Clara's Undoing

Clara's Undoing - Chapter Twenty One

William

I ran a hand down my chin in vexation, remembering the conversation Clara and I just had and winced inwardly at how terribly it went. All my life, I've always known how to respond to different types of people; egotistical businessmen, over confident women, even colleagues who kept undermining me due to seniority but when it came to Clara, I was always mercilessly left tongue-tied. She knew how to render me incoherent and I can't seem to pull myself out whenever.

"William?" A voice behind me called just as a soft hand touched my back. Mrs. Wheeler welcomed me with curious eyes. "Where's Jodie? Where are the girls?"

"Sidney mentioned something about a pond house?" I guessed, shaking my head a little as I waited for her realization. She immediately got what I was talking about.

"Ah! Young adults and their burning desire to be constantly apart from us elderly."

"You haven't aged a day since I first saw you, Mrs. Wheeler." I responded politely with a sincere smile.

She smiled back at me. "Marthine, please. And I can't believe you're Clara's teacher now. Your parents must be so proud of you for taking your own path."

"They're not the biggest fans, particularly my father but that's why they have Albert."

Mrs. Wheeler laughed at my response, her eyes twinkling like Clara's does when she laughed. "Yes, how is Albert? Is he staying at the Burlington Mansion?"

"At the moment, probably swearing all kinds of profanity at me for leaving all the business matters to him." I replied jokingly with a small laugh. "He's actually currently based in New York and I think he's planning on making it his official branch."

"And your parents?"

"New Hampshire." I simply replied. "They'll all be coming in next month for the gala."

"Yes! The Annual Seymour Fundraising Gala. It must be nice for your mother to have the time for the things she wanted to do since your father has retired." She speculated. "I know how exhausting it feels to be away all the time. Ah! Here comes Jodie."

Jodie emerged from behind me, elegantly placing a hand on my arm. "Hey, stranger."

I offered her a rather forced smile but said nothing after. She led me over to the patio couch and sat a foot away from where I did.

"Sorry," She began, lightly scratching the lines of her right jaw with her index finger. "This wasn't how I planned tonight. Clara wasn't supposed to leave you here alone."

"Don't worry about it." I said.

"Did you notice their little distraction technique though?" Jodie asked with an amused expression on her face. "The way they practically dragged me away from you?"

I chuckled through my nose. "I did. You knew about that?"

"Of course I knew, it was horrifyingly obvious." She said with a laugh. "I taught them how to do that. It actually makes me feel kind of proud."

Pursing my lips, I stared at the woman before me. How she had come to decipher me in just a couple of meetings was beyond me.

"So did you two get a chance to talk?"

* * *

Clara

James wrapped his arms around me from behind, giving me a quick kiss on the cheeks as the glass of champagne dangled from one of his hands. "Hey, stranger. Anything interesting happened with Mr. Parrish?"

I gave him an apprehensive smile before responding. "Nothing."

Then he sat beside my right where Jodie sat earlier. "What was that all about anyway?"

Pursing my lips, I decided to tell him half the truth. "Sidney has this mission to basically seduce him into a relationship. I'm just helping her out."

He chuckled before taking a drink. "Why? Isn't that illegal?"

"I don't approve of it either but you know how it is between us. I always got her back." I told him. "Besides, she helped me with you, I'm just returning the favor. She's got this entire plan of us going on double dates."

"No student in Bridgeborn dares to come near her, what makes her think a teacher will?"

With a small laugh, I shook my head. "Beats me. Hey, university fair's coming up. Who are you gunning for?"

"Very nice transition, Ms. Yale slash Notre Dame future architect." James mused, giving me a soft smirk.

I chuckled. "You never told me your choice of school. It's unfair."

He took a deep breath in, savoring it before providing an answer. "Princeton's my guy. I'll be after that bloke like a mouse chasing cheese. I've already sent in an application for their football roster."

"Huh, so if I ever get into Yale, we'd be rivals."

"I think that may be the only possible reason to get me to turn against my own team." 

"That is if you get in."

He scoffed. "Only you, Clara Wheeler, can make lack of faith sound so sexy."

James leant in for a kiss and I waited for the anticipation that normally came with it but it never did and I immediately felt terrified. All those things that I've felt before; the butterflies, the tingling sensation that always came when James kissed me were gone, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of stark familiarity and vacuum filling my chest.

My lips trembled as soon as James pulled away, giving me a soft smirk. Clearly, we were greeted by different sensations. I smiled back at him before clearing up my glass and standing up to refill it, trying to mask and comprehend the unfathomable terror present in every fiber of my being.

What was happening to me? Why was I suddenly filled with this overpowering wave of feelings for Mr. Parrish contrary to the void that I was washed by from James?

I've waited too long to be with him to let it all go to waste. Maybe it was just the alcohol or maybe all I felt for Mr. Parrish was my hatred for all the confusion he's brought me.

"It's time for shots!" Sidney yelled, fundamentally pulling me out of my incomprehensible contemplations, to my delight.