The morning after her hook-up with Holden, Claire had reached a decision about her love life. The love triangle between her, Holden, and Kyle took a turn in Holden’s favor on The Young and the Restless.
But Tuesday, November 4’s episode didn’t see Claire choosing to pursue a relationship with him beyond a flirty friendship. Though that doesn’t mean Claire has set her sights back on Kyle either. No, as she told Holden, her focus is on the present, and that means it’s firmly centered on her own needs, wants, and dreams. This is the best choice she could have made.
Key Takeaways
- Claire’s plan to work on figuring out what she wants
- Where her decision leaves Holden and Kyle
- How Holden’s secret past with Audra could impact his romantic prospects with Claire
Claire Chooses Herself
While Y&R fans certainly aren’t out of the woods when it comes to who Claire (Hayley Erin) ends up with, she has made it clear that’s not a concern she has for herself.
The Newman heir has been through a lot, which is a reality that Jack (Peter Bergman) reminded Kyle (Michael Mealor) as his son lamented the loss of his relationship with Claire during Halloween. The father she’d been stolen from and who she was building a strong bond with was ripped away from her by death. She’d already lived a hard life before, manipulated by her aunt.
The love Claire has been experiencing from her family and Kyle is new. Claire admitted to Victoria (Amelia Heinle) that she might be scared of commitment. It doesn’t help that Kyle betrayed her trust with his seductive scheme to catch Audra out in order to use it to their advantage.
The ball is now in Claire’s court to decide if she wants to try again, and she doesn’t. At least not right now. When she told Holden (Nathan Owens) that she was focusing on herself, he pressed to see where that left Kyle, but Claire said that was about the future and her mind was on the present.
At the time, that meant Holden taking her to a rooftop so she could see the mountains and they could have fun taking photos together. It’s obvious Claire has had a good time in the city, but she also knows she needs to return to Genoa City and what awaits her there. This includes her family, her publishing business, and what navigating her new normal looks like, which isn’t the life she was building with Kyle and Harrison (Redding Munsell).
READ: What really happens when Nathan Owens and Zuleyka Silver film tense scenes on Y&R.
Holden’s Secret Could End His Relationship with Claire
Claire made a point of making her last stop the Shadow Room. She intended to get answers from Sienna (Tamara Braun) about Audra (Zulekya Silver), like Kyle attempted, but she didn’t get anywhere.
However, Claire and Holden did run into Mitch Bacall (Roger Howarth), and the interaction was weird enough for the pair to note it after they left the club. Holden shared that there’s always been tension between him and Mitch, but Claire’s main concern was her friendship with Holden.
She has made it very clear that dishonesty is a deal-breaker for her. It’s what led to her break-up with Kyle. Claire is interested in continuing her relationship with Holden, whatever that might look like in the present. But she’s not interested in getting caught up in lies. She asked Holden to open up to her, but he didn’t get a chance to respond before Nick (Joshua Morrow) showed up.
If Holden does choose to share with Claire, whether fully or partially, it’ll go a long way in their relationship. But if he bypasses the truth, downplays what he’s hiding, or continues to avoid answering Claire’s questions, he could lose her. While they aren’t in a committed relationship, he has caught feelings. Perhaps even deeper than Claire has. It’d be a shame if their romance ends because he can’t be honest.
But for now, Claire is taking life one step at a time, and that means concentrating on herself and choosing what’s good for her, even if that results in walking away from the two men she’s grown close to. Her setting boundaries and establishing what she won’t tolerate is the right move. Love comes with compromises, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of what you need to feel safe in a relationship.
