In Strange Company

Day 14

Brandon woke up alone under the covers. He felt around the bed in search of Clare's warm body. His search turned futile and a sudden panic passed over him. Had he hallucinated the whole night, from Clare knocking on the door. Clare talking to him like she'd never really stopped. Clare who loved him. He jolted upright on the bed, a gaping hole spreading in his chest.

The door slowly peeled away from the frame, flooding the room with light. Shadows fleeted away to the corners of the room, and there, dressed in his shirt, stood Clare, beaming at him.

"Morning" she greeted him. The shirt shifted around her slender figure as she walked over to him.

Brandon looked in awe. "You look stunning!"

Clare cracked a smile, slipping under the covers. She leaned in and kissed him. "Thanks". She crawled closer to him, and wrapped herself up in his arms. When she had settled she sighed. "I want to ask you a question. More a request".

"Request away," he prodded curiously.

"You're not going home anytime soon, are you?" Her eyes nervously hovered on him.

He smiled hesitatingly. "I can't stay here forever".

Her eyes seemed to repeat the question as those were not the answer she was hoping for. He cleared his throat, pulling her closer to him. "I have to go back just for a while, to see mum. To get few things resolved". He stroked away her fringe and pulled her face gently up, "I'll be back, before the week is out".

As spontaneous as her question had been, she'd made her decision. Her fingers nervously made circles on his bare chest. "Mind if I come along?" Certain desperateness had entered her voice. She didn't want to be left alone again. She was certain she didn't want to see Brandon return, alone, to a place where Maggie was bound to be present. Yes, she was slightly jealous. More than she'd ever admit.

He leaned in and gently kissed her head. "That'd be great".

Coming out of the bathroom, Brandon heard the soft thud of the fridge door shutting. He made his way to the kitchen and found Clare clambering the pantry in search of food. Hearing the creaking floor boards beneath the carpet, she turned around.

"What are you up to in there?" he asked hugging her from behind, and kissing her cheek.

She nudged his head with hers. "I was going to prepare us breakfast." She looked into the half empty pantry containing only canned foods, "But there's barely anything in here, or the fridge".

"How about we eat out then?" he suggested shutting the doors to the pantry over her shoulders. "There are a few cafes along the main road..."

Clare watched Brandon cut away at the last of his Chicken pie. "Do you have anything to wear to the funeral?"

He looked up from his food, and saw her eyeing his clothes. He shook his head, "Not really", he twirled the fork on the plate.

She rested her hand on his, calming its nervous ballet on the ceramic plate with the fork. "We can visit the stores and get you something" she said, weaving her fingers through his. The fork suddenly clattered onto the plate, making the entire café turn their way.

Clare focused on him instead. His hesitating eyes stared at the food on his plate. She gently squeezed his hand. "What's wrong?" He shook his head. "Don't lie, you're terrible at it".

His grip tightened on her hand. "I don't have enough money on me to buy something new." He finally said, facing her at last. "Whatever I have, I borrowed it off Maggie to get home".