A/N: Clare and Adam met in high school, and Clare and Eli met in college.

In this fanfic, Darcy and Peter got married when she moved back home to Toronto from Kenya.

And Jake did not date Clare because he had no reason to since she had not known Eli.

everyone's pretty much around 20 in this story (except Helen and Glen).

CHAPTER ONE - I CAN BE YOUR GENTLEMAN

(Clare's POV)

I enter the lobby of my apartment building after another depressing day at my job. I work as a store clerk at a Victoria's Secret department downtown. It's not the best job in the world considering I allow myself to let plus-sized women buy underwear that are definitely not their sizes, am constantly harassed to "try things on" for men, and am forced to stare at large posters of beautiful woman - who are way better looking than I - posing in lingerie on their curvy, yet sculpted bodies.

Bleh. I hate it all. But it's not the worst thing; at least I get a discount on all the stuff there. Perfumes, lotions, and lingerie - not as if ever I'll wear it. I mean, I don't have anyone to wear it for anymore. I had a boyfriend, Jackson...but'll get into that later. So my job, it's just someway to pay off the bills of my apartment - very temporary (Thank God).

I saunter over, then into the elevator and quickly jab the number 5 button with my index finger. The two metal doors are closing when a black boot rushes in between the them and they shoot back open. I observe as Eli Goldsworthy and his boots stride into the elevator with me. The doors shut and now I am now in an enclosed area with him. He gives me a smirk and I say, "Hey Eli."

"Hey Clare." He responds.

Eli is my neighbor and (some what) my friend. I don't really know. We met through Adam, but we're not really friend-friends. We don't have seemingly unstoppable talkative conversations like I have with Adam, or he has with Adam. We're maybe just a "hello" here and there and that's it. He lives across the hall from me in an apartment he shares with Adam. And he also attends school at New York University with us - Adam and I; he, a newly turned senior, and Adam and I, newly turned juniors.

Eli and I stand in silence until the doors slide open when we stop at the 5th floor. He and I step out and we walk down the hall to our separate apartments. "So Clare," Eli sighs, pulling out his keys from his jean pockets. "How was work?"

Searching through my purse for my keys, I answer, "It was long and boring." I snatch out my keys. "Same as yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that." Eli chuckles lightly and I ask, "How 'bout you?"

"Ehh," he rejoins, shaking his hand slightly to show that it was okay. Eli works at a Starbucks down the street. Sometimes I think that he and I should trade jobs. I 'd love to be employed at a coffee shop, with its sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee, and it's relaxed and busy people; and I'm sure that he would gladly like to stare at women try on bras all day. Even though he already has a girlfriend, I know he wouldn't mind just glancing, but his girlfriend would. She'd be super pissed.

Eli and I both arrive at our doors. We say our goodbyes, even though we both know that I'd be over their house in an hour or so. I spend more time in their apartment than I do in my own. I open my apartment door and crouch down to pick up to the small bound stack off mail set on the floor which the mailman shoved through my mail slot earlier today. I grab it and shut my door. I flip through the envelopes. Bill, bill, catalog, and another bill. I stroll to my room, passing the coffee table in my living room and tossing the mail down on it.

I go to my room, pick out a white t-shirt and a pair of black jeans, then go to take a shower. After I get out the shower and I change, I start my route to Adam and Eli's.

...

I sit on a black leather chair in Adam and Eli's apartment's livingroom with my legs kicked over one of the arms, eating sweet and sour pork and rice out of a carton. We all had ordered chinese food and delivered to their apartment. Our eyes are fixated on the tv screen, which is displaying a football game, and our mouths are being occupied by the stuffing of chinese food in them.

Ring! Ring! My phone buzzes in my back pocket. I set my carton of food down onto their coffee table and I fish my phone out of my pocket. It's my mom. I answer the phone. "Hello."

"Hey Clarebear," My mother greets me.

"Hey Mom, what you doing?"

"Uh, nothing much, Sweetie; but I just got done transferring the money into your account so you can buy the plane tickets for our family vacation."

Aw man, I totally forgot about the "Martin-Edwards" family vacation that we take every year during the summer. This year my mother and Glen had set up for all of us to travel to Hawaii for a week. I slide my hand down my face and groan, "Mom, I blanked on that. I have to call into work and tell them that I'll be gone for a while."

She giggles, "Yeah, Honey, they'll let you take a vaca. So, just buy the tickets and make sure you leave on Friday. Oh, and I didn't want you to feel lonely and left being around Glen and I, and Peter and Darcy, and Jake and Vivian; so I put enough money in for you to bring that boyfriend of yours, too. Jackson.

My heart stops when I hear the name "Jackson". I had not actually told my mother that Jackson and I's broke up, too afraid that my singleness would worry her. But I guess I should notify her now. "Mom, I need to tell you something,"" I whisper as I stand up from the chair and start walking to Adams room, somewhere private.

(Eli's POV)

I watch as Clare rises from her seat and whisper, "I need to tell you something" to her mom. When she had answered the phone and began chatting with her mom about going out of town, there was a pause, and Clare's facial expression turned to one of sadness. Like her mom had said something that had upset her. And that's when she got up.

I wonder what had upset her...

"Wooo!" Adam shouts, startling me. "Dude, did you see that?" Adam asks, pointing to the television, where one of the Packers football players is doing a little shuffle in the opposite end zone. I nod to Adam, then shrug it off, still worried about Clare.

"Be right back," I say to Adam, getting up from the couch. He tells me to "hurry back" and I ignore him.

I follow in the path that I had seen Clare had taken and I find her in Adam's room. The door is cracked open enough to see her and still be undetected. I peek in to see her sitting on the bed, on the phone, arguing with her mother. "Ma, we broke up three months ago," I hear her say sharply. She must be talking about Jackson. I continue to listen. "...No, I did not ruin our relationship. Why are you saying that?!"

Did her mother just accuse her of wrecking her relationship with Jackson? because if so, that is far from the truth.

I remember Clare coming to our apartment a mess, because of that Jackson guy. I had known Jackson from around campus, he was in the same grade as I, and I had heard he was a bit of a player, but I had not been the one to inform Clare of his. For one, I had not known Clare like Adam had, so I had no right to try to butt into her and Jackson's relationship.

But from what Clare had told us when she came to our apartment that night was, that she had found out that Jackson was cheating on her with some other girl at our school, because Clare wouldn't have sex with him. She broke up with him, but said she really didn't want to - she had loved him deeply. Clare was at a low; she was even about to call him, apologize, and tell him that she would have sex with him if that was if he wanted. But luckily, Adam had stopped her by taking her phone away from her for a week til; she cooled herself down had regained her center.

Clare eventually got over Jackson, but informed Adam (and I) that he would still call her occasionally and apologize and ask for a second chance, saying he would wait until she was ready. Clare didn't give in.

Clare continues her conversation with her mother, "... Having a boyfriend is not all that is important in this world, Mom...What the-...No, I don't want you to set me up with Darien from church, I don't even remember him...I don't care!...No, Mom, I'm not going to have a million cats. You sound retarded right now...Mom, I'm sorry, but it's true...Stop yelling please."

Okay, I've had enough. Clare is crying now. I cannot sit back and watch her be tortured any further. I burst into the room, causing Clare to jump. She wipes her eyes and covers the speaker of her phone. "What are you doing in here?" Clare hisses.

I jog up to her and hold out my hand. "Give me the phone."

"No." she gasps, pulling the phone closer to her chest.

I roll my eyes and swiftly snatch it from her hands. I place the phone up to my ear. "Hello, Mrs. Edwards."

Clare whacks my arm. "It's Mrs. Martin, now, you idiot." she shoots.

"Oh my bad. Hello Mrs. Martin?"

"Hello, Who is this? What happened to Clare? " Mrs. Martin questions, sounding a bit angry. Now I know why this woman had Clare in tears, her voice was wicked sounding.

"Uhm, I'm Elijah Goldsworthy, and Clare is sitting right here next to me."

"Are you one of her friends?"

"You can say that; I'm her boyfriend." I lie, and after I say that, Clare gives me an odd look. Like why are you lying to my mom? I put a finger up to my mouth, telling her to stay quiet.

"Really?" Mrs. Martin squeals, sounding happy, yet confused.

"Yes, Mrs. Martin. Clare and I were just friends, had having a mutual friend, Adam. So after Clare and Jackson broke up, Clare and I started talking; we sort of gravitated towards each other. She's a very sweet and beautiful girl, and I like her very much...Oh and I also have no idea why she's never mentioned me to you; I'm starting to think I'm not as important to her as I thought I was."

"You're funny, Elijah," Mrs. Martin laughs. "Can you please put my daughter on the phone?"

I smirk confidently at Clare and hand her the phone. She speaks, "Yes Mom?...Um, yeah...Uhh, okay...Love you...Bye."

Clare hangs up the phone and stares at me bewildered. "She wants you to come, come on our family vacation in Jackson's place."

"Cool," I say, "I could really use a vacation. When are we leaving?"

"No-no-no-no-no...Eli, why would you do that? Why would you lie to my mom like that? You can't come. What about Julia?"

I sigh and answer all of her questions. "I did not like the way your mom was making you cry; you didn't deserve that considering that asshole, Jackson, cheated on you. You had to do what was best and your mom does not know the whole story. And I lied to get her off of your case, If I said I was your boyfriend, she'd stop badgering you for a while. And as for Julia, she's in Italy with her family for a while. She wont know. You and I'll just go with your family, have fun, and come back, and things will go back to normal."

Clare shrugs, "I guess.."

I smile, "Great. So where we and the fam going anyways?"

"Glen and my mom said that we're going to Hawaii for a week."

"Well I guess I need to bring swim trunks and lots of sunscreen."

Clare giggles.

...

Clare and I exit Adam's bedroom and resume in our old sitting positions and finish eating our food, then Adam asks, "What were you two doing?"

"Nothing much," I answer. "But Clare's my girlfriend now."

"What!" Adam blurts in shock.

I don't know why I have a habit of creating stories before others are finished.

I JUST combined chapters 1 & 2.

Well review :p

-MFFITS