep spamming my chat with rumors you actually died for the rest of time.”
“Sounds like a you problem,” she quipped.
“It is.” He glowered at her. “It’s annoying and it distracts from what I’m trying to do when I have to insist you’re alive every thirty seconds.”
“Okay, so how about I talk to Claire about staying while you go to Texas, and you get off my back about posting? I’ll make a statement when I’m ready.” She didn’t expect him to understand, but he wasn’t the one who had almost been killed by a tornado.
“The longer you wait to get back on the bull, the more you start psyching yourself out,” he muttered so quietly Haley thought he might be talking to himself. “But you know yourself best. I’ll take that deal for now.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“She’s probably going to say no,” Claire warned Haley as her fingers raced across the keyboard, crafting the perfect message to convince Whitney to give her another week of working remotely. Extenuating circumstances. Family emergency. One time exception. Claire hit send. “She’s never not working so hopefully she answers right away.”
Both women stared at Claire’s inbox, waiting for a response, so it was startling when Claire’s phone rang a few minutes later instead.
“That’s my boss,” Claire said before answering the call and putting it on speakerphone. “Hello?”
“Listen, Claire, allowing you to work remotely for a week was already a one time exception that I was only able to make because of the all-star break, but I can’t grant a second. It would set a precedent I can’t allow here. We’re a Boston paper, we need our reporters in Boston.”
