Claire and Holden have been dancing around each other on Young and the Restless, but their latest interaction could prove messy in the long run.
The pair has plans to head to New York. Holden wants to be in the city as Malcolm goes through treatment for his aplastic anemia. Claire intends to support her friend. But the trip has a promise hanging over it. One that could see Holden finally telling Claire about what happened with Audra in Los Angeles.
Key Takeaways
- Claire and Holden’s relationship status.
- Why Holden spilling his and Audra’s secret would be significant.
- How the secret could impact Claire’s love life.
Holden and Claire Are More Than Friends on Y&R
While Claire (Hayley Erin) and Holden (Nathan Owens) aren’t together, it’s clear that’s what Holden would like. Their friendship, rooted in open and honest conversation, has persisted despite Claire’s indecision about a future with Kyle (Michael Mealor).
The two grew closer while in LA, including being intimate during their time away. But the nail in the coffin of their romance continues to be Holden’s refusal to disclose the full story about his past with Audra (Zuleyka Silver).
He’s not keen on telling Claire that he killed a man and covered it up. It was an unfortunate consequence of helping Audra when the art dealer she’d been seeing found out that she’d stolen from him.
While it was an accident, Holden feels guilty for his part in the man’s death. But he’s also aware that the secret isn’t solely his. It’s Audra’s, too, and he’s held off on sharing it for that reason. However, it’s obvious he’d like to tell Claire. He said as much when he pushed for her to come to New York with him.
Holden was willing to use the secret as leverage for persuading Claire to take the trip. She teased him about the inducement, but it ultimately wasn’t the reason she came around to saying yes. Claire wants him to tell her in his own time, but it’s possible that time may be coming sooner than Audra would be happy with.
Audra and Claire’s Bad Blood
Claire and Audra don’t see it for one another. Any time the two share air, they’re at each other’s throats with cutting words and snipes. Their last scene saw Audra taking Claire to task for keeping Holden on the hook and for nepotism.
Claire hit back that her family giving her a job is no different than Sally (Courtney Hope) giving one to her best friend. But Audra left their conversation with a scathing remark of her own after Claire threw Noah (Lucas Adams) in her face. She reminded Claire that it wasn’t too long ago that she was trying to kill all the Newmans.
That piece of Claire’s past is certain to become relevant once Audra and Holden’s secret is out. Though the Newmans are perfectly fine, Claire does know what it’s like to be in a bad situation. She also has firsthand experience with premeditated violence, even going so far as being willing to kill her aunt Jordan (Colleen Zenk) to stop her rampage.
The secret Holden and Audra are harboring isn’t that different. But that doesn’t mean it won’t prompt Claire to reevaluate what she knows about her friend.
Holden’s Secret Could Bring Him Closer to Claire
What Holden went through has been weighing heavily on him. Relinquishing that weight and letting Claire help him carry it could deepen their relationship. If it does, the two may try again at a romance.
Holden has been leaning on Claire as he works through the shock of finding out Malcolm (Shemar Moore) is his father in the midst of Malcolm battling a deadly disease. She’s been more than happy to be a support for him. It’s why she’s going to New York.
Besides Kyle not being firmly in her past as a romantic option, Claire didn’t let herself become involved with Malcolm because of his secret with Audra. Once it’s out of the way, there would be little stopping them from starting the romance they’ve been flirting with for some time. But while Claire would likely give Holden grace for what happened, her extending the same understanding to Audra may not be in the cards.
If Claire finds out about the accidental death, their feud is likely to worsen. And if it does, Y&R viewers can buckle up for even more animosity between the two. This time over how Holden came to Audra’s rescue and wound up taking a man’s life in the process.
Claire likely isn’t above weaponizing the secret to her advantage, personally and potentially in business, if she ever needs to get one over on Audra for her own sake or the Newmans’.
