Fly on the wall

The next day, as Claudia was fixing breakfast, she thought of ways to tell Lex about her considering to date Sean without upsetting him because he had been having heart issues lately. Lex looked up from his paper and watched her for a moment before speaking.

“What’s wrong, Claudia?” he asked.

“Nothing’s wrong? Why would you ask such a question?”

“You’re obviously worried about something so spit it out.”

Claudia brought the food to the table and sighed as she sat down, “Dad, Sean is coming over in a few hours to have lunch with us.”

Lex giggled slightly and shook his head, “If that’s all then why are you so nervous? Doesn’t he and you spend a lot of time together anyway? You’re almost like brother and sister.”

As he asked that, Sean had slipped into the house with a bouquet of roses hoping to surprise Claudia by being early.

“Well...” she began and then started playing with the hem of her shirt, “he asked me to date him last night.”

As she said that, Lex was taking a sip of his coffee and spit it out coughing with wide eyes. “He did what?”

“He asked me to be his girlfriend and I think it’s a good idea. After all, we are not related yet we both know each other well and at least this way I know what I am getting into.”

“That boy is a playboy, do you think he will change that for you?”

Hearing this, the smile on Sean’s face was instantly replaced with a twisted look as hatred began to fill the boy’s heart, “Who is he to judge me?” he thought before he heard Claudia’s response.

“I wouldn’t know if I don’t try.”

“What about that boy you said you used to love? What was his name again?”

Claudia’s sunny deposition suddenly became dark, and she whispered, “Volk.”

“Volk, that’s it. What would he think of you dating a playboy?”

Claudia slammed down her cup and glared at Lex, “It doesn’t matter. He broke his promise, and he is never coming back. He’s dead! Either way you don’t know how he would treat me. It could be different. He said he had been wanting to date me for a while.”

“You’re right Claudia. I should have never brought him up and open those wounds. I just don’t want to see you hurt again,” Lex said as he lowered his eyes and whispered, “You was so broken then.”

Claudia thought back to when her mother kicked her out of her home in Roseland and called her a monster that no one wanted.

“It’s ok, dad, I am not that weak little girl anymore. Thanks to you. And, besides, I have already accepted what I am long ago.”

As she said that, Sean knocked on the wall and faked a smile, pretending not to have heard anything. As both Lex and Claudia looked at him, he held out the bouquet of roses, “I promised to replace the rose the wind destroyed last night, didn’t I?”

“You’re early!” Claudia exclaimed and Sean gave her an embarrassed smile.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t wait to see your smile again. It has been a very long time since I saw you smile genuinely and after what you said last night I got to thinking.”

“What did she say last night?” Lex asked.

“She called herself a monster and that isn’t true Claudia. If you are determined to see yourself as that then either I will change your mind, or we can be monsters together.”

Claudia started laughing and Lex shook his head. “Sean, you’re so corny,” Claudia said.

“She has had a rough life due to her, uh, birth defect a lot of people have called her a monster,” Lex replied not knowing if Claudia told him anything about her past, much less what she was and if she wished to share it with him.

“Birth defect?” Claudia asked, “Oh, you mean me being born as a vampire! Dad, Sean already knows about it, you don’t have to try and cover it up.”

“Yea, but honestly, I am still uncertain how that actually works.” Sean said and Claudia sighed.

“It doesn’t matter. Well, since you’re already here stop standing in the doorway like a creep and join us at the table,” Claudia said.

Sean walked over to the table and handed Claudia the roses before shooting a quick cold glare at Lex who almost missed it. Since it only lasted for a moment, however, Lex thought he might just be imagining it, or that it was a trick of the lighting, so he didn’t point it out or question it as he was smiling brightly.

“So, Claudia, have you thought anymore about us dating?” Sean asked.

“She was just telling me she thought it was a good idea,” Lex answered for her and a shadow momentarily crossed Sean’s face before he quickly masked it with a bright smile and asked, “And what about you Lex? What do you think?”

Lex glanced at Claudia who had a frown on her face, “I think she is old enough to make her own decisions, but just know, if you ever hurt her, that I don’t care who your uncle is,” he began before aiming a glare in Sean’s direction, “I will make sure you pay for every tear she sheds ten-fold.”

Seeing the two men having a stare down with a bitter look on their faces, Claudia decided to change the subject to stop their “macho-man” stand-off. After clearing her throat, she said, “So, Sean would you like some food? We’re currently eating breakfast right now and I made homemade croissants, eggs, and sausage.”

“No thanks, I already ate breakfast. Besides, I should probably get going. I came early because my uncle called me into work,” Sean said before getting up and leaving them in silence before Claudia could point out the fact that he had said earlier it was because he missed her smile.