4A/N: This is my first story, so go easy on me please! If you like or don't like something, let me know!
I am all about the alternate Emma and Clay storyline! I wasn't at first but when I read some other people's stories, I realized how much sense it makes!
ENJOY
The more you think about a situation, the more you're prepared for it. Is that really so? Because overthinking can be dangerous. Emma knew all about that. It was her specialty. She's a resilient person. She's survived things that the average 20 year old couldn't even imagine having to go through. But right now she's not feeling like that. She feels nervous. She's feeling like a scared puppy on it way to the pound. Okay, maybe she's being a little dramatic. But she's doing something right now that she's never done before. She is going on a date with Clay Spenser.
She's been crushing on him since the moment she met him. She was 17 at the time. He barely glanced her way. He had just joined Bravo team and he wasn't looking for a girlfriend, especially one that was underage and happened to be his team leaders daughter. She wasn't a kid anymore though. Sure, there's an age difference but he doesn't care about that right?
He had broken up with his girlfriend Stella a couple months ago. Well, actually it was more like she stomped on his heart right before he had to board a plane to somewhere dangerous. Bitch. She felt bad for him. The many times that she was sitting with her dad when he got a call from the bartender at The Bulkhead that Clay had once again gotten too inebriated to drive and he didn't have to go home but he couldn't stay there. But the bartender cared about his loyal SEAL customers and couldn't just let him drown in his own puke on the sidewalk. It was about the fifth time that her dad had to leave family dinner to go pick him up when he decided enough was enough. Emma didn't know all the details of how her dad convinced Clay to turn himself around but she thinks it had something to do with running hills for 5 hours. An hour for each time he had to peel Clay's ass off the bar.
He had gotten back to his normal self somewhat and Emma decided to-what did Hannah call it?-Shoot her shot? Whatever, she asked Clay out on a date. But now that she's sitting in his passenger seat on the way to the restaurant she can't help but think back to that moment. Maybe she was overthinking, because why wouldn't she be? But she's playing it back in her head and she feels that maybe she had been too crass about it. She had backed him into a corner. She obviously had to talk to her dad about it. Duh, Clay was her dad's subordinate. She's surprised he actually said yes. The nervousness bubbling up in her stomach when she approached him almost made her hope he said no so that she wouldn't even have to follow through with her crazy idea to ask out the hot, blonde, dreamy, tough- okay she was getting off track.
She brought it up to Clay. My dad gave his blessing! He said that it was a great idea even!
And now thinking back to that, Clay couldn't have said no. What would it look like if he rejected Bravo team's bright shiny penny? He would look like an asshole. So of course he said yes. Now he can go out on the date, tell them all he gave it the old college try but that he just wasn't interested. They couldn't be mad then.
She looked over at him from her seat. He pressed up against the drivers side door, looking deep in thought. His hands squeezing tight on the steering wheel. Yeah, this was not how she fantasized their first date going. She had more imagined that they would be laughing to the point of tears on the way to the restaurant and he would nervously reach to hold her hand, and she would gladly accept the gesture. It should be warm and inviting. The reality was it was cold in the car because his window was partially down in the middle of November and he's trying to sit as far away from her as possible. Yeah, no. She's not gonna do this.
"Clay, you can just drop me off at the bus stop up here." She pointed to it and kept her eyes straight. He looked over at her with his eyebrows furrowed.
"What? Why would I do that?" he asked.
Emma held her breath for a second. "I get it. You don't have to do this. I'll tell my dad that I had a good time but that it wasn't meant to be. Its okay, seriously." Her eyes still straight ahead she tried not to shed tears. She watched as he passed the bus stop.
Clay shook his head and pulled over to the side of the road, not where Emma would have liked. There wasn't nearly enough lighting but he was the one driving, not her. She eyed the street up and down and weighed the risk, moved to open the door and Clay stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Emma, I don't mean to be so blunt, but what the hell are you talking about?"
She looked at him questioningly. "Clay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to corner you when I asked you out. I totally get it. I can clearly see and feel that you don't want to do this. That's on me, I shouldn't have assumed that you would be into this. And I'll get my dad to back off of you with the whole drinking thing. Its the least I can do for the trouble I've caused." She rambled on, hands shaking as she stepped out of the car.
Clay snapped out of his confusion and jumped out and rounded the car to stand in front of her. "Wait, Emma, wait. You got this all wrong. I'm thrilled we're going on a date! I'm sorry, what am I doing wrong?" He held he hands out in front of him, stopping her from walking away.
She looked genuinely surprised. "Well, I mean, you looked like you couldn't get further away from me in the car. You practically had a death grip on the steering wheel, you made it as cold as possible in the car. And...you wont even talk to me. You don't have to spare my feelings, Clay. I'm a big girl, I can handle a little rejection. I'm just really sorry I didn't even give you the chance to in the first place." she laughed and looked down at her shoes. She was laughing at herself. She felt like a fool. But tomorrow she would pick herself up and dust herself off.
Clay rubbed his hand over his face. He felt like the biggest idiot in the world. "Emma, I swear to god, I was not ever going to reject you. The truth is..." he went quiet.
She stood there awkwardly waiting for him to finish the sentence but she was kind of scared at what he was going to say.
Clay took a deep breath. "The truth is, Emma, I am really nervous." he rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at the sky, silently begging god to throw him a bone.
Emma stood in shock. She tried to hide it on her face. "Really? So you don't think I'm a total weirdo that cornered you?" She smiled and stepped closer to him.
Clay stepped closer to her and reached for her hands. "You didn't corner me. I kept the window down because I've been sweating bullets since I left to come pick you up, that's why I was sitting so close to the door because I was trying to get as much breeze as I could. And I had a death grip on the steering wheel because I wanted to hold your hand but I was too chicken shit to say so." He grinned with blush on his face.
She looked down at their hands, intertwined and smiled. "You're holding both of my hands right now." She squeezed his hands firmly and held on to them, hoping he wouldn't ever let go.
He looked into her eyes and threw caution to the wind. He pulled her in by her hands and moved his into her hair and crashed their lips together. So there they stood, on a dark street corner, kissing. He rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks and angled his mouth over her. She invited his tongue to dance with hers. They breathed heavily. She moved her hands to his belt loops pulling him in even further. When they both were about to run out of air, they pulled away from each other. Still breathing heavily, he asked, "Emma Hayes, will you go on this date with me? Will you hold my hand in the car?" He laughed and licked his own swollen lips.
She laugh as well. "Yes and yes please." Her eyes twinkled.
He reluctantly let her go and opened the passenger door for her to get in. She moved towards the car but stopped to steal another short kiss from him. "Let's go, Sailor." And she patted his cheek. She got in the car and he closed the door. He once again looked up at the sky. "Thanks for the bone, man." He got back in the car, grabbed her hand and set off towards the restaurant.