Laura might not have been the most stable when she spoke, but she sure knew how to light up a room.
The three girls hadn't hung out in ages. With Claudia back from abroad and starting anew with Jair, and Josephine and Stuart reconciling after their struggles, things were looking up.
It felt like everything was falling into place. Laura gazed at her two closest friends and felt a sense of relief wash over her.
Laura had always been pissed about Claudia's ex-fiancé and even wanted to break his leg. But now that Claudia was with Jair, she felt way better.
Laura even had this wild urge to have Claudia and Jair flaunt their relationship in front of that jerk. In every way, Jair could totally outshine him.
Moreover, Laura always felt like Josephine and Stuart's story wasn't finished. But she also believed Stuart had disappointed Josephine in the past, and if she forgave him too quickly, it wouldn't be fair after all she had endured. However, now that they were reconciled, things seemed promising.
When Steven came to pick Laura up, he found her grinning from ear to ear.
"What's got you so happy?" Steven asked, one hand on the wheel and the other holding hers. "Did you have a drink?"
Laura made a small gesture with her thumb and forefinger. "Just a little bit!"
Steven laughed, "Alright, as long as you're not drunk."
"I can handle my liquor."
Steven looked at her fondly. "Yes, Laura is the best."
While Steven and Laura were being all lovey-dovey, Claudia got a call from Jair after she got home.
"Claudia." His voice was deep and sounded even more magnetic over the phone.
Claudia felt her heart skip a beat and her voice softened, "What's up?"
Hearing her voice, Jair couldn't help but smile. "I was planning to spend some time with you. But I just got a call, and I have to head back to the military base tomorrow."
He had planned for this vacation to be really long. Having saved up a lot of vacation time from not taking much leave before, he had hoped to spend it with Claudia and pursue her properly.
. However, he now had to return to the base before they could make any progress.
His job had its own demands, and he had to follow orders at any time. It was a bit of a bummer.
Although he wasn't like a regular soldier who could only visit home during leave, being at the military base meant seeing Claudia and going on dates every day was unrealistic. If he could get out one day a week, that would be considered good.
Claudia knew this too. She didn't expect Jair to go back to the military base so soon.
Once he was back, he'd definitely be busy. Who knew when they'd see each other again?
"Take care of yourself while you're working," Claudia reminded him. "Don't overdo it."
"I know," Jair said. "Can I get an answer now?"
Claudia was silent. She knew Jair was great, but ever since the Howard Family incident and her ex-fiancé's cheating, she couldn't help but feel like something was wrong with her.
She used to be so confident. When did she start feeling so insecure?
Seeing her silence, Jair said, "Claudia, it's cool. I can wait. Take your time to think about it. I just hope that next time I ask, you can give me a definite answer, okay?"
Claudia felt a bit uneasy. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize," Jair chuckled. "I'm worried your next sentence will be to reject me."
Claudia couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks. Give me a few more days to sort things out."
"Sure," Jair said. "When I'm back at the base, I might not check my phone often, but I'll message you when I can."
"Got it."
Jair continued, "Take good care of yourself. If you need anything and can't reach me, call Stuart. He'll look out for you."
Claudia responded with a hum.
Jair added, "Eat well and don't stay up late."
Claudia stayed silent.
Jair sighed, "What am I gonna do? I haven't even left yet, and I already miss you."
Claudia felt her heart race.
Jair didn't expect an immediate response from Claudia. He was ready for a long wait.
He said, "It's getting late, you should get some rest."
Claudia replied softly, "Okay, good night."
"Good night."
After hanging up, Jair sent a message to Stuart, but received no reply
Jair figured he was asleep and didn't think much of it. Little did he know, Stuart wasn't asleep at all. He just wasn't in the mood to check his phone.
After parting with Josephine, he wandered home like a ghost, lost in his own thoughts. He didn't even know when he fell asleep.
The next morning, when he opened his eyes, he wondered if last night was a dream. He reached for his phone, wanting to call Josephine.
But seeing the time, it was too early. Then he noticed Jair's message and called back immediately.
Jair answered quickly, "Stuart."
"You're heading back to the base?"
"Yeah, I'm on my way now."
"So early."
"Yeah, we have to gather in the morning," Jair said. "If Claudia needs anything while I'm at the base, please look out for her."
"Don't worry."
"That's all. Also, you and Josephine..."
Stuart thought of last night and still felt it was unreal. "Can you believe it? Josephine forgave me."
"Really? That's awesome." Jair was genuinely happy for him. "I told you Josephine wouldn't hold a grudge. You were just overthinking."
"Yeah," Stuart laughed. "I'll definitely treat her right from now on."
"I'll be watching you," Jair said. "I regret not kicking you a couple of times before. If you mess up again, it won't be just a couple of kicks."
"I won't give you the chance."
"If I end up with Claudia, then I'll be on Josephine's side too."
"Alright, don't worry, I won't let her suffer anymore."
After hanging up, Stuart got up to wash up. Feeling restless, he drove to grab breakfast before heading to the research institute. His goal was to meet Josephine and confirm their relationship status.
At the research institute, seeing the time, he thought Josephine should be up by now, so he called her.
Josephine had just finished washing up and was about to have breakfast. She answered the call, "You're up early?"
"Have you had breakfast?" Stuart asked. "I bought some, I'm downstairs."
Josephine was stunned for a moment. "I'll come down now."