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Post by celticgirl91 on Mar 1, 2010 14:42:02 GMT -5
Claire was sitting in a pub, all alone, drinking a Guinness. She was thinking about her life, and how pathetic it had gotten in the last few months. Keith had married Abby a few days ago. She was happy for him, of course she was. He was estatic, so how could she be anything less than happy? The only problem was, Claire still loved him. Claire knew that she would get over him eventually. But eventually wasn’t coming anytime soon. Claire knew that it was for the best. Keith loved Abby, so he should be with her. Claire was sitting there, absorbing all these thoughts, when someone came and sat down next to her. “Hey”, the dark haired man said as he took a seat. “Hi”, Claire replied cautiously. “You’re Ryan Kelly, right?” Ryan nodded. “Aye, I am. I saw you over here, looking a bit, umm… depressed.” Claire stared down at her Guinness. She didn’t know that she had been that obvious. “You okay?”, Ryan asked gently. Claire looked back up at him and nodded, trying to hide her true feelings. She was anything other than okay. “Yea, I’m fine”, she lied. Ryan looked at her closely, but thankfully decided not to press the issue farther. “So, you’re the one in charge of this place?”, Claire asked, trying to change the subject. Ryan sighed. “Yea, unfortunatley.” Claire looked at him. “Unfortunatley?” Ryan took a sip of his Guinness. “Yea. Sometimes I wonder if this place is even worth all the trouble” Claire was surprised. She wasn’t expecting all this to be coming from Ryan Kelly. From Keith, maybe… oops. She wasn’t supposed to be thinking about him. She turned her attention back to Ryan. “But… you love the Moy”, she said. “you’re always working” “Aye”, Ryan agreed. “I love being the leader of this small villiage. But sometimes… when things go wrong…” Something was wrong? “What’s wrong?”, Claire asked. Ryan thought for a minute, probably thinking about whether he should tell her. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We lost a couple of our guys yesterday” Claire gasped. “Lost… as in…” “As in they’re missing”, Ryan explained. “They went out on a gig and haven’t come back. I don’t know where they are. I don’t know if they were arrested, or hurt, I have no clue”, he sighed dejectedly. Claire felt so sorry for him. She wanted to comfort Ryan in some way, but didn’t know how. They were basically strangers. “I’m so sorry”, she finally said. “This must be so hard for you” “It is”, Ryan agreed. “Everyone turning to you, expecting you to automatically have all the answers…” Claire didn’t know how to respond to that. “Is there anything I can do to help?”, she asked tentivley. Ryan looked up at her, almost in a surprised way. “No”, he said after looking at her for a second. “No, but thanks for the offer. But I don’t want to talk about my problems anymore. My problems are depressing me” “I can see how they would”, Claire smiled a bit. “I’m in the same boat” Ryan raised his eyebrows at her. Claire realized what she said a second too late. She groaned inwardly. Her and her big mouth… she raised her eyebrows back at him and turned her attention back to her Guinness, hoping Ryan wouldn’t ask her what she knew he was going to. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”, he asked softly. Yep. Claire had brought that one upon herself. Of course she didn’t want to talk about it. But on the other hand… she longed to talk to someone. She needed to talk to someone about it, to have a shoulder to cry on. But the only person who she felt comfortable enough with to actually do that to, was thousands of miles away with the woman he loved. And that woman wasn’t Claire. Without even realizing it, and totally against her will, tears began to fall gently down Claire’s face as she thought about Keith. “Hey…”, Ryan said gently as he saw her tears. He moved closer and put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey… it’s okay”, he whispered. “What’s wrong?” Claire didn’t respond. She coughed and tried to stop her tears. That was the one thing that always frustrated her. Her annoying tendancy to cry at everything. Movies, books, happy , sad… everything. This was one of those times. Ryan squeezed her shoulder gently. “I’m sorry”, he whispered. “This must be very hard for you” Claire wiped her eyes and looked at him. “S- sorry? For what?” “I’m sorry about you and Keith”, Ryan looked at her with sad eyes. “I know you still love him” Claire couldn’t help it. She buried her head in her hands and sobbed.
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Post by celticgirl91 on Mar 3, 2010 1:49:47 GMT -5
Ryan sat there with Claire for 20 minutes and let her cry. She knew he felt sorry for her, who wouldn’t? But there wasn’t much she could do about it. “You okay now?”, Ryan asked. Claire nodded. “Aye, I think so. Thanks Ryan” Ryan looked at her curiously. “For trying to help you feel better?” “Yea”, Claire smiled a bit. “I know you have your own problems to worry about, you shouldn’t have to deal with mine” Ryan smiled kindly at her. “It’s no problem, I promise. But speaking of problems, I have to get back to the office.” “Now?”, Claire asked. She looked at her phone. “It’s 9 o’clock” Ryan chuckled. “Aye, I know. But I have two lads missing. I can’t just sit around, can I?” Claire nodded sadly. She had enjoyed having someone to talk to. “I understand”, she said. She knew she shouldn’t be expecting anything less from him. From the first time she had seen Ryan, she could tell that the Moy was everything to him. He wouldn’t be the type to waste time while he had men in potential danger. Ryan stood up, but before he left, he put a hand on her shoulder again. “If it makes you feel any better, I know that Keith’s just asupset about this as you are”, he said softly. “He does love you. And he hates knowing that you’re upset” Claire nodded, of course Keith would be thinking that way. He was so sweet and caring. He wouldn’t want to see anyone upset. He was just that type of person. “He shouldn’t feel bad”, Claire said to Ryan. “It’s not his fault” Ryan smiled at her. “I’ll see you later, Claire”, he said. He turned and walked put of the pub. Claire sighed after he left. Here she was… alone again. Claire quickly finished her Guinness and went back to her small apartment. She had a date with a tub of chocolate fudge icecream and a movie.
The next morning, Ryan Kelly walked quickly to his office. He had a lot of work to do… he had to make phone calls and send emails. He had to devise a plan to scout out where the two lads had gone missing. But before he got started on the heap of work that awaited him, he turned his thoughts to Claire. He wished he could help her somehow. But there was nothing he could do. First of all, he had only met her officially last night. Second of all, what do you do to help in a situation like this? Ryan sighed and decided to worry about it later. But he couldn’t concentrate on work. Just then, his office door banged open. In the doorway stood a man and a woman. And neither one looked happy. “Yes?”, Ryan tried to be polite, despite the fact that 2 strangers had just barged into his office. “Where’s my son?”, the man asked. Ryan was confusd for a second. He didn’t know who this man was, how was he supposed to know about his son? “Excuse me?”, he asked. “My name is Mark McGuffy”, the man said. “And this is my wife” Suddenly, Ryan understood. These were the people that he had had to call and tell them that their son was missing. They were the parents of one of the lads that he was so stressed over. “Mr. and Mrs. McGuffy”, Ryan stood up and held out his hand. “Yes, your son. Please sit down”, he gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. The couple took the seats and glared at Ryan. “Well?”, Mr. McGuffy said. “Where is he?” Ryan sighed. Sometimes, he really hated being the one in charge. “I don’t know yet”, he said sadly. “But believe me, I’m doing everything I can to find out” “Well, you’re not doing a very good job”, Mr. McGuffy said in a hard voice. Ryan blinked. “This is going to take some time, Mr. McGuffy”, he said slowly. “No!”, Mr. McGuffy said loudly. “He could be hurt! Or worse! Find him now!” “I’m doing everything I can sir”, Ryan said in a calm voice. “We need to be very careful with our search” Mr. McGuffy pointed a finger at him. “You have one week. If he’s not found by then, I’ll have you thrown out!”, he took his wife’s hand and led her out the door. Ryan dropped his head onto his desk and groaned. He didn’t need this right now. He picked up his phone and called Paul. “Yea?”, Paul answered. Ryan stood up and started pacing around his office. “You know what I hate?”, he asked. “People trying to do my job for me!” Ryan heard Paul chuckle a bit. “Bad day?”, he asked. Ryan groaned. “You know the guys that are missing?” “Yea…” “One of the guys’ parents came over here and threatened to throw me out of the Moy if I didn’t find them in a week!” Paul hesitated. “Can he even do that?” “No. It’s just that I have enough to do already! I don’t need this!” “Wow Ry”, Paul said. “You really sound stressed. You think you should take a break?” Ryan shook his head even though he was on the phone. “I don’t have time for breaks”, he said. “I’m sorry, Mate”, Paul said. Ryan sighed. “I need your help”
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Post by celticgirl91 on Mar 7, 2010 22:45:41 GMT -5
It was right after the morning rush and Claire was now bored. The machines were all wiped down, the display case was stocked, and the dishes were washed. Claire hated being bored. Being bored meant more time to think about Keith. He would be back from his honeymoon soon… She wondered if he was having a good time. What was she thinking? Of course he would be having a good time. Claire sighed. “You okay, Claire?”, Jenny, her friend and co-worker, asked from the doorway leading to the kitchen. Claire looked up at her. “Yea, I’m fine. Why?” Jenny walked over to her. “You’ve just seemed a little down today, that’s all. What’s wrong?” Claire sighed again. “I’ve just had too much free time today. I’ve been thinking about him” Jenny was the only other person besides Ryan that knew how she felt about Keith. “Oh honey…”, she gave Claire a hug. “Well don’t think about him then” Claire shrugged. “It’s not as if I can help it”, she said. “He just comes up unexpectedly.” It was true. Not always welcome, but true. Keith would pop into her brain at the most random times. It wasn’t intentional at all. She would be going along her way when she would see a man with hair like Keith’s, or she would overhear a customer talking about a gig, and there he was. In her head again. “We need to get you out more”, Jenny interrupted her thoughts. “I’ll set you up with someone. Trust me, he’s perfect for you” Claire made a face. “Do I have to? I hate blind dates” ”Come on”, Jenny insisted. “You’ll thank me later” Claire smiled a bit at her friend’s persistence. Why not? It would get her thoughts off of Keith. For a while anyway. “Okay, fine”, she sighed. Jenny jumped up and down and clapped her hands like a little kid. “Yey! I’ll call him tonight and set it all up. You won’t have to worry your pretty little head about anything” Claire laughed. “Is he cute?” Jenny winked. “We’re in Ireland, Dearie. All the lads here are cute. And you can go home if you want, it’s slow here” Claire nodded and got her purse. “I’ll see you tomorrow then”, she said as she walked out the door. Claire was walking down main street, when she heard her name. “Claire!”, a voice called. She turned around and came face to face with Ryan. “Ryan”, she responded curiously. Ryan held something out to her. “I saw you coming out of the café and this fell from your purse.” It was her small, heart shaped keychain. He handed it to her. “Oh Ryan”, she breathed. “Thank you! My father gave this to me” “You’re quite welcome”, Ryan grinned. “Did he give it to you for a special occasion?” “Yes…”, Claire smiled softly, remembering. “He gave it to me on my 21st birthaday. He said that whenever I looked at it, I should remember that he loves me and I’ll always have a home there. When he gave it to me, our house key was attatched to it”, she held up the key. Ryan smiled. “He seems like a good father. Were you moving out or something?” “Yea. I’d graduated from community college that may and had just gotten my own place.” Ryan stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around. “We don’t have college here”, he said whistfully. “Here you go to school, go into training, and then the gigs. Unless you choose to work one of the stores or something” “How did you get to be in charge?”, Claire asked, suddenly wanting to know about his past. Ryan shrugged. “My Dad was in charge before me. Now he’s retired. It’s a family thing” Claire nodded and they both stood there for a second. “Well, I should probably go”, Ryan said. “I’ve got a bunch of work to do” Claire nodded understandingly. “The two men. How’s that coming?” Ryan chuckled dryly and shook his head. “I’m being threatened to be kicked out if I don’t find them soon” Claire gasped. “What?? Who? And can they actually DO that?” “Nope”, Ryan grinned. “But it’s still not the most pleasant situation. So I’ll see you later?” Claire nodded. “Okay, good luck” “Thanks”, Ryan grinned as he walked away. Claire looked down at the heart for a second and rubbed her thumb across the top, thinking. Then she started walking toward home.
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Post by celticgirl91 on Mar 10, 2010 0:18:20 GMT -5
The next night, Claire was sitting in her apartment. She wasn’t really doing anything. Just thinking about life. She tried to remember what her life had been like a year ago and could barely remember it. A year ago, she had still been home. Home and happy. She rubbed her thumb over her heart shaped key chain. What was she doing here? Nothing. Keith was gone, what else was there? She wanted to go home. Sure, she had Jenny here, but that was it. She continued to sit there, a plan forming in her mind, when her phone rang. “Hey Jenny”, she greeted, looking at the caller ID. “Claire!”, Jenny exclaimed. “You’re all set! Meet him at the pub tomorrow at 7.” Claire was confused. She had no clue as to what her friend was talking about. “Meet him?”, she asked. “Meet who?” Claire heard Jenny’s exasperated sigh in the other side of the phone. “Meet your date! Remember that blind date I was setting you up with?” Oh. That. Claire had, in fact, forgotten all about the guy Jenny was setting her up with. “Umm… sure. I remember”, she lied. “No you didn’t”, Jenny said. Claire could practically hear her friend rolling her eyes over the phone. But Jenny laughed. “It’s okay”, she said. “I didn’t think you would remember. Are you still up for it?” “Uhh- sure”, Claire answered. She wasn’t really, but she knew that it would make Jenny happy. What could it hurt anyway? She’d go, pretend to be happy for a few hours, and that would be the end of it. “Okay, good”, Jenny giggled. “Meet him at the pub tomorrow night at 7” “At 7”, Claire repeated. “Okay, what’s he look like?” “He’s got dark brown hair and really blue eyes. And he’s kind of on the shorter side, but taller than you” “Okay”, Claire nearly sighed with relief. As long as this guy didn’t look like Keith, Claire was pretty sure she could handle it. And from what Jenny had described, this man was almost the oposite of Keith. “What’s his name?”, she asked. “Liam”, Jenny answered. Claire thought for a minute. Now why did that name sound so familiar? It reminded her of Keith… although that wasn’t unusual. Almost everything did these days. But WHY did it remind her of Keith? Maybe something he had said… Claire shook it off. It was probably nothing. “Okay”, she told Jenny. “Tell him I’ll be there”
The next night, Claire walked into the night the pub and started to look around. She wondered what this guy was wearing. She, herself, was wearing jeans and a nice top. Not too dressy, but nice. “Claire?” Claire turned around and came face to face with the man Jenny had described. He was wearing jeans and a black, striped, button down shirt. “Liam?”, she asked. Liam grinned. “Aye. How are you doing? You look great”, he looked her up and down. “I’m good”, she said, wondering why this man looked so familiar. The hair, the name, the attitude… Liam took her elbow and guided her to a table. “You look very familiar….”, Liam said, looking at her closely. Already, Claire didn’t like this guy. He was looking at her as if she was some delicacy to be eaten for dessert. “Oh I remember”, Liam laughed. “You’re Keith’s little prisioner friend” Claire’s eyes widened as the memories came flooding back. This man had shown up at her cell once. He had been bugging her, flirting with her. Keith had come to her rescue. “Liam’s name is the definition of trouble…”, Keith’s musical voice floated in her ear, causing an invollentary pain in her chest. “You…”, she whispered. Liam’s smile widened. “You remember me then? Good. We can pick up where we left off… getting to know each other”, Liam reached for her hand. Claire pulled her hand back. She didn’t know much about this man, but if Keith didn’t trust him, than neither did she. “I’m sorry”, she said. “I don’t think I can stay. I have to go”, she started to stand up. This time, Liam’s hand grabbed her arm before she could pull away. “Where are you going?”, he asked in a smooth voice. “You just got here” “I’m sorry”, Claire tried to pull her arm out of his grasp. It didn’t work. Liam narrowed his eyes. “What did Keith say about me? Whatever it was, it was probably a lie” Claire’s heart was breaking again. Everytime Liam said Keith’s name came another memory. She stood up and Liam stood with her, still holding her forearm. “Let me go”, she tried to say firmly. Liam shook his head. “Let’s talk. I promise that I’m not what your married, surfer boy said I was” Claire pulled away, but Liam didn’t let her go. “Just give me a chance”, his persuassive voice said. “Let her go, Liam”, a harder voice said. Claire looked over Liam’s shoulder and saw Ryan. And he did not look happy.
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Post by celticgirl91 on Mar 11, 2010 0:50:05 GMT -5
Ryan was in his office working. He was meeting with his officials to get updated on the missing lads. His officials, just happened to be, George, Paul, Keith, and Damian. Keith still wasn’t home, but the rest of the lads were there. “So where do we stand?”, he asked them. Paul looked at a paper he was holding. “I have a lead from the teacher’s neighbor, I’m checking it out tomorrow” Ryan nodded. “Good. Damian?”, he turned to the lad. Damian may be young, but he was very talented. He wouldn’t be on Ryan’s force if he wasn’t. Plus, he came in handy when they needed a younger guy for a gig. Like now. “I’ve been hearing stuff in the halls. The teacher is deffinatley gone, but no one knows where” Ryan nodded. The gig had been to confront a high school teacher and get him to hand over an inheritance. Ryan had put Damian inside the school to get inside information on the teacher. The young lad wasn’t too happy about having to go back to high school, but he knew it was the job. “So our guys deffinitley got the teacher then…”, Ryan murmered to himself. “George?” It had been George’s job to check the police records to see if they had been taken into custody. George shook his head. “I didn’t find anything. Whatever happened to them, they weren’t arrested.” Ryan sighed with relief. “Good”, he said. “Okay, I think that’s enough for tonight. You guys can go home” “What about you, Ryan?”, Damian asked as they all stood up. “Yea, come on Ry”, Paul added. “You’re always working” Ryan sighed.”I can’t go, I have too much to do”, he started to reach for his paperwork. “Come on Ryan”, George insisted. “You’re going to stress out too much. We’re going to the pub, come with us” “Already stressed”, Ryan muttered. He couldn’t take a break. He had a villiage to run. Because on top of this crisis, he still had gigs to arrange. “Maybe I can come a bit later”, he said. Paul rolled his eyes. “You have one hour. If you’re not there by then, I’m comig to find you” Ryan nodded. He knew he wouldn’t get any peace unless he did. “Alright, I’ll come” “Good”, all the lads grinned. “See you in bit then”, George said as they left. Ryan worked hard the entire time. After an hour was gone, he stood up. It was time to meet the lads. He didn’t have time for this though. He decided that he’d only stay for an hour before he came back. With that reasurring thought in his head, he set off toward the pub. Upon getting there, he walked in and saw Claire sitting at a table. He was about to go up to her and say hi, when he realized that someone was sitting across from her. He looked closer and saw that it was Liam. He didn’t like that guy. At all. He saw Laim take Claire’s arm. Not good. Claire stood up and tried to pull away, but predictably, Liam didn’t let go. That’s when Ryan couldn’t just stand by anymore. Claire didn’t deserve this. She had enough to deal with already. “Let her go Liam”, Ryan said firmly. He saw the relieved look on Claire’s face as soon as she noticed that he was there. And despite his anger at Liam, Ryan felt a soft feeling in his heart toward her. Poor girl. Liam, on the other hand, turned around in shock. “Ryan”, he said as he dropped Claire’s arm. As soon as he let her go, Claire got her purse and went to stand close to Ryan. Ryan put his arm around her shoulder protectivley and drew her close. “Go home, Liam”, he said firmly. He knew Liam wouldn’t contradict him. Liam looked between the two of them. ”So you got a new boyfriend then?”, he sneered. “Lets hope that this one doesn’t run off and get married on you”, he said as he walked off. Ryan wanted to hit him. How dare he say that to her? She was already upset about Keith…. Liam had probably just made it worse. Ryan unconciously held her closer, trying to protect her from the words that could never be taken back. When Liam was finally gone, he turned to Claire. “Are you okay?”, he asked her, holding her by her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. She better be okay. If she wasn’t… Claire nodded. “I’m fine” Ryan looked at her closely. “You sure?” Claire nodded. “Good”, Ryan smiled a bit. “How did you wind up with that guy anyway?”, he asked, sitting them down at the table. “It was a blind date”, Claire shrugged. “But Keith had warned me about him. He had shown up when I first got here” Ryan raised his eyebrows. “You mean that Liam’s come on to you before?” “Yea”, Claire nodded. Suddenly, a fierce protectivness filled Ryan. He knew what Liam was like… and he did NOT want him around Claire. She was so sweet and innocent. She had no clue as to what guys like Liam could do to her. “Claire”, Ryan said seriously, leaning toward her. “Promise me that you’ll never go out with him again. That guy’s bad news” Claire’s eyes were wide. “I promise”, she said soflty. Ryan relaxed a bit. “Good. Are you hungry? You probably came here expecting to eat…”, he waved the waiter over. “Oh, it’s okay”, Claire protested. Ryan rolled his eyes. “Liam is anything but okay, Claire”, he turned to the waiter. “We’ll have two shepard’s pies please”, he turned to Claire. “Is that okay?” “Sure”, Claire smiled. The waiter smiled politley and left them alone. And suddenly, not to mention quite unexpectedly, Ryan found himself having dinner with Claire.
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Post by celticgirl91 on Mar 28, 2010 22:56:34 GMT -5
sorry it tok so long!!! life is CRAZY right now! but here you go!
“So how are you doing?”, Ryan asked. Claire looked beautiful that night. Her hair looked so soft, he just wanted to run his fingers through it. “I’m okay”, she responded. “How’s the search coming?” Ryan didn’t really want to talk abou that. He wanted to concentrate on Claire. “It’s coming along”, he replied simply. The waiter brought their food. “So are you liking the Moy?”, Ryan asked. He knew he was making small talk, but he didn’t know what else to say. “I like it”, Claire smiled. “I mean, of course I miss home, but it’s not that bad here” Ryan nodded slowly and took a bite of food. “I AM sorry about that”, he said after a minute. “You know, you not being able to leave” Claire looked down at her plate. “I am”, Ryan continued. “I would let you go, but then people will ask where you were and find out about us and I just can’t let that happen” Claire looked at him. “I could lie?”, she asked hopefully. Ryan smiled sadly. “They’ll find out”, he said softly. “You’ll be okay though. We’ll take care of you, and I really think you’ll come to love it here” Claire looked down again. Ryan could tell that she was upset, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t know how, but somehow, he had fallen for Claire. Yes, she was 7 years younger. And yes, she was still in love with Keith. But he couldn’t help it. At that moment, he knew his heart. Was that the reason why he didn’t want to release her? Because he loved her? No. No, that wasn’t it. Of course he didn’t want her to leave, but the Moy really would be in trouble if she left. The authorities would ask questions and find out where they were and that would be the end. So it was best if Claire stayed there. Which was perfectly fine with Ryan, he just wished she wouldn’t be so sad about it. “You okay?”, he asked softly, watching her. Claire looked up and nodded. “I’m fine. I mean, I already knew I couldn’t leave. Keith told me. But it’s still a hard thing to hear” Ryan nodded understandingly. “How are you doing with that?”, he couldn’t help asking. “The whole Keith thing. I mean, is it getting any easier?” Claire sighed. “I’m in love with him, Ryan. It’s not just going to go away…”, she picked up her fork and started playing with her food. “That’s true…”, Ryan said slowly. “Why did he have to pick her anyway?”, Claire burst ou suddenly. “What does she have that I don’t have?” Ryan shrugged. “He loves her. Somethimes, that’s all the reason you need.” “Is it because I’m not smart enough? Or funny enough? Or pretty enough?” “Stop right there”, Ryan said in a firm, yet gentle voice. He felt a sudden protectiveness at her words. How could she- how could those thoughts even enter her mind? “Don’t even think such things” “Well there must be SOMETHING wrong me”, Claire’s voice rose. Ryan shook his head and put his hand on top of hers. “Stop. There is NOTHING wrong with you. You are smart, funny, and the most beautiful woman I know” Claire’s face turned bright red. “Oh. Well… thank you” Ryan grinned. “You’re quite welcome. Are you ready to go?”, he asked, looking at her empty plate. Claire nooded and stood up, Ryan following suit. As he walked her back to her apartment, he couldn’t help but wonder what he was supposed to do. Yes, he loved Claire. No, she didn’t love him. She was in love with someone else. So what should he do? Give her time, that’s what. But what about Keith? Would he be okay with Ryan and Claire? That is, if Claire would even consider him…. Ryan sighed. His life had just gotten a wee bit more complicated. But Claire was worth it. He glanced over at her and smiled to himself, thinking about her laugh, smile, her charming personality… oh yes, she was definatley worth it.
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Post by celticgirl91 on Mar 30, 2010 23:16:29 GMT -5
Ryan was walking back to his apartment, he had some serious thinking to do. He was just going to get his keys out of his pocket, when his phone rang. It was Paul. Ryan sighed. What did he want? “What Paul?”, he answered. He knew it wasn’t the most polite greeting, but Ryan wasn’t in the mood to talk. He just wanted to sit and try to get his feelings straight. “Ryan, where are you?”, Paul demanded. “I’m… at my house?”, Ryan asked. “You were supposed to be here 2 hours ago!”, Paul reminded him. “Remember? You only had an hour to work. And if you didn’t show up in an hour, I was going to come find you” Right. Ryan remembered now. He was going to meet the lads at the pub. And he had gone to the pub… but then he had seen Claire. “So would you mind telling me why you’re at home?”, Paul continued. “I forgot. I’m sorry”, Ryan apologized. “But I have a VERY good explanation. I’ll be there in 10 minutes and tell you what happened.” Sure enough, 10 minutes later, Ryan walked up to the table where the lads were. Well, lad. Paul was the only one there. “Well finally!”, Paul exclaimed as Ryan walked up. “Where is everyone?”, Ryan asked, looking around. Paul coughed. “Well, George went home to Carrie, Damian ran off to who knows where, and Keith is on his honeymoon.” Ryan nodded and sat down. “So? What’s the story?”, Paul asked. Ryan called the bartender over, ordered a pint, and looked at Paul. “I’m sorry”, he started off. “I ran into Claire. She was having… trouble, getting rid of her date. I ended up having dinner with her” Paul raised one eyebrow. “Really? Why do I sense that there’s more to this story than just dinner?” Ryan sighed, but couldn’t help smiling a bit. “I love her” Paul had been sipping his Guinness and almost choked. “What?? Ryan. You barely know the girl. And what about Keith?” Ryan shrugged. “I know. Trust me, I’ve thought about all of this. But I can’t help it. I love her” Paul sighed and sipped his drink. “So what are you going to do?” Ryan shrugged again. “I don’t know. What do you think I should do?” “Tell her” Ryan raised his eyebrows. “Tell her? She’s in love with somebody else. I can’t” “Is it Keith?”, Paul guessed. “No”, Ryan lied immediatley. He knew Paul would see right through that though. The chemistry Keith and Claire once had… it was obvious. Sure enough, Paul saw through it. “It’s Keith”, Paul repeated. “Just tell her” “I can’t do that!”, Ryan objected. “She’ll freak out!” “Don’t tell her”, came a voice. Ryan looked over to see Damian sliding into a seat. “Why not??”, Paul asked him. It was obvious that Paul had had a few drinks. “She’ll shut down. She’s not ready to hear it yet”, Damian replied confidently. Ryan clapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you Damian.” The young lad was actually right. Paul just shook his head. “And how would you know? You’ve only had one girlfriend.” “That doesn’t mean I’m stupid”, Damian shot back. “Honestly Paul. It’s common sense” Ryan smiled. It was quite humerous watching these two. “So if I don’t tell her, what do I do?”, he asked Damian. Damian thought for minute. “I think you should just give her time, let her get over this dude-“ “Keith”, Paul cut in. “Really?”, Damian looked at him. “She’s in love with Keith?” “Doesn’t matter”, Ryan interrupted. “Continue”, he said to Damian as he shook his head mentally. As smart as Damian was, he could be very unobservant at times. “Anyway”, the young lad continued. “Let her get over him and then start letting her know that you’re interested.” Ryan nodded. “Hmm… that’s actually pretty good, Damo” Damian nodded. “Like I said, common sense”, he shot a grin at Paul. Paul just rolled his eyes and Ryan grinned. He didn’t have a plan yet, but this was a start.
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Post by celticgirl91 on Apr 3, 2010 11:07:59 GMT -5
“So? How was it?”, Jenny asked the next day. They were sitting in Claire’s apartment, watching a movie. “It was okay”, Claire shrugged. Jenny giggled and clapped her hands together. “Isn’t Liam just a doll? I don’t know him personally, but my one friend says that he’s such a sweetheart! And VERY handsome too!” Claire’s head snapped up to look at Jenny. “Liam?”, she asked. Liam’s part of last night seemed so far away… and what she DID remember, Claire tired to block out. “Yes, Liam”, Jenny replied. “The lad you went out with yesterday” Claire shook her head, suddenly remembering. “Oh no. Liam wasn’t a sweetheart at all. His whole personality screamed ‘jerk’.” Jenny sat up from where she had been lying on the couch, her face serious. “Really? Oh sweetie… I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have set you up with him if I had known. Monica said he was a good guy… what happened?” Claire plopped down on the couch next to her. “He was a jerk”, she repeated. “He had actually tried to hit on me before, but Keith stopped him and told me what he was really like. When Liam recognized me, he tried to pull the same moves as before. I tried to get away, but he wouldn’t let me go. Then Ryan showed up and made him leave” Jenny’s eyes widened. “Ryan Kelly?” Claire nodded. “Yea. Then he stayed and ate with me.” Jenny giggled. “So, you and Ryan basically went out on a date??” “We did not!”, Claire responded immediatley. She wacked Jenny with a pillow to prove her point. Of course it wasn’t a date. Ryan had just been helping her out… “Did he walk you home?”, Jenny asked, ignoring the pillow. Claire hesitated. She knew what her friend was leading at. “Yea…” Jenny grinned. “Date” “It wasn’t!”, Claire huffed in frustration. “Yes, it may have looked like a date, but it wasn’t. Why? Because the feelings weren’t there! And besides… I love Keith” Jenny looked at Claire sadly and took her hand. “But honey… Keith is married.” Claire flinched at those words. Yes, she knew he was married. And her heart clenched every time she thought about it. “Don’t you think it’s time to… move on?”, Jenny continued. “He’s not coming back” Claire turned her face away, trying to stop the tears that were filling her eyes. “I know that”, she finally said. “But these feelings aren’t just going to go away” “I kow”, Jenny whispered. “But they won’t go away by themselves. You need to help. Go out with Ryan. He’s a great guy, very sweet and caring” Yes… Claire knew all these things. Ryan was almost as great as Keith. But she couldn’t handle being rejected again. “He barely even knows me”, she said to Jenny. There was no way he could like her, so why get her hopes up? “But he could get to know you”, Jenny insisted. “You guys already had one date, why not get to know him a bit more?” “It wasn’t a date!”, Claire insisted. She was getting so confused. .. thoughts of Keith and Ryan danced in her head. She had already gotten her heart broken once… Keith had rejected her. So what would make Ryan any different? Plus he was busy with his missing men. What was the use of even trying? “What am I doing here, Jenny?”, she whispered. Jenny looked at her, confused. “What?” Claire shook her head. “There’s no way Ryan will ever like me, I can’t have Keith, and he’s coming home soon which will only be awkward for both of us. And I don’t want to feel as if someone ripped my heart out everytime I see him with Abby” “What are you saying?”, Jenny asked. Claire didn’t respond. She knew what she was going to do now. She had nothing here in the Moy. Nothing but pain. It was tiime to go home.
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Post by celticgirl91 on Apr 5, 2010 20:34:41 GMT -5
Two days later, Ryan was sitting in his office when he heard a knock on the door. He looked up to see a tall, tan, blonde haired man standing in the doorway. “Keith!”, Ryan exclaimed as he stood up to greet his mate. “Ryan!”, Keith beamed, returni ng Ryan’s hug. “Good to see you! What’s the craic?” Ryan shook his head and sat down. “I’ll tell you about it later”, he said. “How was the honeymoon?” Keith’s smile was so large, it looked as if it would break his face. “Undescribable”, he said. “I think I love Abby more now then I did when I married her!” Ryan beamed. “I’m glad!”, he replied. He truly was happy for Keith. The lad was happier than a kid at Christmas. “Where’s your wife?” Keith’s smile got even bigger at hearing that title. “She’s at home. So what’s been happening around here?” Ryan shook his head. “A lot. Two of our men went missing” Keith’s eyes went wide. “Missing? Like, gone and we don’t know where they are, missing?” “That’s kind of the definition, yea”, Ryan replied. “Well what are we doing to find them?”, Keith stood up. “Have you searched the gig site? Asked around? Where they arrested?” Ryan half laughed. It was good to have Keith back. He was a hard, dedicated worker. “I’ve done all that”, he said. “And no, they weren’t arrested. But we have to find them soon…” Keith ran a hand through his hair. “Well of course we do! What should I do?” “I’m doing everything I can”, Ryan said. “Sit down Keith. As long as you’re here, I want to talk to you about something” Keith sat and looked at him. “It’s about Claire”, Ryan continued. Might as well get it out of the way now. But Ryan was nervous, he didn’t know how Keith would react to this. He had liked Claire once too… but Keith was married now. Happily married. But for some reason, Ryan was still worried. Keith smiled at the mention of her. “Claire”, he repeated. “How is she? Is she okay?” “She’s fine”, Ryan couldn’t help but smile as he always did when thinking about his favorite girl. “You haven’t seen her yet?” “Not yet”, Keith shook his head. “I was going to visit her after I saw you” Ryan nodded, thinking about how he was going to word what he had to say. “Okay, first of all… she’s still in love with you”, he started. Keith’s face fell. “Ohhhh….” “Second of all, I’m in love with her”, Ryan said. Keith’s head snapped up. “What??” Ryan took a deep breath. Okay, so maybe that hadn’t been the best way to tell him. “Sorry, that came out wrong”, he apologized. “What I meant to say was, Claire is a very sweet, caring, and beautiful woman. And even though she still hasn’t gotten over you, my heart has fallen for her. Completely.” Keith continued to stare at Ryan. “Ryan, you eejit! Do you know how bad that sounds??” Ryan looked down. This wasn’t going like he had planned. “I’m sorry”, he said again. “This is why I’m talking to you. Because I know that you two have a history-“ “Brief history”, Keith interrupted. “Okay, brief history”, Ryan ammended. “So I wanted to make sure this was okay with you first” “Okay with me?”, Keith repeated. “Ryan, you loving Claire is fine with me. I couldn’t think of a better man for her! But you have to think about HER feelings. If she’s still trying to get over me, I’m not going to let you just waltz right in and cofuse her. You have to give her time” Ryan nodded, understanding what Keith was saying. He also noted the protective tone in Keith’s voice. “That’s what I was going to do”, he said. “I just wanted to make sure that whenever she’s ready, it’s okay with you” “I love her”, Keith said. “I love her, and I hurt her. I’m still hating myself for that. And there’s no way that I’m going to let someone hurt her again.” “I know”, Ryan said softly, thinking about the woman in question. He didn’t want her hurt either. He wished he could go to her and make all the pain go away… “And I’m willing to wait. As long as it takes” “Thank you”, Keith responded. “I don’t mean to yell at you, I just don’t want anyone hurting her ever again” “It’s okay. And neither do I”, Ryan replied. “But when she’s ready, are you okay with me trying to win her?” Keith grinned. “I’m more than okay with it! In fact, I’ll-“ “Mr. Kelly!”, someone barged in the door. Keith and Ryan stopped talking and looked at the woman in the doorway. Ryan raised his eyebrows at her. He didn’t know who this lady was… but she was obviously worried about something. “Yes?”, he asked politely. Keith, on the other hand, wasn’t as okay about being interrupted. “Who are you?”, he asked. The girl was breathless. “I’m Jenny. I work with Claire. I’m sorry for barging in, but-“ “Claire”, Ryan was instantly alert. “Is she alright?” “What happened?”, Keith asked, also worried. “She didn’t come to work today”, Jenny explained. “And she’s not answering her phone or her door. I think something happened” Ryan and Keith looked at each other, each one’s worried expression mirroring the other’s.
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Post by celticgirl91 on Apr 6, 2010 20:58:32 GMT -5
“What do you mean you think something happened?”, Ryan asked. He was trying to keep his voice calm, he really was. But judging by the look Keith gave him, he wasn’t doing a very good job. Jenny’s face turned red and Ryan realized just how powerful he was. Jenny looked intimidated. “I don’t know”, she said. “But I’m worried” Ryan and Keith looked at each other again. “I’ll go look for her”, Ryan said. “Keith, you should stay. She doesn’t know you’re back yet and you just showing up probably won’t help any” “What??”, Keith stood up. “Claire might be in trouble. There’s no WAY I’m just gonna sit here and do nothing” Ryan looked at him. Having Keith just show up again would NOT be the best thing for Claire. But the lad was worried, just like Ryan was. And Ryan knew how he would feel if he was the one who had to stay. He wouldn’t like it. At all. “Okay, you can come”, he said. He didn’t wait for an answer though. He walked out the door and made his way to Claire’s apartment quickly. Keith was close behind when Ryan got to her door and knocked. No answer, although Ryan hadn’t expected one. He looked at Keith, who shrugged and tried the door, which was unlocked. That wasn’t much of a surprise though. Because when living in a villiage of expert criminals, who could pick locks at the drop of a hat, locking doors was pretty useless. Ryan walked into Claire’s apartment and looked around. He had never been here before, but even with that, he could tell that something was wrong. The place looked strangley empty… as if there were things missing. He and Keith walked around for a few minutes, assesing the situation. “She’s not here”, Keith stated. Ryan’s heart fell, already knowing where she was. No… She wouldn’t… How could she? Without even saying goodbye? “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”, Keith asked in a dull voice. Ryan nodded silently. He knew that she had run away… he just didn’t want to believe it. She knew what risk she was at. She could be found by anyone! Her missing picture was up everywhere. And then they would find the Moy… and he would never see her again. Claire would go home and Ryan would never be able to see her ever again. Never hear her laugh. See her smile… Ryan’s heart felt as if it would break at just the thought. “I have to find her”, he said. He wasn’t going to just let her go. He loved her. “Of course we have to find her!”, Keith agreed. “Let’s go!” “Keith”, Ryan turned to him. “I have to do this. Alone” Keith blinked. “Why?” “Think about how you would feel if it was Abby that was missing”, Ryan said. “If worse comes to worse, I’m going to tell her. And you being there wouldn’t help” “But-“ “No Keith”, Ryan interrupted. “I know she might not be ready, but I can’t just let her leave. She has to know” Keith thought for a moment, then nodded. “You’re right” “Thank you”, Ryan breathed. He put his hand on Keith’s shoulder in gratitude, then left to get his car. Where would she have gone? She didn’t have a car, didn’t have a bike… she must be walking. Ryan started the engine and drove down the road, looking for her. True, she was walking, but she had a head start. Ryan drove for about 20 minutes, and then saw a lone figure walking in the distance. He’d know that sillouette anywhere. It was Claire.
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Post by celticgirl91 on Apr 11, 2010 15:11:32 GMT -5
“Claire!”, Ryan called as he parked the car and ran after the woman he loved. Claire turned around, but started walking again as soon as she saw Ryan. “Claire!!”, he called again. “Would you just wait a minute?”, he caught up to her and grabbed her arm. Claire stopped (she didn’t really have a choice) and turned to face him. “What Ryan?”, she asked, her voice hard. Ryan blinked. He hadn’t really thought of a plan for this part. The actual getting her to come back part. He hadn’t expected to find her so quickly… “Where are you going?”, he asked stupidly. Claire lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. “I’m going home” Ryan sighed. “Why?” Claire seemed at a loss for words for second. “Because… I don’t even know why I’m here anymore! There’s nothing left for me here. The man I love is married, what am I supposed to do?” Ryan stood in front of her and took her by the shoulders. “You can’t leave”, he said. “People will find out where the Moy is and then we’ll all go to jail. Well, not you. Just the rest of us.” He didn’t mention the real reason why he wanted her to stay. He couldn’t care less about going to jail, he just wanted to be with Claire. He wasn’t going to say that part unless he had to though. “I’m not going to say anything”, Claire replied. Ryan gave her a dubious look. “What exactly were you going to tell them, Claire?” Claire shrugged. “I don’t know. I hadn’t gotten that far yet” Ryan rolled his eyes and chucked to himself. Of course she wouldn’t have thought of that. “That’s just it”, he said. “You can’t tell them anything. They’ll figure it out no matter what you say.” Claire thought for a minute, subconciously pursing her lips. A habit that Ryan found irresistably cute. “I won’t go home then”, she said. Ryan grinned, enjoying this now. “Where will you go?”, he asked, letting go of her shoulders and putting his hands on his hips. It amused him, her leaving without a plan. Such a ‘Claire’ thing to do. “I’ll move to some city and start over”, she replied. Although it came out as more of a question then a statement. “Why don’t you just come back home?” Claire’s eyes got sad. “I told you already. I have nothing in the Moy. Keith is coming back soon. What am I supposed to do? I still love him. And without him, I have nothing left” “You have me”, Ryan said quietly. Claire looked at him. “What?” This was it. Time to confess. Ryan prayed that all would go well. “You have me”, he repeated. “I don’t know how it happened, but somehow, I fell in love with you Claire. Please don’t leave” “Ryan-“, Claire started. “I can’t. I love Keith. I-“ Ryan’s head fell and he stared at the ground. Of course she still loved Keith. What had he been thinking? He was thinking that he couldn’t just let her go, that’s what. And if risking his own hurt is what it took, then that’s what he would do. “Please don’t go Claire”, he said again. “I mean, I know your still getting over Keith. But I mean, I kind of thought, you know. That you and me were starting to have something” Claire’s eyes filled with tears and she silently shook her head. “I’m sorry Ryan. Really, I am. But I just don’t. I can’t. Keith-“ “Is married”, Ryan argued, his voice pleading. “Claire, you can’t spend your whole life waiting for someone who isn’t there” Claire nodded. “I know. Which is why I have to go”, she turned and strated walking again. Ryan’s heart felt as if it was being ripped apart. She was really leaving…”Wait”, he called. Claire stopped, but didn’t turn around. “Let me at least give you a ride”, Ryan said as he took her arm and led her to the car. “Ryan”, Claire protested. “You don’t have to” Ryan opened her door for her and waited while she got in. Then he went over to his side and started the car. “I’m not going to make you walk”, he said gently. He drove her to the train station, neither of them speaking. Ryan couldn’t believe what he was doing. He was letting her go. HELPING her go. He should be on his knees, begging her to stay. But he had tried that. And she hadn’t wanted to. Well, Ryan wasn’t going to force her. The last thing he wanted was for her to be unhappy. Even if he had to live the rest of is life empty and lonely, at least she would be happy. Ryan parked the car and got her her ticket. Then he walked her to the train, but before she got on, he took her hands in his. “If you’re ever alone”, he said. “If you ever need help. If you ever change your mind. I’ll be right here waiting.” Claire nodded. “Thank you Ryan. For everything. I wish- I wish things were different” Ryan nodded silently. He wished they were different too. He bent down, kissed her cheek, and then walked away. Knowing that he would probably never see his love again. It was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life, but Ryan knew that it was best. He didn’t want Claire ever to be unhappy again. And even if that meant that Ryan would be in pain, at least she would be happy. And that was all that mattered.
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Post by celticgirl91 on Apr 12, 2010 19:51:56 GMT -5
Claire sat on the train and stared out the window. It was for the best. She didn’t know where she was going, it didn’t really matter. As she stared out the window, watching all the trees and hills, Claire couldn’t help but remember Ryan’s face. He had looked so sad, so upset. He had looked as if his whole world had fallen apart. And his voice… pleading with her to stay, but she couldn’t. Claire shook these thoughts away. She needed to concentrate on her future now. Claire got off at the station in Derry and looked around. She didn’t have a lot of money, but she had enough to stay somewhere until she got a job. Claire walked down the street and stopped at the first B&B she came too. It looked nice enough, so she went in and got herself a room. The only problem was, she kept thinking about Ryan. She couldn’t get the look he had given her out of her mind. She turned on the tv, hoping to block it out, but that didn’t help. She tried taking a nap, it didn’t work. A job. She should start looking for a job. Claire walked around town, thinking about where she could work. She finally came upon a smalll pub named McGinty’s. She smiled to herself, remembering the young lad with the same name from back home. Home? The Moy wasn’t home. It had been a prison. But it hadn’t felt like a prison… Claire sighed and turned her attention back to the task at hand. She walked into the pub and sat at the counter. “What are ya drinkin my dear?”, the kindly, old, irish bartender asked. Claire smiled and sat down. “Oh I’m not drinking. I came to look for a job” The man raised his eyebrows. “Did ya now? I think I can help with that. Do ya sing?” Claire blushed. “A little. But never professionally.” Just then, a man came up and sat on the stool next to Claire. “Hey Sweetheart”, he said, giving her a smile that was more of a leer. “Can I buy ya a drink?” Claire looked at him, remembering the last time a man had tried to come on to her in a bar. Memories of the Moy came flooding back. Memories of Liam, who had acted just like this man. And then memories of Ryan who had saved her and then bought her dinner. She couldn’t take it... she didn’t want to be thinking of the Moy. That life was behind her, and with good reason. Claire closed her eyes and put a hand to her forehead. “Will you just please go away?”, she whispered. The man next to her looked taken aback at her tone and looked at the bartender. The bartender gave him a warning look and the man quietly left without a word. The bartender looked at Claire sympathetically. “Are you alright, Dear?”, he asked gently. Claire looked up, trying to clear away the hurtfull thoughts. “I’m fine”, she gave him a small smile. “So, do you have a job available?” The man looked at her kindly. “Aye. Even if ya can’t sing, you can help in the kitchens” Claire beamed at him. “Thank you! When can I start?” “Tomorrow”, the man said. “By the way, I’m Murphy McGinty. But you can call me Murph” Claire smiled again. “I’m Claire” “Well Claire, I’ll be seeing you at 2 tomorrow”, Murph smiled. “Will do”, Claire waved as she walked out. When she got back to her room, she decided to unpack her things. It looked like this small town would be her home now. She opened her small bag and started putting clothes away. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Claire, thinking it was just a maid, went to open the door with a smile. The smile disappeared fast though when she saw Keith standing in the doorway. “Keith!” Keith smiled. “Hey Claire”
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Post by celticgirl91 on Apr 13, 2010 20:49:46 GMT -5
Claire stood in the doorway, staring at Keith, dumbfounded. “What are you doing here?”, she asked. Keith smiled. “Hey Claire. I’m here to talk some sense into ya” Claire gave him a curious look. “Sense?” Keith nodded. “Yep. But first, how are ya? I haven’t seen you in a while” Claire could tell that Keith wanted to hug her. But like the gentleman he was, he was being sensitive to her feelings and holding back. She smiled and held out her arms. Keith didn’t hesitate and gave her a warm, brotherly hug. “I’m okay”, she said. “How was the honeymoon?” Keith couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “It was amazing! I wasn’t too happy when I came home though” Claire looked at him, confused. “Why?” Keith looked her in the eye. “Because when I came back, I heard that one of my favorite people in the Moy was missing” Claire looked down at her shoes. He shouldn’t be here… why was he here? He was only making things worse for her. “Why ARE you here Keith?”, she asked. “Ryan already tried to get me to go back and it didn’t work. He said I could go.” Claire tried to block out all the other things Ryan had said as well. Keith sighed. “Okay, first of all, Ryan’s an eejit. Second of all, he didn’t mean it” Claire was taken aback. “Didn’t mean what?”, she asked. Didn’t mean that she could leave? Or didn’t mean that he loved her. For some odd reason, that last option didn’t sit well with Claire. “He didn’t mean that you could leave”, Keith explained. “But he said-“ “Of course he ‘said’”, Keith interruoted her. “But he didn’t mean it. He loves you Claire. And if it’s one thing I know, it’s that a man NEVER wants to be seperated from the woman he loves” Claire thought about this. She didn’t really want to be seperated from Ryan either. But how could she love Ryan when she was still in love with Keith? “And I know you love him too”, Keith continued. “How could you possibly know that?”, Claire asked softly. “I don’t even know that” Keith scratched his head. “Because when Ryan came back without you, I had a little talk with him. And he told me about all the time that you two spent together. And I realized that that’s how you acted around me. So I figured you loved him and just didn’t know it. Why else would you run away?” “Because of you!”, Claire accused. “Because I couldn’t stand facing you again.” Keith shook his head. “No. Well, okay yes, because of me. Because I hurt you and you’re afraid of getting hurt again. But Ryan’s not going to do that” Claire looked at him. Could he be right? Claire remembered all the good times she had with Ryan over the past few weeks. She remembered the happiness she had felt everytime he had even walked into a room. And suddenly it occurred to her, that when she had run away, it wasn’t Keith whom she had been thinking about and missing. It had been Ryan. “Okay”, she said to Keith. “So maybe I love him. So what? I had loved you too” Keith smiled. “True, except Ryan’s not going to be the jerk I was. He’ll love you and adore you and treat you 10 times better than I did. And he’ll keep it up until the day he dies” Claire thought for a minute and realized that it was true. Ryan loved her. And somehow, without her even knowing it, she had fallen in love with him. “Thanks Keith”, she said as she gave him a hug. Keith hugged her back. “So, are you going home now?” Claire nodded.
Not 8 hours later, Keith was leading Claire up the familiar steps to Ryan’s office. Keith gave her a quick, brotherly kiss on the cheek and knocked on the door for her, then left. “Yes?” , Ryan’s rough, tired voice floated out to her. Claire took a deep breath and opened the door. Ryan looked up, starting to say something, but stopped short when he saw her. “You’re back” Claire nodded. “Aye” Ryan continued to stare at her. He looked so handsome, and yet so tired behind his desk. Claire silently walked over to the other side of the desk and stood in front of him. “I love you Ryan”, she whispered. Ryan’s mouth fell open a little and he blinked. “Sorry?” Claire gigled a bit and knelt in front of him, taking his hands in hers. “I love you”, she repeated. “And I’m sorry I ran away. I don’t ever want to have to be away from you again unless I have to” Ryan breathed out a whoosh of air and chuckled. “Oh Sweetheart… My darling Claire. There will never be a need” And with that, he bent down and kissed her. When they finally broke for air, Claire pulled back a bit. “Just one question. I took a train, so how did Keith find me?” Ryan just grinned and laughed. “It’s simple. We’re the Criminals of Tyrone”
The End
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Post by oceangirl1 on Apr 14, 2010 0:27:38 GMT -5
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essie
Fantastic Fan
Posts: 159
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Post by essie on Apr 14, 2010 1:25:22 GMT -5
<3 the ending!!! simply too perfect!!! ;D
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