ghosts
ghosts; kate/claire; tame; 1031 words
They should have been lovers. The sparks the first time they met should have been a clear sign of that and they should have fanned them instead of smothering them with earth. But the earth had won on the island and Kate and Claire were destined to be no more than friends. It didn’t stop Kate from kicking herself over and over about what could have been. When she saw Charlie’s hands on Claire’s face, his lips kissing Aaron’s soft forehead her eyes had to close. She had to expel the images of the life she wanted, because it was a life not meant for her.
Jack knew how Kate felt; he’d known since he saw the two women sorting clothes on the beach. Kate was a locked door that no amount of battering could break down, and Claire was a breeze able to slide in the mechanism and with a hairs breadth of movement, open it. Almost immediately they bonded. After the birth of Aaron they were inseparable- except when Claire was with Charlie. Jack noticed Kate spent more time with Sawyer when Charlie was with Claire. Perhaps she wanted to make Claire jealous, but the action was futile. The love and loss of the island became the pages of a twisted tragedy that none of them could decipher.
Claire padded over the night darkened sand silently.
“Kate,” she whispered. “Kate.”
“Yeah?” Kate’s head appeared through the blue plastic flap of her tent. Claire held up a small backpack in front of her.
“No way,” Kate said with a grin. “You took Sawyer’s stuff?” Claire nodded with a proud smile.
“Even he has a hard time saying no to his “Little Mamacita”,” she said, horribly mimicking his Southern drawl. Kate laughed and tried to take the bag from Claire. “Not yet! It’s going to be a surprise!” Kate cocked her head to the side and watched as Claire ignored her, crossing the natural threshold where sand became dirt and beach became jungle. At night the thick jungle became Dante’s maze of hellish obstacles: small streams, slippery rocks, fallen trees and animals. But through the inferno they walked blindly towards the rushing waterfall, letting the promise of cool shores spur them through the heat. Finally with heaving chests they sat down on a flat damp rock, catching their breath.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to hiking through the jungle,” Claire said, laying back and looking at the sky through the wide open patch of foliage the lake provided.
“It’s only this bad at night,” Kate added, lying next to her. She could see Claire’s body rising and falling as she panted. The quick, steady pace soon slowed and her sweet breath was inhaled and mingled with the water droplets and stars above them.
Kate was lost in thought as Claire pulled things from the bag Sawyer had given her.
“He gave you alcohol?” Kate was shocked when she noticed the bottle of amber liquid Claire was holding.
“I don’t know why, but yes. And cigarettes. Not that I smoke or anything,” she said, rummaging through the bag and pulling out a box of Brezza cigarettes. She shook it lightly. “Almost empty if you want one.” Kate took the crushed packet and turned it over in her hands absentmindedly.
“You and Charlie seem happy.” She didn’t want to bring it up. She didn’t want to hear that Claire was in love with someone who wasn’t her. She needed to hear it to move past it but not one ounce of her wanted to.
“We are. He’s so good with Aaron.” Claire was unconvincing as she spoke. She unscrewed the cap from the tequila bottle and passed it to Kate to christen it.
Kate took a swig, grimacing at the hot trail down her throat. She passed it back to Claire who took a delicate drink and smiled.
“You don’t sound very enthused about Charlie if I’m being honest,” Kate said, lighting a cigarette and inhaling.
“It’s weird. Aaron’s father Thomas just…left me. Pregnant, working a job that couldn’t pay my rent, I was terrified to raise a child. Then the crash and the miracle of Aaron surviving …Charlie’s been there for us since the beginning. He deserved more than anybody else to be a part of Aaron’s life.”
“I remember how scared you were,” Kate said through curls of smoke. Claire watched her pink lips move and pucker around the cigarette between sentences. “I knew you were going to be a great mom, Claire. Aaron’s lucky to have you.”
“He’s lucky to have his Aunt Kate,” she said with a smile, putting her hand atop of Kate’s. The brunette looked down. Her tanned hand was motionless under Claire’s porcelain one and she turned it over, palm touching palm, and wrapped her fingers through Claire’s.
“I’ll always be there for you and Aaron,” Kate said, her voice threatening to break as she felt the sticky sweat from Claire’s palm on hers. Claire too was looking down at their twined hands. She swore she could feel Kate’s pulse. The light patter of rain on the canopy above them broke their trance and they looked up, feeling drops on their faces.
“We should get back to the beach before it really starts,” Claire said, packing up the bag.
“We just got here!” Kate said in protest.
“Well I for one would much rather not get drenched tonight.” Claire was firm and Kate sighed as she stood up, careful not to bump her hand. She still felt where Claire’s had rested, the ghost weight and the impression of her palm lines. The trek back from the lake was just as treacherous, worsened by the rain beginning to pound on their backs. Every time Kate looked ahead and saw Claire her heart felt as though it was being stretched to its limits. She saw the water slide down Claire’s lips in the pale light, she saw Claire’s shirt clinging to her chest, her hair plastered to her head. She only wanted her more. Later, sitting in her tent, wringing her hair out over the sand, she knew she should have kissed her. She, Claire, knew.
They should have been lovers. The sparks the first time they met should have been a clear sign of that and they should have fanned them instead of smothering them with earth. But the earth had won on the island and Kate and Claire were destined to be no more than friends. It didn’t stop Kate from kicking herself over and over about what could have been. When she saw Charlie’s hands on Claire’s face, his lips kissing Aaron’s soft forehead her eyes had to close. She had to expel the images of the life she wanted, because it was a life not meant for her.
Jack knew how Kate felt; he’d known since he saw the two women sorting clothes on the beach. Kate was a locked door that no amount of battering could break down, and Claire was a breeze able to slide in the mechanism and with a hairs breadth of movement, open it. Almost immediately they bonded. After the birth of Aaron they were inseparable- except when Claire was with Charlie. Jack noticed Kate spent more time with Sawyer when Charlie was with Claire. Perhaps she wanted to make Claire jealous, but the action was futile. The love and loss of the island became the pages of a twisted tragedy that none of them could decipher.
Claire padded over the night darkened sand silently.
“Kate,” she whispered. “Kate.”
“Yeah?” Kate’s head appeared through the blue plastic flap of her tent. Claire held up a small backpack in front of her.
“No way,” Kate said with a grin. “You took Sawyer’s stuff?” Claire nodded with a proud smile.
“Even he has a hard time saying no to his “Little Mamacita”,” she said, horribly mimicking his Southern drawl. Kate laughed and tried to take the bag from Claire. “Not yet! It’s going to be a surprise!” Kate cocked her head to the side and watched as Claire ignored her, crossing the natural threshold where sand became dirt and beach became jungle. At night the thick jungle became Dante’s maze of hellish obstacles: small streams, slippery rocks, fallen trees and animals. But through the inferno they walked blindly towards the rushing waterfall, letting the promise of cool shores spur them through the heat. Finally with heaving chests they sat down on a flat damp rock, catching their breath.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to hiking through the jungle,” Claire said, laying back and looking at the sky through the wide open patch of foliage the lake provided.
“It’s only this bad at night,” Kate added, lying next to her. She could see Claire’s body rising and falling as she panted. The quick, steady pace soon slowed and her sweet breath was inhaled and mingled with the water droplets and stars above them.
Kate was lost in thought as Claire pulled things from the bag Sawyer had given her.
“He gave you alcohol?” Kate was shocked when she noticed the bottle of amber liquid Claire was holding.
“I don’t know why, but yes. And cigarettes. Not that I smoke or anything,” she said, rummaging through the bag and pulling out a box of Brezza cigarettes. She shook it lightly. “Almost empty if you want one.” Kate took the crushed packet and turned it over in her hands absentmindedly.
“You and Charlie seem happy.” She didn’t want to bring it up. She didn’t want to hear that Claire was in love with someone who wasn’t her. She needed to hear it to move past it but not one ounce of her wanted to.
“We are. He’s so good with Aaron.” Claire was unconvincing as she spoke. She unscrewed the cap from the tequila bottle and passed it to Kate to christen it.
Kate took a swig, grimacing at the hot trail down her throat. She passed it back to Claire who took a delicate drink and smiled.
“You don’t sound very enthused about Charlie if I’m being honest,” Kate said, lighting a cigarette and inhaling.
“It’s weird. Aaron’s father Thomas just…left me. Pregnant, working a job that couldn’t pay my rent, I was terrified to raise a child. Then the crash and the miracle of Aaron surviving …Charlie’s been there for us since the beginning. He deserved more than anybody else to be a part of Aaron’s life.”
“I remember how scared you were,” Kate said through curls of smoke. Claire watched her pink lips move and pucker around the cigarette between sentences. “I knew you were going to be a great mom, Claire. Aaron’s lucky to have you.”
“He’s lucky to have his Aunt Kate,” she said with a smile, putting her hand atop of Kate’s. The brunette looked down. Her tanned hand was motionless under Claire’s porcelain one and she turned it over, palm touching palm, and wrapped her fingers through Claire’s.
“I’ll always be there for you and Aaron,” Kate said, her voice threatening to break as she felt the sticky sweat from Claire’s palm on hers. Claire too was looking down at their twined hands. She swore she could feel Kate’s pulse. The light patter of rain on the canopy above them broke their trance and they looked up, feeling drops on their faces.
“We should get back to the beach before it really starts,” Claire said, packing up the bag.
“We just got here!” Kate said in protest.
“Well I for one would much rather not get drenched tonight.” Claire was firm and Kate sighed as she stood up, careful not to bump her hand. She still felt where Claire’s had rested, the ghost weight and the impression of her palm lines. The trek back from the lake was just as treacherous, worsened by the rain beginning to pound on their backs. Every time Kate looked ahead and saw Claire her heart felt as though it was being stretched to its limits. She saw the water slide down Claire’s lips in the pale light, she saw Claire’s shirt clinging to her chest, her hair plastered to her head. She only wanted her more. Later, sitting in her tent, wringing her hair out over the sand, she knew she should have kissed her. She, Claire, knew.