*WARNING: This blog is intended for a mature audience. Its contents may include adult situations, violence and sensitive issues that some people might find disturbing. Please read at your own discretion.

8 October 2013

A Pair of Brown Eyes: Chapter 12

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*WARNING: This chapter is super-short, and I'll give you one word: CORNY! Besides, it has no flashbacks :-P.

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Claire had no idea what was happening. The only thing she knew was that Dr. Stuart's arms were all over her body, and his lips were touching hers. A man's lips were touching hers! She was terrified at first of what she thought was an attack on his part, and her initial reaction was to clench her hands into fists trying to fight him back. But, surprisingly, it didn't hurt, he wasn't hurting her. His grip was firm but not harsh, not unrelenting. And he was kissing her! She had never had a man kiss her before; that soft skin was caressing her in a way she couldn't describe, and that tickling sensation in her mouth was scary but not wholy unpleasant. Her breath became labored and she felt like crying for the first time in years.

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She felt her body move of its own accord, and for a fleeting moment she thought of returning the kiss; if she knew how to, that is. This must be what she had read about in all those romantic novels she used to enjoy when she was a child, just before... before then. All those emotions so graphically described there that Claire had never understood but always dreamed of: the butterflies in the stomach, the feeling of floating, the fast pounding of the heart... She was experiencing all of them now, as her arms were clumsily finding their way from his neck to his waist.

That was until she remembered how men were not to be trusted, and how there was no denying them of what they wanted, which was always one and the same thing. In no way she could be enjoying being held by one! Claire didn't think she could take this any longer, as she started shaking violently and her arms went limp. She just hoped Dr. Stuart wouldn't hurt her as much as him, and prayed that he would be finished soon.

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But she wasn't prepared for what came next. No ripping of her clothes, no grabbing her by force, no imposing on her... He wasn't doing anything of that. He just backed away. Just that. She was kept in place by some unknown, invisible force within herself for what seemed like an eternity, but some time later, when she finally dared raise her head to meet his eyes, she didn't saw there any blood, nor lust; the only thing Claire could see was him looking at her adoringly, one would say. He was staring at her as if she were someone special, and there was no one else in the world; just the same way Ethel and her husband had ogled each other...

Claire definitely couldn't take this any longer!

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Andrew found Claire's lips ravishing: for how long he had been wanting to taste them! They were so soft and sweet, and most importantly, they were hers. He wasn't bothered by her initial unresponsiveness -he had taken her off guard, after all- since he was sure he could melt her. He'd made her understand there was no reason for her to be fighting him with her fists.

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Andrew knew he was succeeding when he found her hands relaxing some moments later, her body no longer fighting him. He could feel her lips start to press against his, ever so slightly, and he took this as a hint to deepen the kiss. And by how her lips trembled and her breath became heavily labored, he would have assured, had it not been impossible, that she had never been kissed before.

He had believed himself in love before, but the unadulterated bliss he felt as her arms tightened around his waist was something he had never experienced. How much he loved having her in his arms!

Only a moment afterwards, however, she went stiff again, but this time she wasn't fighting him: she had just started shaking violently and her arms had gone limp. What was he doing? He had scared her, no doubt. Why was he so selfish, knowing as he did that she was still in mourning?

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There was very little he could do but reluctantly back away, and try to reassure her that he was not about to rip her clothes off and have her right there and then. Not that he wasn't slightly tempted, but this definitely was not the right way or time to do it! He just wanted to look at her adoringly, as if there was absolutely no one else in the world. And if he could only wipe off all the sadness and fear he saw in that lovely expression of hers, the moment would be perfect.

It took him all of his will to finally speak, once the spell was broken. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, it wasn't my intention to scare you."

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Claire had barely listened to his apology, and only half aware of it herself, agreed when he offered to take her home. She knew better than to refuse a man's wish, and anyway, she was still too bewildered for what had just occurred to produce a coherent excuse.

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"I'm mortified by what happened the other day. Olivia, I mean Miss Norton..., we were engaged to be married many years ago..."

"No, please, you don't have to explain anything to me." She tried to put his mind at ease, but truth be told, she felt hurt. And guilty, since it wasn't her place to feel that way. But, wait... engaged? She had been his fiancée?

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"But I want to. Our relationship never came to a good end. We broke up many years ago and I had never seen her ever since. What you saw the other day..." He stopped walking to look at her squarely in the eye. "It meant nothing. And, Claire... May I call you Claire?" Why did that sound coming from the very same lips that had kissed her before made her so happy? She just nodded her head. "It won't be repeated again."

The remaining of their walk was spent in complete silence.

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When Claire was preparing for bed a while after arriving home, she knew that another sleepless night awaited her, but no nightmares would haunt her this time, she was sure of it, as she tentatively touched her lips with her fingers.

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Author's note: As this chapter turned out so short, I thought I'd throw in some little extra, so you guys have something more to read :-P LOL.

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Here are some of the lots (and so-called lots) I work with:

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  • This is the ship in which Claire arrives in Canada. In case you're wondering, this was built long before Island Paradise was released, so I just had to make do with this old trick. Luckily, I found a couple of awesome tutorials, or else I'd never have been able to make it. It's completely non-functional and empty on the inside LOL, but it suited my needs just fine!

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  • This is Andrew's home and clinic. I usually keep it completely covered in shrubs so as to avoid either the road, or Ethel's house, which happens to be next to his (you can see Caroline's treehouse in the background, on the right). It's not very well made, and I even forgot to give it a chimney *blushes*;  I wonder how poor Andrew manages to keep warm LOL. It's shot in winter because... well, just because! Snow is beautiful, especially when one (me) comes from a place where it snows, like..., once every fifteen years or so!

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  • This is where Claire lives. As you can see, I built two "twin" rooms: the one on the right is the "before", the one on the left, the "after". I like keeping both versions, just in case, but I don't really need the "before" one any more.

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  • This is the coffeehouse Claire and Andrew visit, and it was so much fun to build and decorate. I don't show the exterior of it, because, honestly, it's appalling and I didn't even finish it LOL.

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  • This is Ethel's orchard and maze but, as Ethel herself said, it's not really worth of that name, as I had not much space left and I'm not that good a landscaper LOL. It has a small plot of land for Ethel to grow her vegetables, namely tomatoes (just because they're red and looked nice with the rest of the garden LOL). Sorry for the weird perspective -it's the only way I found to show the intricacy of the path without shrubbery getting in the way. 

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  • And finally, this is the famous unicorn picture in Claire's childhood bedroom. I originally chose it almost randomly (because it went well with the room's color scheme), but then I found a use for it, as I can ACTUALLY picture our imaginative Claire having a liking for this medieval fantasy setting.



Chapter 13Chapter 11

37 comments:

  1. Your lots are beautiful! That ship is brilliant! But it'll all be a lot easier now we can actually make ships on water! (And I don't finish lots unless I need them, sets are mainly shells, with just the rooms I need decorated.

    This chapter was really cute :) Poor Claire didn't know what to think, and Andrew was misreading all her signals, but being really sweet. I hope Claire can learn to trust him! She deserves some happiness soon!

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    1. Nah, they're not very good, you're too sweet! :-D I sometimes finish them, I sometimes don't, it depends on how many times I think I'm going to need them.

      Awww, thanks. Andrew was quite the gentleman, but obviously he couldn't interpret her reactions accurately (no one who hasn't been in her situation could, I guess). Hopefully Claire will learn to trust him soon.

      Thank you for reading :-).

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  2. Awww poor Claire. She was preparing herself for an attack :( then realized that wasn't what he was doing. She was still worried, but for a brief moment she allowed herself a moment to just enjoy her very first kiss. I feel so bad for her, but it was sweet the way she saw similarities in how Andrew looked at her when compared to watching Ethel and her husband.

    Andrew, man if he only knew he would feel like a total ass for doing what he did. He picked up on her hesitation but thought it to be due to her mourning and not fear which it was sadly. I like that he picked up on her lack of kissing abilities, even if he dismissed them. Again when/if he finds out about her past, it will be a shock for him no doubt.

    Your lots are cute, and they serve your needs. Good trick with the boat. It's funny the things we will go through for our stories only to use them maybe once or twice.

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    1. Yes, poor Claire was expecting for him to... well... rape her there and then :-(. Imagine her surprise when all he did was stare at her. She saw some similarities with Ethel and her husband, which speaks volumes of what she was feeling at the moment, even though she's not completely aware yet ;-).

      Andrew picked up on some things, and misread the rest. I think HIS is going to be one of the worst cases of misplaced jealousy... ever! ;-) Learning about her past will/would be a total shock for him.

      Hehe, thanks. Yes, we go through a lot (no pun intended). And I haven't actually shown nearly anything of what I have in game (my exteriors are a "mix" of Sunset Valley and Twinbrook, enough said) LOL.

      Thank you for reading :-).

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  3. Phew, that went surprisingly well- for a minute I was afraid she might kill him on the spot, accidentally.
    Well now there is hope, right? Great update! ^^

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    1. Yes, it went well, for the time being at least... Wait for Claire to let her feelings sink in, though... No, she would never have killed him, accidentally or otherwise; sadly, what she's "learnt" throughout the years is that the best course of action in those circumstances is to... do nothing at all! :-(

      There's always hope, of course! ;-)

      Well, thanks :-D, actually I was afraid of going a little over the top in this one. I've been struggling with it a lot.

      And thank you for reading :-).

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  4. I read this yesterday at about this time, but I didn't comment because my tablet died. I'm happy it at least waited until I got down to the 'boat' pic.

    *melts*
    I reread it again, and I still have the jittery, butterflies-in-the-stomach, weak-kneed feeling I had yesterday. You know I eat this stuff up. :D
    :D
    :D
    I hope he can really get through to her what real love is soon even if I kinda know what happens. I'm pretending that I don't know that and instead am foolishly hoping for the best. <3

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    1. Ahhh, those stupid devices and their bad timing; they can get really temperamental when it comes to dying LOL.

      Wow, I'll take that as a compliment, if you got all those feelings (and even after rereading *blushes*), wow. If I'm perfectly honest, this chapter made me really uneasy, because all this stuff seems sort of... you know... outdated and trite (hence the warning LOL). Now, I'm not very wise for having confessed just that, am I? Well...

      Aha, okay, so you know what happens, right? I guess you're referring to the prologue... *shrugs shoulders faking innocence*

      PS: I warned you a while ago there was stuff like this coming, and I'm just beginning. See? I wasn't lying ;-).

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    2. Oh, and thank you for reading :-).

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  5. Hopefully she will allow herself to forget the horrible man. I do hope that Andrew doesn't push and that he can help her overcome whatever demons she has.

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    1. Let's hope she can forget her past eventually: it won't be easy, though. Yes, if Andrew started pushing, now, THAT would be a really bad move! :-( We'll have to wait to see what happens next, I guess :-P.

      Thank you for reading :-).

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  6. This was great because her fear of men did not draw such a bad reaction, I was worried that with her experience she would have hated the kiss but not so! I think in the end she will forget about her first guy, I mean that guy apparently never kissed her!

    Also I love the lots, I did a boat scene too...one boat scene in AOS and I just made a interior! Your sets/lots are great though!

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    1. Claire had never been kissed :-(, and that's why this was a whole new experience for her. I think it was the novelty of it that allowed her to "enjoy" it to some extent. But, we will see what happens the morning after...

      I remember that scene, and you did a great job :-). I never bothered with interiors (I didn't need them, anyway). Thanks :-D, but I just showed you the best sets/lots I have LOL.

      Thank you for reading :-).

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  7. Mmmm, awesome kiss. I know it's sitll hard on Claire, but I'm glad she's starting to come around to Andrew,m and that's he's sensitive enough to back off before he pushed her too far. He mistook her hesitation for being in mourning, but he did sense it, and I think having a man who is sensitive to her needs will be important for Claire. since she doesn't dare speak aloud about her feelings.

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    1. Aww, I'm glad you thought so :-D. You put everything about Andrew so wonderfully, I have very little to add. He is indeed a very sensitive man, I don't think the story would work at all if he weren't.

      Thank you for reading :-).

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  8. Phew! Wow. So I know this will sound odd, but poor Claire. To have never been kissed, and to instinctively think the worse is about to happen when it does happen. And to think that about Andrew just because of past experiences. And and and. *sigh. Dr.Andrew. <3 I hope he can tough it out a little longer still to break through Clarie's defenses.

    Aw! Your buildings look marvelous! Loved seeing them all!

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    1. No, it doesn't sound odd at all, it's really sad Claire's never been kissed :-(; but just put it this way: her first kiss has been with your (and mine) beloved doctor <3. She can't help thinking the worst, though, and she does need her defenses broken to some extent.

      Thanks for your comment on my buildings, I guess they turned out half decent, after all :-).

      And thank you for reading :-).

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  9. Aw, if that was corny, then I guess I love corny and cliches. This was so romantic and sweet and just lovely. And I loved Claire's reaction to the kiss, it's so Claire! I didn't realize she'd never been kissed before. Oh my, what a first kiss! I just wish she didn't have all those flashbacks (even for however briefly they were) while she was in his arms. Then the kiss would have been oh so perfect.

    Yes, he didn't have to explain his relationship with Olivia, but I'm glad he did, now Claire can stop feeling jealous.

    And I loved the tour of your lots, thanks for sharing bits of your world with us.

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    1. I could never imagine Claire behaving in any other way than that. And yes, it's sad, but she had never been kissed before... That "man" never bothered with such subtleties :-(. She couldn't help her fears, though, but at least she tried to overcome them, which is something already.

      Yes, Andrew did want to explain things to Claire, and that says a lot about his character.

      Aww, thanks, those pics were fun to take, I'm glad you liked them :-).

      Thank you for reading and for your kind words :-). I'm actually blushing right now.

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  10. OMG I loved the double perspective you did here, Claire, and Andrew. It must be so shocking to Claire to experience a kiss like that. I felt sad for her that she thought she had to go limp and check out because of what she feared was coming next. I love that she let Andrew explain a little about Olivia even though she was hurt by it. I'm so glad she didn't run away and that Andrew got to say those last lines to her. I'm really hoping for her sake that she can trust him, he would be so good for her. =) I was kind of surprised she hadn't been kissed, but I thought about it more and realized it's not really that much of a surprise. Kissing is what makes that connection between two people, and I can't imagine that jerk she was with before wanting to connect with her in any way other than hurting her.
    Your lots are so pretty! Even that garden maze thing that you said you weren't the best landscaper, I thought it looked amazing LOL, I'm quite bad myself at landscaping, in Sims and in real life. LOL. Wow that house. I myself don't like snow because I get it every year and it is a pain, but I totally understand being from a different climate, and finding snow fascinating and beautiful. It can be... from a distance. Hahaha.

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    1. Thanks! :-D Her reaction to the kiss was very sad, but that's what life has taught her :-(. The fact that she had never been kissed came as a surprise to me as well LOL, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made... I mean, that jerk, as you call him, didn't "need" to connect with her at all -she was his to do with her as he chose, so why bother with kissing?-, yeah, right, such a jerk! >:-(

      Thanks, they serve my purposes all right, so... That maze thing just came to me on the spur of the moment, as I went along building the backyard: suddenly it seemed like a neat idea *shrugs shoulders*. Yeah, I know that about snow, but you know, as I am from, well... yes, the middle of a desert, snow is like, wow! But you're right. I once slipped getting off the bus (because it had snowed, and I'm naturally clumsy LOL), and that wasn't a pretty sight, I can tell you *rolls eyes*.

      Thank you for reading and for your kind words :-).

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  11. Dr. Stuart seems to have shocked Claire all the way down to her toes! That's a little sad though, that she'd never been kissed before. It shows how impersonal her past abusive marriage must have been. She was a thing to be used sexually, with zero appreciation for her as a human. I wish there was some way for him to learn of her past, but as she seems to have kept that a secret, it may never come out. She's going along with his advances only because she thinks she has to. She has no idea what his real feelings for her are.

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    1. He has shocked her, alright! It's more than a little sad :-(, but that's what she's been in the past, just a pet, a toy, something to be used at will... you're pretty much correct. Hopefully, Andrew will eventually learn of her past, so he can understand her better, but, who knows? She's not aware yet of the feelings of either of them, but she's getting there...

      Thank you for reading :-).

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  12. OK, so you may think it's corny, but I find it endearing. Andrew is the perfect man for Claire. I look forward to Andrew helping Claire realize that REAL men don't hurt women -- they love and cherish them. ♥ It's a shame Claire had to wait so long for her first kiss, but I'm glad it was with a man like Andrew. At least kissing hasn't been tainted by that awful man from her past.

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    1. Aww, thanks, I DO try not to make this story too corny, but I'm not sure I always succeed LOL. Perhaps Andrew will have to prove he is a real man at some point in the future... who knows? ;-) And that is exactly what I had in mind while writing this chapter, "that man" having never kissed her >:-( meant that there was at least SOMETHING he hadn't tainted.

      Thanks for reading!

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  13. I loved this chapter. However, I'm anxious. By the prologue I can tell she refuses him in a way later on. I hope it isn't for long.
    I also enjoyed your extra on this chapter, I was wondering how you did the ship but now it has been clarified. Wonderful work. I really appreciate your time and effort into this because I know how much time and effort it takes me to take pictures for my story, and yours is even more difficult with the time setting.

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    1. Oh, yes, the prologue... She DOES refuse him, and that's all I'm saying ;-P.

      Thanks for reading and for your feedback, I really appreciate it! :-D

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  14. Man I am afraid that Claire's past is going to make it harder for her to be happy. I don't blame her for feeling hesitant. After what happened in her past, no one can blame her. Andrew would be so good for her so I hope somehow she can learn to trust him and love him.

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    1. Poor Claire, it's so foreign to her that Andrew should JUST want to kiss her and not, say, rape her straight away!

      Thanks for reading :-).

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  15. Good for Andrew going in for the kiss! The scene from the previous chapter with Claire getting abused was horrifying and I can understand her hesitations when Andrew kissed her.
    Aww and the chapter wasn't corny at all! Though sometimes I read back over my stuff and cringe a little, thinking it is corny too so I can see where you're coming from. :)
    oooh love seeing the builds! The ship is a great idea!

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    1. Yay! Way to go, Andrew! Hehe. Oh, it was horrifying, her past is anything but pleasant :'-(.

      Aww, thanks. Cringing over my stuff has become second nature to me LOL. Anyway, I'm glad you didn't think it was corny.

      Hehe, the ship :-D.

      Thanks for reading.

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  16. So good!!! EEEE! I'm all giddy until I remember the prologue. . .I hope whatever that was isn't the end. For right now, I'll try to stay in the moment since that's a much happier place. :D

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    1. Giddy, hey? :-D :-D :-D Nah, this is no time to think of the prologue... ;-)

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  17. Awww yay. First of all, I LOVE all the corny sentiment! That's what romance us all about and this chapter was beautifully written! I loved seeing your lots too! Mine are such a mess and so ugly, haha. Like a cheap movie set. But hey, as long as you take great pictures, who cares what they look like, right?

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    1. Awww, thanks so much, I'm glad you liked it :-D. I only showed you my "best" lots; they tend to look awful, actually, but well, they serve my purpose, LOL.

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  18. So I apologize for having misinterpreted Andrew's advance on Claire as disrespectful.

    Maybe that was the only way to precipitate things and overcome her resistance for men approaching her.

    I confess I was surprised at her reaction. I expected she would run away, and despite her initial fear, she actually enjoyed being taken. This gives me hope that she is on her way to healing, and Andrew might be that medicine.

    Most surprising of all was they actually left the "crime scene" together, and chatting. Good, because they are getting to know one another better.

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    1. No, please, don't apologize, I don't think you misinterpreted Andrew's intentions: he may not have wanted to be disrespectful, but he DID act a bit too possessively. Besides, having readers express their opinions as I go is part of the fun – and learning process – of writing in blog-format.

      Well, yes, I thought I needed a little "trick" ;-) to move the story forward at this point.

      I mulled over her reaction for quite a while, and in the end this was the only one that made sense to me: every other reaction would have meant for her to take some sort of initiative, which she obviously is not used to. And... Can you think of a better medicine for Claire than Andrew? ;-)

      Thanks so much for reading and commenting :-).

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