The Dark Proposal (The Claire McCormick Trilogy) (6 page)

From that point on, the two were seeing each other either after he taught classes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings or during the weekends. They went to lounges or pubs for a few drinks, went to comedy clubs, checked out some plays, both major and small. They did the things couples who shared the same interests would do.

In late-September, Daniel met Monica and Samantha. It was a Wednesday after one of his classes and Samantha was bartending at the sports bar. He was polite and friendly to her two friends as the four of them hung out until the bar closed half past one. He headed home, after giving Claire a delightful but short kiss in front of the other girls.

“I think he’s a good match for you,” Monica said. “He makes you smile, too.”

“Yeah. He really seems to like you back, in a genuine way,” Samantha added.

Later that same week, it was her turn to meet with his friends. They went to the East Village to a rock club where three of his friends from Brooklyn put on a show. While waiting for the band to begin, she met Daniel’s neighbors from TriBeCa, Michael and Sarah. Like Daniel, Michael was a professor, only he taught math at the same public Manhattan college Daniel previously taught at. Sarah worked as a bartender at a classy lounge near the Empire State Building. They weren’t married and had no intention of doing so. For a moment, Claire wondered if Daniel was the same way. But then she shrugged that thought off because she was definitely too young to be thinking about that.

As for the rock band, it was called The Black Roses, which represented its goth tones, and they as a group of friends were referred to as such. The Black Roses consisted of its singer and bassist Yvette, a tall biracial woman with a bright smile; guitarist Anthony who had playful brown eyes and a boyish face; and Jessica, its drummer who’s long dark hair and wide green eyes gave off a sensuous appearance. They performed well, even though goth rock was not Claire’s style.

After the show, the seven of them hung out together. At first, Claire was a bit shy hanging around such people because she had little connections to them. They weren’t fellow high school or college students, like the friends of her previous boyfriends. These were complete strangers. In addition, she was younger than them, and felt like a kid. She did her best to act more mature around them.

As she sat and observed them, she saw they were all close and seemed like family to each other, which she liked. Watching Daniel with his friends was pleasing because he was so relaxed around them. He also laughed a lot which she enjoyed hearing. This was the most she had ever seen him at ease.

However, he didn’t completely forget her nor did anyone else. Chestnut-brown haired Michael went the most out of his way to get her more involved in the conversations, and Anthony would try to tease her so she would relax a bit. These were a good, friendly bunch who accepted Claire into their fold, and not just because she was seeing Daniel. By the end of the night, she felt as though she had made a new group of friends.

However, there was something off about Sarah. From the moment they were first introduced, she would suspiciously eye Claire with her large blue eyes as if she was inspecting her. If she ever asked her any questions, Claire felt like she was being interrogated. A couple of times, Daniel and Michael had to nudge Sarah or through her a look that told her to stop. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but Claire felt as if Sarah didn’t exactly want her around, but at the same time, she was welcoming to her. It was like she was more than just a new friend, but Claire wasn’t sure what.

There was also something odd about his friends. For one thing, they all had the same pale complexion she first noticed on Daniel. Also, they all had accents that Claire could not place. They certainly were not New York accents; some of them spoke as if they had lived in Europe as children. When she asked them about that, they seemed to look at her as though she had two heads.

They also were quite affectionate with each other. Claire didn’t blink when Sarah, Yvette and Jessica gave each other delicate kisses or played with each other’s hair, but she raised her eyebrows when she saw Michael and Anthony be more physical than most male friends were to each other. They tried to be the same with Daniel, who calmly brushed them off, leaving them annoyed. When Claire privately questioned that sort of behavior, he also acted as though it was nothing to worry about. She left it at that, especially since there was no pressure from his friends to be as openly friendly.

Sometime after, she met Daniel’s friends, she finally told her family about her new boyfriend. Naturally, her parents weren’t pleased that Claire was dating an older guy, and her older brother, Zachary was very protective in his tone towards her. She tried to convince them Daniel was a wonderful guy and helped her a great deal with her freelancing.

It took a visit to Staten Island by her family a few weeks later for them to believe everything she said about him. As they ate out one night, Daniel was polite and charming to her parents, brother and sister-in-law. At first they were very uptight around him, but soon they relaxed. Even Zachary spent some time joking with him, like most guys do.

Everything was going well. By the week of Halloween, the couple was discussing a future together. They talked about where they would be together in one and two years in the future. Although he told her marriage was not his thing after a failed engagement while in England, he confessed he was willing to give it a try. As for children, she made it clear she didn’t want any for several years, which gave him visible relief.

Claire’s contentment radiated from her. Instead of being indifferent to working at the college, she seemed to skip around the office. She was almost humming the way Nancy did. Even Laura Matthews noticed her part-time office assistant’s newfound contentment. When she asked why the change, Claire simply said her freelancing had picked up dramatically.

But one not particularly thrilled about Claire dating Daniel was Nancy. Even though she liked seeing that Claire’s mood improved, the elder woman did not express delight for her. Instead, she fought to stop an eyebrow from raising whenever Claire mentioned her boyfriend. She also did little to express her disdain for Daniel. Whenever he would stop by to see Laura while Claire was finishing up for the day, she was distant, almost cold to him.

One day in late-October, Claire confronted Nancy. Daniel had just walked out after picking up his mail, and Nancy’s eyes were narrowed suspiciously as he exited. Claire saw that and walked right up to her desk. Leaning on her elbows, she whispered, “Nan, why are you so cold to Daniel?”

Blanketing her disdain with innocence, Nancy said, “What makes you think that, dear?”

“Well,” Claire took a deep breath. She didn’t want to start an argument with someone she was always on good terms with. “You’re usually nice to everyone, but not with Daniel. What is it about him that you don’t like?”

Nancy blinked and looked away. “I never realized I did that. If that hurts you, I’m sorry and I’ll try to be nicer to him.”

Claire paused before getting up and going back to her desk. She knew Nancy was not being honest, which was unlike her. She also knew the woman always harbored deep suspicions about Daniel, and despite her efforts, there was no way to change her mind. That decision created a space between the two that would continue to widen as the days passed.

For the time being, she was enjoying her life with Daniel. What she enjoyed most about being around him was that he clearly appreciated being around her. He always beamed when she gave one of her belly laughs. His signature touch was by running a single finger through her dark hair. He turned to her when he felt stressed, which was often. She adored it when he said she was his rock and that she relaxed him. It made her feel special and important in someone’s life.

His friends also grew more appreciative of her. They all connected with her on social media sites and exchanged phone numbers. Michael was slowly becoming like a second brother to her. The Black Roses invited her to their shows, even when Daniel was not available. Monica and Samantha came with her to one show they did on Staten Island, but were turned off by their sound. That didn’t stop Claire’s roommates from encouraging her to make new friends, though.

However, there was still something odd about Sarah. As Claire became a regular member of the circle of friends, there continued to be something a bit of about her. Although Sarah was polite, there was a discomforting vibe Claire got from her. It was as if Sarah couldn’t decide whether to like this newcomer or be suspicious of her.

Also, there were times she would take Daniel aside and they would argue. Even worse, Sarah would stand too close to him, even rubbing his arm or even touching his face. Claire was shocked by that, and when she confronted Daniel, he simply said Sarah was touchy-feely.

But once, at a pub, she did this and Claire had enough. She excused herself from the group gathered by the bar and walked over to the corner where Sarah was snapping at Daniel while holding his wrist. He seemed to be under pressure, with his arms folded across his chest defensively. As Claire approached them, she could hear Sarah.

“You know what happened to Henry, you know how he ended up!” Sarah was saying. “Casames won’t be so lenient.”

Daniel sighed heavily and nodded, “Yes, yes, I know. But I am sure it won’t happen again. Not this time.” He then saw Claire coming, patted Sarah’s arm and walked away from her.

“What was that about?” Claire asked, her hands on her hips.

“Sarah likes to bring up the past a lot,” he replied, putting his hand on her lower back as he walked her back to that bar. “But don’t worry; she likes to stir things up.”

Claire frowned as she followed Daniel. She glanced back at Sarah who had just moved from the corner and was looking at Daniel, concern on her face. But when she saw Claire looking at her, she had to control herself from sneering. Claire felt her eyes narrow in response.

That was the last time Daniel allowed Sarah to pull him away from Claire for some private talk. He would refuse the mere notion of doing so, and Sarah could see she was losing on whatever it was they were debating.

Not long after, he took her to a traveling photography exhibition, originating from London, and showcasing pictures of the city’s nightlife from the 1890s.

While looking over and admiring the photos, Claire noticed one that was the last of those displayed. It was a group of men seemingly gambling at a pub. The men in the photo were all gathered around a table, going through cards. A few other men were standing over and watching them. All were deeply involved in the game.

One of the men looked oddly familiar to Claire. As she leaned in closer to the Plexi-glass protecting the photograph, confusion took over her. One of the men, who’s head was turned sideways, watching the game had light shoulder length hair and high cheekbones.

She called Daniel over and pointed out the photo. “Don’t you and him look so much alike?”

He squinted at the exhibit. “Wow, check that out!”

“Creepy, isn’t it? This picture reminds me of the way you look on your website.”

Daniel laughed. “I wouldn’t put it that way.”

“Why not? You both have light brown, longish hair, and that expression is a lot like yours when you’re being serious,” Claire teased him.

He shook his head. “Maybe it’s an ancestor. My father was British after all.” Taking her hand, he began to pull her away. “Come on, there’s more to see here.”

She examined the photo one last time before following her boyfriend to the next set of photographs. The resemblance between the stranger and Daniel was definitely uncanny. However, by the time the night ended, Claire had forgotten about it.

During her whirlwind romance, her freelancing improved. She was knocking out two articles a week, and not just at the lifestyle and art magazines, but also some websites with a national audience. She was meeting so many fascinating people and learning so much about such social issues as abortion, same sex marriage, and unemployment. She also was meeting people from all sorts of cultures and backgrounds. Her world had certainly opened up.

At the same time, she was finally doing her part to pay the rent and utility bills, much to her roommates’ delight.

Things were blissful. She had a loving boyfriend, new friends, steady freelancing, and she was living the city life to some degree. It was as though the misery Claire had following graduation was short lived and she was blessed with the good life. She wanted what she was experiencing to never end.

The weekend after Halloween, Claire and Daniel attended a small independent play written by one of their favorite British playwrights. The play, a satirical look at society and class, had little romance in it. But that didn’t matter to her; time spent with him was romantic enough.

Afterward, they headed for their favorite Irish pub across town on the Upper East Side. Hand in hand, they discussed the play.

“Quite entertaining,” he said. “Though a bit dry in some areas.”

“I agree. I also felt it had a snobbish tone to it.” She shrugged. “But then again, doesn’t the U.K. have such a reputation?”

He looked at her. “No, that’s a stereotype. Why do you to believe such things?”

Claire replied, “I’ve been hearing about them for years, plus some British celebrities have a haughtiness to them.”

“But you’ve never been to Britain. I would spend a few months or even years like I did before laying judgment on some place.”

Claire was bit taken back. He had spoken in a harsh tone, though not enough to rip off her skin. It was like her immaturity clashed with his worldliness. She made a mental note to use her head more often so she wouldn’t be like a child compared to him.

As they headed for the pub, they discussed the productions they wanted to see in the future. Daniel mentioned getting tickets to a Broadway musical that were difficult to get, which delighted Claire. She kissed his cheek, but he didn’t respond. Instead he was looking straight ahead. She looked to see what he saw, and saw their pub across the street, overflowing with people watching the latest baseball game. That made Daniel upset. He let go of Claire’s hand and threw his up slightly. He shoved his hands in his black leather jacket and puffed out a frustrated sigh.