Coffee and Claire Pt. 04

"Aren't Hare Krishna people supposed to be vegetarian or something?" She asked as I was filling my mouth with ham sandwich.

I swallowed and said "Yeah. They are. My parents are strict vegetarians. They never forced me though. I could go out and eat whatever I wanted. I was one too, until I got my first kitchen job."

"Hmm... interesting. Does that make you a heathen then?" she laughed.

"Absolutely! But Hindus are pretty peaceful people and my parents are hippies so I had a very free upbringing." I replied.

"I never cared for religion either. We can be heathens together!" Claire kissed me. I could be anything as long as she was with me. I felt so accepted. Nothing about me was weird to Claire.

We spoke about everything until it was 11 at night. Science, politics, religion, philosophy, emotions. Nothing was off limits. All the talk was interspersed with many loving kisses and caresses. She held me so tightly that I had sore ribs.

Claire was much more knowledgeable than she gave herself credit for. She was brilliant! She listened to what she didn't know, had well formed opinions and defended them with passion. I told her as much. It made her blush.

I had to sleep if I wanted to make it to work tomorrow so we both went to bed, happy and exhausted. We slept as soon as our heads hit the pillows. Having her naked in my arms was definitely going to give me the sweetest dreams.

Chapter 17 (Krish):

The following two weeks could be best described as blissful but exhausting. Claire seemed like a woman reborn after she had paid the bank off. She hesitantly accepted my offer for money. It took a lot of courage on her part and I had to make sure that I never let it get in the way of our relationship.

She was frantically trying to get the cafe running while looking for new people. I helped her every evening after work and we quickly developed a rhythm. I went straight to the cafe after work and would hang about helping Claire make a few changes here and there, paying bills and handling some repairs with Greg. After a week, I just sat there and worked to give Claire support as she tested new people.

Greg was much more friendly towards me now. I began liking him a lot. He was an amazing guy and was great help whenever Claire needed him,

Sandra had also thawed out quite a bit. I made it a point to visit her with Claire every night and after some initial awkwardness, she started to trust me around Claire. I bet that she had done some digging on me that persuaded her as well.

Claire finally found and trained a new baker in a couple of days. Jake was just out of school and was saving up for uni. He was a quick learner and was very enthusiastic to work with Claire. He secretly harboured a crush towards Claire like every other teenager in town. That wasn't surprising, but he was a good lad.

Claire also found Freddie, a new barista for the mornings and a wonderful lady called Joan to help in the kitchen. Everything was on track for the cafe to open on schedule. Claire was excited that it would all finally work.

At this point, I was spending a lot of time at Claire's. I only went home every other day and I was back at Claire's most nights. My garden was looking a little sad now because of neglect. I had another idea that was a little scary.

We could rent out my house and I would move in with Claire since I already spent so much time there. The extra money would surely help. I was weary as that was how Brandon had done it and Claire might not like the idea. It was a big deal.

I was enjoying the feel of having Claire next to me all night. The fantastic sex we shared didn't hurt either. It was starting to feel agonizing, every time I had to spend a night alone. Claire was usually tired at night when we got back so we mostly slept but she would jump my bones every morning.

The spontaneity of our quickies or the long, loving times where we took it slow were all a treasure I never thought I would receive. I wanted so badly to make Claire my forever. Another scary thought I'd been having.

All these thoughts were swimming in my head as I got back from work Thursday. I had taken Friday off, despite Claire's protests to help her get ready for the opening on Saturday. For the past couple of days, the nerve were getting to Claire.

She was happy and enthusiastic one moment and sorrowful and weepy the next. She was frustrated quite a lot. I tried to direct her anger away from her staff and at me because I could take it.

"Why the hell is this table wobbly, Krish?" "Fucking stop smothering me, Krish!" "These people are cunts!" "Fucking cunt Brandon! Hope he rots in hell!" "Don't you dare try to pay for that without asking!" "I don't need you to tell me what to do!" "Just because you paid, doesn't make it your decision." All were directed at me when I was there. I bore it silently.

She would then cry and apologize when we got home and I would just hold her and tell her it would all be okay. Sandra was noticing the changes too and spoke to Claire often. It seemed to help some but Claire was still on edge. I was beginning to be worried.

I got to the cafe and saw it was closed. Odd. I thought Claire would be stressing out at the last minute. I made my way to her place and saw that she wasn't there either. She always told me if she was going away or had to get something. I was anxious now. I had keys so I let myself in and decided to wait. Texting her as I walked in, it was half past five.

My patince was wearing thin by seven. She hadn't answered my calls or texts. I texted Greg and called Sandra. They hadn't seen her all day either. I didn't know what to do. I looked through the house to see if she left a note in the bedroom.

That is where I saw her phone, lying on the bed. The worry morphed into genuine fright. Where the hell was she? I decided to check my place to see if she was there.

Walking in, nothing. No sign of Claire. No note, no message. She wasn't returning my calls. Should I call the police? She wouldn't be gone like this without telling anyone. I had also texted all the staff asking when they finished. They all said Claire sent them home early.

"Greg, Claire is gone! Her phone is in the house! She bloody left it here!I'm scared shitless!" I screamed through the phone.

"Lad! I couldn't reach her either. Now it makes sense. Did you look at your place?" he asked.

"I'm here right now. She isn't. Should we call the police? The staff said she let them go early. Weren't you at the chippy when she left?"

"No, I left early. She seemed to be okay in the afternoon. I had to go to a mate's funeral."

I was panicking despite my best attempts to stay calm. "What do we do now Greg? Is there someplace you know she might be? Should we call the police?" I asked desperately.

"Get to the chippy. I'll be there in 10. Let's look at a few places and then call the coppers." Greg said. My hands and feet were shaking. What kind of trouble was Claire in. This was so unlike her. I grabbed my bike and pedaled furiously towards the cafe.

Brandon! Had he somehow gotten to Claire? Did he have her? He was going to be dead if he harmed her in any way. I had no idea if he did though. It would be stupid of him to show up when the police were looking.

I reached the cafe panting. Greg was already there in his car. I leaned my baike against the wall, hastily locking it to the back door of the cafe.

"What if that cunt Brandon has done something to her?" I said as I scooted into Greg's car.

"Whoa lad! don't be jumping to conclusions now. We'll look in the park next to the church first. She used to run there as a child when things got too much."

"Why wouldn't she tell me or you if she wanted to go? We wouldn't have intruded!" I said angrily.

"You love her, don't you?" he asked smirking.

"More than anything." I sighed. Greg patted my hand.

"We'll find er, lad. Don't worry."

We drove to the park in silence. I was biting my nails again. Getting down as soon as we reached, I sprinted inside starting to look at all the benches. It was dark in the small garden, it had a few benches and a small pond. There were lights illuminating the benches and some other spots. Greg took off in the other direction.

As I reached the small pond, I heard someone sniffle. I immediately ran to that direction and found a hunched figure near the edge. I let out my breath recognising Claire's blue coat. I was so angry at her, angry she would put me through this but I stilled myself for a moment.

I walked down next to her. She was startled but just looked confused as I sat next to her on a rock. "It seems I've discovered your secret spot." I said tersely. Her face was illuminated by a light some feet away. I saw she had a tear streaked face and her nose was runny. She just started crying again.

"Power rangers hanky to the rescue. I want it back washed." I said as I handed her my infamous handkerchief. I carried silly hankies a lot more because Claire just embraced it and I loved her teasing. It wasn't weird to her. She snorted despite herself. It made her nose run a little more. She was still the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on.

"You came." She gasped out.

"I don't know whether to kiss you senseless or strangle you." I sighed.

"I...I'm s-sorry Krish! I am an idiot! It... It was all too much and I... I just ran! I.. I'll never make it." Her tears were in full force again. "You h-hate me now!" she cried, grabbing my hands with her cold ones.

I looked away, on the verge of tears myself. Composing myself, I turned back to her. "I love you, you silly woman! Despite you trying to bloody kill me with worry! I thought something had happened to you or Brandon had hurt you. Let me call Greg to say I found you."

Her tears were still flowing as she looked at me. I called Greg. "Greg, I found her. She's near the pond. I'll get her home safe after a talk and make sure she apologises to you tomorrow. You should ban her from the chippy for a week." I said as I smiled at her.

"Thank God, lad! Don't wait around too long. How will you get back?" he asked.

"I'm going to make her walk as punishment." I said and stroked tears off Claire's cheek.

"I'm sorry Krish..." she began again before I cut her off with a slow kiss. She was surprised but she relaxed after a minute and started kissing back. Her tears had ceased but she was hacking from all the crying.

"You'll have to do dishes for two weeks in addition to walking home." I said breaking the kiss. "Claire, look at me." I raised her chin.

"Never do anything like that again. Have your phone on you at all times and tell me if you need alone time. I won't bother you but I need to know you're not in trouble." my voice was devoid of any anger, it only held concern. How could I stay angry with my angel?

"I can't do it Krish." she sighed.

"Yes you can. You're the only one who can. Brandon wins if you don't. Think of Sandra. This is her dream too. You've come too far to go back, no matter what." I said, hugging her tight.

"I won't have any money if none of the people come. Graham already has most of my business. All the regulars included. Summer is far away, Krish. I simply can't stay afloat." She said defiantly.

"So you're just going to give up? What about all the time you spent training your people. They depend on you. What about all of your hard work? Is it all a waste?" I said a little impatiently.

"At least I won't be a broke idiot. I'm already a laughing stock across town. I'll just cut my losses and move on."

"And do what, Claire? This is your life. You're the best at what you do. Your strength is something I genuinely admire. You can make it. It'll only be a matter of time before people start coming. And if you need more money, then we can think of something to come up with it." I soothed.

"You're jumping in again with your money! Haven't you done enough already?" she scolded.

"No, I haven't. Your dream is my dream now. Your success is my success. If we fail, we fail together. Don't you see? All I have is ours now, not just mine. Why won't you think the same?" I asked kissing her cheek.

"Because you'll leave me!" she cried again. "I'll blow your money, the business will fail and you'll resent me. Then you'll leave and I'll be a lonely failure again!" She sobbed.

"Hush now! I'll only leave when I'm dead. I'm yours forever. If you fail, we'll do something else but why won't you admit that there is just as much a possibility of success? Life will go on and I will always be there."

"You can't know that. You got suckered into taking care of me, the illusion of love will wear off. I won't always stay this beautiful. I don't bring anything else to the table."

"Claire, I'll only say this. I LOVE YOU. I'm under no illusion. Your beauty isn't in your face or your body. It's in your spirit. The only thing you need to bring to the table is love me back. I know you do." I finished, kissing her cheeks again. She looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Give me a chance and I'll prove it to you every day for the rest of our lives. Please stop fighting this. Let me take you home." I urged. She nodded and I huddled her against me. We began our walk back. I knew then, we would be okay.

Chapter 18.

"I love you, Krish." Claire said after I got her in and made her a hot cuppa. The walk back was exhausting but necessary to build our closeness. We were silent all through it and getting indoors felt amazing.

"I know. Now drink that and get ready for bed. We've got a big day tomorrow. Everything needs to be perfect." I kissed her forehead. She just sighed.

"Claire, It'll work out fine. Just be your awesome self and do what you do." I said reassuringly.

"You are so good for me Dr Ponton. I could have just called you. The was no need to freeze my arse in the park." Claire smiled.

"She finally sees sense! Hare Krishna!" I shouted. Claire laughed.

"Jokes aside, I really am sorry Krish. I'll never do that again."

"You better not. You'll get spanked the next time." I said caressing her cheek as she drank.

"Damn! Now I'll have to be naughty again. That sounds like a delicious punishment." Claire giggled.

"Get your mind out of the gutter! Hurry up. Shower, bed. Now!" I said moving upstairs to her room. I heard her follow me and jump on my back as I made it to the stairs.

"You're dirty now too so you'll have to join me." Claire said licking my ear.

"Is that so? let's see about that." I said as I carried her to the shower. She got off me and closed the door before I could make it out.

"Let me show you how much I love you, teacake." she said softly and kissed me.

We stripped and climbed into the shower, hands running over each other, caressing every bit we could touch. Claire broke the kiss and bent down to take my cock in her mouth. I let out a loud groan.

"Claire! Oh love!" gasped. The sensation was amazing. There was no doubt how much she loved me. Claire licked and sucked and kissed my head as I stroked her hair. Her tongue was magic. She took me in deep as she could and pulled back wit suction. My head was in the clouds.

"Give it to me Krish!" she said as she renewed her efforts, adding her hand into the mix. Her other hand was busy stroking herself and she was moaning onto my cock making it vibrate, increasing the sensations.

I couldn't stand any longer and held on to the shower railing as I burst into her mouth. She swallowed every drop.

I pulled her up and kissed her deeply. Not caring that she had my cum on her tongue. It was the least I could do after what she had done. I broke the kiss and trailed down to her left nipple, sucking it and biting it. Her rewarding moan was very loud.

"Oh, Krish! Oh my sweet teacake!" she gasped as I kissed lower and reached her clit. I blew on it and made her moan again. I licked and sucked and kissed her bud until she was quivering above me. My hands were holding her hips in place above my mouth.

She came with a scream and collapsed down to the floor where I held her in a tight hug. We sat on the floor until we could get up and smiled at each other.

Sleep came quickly when we got to bed, still naked and a little wet from the shower. Tomorrow would be a big day.

I awoke after the sun was up. Damn! why didn't my alarm wake me. I looked around for Claire and found myself alone. There was a note on my phone that read. "Switched your alarm off. You were a zombie all week and needed sleep. See me when you get to the cafe! xoxoxo."

The note made me smile. I hurried to the shower, got out quickly after my morning routine and had a quick breakfast of some eggs and toast. I grabbed my coat and started walking to the cafe. It was just past 10.

I wondered how Claire felt this morning. Hopefully she had gotten over her nerves. I prayed that everything would be okay. That was new for me, I never prayed. It made me smile again. I was a changed man.

"Morning handsome!" Claire rushed to me when I got in. Her kiss was brief but delicious all the same.

"You look a lot better." I said.

"I am! I'm excited! Come taste the new cupcakes I made." She dragged me. I was struck by the amazing aroma of baked goods as I walked into the small kitchen in the back. Claire handed me a cupcake. I was going to get fat just by looking at it.

"This is outstanding, angel!" I moaned. Claire certainly looked very excited. She seemed do different from the vulnerable woman she was last night. "I need to start running every evening if you plan to feed me these. I'll be a bloated pig otherwise." I laughed.

"What's one cupcake going to do!" she smacked me.

"Take away my abs that you love so much." I needled.

"I do love them. You better start running then." she kissed my cheek.

The day passed in frantic preparation. Everyone was so excited. We decided to bring Sandra back for two days. She would stay with us until we closed on Saturday. She was beaming too.

"You've made my little girl happy, Krish. Thanks." she said when Claire left with Greg to get dinner.

"She makes me happier, Sandra. I don't know what I did to deserve her. I love her so much." I replied.

"I doubted you at first but you're the best thing to happen to her. I see that now. I'm sorry." sandra sighed.

"Not at all, Sandra. I've come to see you all as family. I haven't been happier."

"It shows in both of you. She needs you. Don't ever hurt her."

"I won't mum." I said. That comment caught her by surprise. I just smiled and kissed her cheek. She really had become like a second mother to me.

Saturday was the opening. Claire was restless all night and I had to soothe her to get in a bit of sleep. We were both at the cafe by six. She was a bundle of excitement. The fear was also present but she was full of hope. Freddie showed up at seven and we opened.

Claire had done a brilliant social media campaign to promote the re-opening. We had changed the decor slightly to show things had improved. There were new items on the menu and everything looked perfect.

The first patrons started coming in around half past. Soon, Claire was her usual, bubbly self. I hung about in the back, helping where I could but mostly stayed out of the way.

The beautiful and kind barista that had made me fall in love was flitting through the cafe like an elegant butterfly. She was amazing and it warmed my heart to see her in her element again. We sold out of the new baked goods by 12 and Joan and Jake had a hard time keeping up with more baking.

All the regulars were back. Even some new faces showed up. My lab mates and colleagues from uni came too. That surprised me a bit as I usually had a strictly professional relationship with them. I realised that I had made friends as I thanked everyone for coming. Lucy even gave me a kiss making me blush in front of her husband who just laughed.