John Armando
Where did the brat go? Was it just because of Hellen's attitude that she sulked and ran away? Where would she run off to? Even to the end of the world, I'd chase after her, considering we hadn't finished our business yet. But at least she should let me know.
Did she see Jenna?
Shit! Why did I keep getting agitated and constantly thinking about that brat? I was unsettled; I quickly dressed and ignored Hellen, who was still asleep on the bed—supposed to be my and Clara's sacred place—and rushed to the room that was Jenna's room.
I didn't know whose plan this was, but Jenna had left a slip of paper about where she was staying. When I got there, knocked on the door, and was let in, I found one familiar face that had been making me almost lose my mind for a few hours, plus another familiar face, looking distressed and raising big questions about what was going on.
"You all here," I said, taking in the faces one by one—Ryan, who was shirtless, Jenna with her face and hair all mussed up, and I guessed they must have just fucked, and Clara—she must have been an eyewitness. Just look at her face; it's so sour and upset.
This was so far from the plan. I meant, I admitted I invited Ryan, but it wasn't supposed to happen this fast and...
"What did you expect, John?" Ryan looked at me sarcastically as if I was the one who had just sinned. I had just had sex with his wife, but how was that any different from him? He had just sinned too, even with a woman who would be someone's wife tomorrow.
I was sure Clara glanced at me at the other end while muttering to herself: "You two are the same."
Alright, holy girl. Let's see how pure you were, who ignored my important call and instead caught a couple in the middle of a crazy love affair, which wasn't what I had planned. This wasn't what I wanted, and it shouldn't have been Clara but Hellen who caught Ryan.
"What's going on, Clara?" I asked the girl who had caught me because her face was still sour from earlier.
"I think you know what's going on." She pointed at Ryan and Jenna and wanted me to comment on their appearance. "She's supposed to be Mrs. Dannison tomorrow, but today she's fucking this guy instead."
"Stop it, Clara! You know nothing." Jenna replied to Clara's words with a rather fierce sentence. "What did you come here for anyway? You're just giving me bad luck. If you hadn't come here–"
Ouch! That sentence was so cruel. She didn't deserve to say it to a friend who let her life get messed up for her happiness. Of course, it was. Clara knew that Jenna was crazy about Ryan, which was apparent now, but this was her response.
Clara snorted, but I could see that her face had changed with a bitter smile on her pink lips. "Giving bad luck? Why am I familiar with those words?"
"Oh, come on, Drama Queen. Don't throw grenades at me as if I'm the guilty one. What did you come to my room for?" Jenna attacked Clara, and I had never known she was this wild. Every time Ryan handled her and told me everything about her all these years, the look in my eyes was that she was a meek and helpless girl. Now, why did she look so sadistic?
"I wanted to see you because I thought you needed a friend before your wedding tomorrow," Clara replied, then looked down deeply. I could see the blush on her freckled cheeks. Was she drunk? Had she... just slept with another guy, too? Was that so? Why did the thought of it make my chest heat up?
I looked at Ryan and Jenna in turn. The look on their faces I couldn't understand, while Clara looked so sad. I didn't know why my chest felt squeezed so tightly right now. I felt like I was being disturbed by all these events, and unconsciously, I grabbed Clara's fingers to take her away from that place. I didn't know where.
***
She was still crying silently, which made me feel awkward. As we sat beside each other, facing the canal, only the occasional stifled sob could be heard.
This girl was unique, having different preferences from most people. I used to hold her tightly until she roughly shook off my hand and wandered away to this place, and then this was how we were now—sitting together silently except for the splashing canal water and the noise of the people on the boats passed us below.
Clara wiped her wet face with tears and snot and patted her cheeks briefly before getting up, but I quickly grabbed her wrist.
"Where are you going?" I asked, looking at her intensely, ensuring she was okay and calmed down. It was just that it wasn't easy for me to tell what I wanted to know from her current state.
"I don't know. That question makes me even more certain that I have no place here. Even—ah, how stupid of me! Jenna doesn't deserve Blake." She sobbed again. "Why does it hurt so much more than when I discovered they were getting married? Knowing Jenna betrayed Blake, it was—I couldn't bear it, John..."
Was that what she thought of this kind of relationship? What kind of girl was she? Wasn't a one-night stand a normal thing for her? That was, it didn't matter if a man and a woman were in a relationship regardless of whether it was a wrong relationship or not. What matters is the enjoyment of the world, right?
"So what are your plans now?" I asked. Clara shook her head, again wiping away a trail of tears with the sleeve of her sleeping robe. I realized she wasn't dressed properly and that I'd let her wander around in a revealing dress with a low cleavage and material that exposed most of her body. I took off my jacket, putting it around her shoulders to cover her up and keep her a little warm. "We should go back to the room. It's quite cold here and you'll get sick in those clothes."
She shook her head, then turned to me. A pair of lash-rimmed eyes with glazed hazel irises stared at me for a few moments.
"I'm going home, John."
I nodded in understanding. "Let's go home."
"No. Not to the hotel room, but back to Westmont. I don't want to attend the wedding of a traitor like Jenna. I don't want to be a part of this madness and want to end my contract with you. Please... I'll go crazy if you keep forcing me to stay. Jenna is with Ryan, you are with Hellen. Whether you have her as a whole or just a secret relationship, you and Ryan are no different. Blake and I are the victims in this. So, please let me go, John. Please..."
Seeing her pleading with tears streaming down her cheeks left me speechless. She was right. What else was I looking for if our relationship was this complicated? Hellen wouldn't let go of Ryan, and Jenna wouldn't let go of Blake, who loved her so much and didn't know the rottenness of his future wife. So what?
"I can't let you go, Clara. No."
The girl looked stunned and looked at me with a questioning gaze. "What do you mean? You don't love me but don't want to let me go. What's the concept, Doc?"
"I can't explain it. What is certain is that the agreement will continue, and the contract will end if the mission as per the contract has been accomplished. If not, then it will be like that forever, and only I can terminate it whenever I want. Do you understand?"