Blackbird Read online

  Claire looked down at the mouth-watering bacon and eggs in front of her. “Thanks… I guess.”

  “Can I get you anything else?” the waitress asked Nate.

  Claire looked up to find the brunette waitress twirling her pen in her mouth, her eyes fixated on Nate.

  Could she be any more obvious?

  The waitress continued to stare at Nate, smiling coyly. Nate’s eyes, however, were still fixed on Claire. He seemed unfazed by the woman next to him, who continued her flirting techniques by bending down far enough to show her cleavage while pouring water into Nate’s glass.

  “No, we’re fine for now,” Nate said with little acknowledgement towards the waitress.

  She didn’t seem to take his cue. Instead she scribbled something on her notebook, which Claire could only assume was her number, and placed it inside Nate’s hand. Leaning down the waitress whispered something in his ear.

  At that point, Claire had had just about had enough. Not only was it extremely unprofessional, it was extremely rude. What if Claire was his girlfriend and the waitress just acted like that in front of her?

  “Are you serious?” Claire said sharply. “You’re seriously flirting with him when I’m sitting right here?”

  The woman turned to Claire. “What are you, his girlfriend?” she replied, smirking.

  “No.”

  “Didn’t think so.”

  “What the hell is that meant to mean?”

  The woman eyed her up and down with a disgusted look. “You know exactly what it means.”

  Bitch!

  “Who the hell do you think you are passing judgment on me? I’m not the one making a fool of myself. You think acting that way is okay? It’s unprofessional and impolite.”

  Nate placed his hand on Claire’s to calm her down before turning to the woman. “You may be a beautiful woman, but approaching someone like that and whispering explicit things to a random stranger is just asking for trouble. You should think better of yourself then to act like that. You don’t even know who I am or what I’m capable of. Did you ever think for a moment that Claire was my girlfriend and how what would make her feel? By any standard she is beautiful. I happen to think she is the most beautiful, stunning, and amazing person I have ever met.” Nate looked at Claire, smiling before he continued to the waitress. “I think you’ve outstayed your welcome at this table and should leave.”

  Claire smiled. He’d just agreed with her and called her beautiful at the same time. The look on the woman’s face was priceless. The waitress picked up the empty bottle of water, her face red with anger.

  “Oh and here’s your number back,” Nate said handing her back piece of paper she’d given him. “I won’t be needing it.”

  The waitress snatched the piece of paper from Nate’s hand and stalked off in a huff.

  When she was out of earshot Claire turned to Nate, “Thank you for that. What you said…”

  “Which part?” He winked.

  Her smile faded. “Do girls do that to you all the time?”

  “Does it matter if they do?”

  “Yes.” She shook her head and sighed. “I mean, it’s not that I care if they do or not, I just think that there’s a better way to get a guy’s attention. You shouldn’t have to lose all self-respect in the process. A guy will only treat you with the amount of respect that you give yourself.”

  “I never thought about it like that.”

  Claire wondered how many times it had happened to him. It wasn’t hard to realize that Nate was a one night stand kind of guy. He’d even mentioned it a couple of times to her before.

  “How many woman have you slept with?”

  Nate choked on his food. “You seriously want to know?”

  “Call me curious.”

  Nate finished his mouthful of food, slowly chewing it, studying her. She was curious to know just how big of a womanizer he was.

  “Is that the reason why you came here today, to ask me how many woman I’ve slept with?”

  “No! Not at all.”

  Nate chuckled. “It’s nowhere near as many as you think.”

  Nate tried to hide the smug look on his face when Claire’s mind ticked over how many she thought he’d slept with. She decided it might be best if she started eating her breakfast to keep herself from saying any more stupid things.

  “I’m sorry, Claire. I’m sorry for what happened, for how I reacted, for who I was.” Nate said solemnly.

  Claire stayed silent, listening to him explain himself.

  “You’ve probably been able to figure out by now I’m not very good at relationships with woman, friends or otherwise. I don’t regret what happened between us. I don’t regret saving you from that guy that night. And I sure as hell don’t regret kissing you.”

  Claire stopped eating and focused on her breathing. Thoughts of kissing Nate entered her mind, thoughts she shouldn’t be having. But she was strong, she would stay strong.

  “I would be lying if I said I didn’t want you Claire, if I said I didn’t want to be with you and kiss you all over again. But I realize now I shouldn’t have. You have a boyfriend and I betrayed that trust. It was wrong for me to put you in that situation, but I’m telling you now Claire, I promise to never do that again. I will never kiss you while you’re with someone else.

  “What you did for me was more than anyone has ever done before. You believed in me, even when I was a stubborn prick. I don’t deserve you, and never will, but you made me want to be a better person. Hell, you got me walking again.

  “When my Dad died my whole life changed and I watched it as it slowly spun out of control. Just when I thought I’d hit rock bottom, you came into my life. You helped me when no-one else could. You made me see there was more to life and it was worth fighting for. You’re like no-one else I’ve ever met before and I don’t want to lose you.”

  “But I’m not yours to have,” Claire said quietly.

  “I know that, but if all I can have is our friendship then that’s all I want. Please Claire,” he pleaded with her. “I promise to never overstep our friendship. I promise I won’t hurt you. All I’m offering is to be friends, that’s it.”

  Claire sighed. “You’d have to swear to never try and kiss me again, never try and be with my in any… sexual or loving nature. I can’t do that to Dave again. I have to respect what we have. I care about him a lot.”

  “I swear.”

  Nate was asking to be friends, and Claire was considering it. After everything that had happened this was where they were at. If she said yes, though, would that go against her promise to Dave- even if she did promise never to do it again? And if she said no was she willing to walk away from Nate and never see him again?

  Claire couldn’t deny her feelings for Nate were strong, but she had convinced herself the feelings were only because of everything that happened. It wasn’t the kiss they’d shared or the flirting, but it was the feelings of kindness and the fact she cared for Nate. A friendship had formed between them. A friendship she strangely wanted.

  “If you have to talk to Dave about it, I understand.”

  Claire shook her head. “He hates you enough as it is.”

  “Did you tell him?”

  “I told him that I cheated on him, yes… But I didn’t say it was with you. He hates you from that night at the club.”

  Nate nodded his head, his face sombre. “I guess I deserve it.”

  “You’re not a bad guy, Nate, you just make shitty choices sometimes.” She paused. “Yes, I’ll be friends with you. But I’m not going to tell Dave about it. It’s not that this means more than what it is, he’s just really busy with work at the moment with a major development, and I don’t want him to get stressed out over it. But please, don’t make me regret this.”

  Nate grinned. “I promise you won’t.”

  Claire smiled back at him. “So, what now?”

  “Mmm let me see, ever tried to surf before?”

  Claire laughed. “Me? Sur
f? I’m the most un-coordinated person alive!”

  He shook his head. “I doubt that you’ve met my mate, Tim. Now he makes standing look hard!”

  They both laughed together, and for the first time in a month Claire felt relaxed.

  “Come on, I’ll teach you. Fun guaranteed.”

  “Fine, but I’m trusting you.”

  “I won’t let you down.”

  The anxiety and nervousness Claire had felt earlier were gone. Being friends with Nate was what she wanted. And this time they wouldn’t overstep the friendship line. They couldn’t.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Nate had been given a second chance with Claire and there was no way he was going to stuff it up.

  He knew he had done wrong, but he couldn’t help but think, was it so wrong to want her?

  Nate had been so pissed that Claire hadn’t told him about the events leading up to the accident. But as the weeks went by after their fight, he missed her, missed everything about her.

  His emotions confused the hell out of him. He wasn’t that guy. The kind of guy to get all hung up about a girl, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about Claire.

  Nate had gone out and tried his fucking hardest to get Claire off his mind by trying to sleep with the whole coast. His dick, however, had a different idea. Every time he’d been with a chick he couldn’t get it up. No sex goddess or supermodel’s body or the thought of fucking them seven ways till Sunday got him hard.

  For some fucked up reason the only person that could get him hard was Claire, who just so happened to have a boyfriend. Not to mention she hated him now. Just his luck.

  When Claire agreed to be his friend, Nate had finally felt the relief he’d been waiting for, and he wasn’t talking about his cock. They were only friends, he had made a promise he wouldn’t try anything while Claire had a boyfriend, and he wouldn’t break that promise.

  Nate had reasoned with himself that he would be friends with Claire, because, let’s face it, he really wanted to and he meant everything he said about what she meant to him and how he valued their relationship. But Nate had also hoped that by becoming friends with Claire it would help him solve his problem. She would eventually, like every other woman in his life, become annoying and too hard to be around, and he would lose interest. He would then be able to go back to life the way it should be, fucking whoever and whenever he wanted.

  Well so he thought, anyway…

  Claire and Nate had met up at the beach that morning. The waves were perfect, and since Nate wasn’t yet able to get back onto a board, he thought it would be a perfect opportunity to take Claire out.

  “Now, just remember what I told you,” Nate said, pulling the board over the white wash, waves crashing around them. “When I say so, you paddle and kick as hard as you can, then when you feel the wave take you, jump up. Use your body to balance the board.”

  He looked back at Claire lying on the mini mal. She looked scared.

  “You’ll do fine!” Nate said as he smiled and winked at her, pulling her board closer and waiting for the next set.

  Claire had proven to be a fast learner. It had taken her only a few attempts of riding the white wash before she was successfully standing up. So Nate had decided to step it up to unbroken waves. If Claire was scared now, she wasn’t willing to let it on. Even if her face showed it, Claire wasn’t going to admit it.

  Nate had to admit he couldn’t help but notice how sexy Claire looked in her black bikini. Thank fuck they didn’t spend too long on land and he could hide his hard on in the water.

  Nate had also caught Claire looking at his topless torso. He didn’t make it known though. Friends, remember?

  “Do you miss it?”

  He turned to Claire, gripping the board tightly to avoid her floating away. “Surfing? Yeah, I miss it. I used to go surfing nearly every day with my Dad. After he died, I didn’t go as often. Then of course the accident happened…”

  “Was he a good surfer?”

  “The best. Although he’d never admit it. He surfed all his life, and when I was born he couldn’t wait till I was old enough to get me on a board. When I was two, he had this tiny board made up; it seemed he couldn’t wait any longer for me to grow up and learn to ride a real board. So he taught me to ride the white wash with it, and then as years passed I got better and better until I was on a real board and we were both surfing together. Even if the surf was shit, we would still come out here and just sit out here talking. It was something we always had together, our ‘thing.’

  “He tried to get my sister into it, and she loved it as well, but then she became a teenager, and she was more interested in sunbaking then surfing. He never pushed us, though. He only wanted what was best for us. He told us that surfing would give us the power, fitness, and strength we needed. It helped us relax. Out here, there is no yesterday, no tomorrow, just now.”

  Nate looked around him at the peaceful serenity of the ocean.

  “Your dad sounds like a smart man.”

  “He is… He was.” Nate could feel the tears in his eyes remembering all those moments with his dad, the moments he could never relive.

  “It’s okay to miss him,” Claire said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

  But Nate didn’t want to miss him, he wanted his Dad to be here with him, right now.

  Nate cleared his throat as he spotted the next set coming through. “Okay, here it comes. Are you ready?”

  Claire’s expression changed, her nervous face giving her away. “Yep. I’m ready.”

  “Ok,” he said, pulling her board around so it faced the shore. “When I say, give it all you got. Don’t lean too far forward or you’ll nose dive. Lean back, bend your legs, balance and take control. Turn your body against the break so you can ride the wave.”

  He watched the set come closer and just as they floated on the wave he pushed the board forward hard. “Go!” he screamed.

  Nate watched as Claire fiercely paddled and kicked as hard and fast as she could. The lip of the wave curled and Claire jumped up. Her body was a little unsteady but she stayed strong.

  Nate watched as Claire continued riding the wave. It closed off behind her and she came out standing. Claire jumped of her board into the water. She’d done it.

  Nate started swimming towards her, out of the break. She emerged from the water, splashing in excitement.

  “I did it!” she yelled.

  Claire jumped on her board and paddled to Nate. When they were close enough, he smiled at her. “You did it, Claire. I’m so proud of you!”

  Claire beamed at Nate as she jumped of her board and wrapped her arms and legs around Nate. “I can’t believe I just did that! Oh my god!”

  Nate held her tight. “I told you that you could do it!”

  “It was unreal,” Claire panted into his ear.

  She pulled her face back and looked at him. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he smiled.

  They looked into each other’s eyes for only a moment, Nate very aware of her legs wrapped around him, the feeling of her body pressed against him before Claire quickly pulled away and jumped back onto the board.

  “Come on,” Nate said pulling the board again. “Let’s see if you can do it a second time.”

  Claire’s face changed to excitement at his words. “I guarantee I can do it again.”

  “Oh, really? Wanna bet?”

  “Name your price,” Claire said arrogantly.

  Whatever Nate was going to suggest, he was sure Claire would follow through with it, win or lose. Her ridiculous tattoo was evidence of that.

  “Oh I think I could think of something…” He winked at her. Claire just shook her head.

  Yes, he could think of something alright. The only problem was he was sure he was going to lose. Once Claire set her sights on winning something, she’d do everything to make sure she did.

  ***

  “Hey babe,” Dave said kissing Claire’s cheek. “How was the beach?”
/>   Claire dropped her handbag on Dave’s kitchen bench top and wrapped her arms around his neck. “It was amazing! I learnt to surf!”

  “You what?”

  “I learnt to surf. It was so awesome. Have you ever done it before?”

  “No I haven’t.” Dave paused “It’s a bit dangerous for a girl, don’t you think?”

  Claire pulled her arms away. “Excuse me?”

  Dave placed his hands on her hips trying to pull her closer. “I’m just saying it’s not really a woman’s sport.”

  Claire brushed his hands away. “Are you serious?” she snapped. “Women can do every sport that a man can do.”

  “Not every kind.”

  “Name one?” Claire said, putting her hands on her hips, unimpressed with his ideologies on this topic.

  “Just because women do the sport doesn’t mean they should.”

  Dave’s face was serious.

  “Are you kidding me? What world do you live in? Since when are men superior to women?”

  “Do you really want me to answer that, Claire?”

  He was serious. What a dick!

  “You know what, don’t answer that question,” Claire said as she grabbed her bag from the counter and stormed off, slamming the front door behind her. She stomped down the staircase and towards her parked car. Jumping into her car, she had just turned the engine over when her phone rang. Without even looking at the caller ID Claire answered. “Unless you’re calling to apologize and say how wrong you are, I don’t want to fucking talk to you!”

  “Claire? What’s wrong?” Nate’s voice sounded concerned.

  “Shit, sorry.” Claire’s voice calmed. She paused before asking “What are your views on women doing ‘men’s’ sports. Do you think it’s okay? Do you think men are superior to women?”

  “Why do you wanna know what I think?”

  “Nate, please, just tell me.”

  “Okay, then, well, I think that all women can do whatever they want. Regardless of if you’re a woman or man, you are free to live your life the way you want, provided it’s within the law of course. We live in an age right now where women have rights and have a voice, so they have every right to use them.”