Chapter 4: Confused
1010 Words
Fear gripped Zayn as the line went dead.
"Could she be in danger?" He thought with panic written all over him.
He headed to the CEO's office, just to be certain that she wasn't under any manipulation.
"Yes, can I help you?" Roman asked as he ushered Zayn into his office.
" I haven't seen Claire, and I'm worried. Is she here with you? Or is she running any errands for you?" He asked, panic written all over him.
"She was here a few minutes ago, she asked to leave early,as she was sick and had an appointment with her doctor" . Roman replied curtly, without shifting his gaze from the laptop in front of him.
"Oh, I didn't know that, thanks" he replied hurriedly, and left.
"I still love him, even though I'm beginning to love someone else," Claire said, wiping the drops of tears off her face as she narrated to Miss Elaine, her therapist.
" You love someone else?" Miss Elaine asked with a raised brow.
Before now, Claire didn't have the time to ponder on what was growing inside her.
Each night, she would fantasize about having Roman by her side, and holding him in her hands as she sleeps off.
The truth is, she was unsure if it was love, or just a liking for the s*x they had.
"Yes,I think I love someone else" Claire responded as her face lit up.
" The thought of him makes me happy, we've known for just a short while, but I like everything about him" she said, while staring into the blank, as though she searched for things to say.
" We've had s*x twice, and each time, he gives me the satisfaction I crave so badly for… And he spends on me too ("oh just once though" she thought). I like him, I know I do" she concluded.
" Okay Claire, love takes time, so give it time. Give yourself time to heal also. Okay? " Miss Elaine said with a not-so-friendly face as she looked Claire directly in the eyes.
"Now wipe your tears and let's have some exercise" Miss Elaine announced.
The night passed by and it was morning again.
As Claire stood to prepare for the day, she sighed, went on her knees and said a short prayer.
"I don't want another shock today, I really don't" Claire murmured as she walked blankly to the bathroom.
The environment seemed unusually quiet as she kept walking towards the front door of the firm.
She stopped halfway to watch a little bird build
its nest on a tree a few metres away from where she stood.
She couldn't help but smile at the diligence and hard work portrayed by such a small creature.
" This is the motivation I need for today. No dramas" she said as though she was making a confession.
In the passageway to her office, she sighted Zayn having a discussion with another employee.
Acting unbothered, she made her way through both of them.
"Good morning" she mumbled, as she kept moving without waiting for a response from them.
"Claire, can I come in?" Zayn asked as he stood staring at the door of Claire's office.
"Oh no!" She exclaimed very silently as she rolled her eyes.
"Yes, sir" she responded reluctantly.
Almost immediately,the door was pushed open as Zayn stepped into the office. He locked the door behind him and progressed to meet Claire.
" I was worried about you yesterday. Is everything okay??" He asked with concern written all over his face.
"Yes sir, I am. I felt a little uneasy, and I had to see the doctor " she responded curtly.
Zayn advanced towards her with both hands in the pocket of his trouser.
Getting to where she was, he touched her face with his right hand and said
" I still want you"
"Why now?" She asked
"I waited so long for you to reach out, but you didn't " she added almost immediately.
"I needed to be a better man for you, I'm sorry it didn't happen sooner" Zayn said as he ran his fingers down her face.
He pressed forward towards her and bent over her face, almost immediately he placed his lips on hers and kissed her passionately, running his hands over her body.
He stopped and looked her in the eye
"For what it's worth, I never stopped loving you. And the story I came up with was fabricated… I really wanted to be a better man for you, and that was the best way I could think of. I'm deeply sorry that I hurt you " Zayn said and stepped back.
"Want to say something??" Zayn asked as he noticed that Claire's gaze was fixed on the floor.
" I love someone else now, but I still love you, I don't know what to do" she said as she broke down in tears.
"Shhhh, don't cry" Zayn said as he wrapped his hands around her in a warm embrace .
He stroked her hair, and kissed her deeply, pushing her to the edge of the wall;she hit the back of her head on the wall.
They both stopped abruptly, and bursted into laughter.
"Dinner at my place?" Zayn asked as he looked at her with a smile.
"Sure" she responded, giving him a warm smile.
"7pm then" Zayn added as he reached for her hand, giving her a kiss at the back of her palm.
He reached for the door, blew a kiss to her and walked out.
Claire was overjoyed, she was grinning and dancing when her phone beeped.
She picked it up
"500 dollars??" She exclaimed with her eyes wide open.
As she stood in shock she got a text
"I've missed you princess"
"I'd love to see you "
"I want to be with you "
"Dinner at my place? 7pm"
The text was from Roman, and so was the money.
" Oh! Not again! " She cried in confusion.
"Where do I go? Zayn's or Roman's?"
She pondered.
- Writer
