Her stay with Anna in that room was the best therapeutic stay she had ever had in her life. Because she made sure she had poured out everything she had ever held in her chest and when they were done crying and Maya done with the cajoling, she was laughing, blushing, and smiling as she told her about Charles.
“Girl, look at the way you’re blushing. You’re already in love and don’t you dare tell me otherwise, okay?” Anna stared at the way Maya looked serious and she threw her head back and laughed.
“But do you think it’s safe for me to fall in love now? I feel like I'm not healed yet to do that, Maya. Won’t I be broken even more painfully than before?” She had never spoken her fears to anyone, not even to Charles whom she was sure will assure her that he wouldn’t hurt her until she believed each word he had uttered, and he would top that with his nice words. But this was a soul-to-soul talk she was having with her breakfast and she dared not hide anything from her.
Maya held her hands firmly and shook her head, “What do you mean, Anna? Does he treat you well?”
Anna smiled softly and nodded her head, “He does, Maya. Of all the men I've ever had an encounter with, if you take out my employee which is like an obligation to them, he’s the second to Dad. He treats me so tenderly with full of love. Have you seen our pictures on the plane? That’s enough to tell you that he cares about me and I was sleeping at the time...” She ended her words with a soft smile as she sighed dreamily. Something was stopping her, “I just feel like there's more to these feelings. I know that it will take me no time to fall in love with Charles, like I'm already in love with him but to fall deeper like I did with Nate. I don’t want to hurt, or do you think I'm just being paranoid, Maya?”
Maya stared deeply into her eyes before she sighed and shook her head, “I won’t say you’re just being paranoid, the right word to use is that you’re still holding onto your past, Anna. Which isn’t right and healthy for you. Let go of Nate, let go of all that he has ever made you feel. The love, the smiles, the laughter, the pains, the tears, everything. Start your new love afresh, can’t you see the way he lives now? I'm sure he has never been this happy in his whole life, why would you do this to yourself? Why will you hold yourself back, Anna?” Anna was about to speak when Maya cut her off as calmly as she had never done before, “Just think about this, are you being fair to yourself? You’re the only person that should treat yourself right, that's the first necessity. And whoever treats you right next is his or her choice but never an obligation. Give your soul the love it wants, you really deserve this beautiful feeling, Anna, okay?”
Anna was staring at her with new hope sparking from her eyes. “I will, Anna, I surely will.” Then the playful tone was back, and she laughed before she uttered the words, “I want to make love to him!” She whined and ran deeper into the room because she knew a smack will come and it did, deepened by the echo of her laugher as they began racing through the room while Anna made sure she made a crimson red of Maya’s cheeks. She was the most bashful person she had ever seen in her life.
❦
Clara met him seated on the sofa and it was evident he was deep in thoughts. She smiled warmly before she clung onto him and laid her head on his laps, “Are you thinking about me, Jack?” She asked lovingly and that brought him out of his reverie. He looked down onto her face and kissed her lips lightly.
He either lied or tell her the truth. And the former seemed safer and lovelier, “Yes, my darling.”
“About what? Yesterday night?” She giggled naughtily and Jack chuckled before he shook his head.
“You don’t always think about the best until you’re missing it, right? I have it next to me here, why would I think about something I know I can get at any time?” This is a huge time for them, they had never been together, alone until this time and it was a dream come true for Jack. He shouldn’t ruin it by thinking of the ways to avenge on the girl that was probably there and enjoying her life with her boyfriend, right?
“Where do you think we should visit today? I'm so bored in this hotel room, and the foods here aren't as I expected. Can we go out to have some lunch? Maybe we can make new friends.” She smiled shyly as she tried to keep his thoughts away from what they were previously discussing and Jack smiled, he knew Clara so well to know when she was shy and when she wasn't.
He kissed her again and this time, lovingly. “Let’s go and shower then, we should surely get some friends. Who thought we’d be bored?” He lifted her to her feet, and she giggled.
“You should go in first, I'll set our things before you’re done.”
“Clara...” He began and she screamed dramatically before she pushed him into the toilet and closed the door.
“Make you sure you don’t come out unless you’re fully showered, okay?” She heard his deep chuckle and that made her smile before she went to arrange the few clothes they had come with in the wardrobe. She could stare at him through the mirror when he came out and she quickly turned away.
This was the first time they had ever shared a room with Jack, and she had never thought that she could be this shy of him. Wasn’t she the one that had always wanted them to live together and she always feel sad that she couldn’t be able to have him all to herself because they had kept their relationship private.
“I'll go in now.” She maneuvered beside him and before she knew it, Jack had pulled him toward her and when she clenched her eyes shut and blushed. “Jack, your body is still wet,” she whined and when she felt his wet face on hers, she shivered slightly. “Please!” She begged and he kissed her lightly on the face as his husky chuckle echoed through the walls of the room.
“I'll see if you’ll still be this shy tonight.” She ran with her eyes closed into the bathroom after he had released her, and she heard the way he was laughing. Had he always been like this? Yes, he had always made her heart lose its breath but not this way.
❦
He had to leave Clara behind because she kept speaking with the taxi driver about a film he had never thought she had watched, and he got bored and tired of listening to a conversation he didn't understand. He told her that he would get a table for them and order the meal, because he knew what she liked and what she didn’t, and it was evident Clara was gladder for that than ever. He shook his head now and smiled at how she spoke endlessly. The ever-talkative Clara.
He was about to open the door when someone bumped in him and on reflex, he firmly held her waist and brought her closer to him to avoid her from falling behind because if she did, her head will crack the glass door and it would’ve been worse than they could all imagine.
“Charles, have you found the restaurant?” She said weakly with her eyes closed and when she opened them, she didn’t know when she ended the call and stared into his eyes.
Jack was staring back at her, aware of his hand that was around her waist and how she had placed one hand on his chest to steady herself from falling. None of them moved, they only stared into each other’s eyes and he was sure they spoke about something through those eyes that didn’t flinch even a bit.
“Jack!” He heard Clara’s voice and that broke their eyes apart and Anna quickly got out of his hold, feeling the emptiness almost as immediately as he had slipped his hand away from her waist and she pulled her body a few feet away from his.
Clara rushed toward him with a grin, “That Taxi man said he’d take me out to watch movies tomorrow by 8pm, we’re going to watch the series two of the movie...” She let her words trailed off as she saw the way Anna was staring into her phone. “Oh my amazing god, Anna Brayden?!” She half screamed and hugged Anna abruptly before she quickly pulled away, “Oh, I'm so sorry. I was just so excitedly that I've seen you.”
Anna smiled at her and before she spoke a word, someone had touched her shoulder and when she turned, it was the Charles she had come out to take into the restaurant. “Charles, you’re finally here.” She didn’t know why she felt so weak that she had to hug him, maybe it was the rate at which her heart was beating or the way she was still feeling Jack’s eyes as they roamed into hers.
Charles chuckled and hugged her back, “I’m here, now you stop being a baby, okay?” He pulled her face away from his chest and kissed her forehead before they all turned to stare at Jack and Clara. “Oh, hey! Clara, right?”
Clara composed herself before she moved forward and extended her hand to Charles for a shake, “I’m glad to have met you again, Charles. How are you?”
“I'm fine, Anna is fine too.”
“This is Jack Roberts, my boyfriend.” She introduced Jack and when they shook hands with Jack, the hold was tight and longer for a bit. Anna wondered where Charles and Jack’s girlfriend had met that they were so friendly and when she suggested they got a big table together, he didn't object.
Jack’s girlfriend, she rolled the word in her lips and felt bitter in her chest. What was wrong with her? And as they sat on the round table together with Maya, Jack and Clara that was busy conversing with Charles, Anna felt like an alien. She wanted to get out of this place, and she pulled her phone.
‘Can you take me out of here, Maya? My heart is trying to explode, and I don’t know why.’ When she looked up and her eyes got to Jack and Clara’s hands that were entwined, she added, ‘Now, Maya. I've even lost my appetite.’ Wait, but what was wrong with her? Even Maya was having a good time on this table, they all acted as though they had been old friends and even Jack was laughing at what Charles said and Clara pulled his face down and kissed him so hard on the lips.
“Can you all stop this?!” Maya whined and they burst out laughing. Anna faked a laughter because she knew what Maya hated the must was all this mushy things.
‘Babe, are you alright? Are you here with all your pills?’ From where Maya stood, she stared into her eyes and Anna shook her head. When she saw the worried look that had crossed over her face, she smiled and nodded her head lightly.
‘No, I’m not sick. It’s just that my heart is aching and I'm not even breathing well. Can you take me out of here? Maybe to a park or beach, just anywhere with fresh air, please Maya...’ And before she added ‘Just the two of them,’ because she didn’t even want Charles there, Maya had looked up at the table with a grin on her lips.
“What do you all think about going to a beach? I think it’ll be fun, and we can roughly arrange a small picnic, maybe buy a few snacks and drinks and we can have fun until late evening, right?” She asked and the first person that looked up at her was Jack. Did he want to run away from all this too?
“Yes, why not?” He looked down at Clara with the softest look she had ever seen on his face. So funny, how could she even see a soft look on his face? “Are you in, Clara?” And of course, his girlfriend will never say no.