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Everyone at Brody's knows Austin because he's frequented the bar whenever I've been on shift. He's the toughest son of a gun I know. Not to mention the best friend any guy could askfor. Currently, Claire's brother is working security detail for an actress filming a movie in Queensland, but in a few months, when the assignment is over, Austin will be moving back to Melbourne. And then anyone who doesn't fit Austin's ‘stay and love Claire forever’ criteria – which is pretty much everyone I work with – will be forced to face Austin or forget ever seeing Claire again.
"Unless you intend to marry her and spend the rest of your life making her happy, I will tear your balls from your body and force-feed them to you if you go near my sister. Understand me?"
That's what Austin said to me the day I ever so casually mentioned I wanted to take Claire out on a date. Since the last thing I wanted to do at eighteen was settle down – hell, my life plan included travelling and never settling down – I didn't ask Claire out. And nine years ago, when she hinted that she wanted me to take her to her prom, I made a joke of how I saw her like a little sister. My rejection hurt her more than I intended, and she's never forgiven me for it, but I will never be the man she needs.
Claire deserves her dream guy – someone who will stand by her side for the rest of her life and never let her down. She deserves someone who will take care of her and love her always. That isn't me. Just last week, I booked my plane ticket out of here. For years, I've been planning a round-the-world-trip, and when I was accepted as a replacement instructor for an extreme sports camp for teens in New Zealand, I knew it was time to stop putting off the inevitable and leave. Travelling and seeing the world is the only long-term plan I've ever made.
Briefly, I contemplated leaving in a few weeks' time instead of in a few months' time, but I don't feel right about leaving Claire before Austin returns from Queensland. As much as Claire would disagree, it's my job to play temporary big brotheruntil Austin comes home. So, I went ahead and booked my ticket for October, thirteen weeks from now. By then, Austin will be back in Melbourne and I can leave without feeling guilty about abandoning Claire. After I finish my stint as instructor, I'll be flying off to Europe and then maybe to Asia. The world will be my oyster.
There is so much I want to see and do. Which is why I don't have any intention of putting down roots. I don't want to slave away at some nine-to-five job, running myself into an early grave, when none of it really matters. I can't take my money with me when I die. My father died far too early in life because he forgot that simple fact. There's no way I'm going to make the same mistake.
But Claire? She's the exact opposite. Like my father, she values stability and security. She hates winging it, and she's desperate to settle down and live a life of...well, everything that sounds boring to me. On the most basic level, we are so incompatible it isn't funny.
In conclusion, I'm not her dream guy. I knew that years ago, even if she didn't. I should probably have made more of an effort to build a friendship with Claire instead of teasing her so much and giving her a hard time, especially after the way my rejection had hurt her. But her constant animosity towards me made it so much easier to remember that I wasn't supposed to lean in and take a taste of that sweet, sweet lip gloss. Maybe I stirred her a bit too much, but I honestly didn't know how to be around her when she wasn't pissed at me.
Even now, she's glaring at me. I smile back at her and wave, a familiar surge of affection coming over me.
"I could have sworn she was flirting with me," Sam says, though he's sounding less convinced now.
"Not Claire," I tell him firmly.
Aside from the fact that I can't imagine Claire flirting with anyone who earns less than eighty thousand dollars a year, she has a boyfriend. At least she did the last time I spoke to Claire's mum, Diana. But her latest Mr Wall Street isn't sitting with her, and generally Claire doesn't use her nights for anything other than...well, work or dating. Hmm.
"Her friend was flirting with me, too."
For the first time since looking in Claire's direction, I notice the redhead Claire is sitting with.
"That's Kara," I tell Sam. "I'd consider her off-limits, too."
"Why? Is she Austin's sister, too?"
"No, but Austin's been in love with her since forever."
Austin just refuses to admit it to himself. No one wants to be standing in the way when he finally figures it out.
"You've got to be kidding."
"Nope."
Sam looks so disappointed that I pat his shoulder before pushing through the short wooden gate that's supposed to keep the pub's patrons out of the bar area.
"Hey, where are you going?" Sam calls out.
"There's someone who's desperate to say hello to me."
As I approach Claire's table, she pretends to be engrossed in a conversation with her friends. But I'm not fooled. She knows I'm here. She folds her arms across her chest as she sits up straight, her back rigid.
I pull an unused chair away from the table next to theirs and spin it around, so it's next to Claire's. Then I straddle it and lean on the backrest.
"Claire-Bear."
"Dylan," she returns through clenched teeth.
"Would you believe my idiot bartender over there actually thought you were flirting with him?"
"That's because she was flirting with him," Kara says smugly.
Clearly, they are having me on. Since the joke isn't funny, I ignore it.
