When Claire first came to Genoa City on Young and Restless, she found herself with an instant family in the Newmans and also with a new love as she fell for Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor). Over time, she’s made an enemy in Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver) as well as some friends. “Tessa and Mariah are good friends, which I love, because Camryn Grimes [Mariah] is one of my best friends in real life,” Claire’s portrayer, Hayley Erin, enthuses to Soap Opera Digest. “So getting to play that has been such a joy for me. And Cait Fairbanks [Tessa] is awesome to work with, and she’s super-cool.”

Something New

Claire has also developed a relationship with Holden (Nathan Owens) since he first introduced himself to her — and introduced her to vespers — at the GCAC bar. But where that falls on the scale of enemies to lovers remains to be seen. “This friendship with Holden is something completely different,” Erin muses. “And I think it’s really confusing for Claire because she trusts him for some reason off the bat because he was really supportive to her when Kyle wasn’t there, and she was really lonely and going through something really tough. And the one person who was there for her was Holden. So that’s kind of bonded them.”

As she’s gotten to know Holden a little bit better, Claire has continued to find him a supportive friend, but his involvement with Cane Ashby and his Aristotle Dumas alias shows that there’s another side to the guy she’s not yet fully aware of. “Now there’s more to it because it seems like he is a bit of a questionable character,” the actress allows. “But Claire is very headstrong in her ability to read people, and she feels incredibly justified in her friendship with him. So it’ll be interesting to see if she’s right or if she’s been kind of blinded by the pain that she was in.”

Holden On: Holden (Nathan Owens) has been there for Claire (Hayley Erin) in her hour of need.

More Than Friends?

Another thing complicating Claire’s relationship with Holden is that while she’s placed him squarely in the friend zone, he continues to ply his charms and flirt with her whenever the opportunity arises. And with her trust in Kyle having recently taken a hit as he kept secrets from her, this could be Holden’s chance to step in.

“I have enjoyed their scenes together from the very beginning when we were getting the vespers at the GCAC,” Erin says. “He would be asking her questions, and she’d be kind of like, snippy with him, almost. It was like showing this other side of her, where she’s so friendly and bubbly and… not naive, but kind of hopeful when it comes to the Newmans and the Abbotts. And then you introduce this other character, and you get to kind of see this more biting side of her.”

Claire was brainwashed by her Aunt Jordan and taught to lie, scheme, and manipulate from 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡, so once freed from those shackles, she’s done a complete 180. “She’s almost compensating for it sometimes, being extra forgiving or being kind of lighthearted or positive… almost toxic positivity,” she explains. “And when it came to Holden, there was no expectation there. So she was able to just speak to him very straight from the get-go. So I think she’s kind of been a little bit, maybe more herself around him. It’s interesting. I’m really excited to see how it develops.”

I Don’t… Right Now: Kyle’s (Michael Mealor) surprise proposal went over like a lead balloon.