Chapter Fifty-seven

When Claire woke up, the sun had already gone down and it was dark outside. She had no idea how long she slept for because she didn’t remember how or when she had slept off.
The one thing she was certain of though was how empty and cold the sheets were - she was all alone, Lukas had left her again.
*Was he doing this on purpose?* Lavishing her with attention whenever they were alone in the bedroom and then avoiding her and giving her the cold shoulder everywhere else. That hurt more than when he openly showed his aversion to her, this actually made her heart sting.
Claire reluctantly got out of her bed, the delicious soreness of her body making her want to cry. She glanced down at her body to find out that Lukas had dressed her in his black dress shirt, he didn’t have to try so hard to hurt her.
The luxurious material slid smoothly against her skin, the edges of the shirt brushing against her thighs. She reluctantly took it off, needing to take a shower.
Claire snuck a glance at the clock, the time read past 8 pm. She wondered if Senite had eaten dinner yet, she needed to speak to the older lady, the sooner the better.
Somehow she wasn’t surprised by the image her reflection revealed, Lukas had been deliberate with the placement of the hickeys on her neck. She just wished that it didn’t hurt so much when she looked at them.
She cleaned up and dressed up in casual clothes, at this point, she no longer cared if other people saw the marks Lukas eagerly left on her skin. If anything, they seemed happy to see it.
A quick call to Senite told her that the older lady had already eaten dinner so she made arrangements for a little talk after Claire had her own meal.
Claire decided to call Rosie next, she felt bad about not being able to check up on her assistant that had most likely spent all her day moving in.
Rosie picked up on the first ring like she had been impatiently waiting for the call.
“Hi, Rosie, I’m sorry I haven't checked up on you yet.” Claire immediately apologized.
“It’s fine Luna Claire, I don’t mind.” Rosie was quick to reassure her, her voice sweet.
“Have you eaten dinner yet?” Claire asked instead, getting an idea.
“Not yet, is something the matter?”
“Not at all, do you mind if we eat dinner together? I’ll come down to your new room.” She invited herself over.
Rosie panicked at this, “Luna Claire, you don’t have to-”
“Awesome, I’ll be down in a few minutes.” She brightly cut her fussy assistant off.
Rosie was too sweet for her own good. Claire was so grateful that she got the opportunity to work with someone like her because she was able to make her smile no matter how down she was.
Claire stepped out of her bedroom and asked for a maid’s help, she had no idea where Rosie’s new room was. When she got to Rosie’s room, they could then decide on what they would eat, maybe they could even order takeout.
Finding Rosie’s room was very easy because the fiery headed werewolf was standing nervously in front of her room, clearly waiting for Claire.
Claire looked concerned at this, maybe she shouldn’t have pushed after all. “You didn’t have to wait outside for me.” She said to Rosie who looked sheepish.
“No, that’s not it, my room is still a bit messy and I didn’t want you to see it that way.” She said nervously.
Claire couldn’t help but laugh softly, “What’s a little mess? I don’t mind”
Rosie was still a little hesitant but she smiled easily now, opening the door to invite Claire into her new room.
Her room was similar to the guest room that Rachel had stayed in but it was a tad bigger. Contrary to what Rosie had said about the room being messy, it was actually immaculate save for a couple boxes filled with books.
“Why don’t I help you finish up and then we can order takeout?” Claire offered lightly.
“I really want to do this, we’re friends after all you don’t have to treat me so distantly.” Claire added when it seemed like Rosie wanted to protest.
Rosie visibly relaxed at this, “I’m sorry if that was how I sounded, I’m just a little overwhelmed. I’d love that.”
Claire beamed, her mood improving exponentially. “Alright, let’s tackle these books, do you want them in any particular order?” Claire asked, rolling up the sleeves of her sweatshirt.
Rosie was also casually dressed in faded denim overalls and a washed out band t-shirt, her hair gathered up in a loose bun. “Not really, I’m not that much of a stickler for patterns.”
“That makes this easier, take that box while I handle this.” Claire suggested, putting up her own hair in a ponytail.
If Rosie noticed how extensive the marks on her neck were, she said nothing about them, looking right through them.
With Claire’s help, they were able to shelve all of the books in no time. Rosie wiped her forehead with her wrist and let out a big sigh when they were all done.
“There, that’s all that needs to be done.” She said with a tired but satisfied smile.
Claire stacked up the empty boxes, moving them to the pile sitting at an empty corner of the room. “How do you like your new space?”
Rosie was seated cross-legged on the ground and when Claire asked that, her hazel eyes sparkled. “I love it! It’s more spacious than the cardboard box of an apartment that I was previously living in, and most importantly, its free!” She threw her hands up in excitement and then seemed to catch herself, her pretty face coloring up in mortification.
Claire couldn’t help her laughter that rang out clear as a bell, it was nice to see Rosie let her guard down. “Why don’t you take a shower while I order something?”
Rosie hopped to her feet at this, “Sure thing, Luna Claire.”
Claire winced, realizing that no matter how close they got, Rosie would always see her as the Luna Queen, she supposed that couldn’t be helped.
“Should we order pizza?”
“Pizza is fine with me and I’m not picky about toppings.” Rosie said, already heading for the built-in bathroom.
Claire smiled to herself and gently perched on the side of Rosie’s bed to order the pizza. She never really had this kind of friendship in college because although she was the quiet type, she seemed to draw in friends that were outgoing and liked to party. This was a very nice change of pace for her.