“Can we just stay here forever?”
Stretched out next to Claire, who had just spoken, Aj answered. “I think your brother would send a search party after us.”
Claire giggled. “I suppose you’re right. But I can dream can’t I?”
He leaned over her, Of course you can my dear,” he said, dropping a handful of cold sea water on her face.
She started. “You jerk!” she ran after him into the waves.
When Claire reached Aj, he picked her up and tossed her in the water.
She came up spitting salt water. “You’re dead Mclean,” she shouted and launched herself at him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This time, they both came up spitting salt water.
They were also laughing.
Aj kissed her. The combination of being in the sun, in Hawaii, in salt water up to her waist and being with her boyfriend made Claire dizzy. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.
Next thing she knew, she was lying in the sand as Aj untied her bikini top.
Claire stopped him before he got it completely off. “Aj, stop. We can’t,” she whispered.
“Why the hell not?”
“Sex on the beach is a drink. Not something I want to experience just yet. And ESPECIALLY not when my brother, cousin or your mother could sneak up on us at any second. It just isn’t a good idea.”
He groaned and rolled onto his back. “You’re killin’ me Littrell,” he said, watching as she sat up and retied her top.
“Surfing! Surfing! Surfing!”
Claire and Aj turned toward the oncoming chant. “See?” she whispered as Brian, nick, Howie and Kevin walked toward them. “They totally would’ve caught us. Howie would’ve been grossed out, Nick would’ve run away screaming and Brian and Kevin would now be in the middle of…” she turned. “Hi guys!”
“Hiya sis,” Brian said. “We’re gonna go take a surfing lesson. Do you guys want to tag along?”
“Sure! Aj,” she turned again. “Do you?”
“Not this time. I’ve already filled my sun quota for today. But you go and have fun. I’ll see you later.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“You should’ve gone surfing with us. It was fun,” Claire whispered.
“I wasn’t exactly in a state to stand up in front of Bri and Kev. They would’ve smushed me and you know it.”
“True. They would have,” she giggled.
“Oh you think it’s funny do you? You wanna laugh?” Aj turned and started tickling her sides.
Claire was most ticklish on her sides and she was soon out of breath from laughing.
“Stop…please…can’t…breathe!”
“You’re laughing, of course you can breathe. And anyway, you know the price you must pay to get me to stop,” he laughed back. They’d played this tickling game once before.
Claire shook her head. “We can’t!” she hissed, still laughing. “Brother’s next door.”
“So we’ll be quiet,” he kissed her.
Most kisses-while-laughing weren’t sexy, but somehow, the kisses-while-laughing Claire had shared with Aj were. They were Claire’s most favorite kind of kiss.
“When are we ever quiet?” Claire surrendered. “I give up. You win.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Stay here,” Claire heard. She turned from tying her shoes. “You know I can’t. Brian would have a cow. So would just about everyone else. Not your mom though, she likes me.”
“So do I. So stay with me.”
‘Sorry hun, we’ve both got big days ahead of us,” she leaned down and kissed him. “And we can use the sleep. So Good night my love. I shall see you tomorrow.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Are you sure we’re gonna get away with this?” Claire whispered.
“Of course we are,” Nick replied. “We always play pranks on each other.”
“Well, I don’t think anyone’s gonna like this one.”
Nick had come up with a joke for Claire to help him with and now she didn’t know what on earth made her agree to help. She was having second thoughts about it now.
“Lighten up Claire,” he scoffed.
“Brian doesn’t like heights. Telling him I’m stuck up here and that he has to come get me isn’t gonna make him happy.”
Nick ignored her and Claire thought about backing out. But then she had an even better idea.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes. I need the bathroom,” she said and trotted off to find her brother.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“CLAIRE!!!” Nick yelled. “I am SO getting you back!”
Claire just laughed. “I’m sure you’ll try Nicky.” She had found Brian with the others and told them of Nick’s plan. They had quickly come up with a way to turn it around and now Nick was hanging in a net that was dangling fifteen feet above the stage.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“It was bound to happen,” Claire said from under her blanket. Only what she said sounded like, “Eeetasoundoooappen,” because of her stuffy nose.
Leighanne shooed Brian out of the room. “You guys have a show tomorrow night. You don’t wanna get sick. Go.”
“Thanks for taking care of her,” Brian said as he left the room.
“Yeah Leigh. Thanks for staying with me. I know taking care of your boyfriend’s little sister while she’s sick can’t be fun.”
“On the contrary. It’ll give us a chance to get to know one another better. And,” Leighanne smiled. “You can tell me all the embarrassing stuff Brian doesn’t want me to know.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Chicken pox? What the hell? I thought you had them when you were six,” Aj said.
“I did. Sometimes you can get them twice. And apparently the second time is WAY more itchy,” Claire replied.
“Don’t scratch.”
“Thanks genius, I kinda figured that out for myself.”
“Calamine lotion,” Aj stated.
“Yeah, it’s not working. Which really sucks.”
“Still, NO scratching.”
“Yeah yeah. You’re not the one who’s stuck inside with the chicken pox while you’re in freaking Hawaii. I’ll scratch if I want to.’
“There are hundreds of Hawaiians who get stuck inside with chicken pox every day,” he laughed.
“If you’re trying to make me feel better it’s not working. And besides, the Hawaiians who get stuck inside are FROM Hawaii. And me? I am NOT Hawaiian. I’m a Kentucky girl and I HATE being stuck inside when I really want to go surfing.”
All she heard was laughter. “Tell the guys I said ‘haha’ and I hope someone throws banana peels on stage and they slip.”
Claire was just a bit miffed that everyone found her discomfort funny. Once they got back to the mainland she’d be confined to her bus because she refused to go home. The only people allowed on the bus would be those who’d already suffered chicken pox, which meant no Howie and a new driver until the doctor declared her cured.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“I’m so coming back here soon,” Claire said. “Maybe for spring break.”
“Oh no you won’t!” Brian said. “Definitely NOT for spring break. Haven’t you ever seen how crazy things get on MTV? It’s worse in real life.”
Claire was covered from head-to-toe while in the sun and now she was mad at her brother. If they weren’t in the airport waiting to board their plane to Washington, she’d be screaming.
“Uh Bri? You’re not mom and dad. They already promised I could go on a spring break trip with Ari, Megs, Steph and Jen. Plus, I’ll be eighteen anyway and will go if I want to.”
“Sounds like Claire needs a little nappy,” Nick commented.
“Shut it Nick. I’m not really in the mood to go all slappy on people.”
Brian spoke, “Claire’s always been grouchy when she’s sick. I think she always will be. But Nick,” he turned to his friend. “I really, REALLY wouldn’t mess with her right now. She’s liable to take your head off.”
Claire nodded in agreement.
Kevin cracked up. “Bri, do you remember when we had to replace the Professor?”
“What do you mean REPLACE him?” Claire demanded. “He’s the same bear he’s always been.”
“No he’s not,” Brian laughed. “You got sick when you were four and everyone went on vacation without you. So you stayed with us. Me and Harold found you crying over Professor’s decapitated bear body. You said he was making fun of you and laughing because you were sick so you ripped his head off to shut him up.”
“Maybe I WILL leave her alone,” Nick muttered.
Everyone, even Claire, laughed.
“Man, I was a mean little kid. But why didn’t you guys just sew his head back on?”
They (Brian and Kevin, mostly Brian) told more embarrassing stories of Claire’s childhood. Aj learned stuff she never intended him to know.
Claire decided as they boarded the plane that payback sucked. She was never going to tell her brother’s girlfriend embarrassing stories about him ever again.
