Find You in the Dark

Time to get up. We need to start getting dinner together.” He whispered in my ear, kissing it gently, sending shivers down my spine.
    I stretched and tried to burrow back down into the couch cushions. “No, I want to sleep.” I complained, closing my eyes again. “Get up, Mags!” Daniel shouted, before jumping on top of me. He tickled my sides until I was gasping for breath. “I'm up, I'm up!” I screeched, smacking his hands away. I shoved Daniel off of me and stood up.
    I met Clay's eyes as he watched me. His face was dark and I shivered involuntarily. I didn't like what I saw. There's no way he could be jealous of Daniel. That was just ridiculous. But looking at him and how pissed off he seemed, I knew that's exactly how he was feeling.
    I crossed the room to where Clay was standing at the island. I slid my arms around his waist. “Hey, you.” I said softly, kissing his back through his t-shirt. I tried to let him know through body language alone that there was no one else I wanted.
    “I've gotta get dinner ready. So just back off, alright.” Clay lifted my arms from around his middle and moved away from me. Wow, that hurt. “Clay...”I began but realized he wasn't listening to me. He had moved over to where Rachel was chopping vegetables. I watched as he began to laugh at something she said. He helped her get the salad together, completely ignoring me.
    Rachel met my eyes in confusion over Clay's sudden chattiness. I gave her a small smile and turned away. If he wanted to pretend I wasn't there, then fine. I'd go in the other fucking room. Screw this!
    I grabbed a beer from the fridge and popped the top angrily. Throwing the bottle back, I drank half its contents in one gulp. I went back into the living room to sit with Clare, who was watching Desperate Housewives.
    Dinner was awkward. The food was fantastic but I couldn't eat any of it due to the huge lump that had taken up residence in my stomach. Daniel sat beside me as Clay brought in the platter of steaks. Seeing this, Clay dropped the plate on the table and walked around so that he was sat on the opposite end of the table from me.
    He wouldn't look at me the entire time we ate. He laughed loudly with Ray and even flirted with Clare- (which I thought was totally inappropriate-). But it was as though I didn't exist. “Problems in paradise?” Daniel asked between bites of salad.
    I gave him a withering look and otherwise ignored the goad. Rachel sat across from me and gave me worried looks throughout dinner. This is not how I envisioned this evening would pan out. Rachel and Daniel were barely talking and Clay was refusing to acknowledge me. Could it get much worse?
    After we finished, I decided to take the bull by the horns and deal with the ice that had formed between Clay and I. I grabbed a bunch of plates and followed Clay into the kitchen, where he began to load the dishwasher.
    I dropped the dishes on the counter and pulled Clay by the arm. “Look at me!” I said loudly, trying to get his attention. He tried to shake me off but I wouldn't be swayed. “Damn it, Clay! Just tell me what I've done to deserve the silent treatment!” I hated how wobbly my voice sounded. Clay must have heard it too because he finally looked at me.
    Seeing how hurt I was he sighed and the coldness melted away from his face. “It's nothing, Mags. I don't know. I'm just being irrational again.” Clay filled the sink with water and started scrubbing the pans, apparently trying to avoid the conversation.
    I dipped my hands into the soapy water and took his hands in mine. I felt his fingers curl around to hold me. “I don't understand. I'm not a mind reader, Clay. You have to help me out a little here.” I implored, dropping my forehead to his chest. Clay wrapped his arms around me, his wet hands gripping my back.
    “Please, can we just forget about it. It's nothing.” He sounded tired and I wanted to push him. But I knew instinctively that it would only make things worse. So I went against my better judgment and let the matter drop. I decided moving back into denial land was my best option.
    I went up on my tip toes, placing a kiss on Clay's mouth. “I love you. You know that right?” Clay gave me a weak smile. “Sure.” He said, turning back to the dishes in the sink. He didn't say anything else to me. I stood beside him another moment, then left the kitchen. His arctic blast following me into the living room.
    Ray was yelling at the television as he