The Love Song (GXG)

Part two - Chapter 8

She nodded and took the seat next to me, placing the cup of water on the table. With a silent urging, she gestured for me to take my medicine. I obediently placed the pills in my mouth and washed them down with a sip of water. She looked at me proudly and gave me a gentle pat on the back.

Despite feeling nauseous, I ate the food she had brought. I appreciated her gesture, and tried to consume as much as I could before my body refused to swallow any more food. I looked at her, shaking my head to silently tell her that this was all I could eat. She sighed heavily and gently removed the plate from me. With a warm smile, she reassured me that she was still proud of me.

"Go ahead and lay down, I'll take care of cleaning up here," she said, and I got up to make my way to the bedroom. As I laid down in bed, I felt a sense of relief wash over me at hearing her rummaging around in the kitchen. The silence of the house was no more. My eyes soon grew heavy, and I allowed them to close, comforted in knowing that she was here with me.

I don't know how long I had slept, but I suddenly woke up startled at the silence of the house. Had she left? How long had I been asleep?

"Clara?" I called out, my voice echoing through the empty room.

""I'm here," she said softly as she walked into the room, her presence instantly calming me.

"You asked me to stay, and I wasn't sure if I should go or stay when you fell asleep," she admitted, rubbing the back of her head nervously.

I laid back down, feeling my body aches ease up and the grogginess fade away. As I closed my eyes, I heard the familiar sound of her heels clicking on the floor as she approached my bedside.

She pressed her lips to my forehead, checking my fever. It was a simple gesture, but my heart couldn't help but flutter with feelings I wasn't ready to acknowledge.

"You still have a fever, but it's gone down," she said, placing some medicine beside my bed.

I patted the bed beside me and a grin formed on her lips as she hesitantly sat down next to me.

"Will you stay for the night?" I whispered.

"Always," she whispered back, the sound of her heels falling to the ground as she got comfortable next to me.

"We can watch a movie," I suggested, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Ofcourse" she said, her eyes still fixed on the screen as she grabbed the remote and put on the first movie she could find.

As she watched, I could tell her mind was racing with millions of thoughts, probably wondering what all of this meant.

I could feel her disappointment when I spoke. "Don't get the wrong idea. I just don't want to be alone," I said, feeling my defense mechanism kick in.

"Oh," she replied, her eyes still glued to the screen. "That's fine. I'm here for whatever you need," she said without looking at me.

Clara's POV

I don't know how many minutes had passed, but when I felt her stop moving, I gathered my courage to look her way. Her lips were parted and she was sleeping peacefully. I smiled warmly as I watched her, feeling grateful for her presence.

As I reached out to touch her hair, my hand suddenly stopped midway. I quickly withdrew it, scolding myself for getting too close and hiding my true feelings.

I I sank into the bed next to her, grateful for the pillow that she had placed between us. As much as I wanted to pull her into my arms, I knew that I couldn't cross that barrier.

I had come here with the hope that she would take the food and medicine that I had brought, but I never intended to end up lying next to her. She had made it clear that I was nothing more than a distraction, and I had accepted that fact. But lying here next to her, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe it could be more than that.

Morning arrived far too soon for me, as I hadn't gotten any sleep all night. My burning desire to touch her and my frequent checks on her fever kept me awake and restless.

Only once during the night I woke her up to give her  medicine, and after that I let her sleep peacefully.

Feeling guilty that I couldn't make her breakfast, I ordered food and hastily prepared a breakfast tray for her. Returning to the room, I gently shook her to wake her up.

She smiled sweetly at me and stretched her body as she said, "Good morning!" Memories of every morning I woke up next to her flooded my mind.

"Good morning to you too!" I answered happily, putting the tray of food on her lap and the medicine in her hand.

"I already feel so much better, thank you," she said as she began to eat.

I felt relieved that she didn't ask me to leave the moment she woke up. It reassured me that her decision to ask me to stay was genuine.

"You're not eating?" she asked curiously, and I pointed to my coffee.

"Oh, I forgot you don't eat before your coffee," she giggled adorably, making me grin.

"I have to head to court for a hearing today," I said, glancing at my watch.

"Oh," she said disappointedly, setting down her fork.

"I could come back if you'd like?" I offered after a moment of silence. Her quick nod made my heart skip a beat.

"You overworked yourself, didn't you?" I asked her.

"I told you, it's a crucial moment in my career. I know you know what I mean because you built yours from scratch as well," she sighed heavily.

"I know what you mean, but you need to take care of yourself. You're too important to me...us," I corrected myself quickly when I noticed her body tense up.

"Did Henry bother you again?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"No, George told me he started moving out of the building as well. I...never truly thanked you properly for this," she said, poking at her food with her fork.

"You don't need to thank me, I would do anything for you," I said sincerely and she bit her lower lip and nodded slowly.

"When is Mia coming back?" I asked her curiously.

"I don't know, but if coming here is a burden to you, you don't have to babysit me," she said defensively.

"That's not what I meant. I'm sorry, I just feel bad about leaving you," I said, feeling hurt by her sudden outburst. But I guess it's justified; in her mind, I betrayed her.

"Ayleen, I never..." I tried to say, but I felt my tongue knot, as if the words wouldn't come out of my mouth. What would I say? I never cheated on you? You caught me in our bed, but I thought it was you? Who would believe that? It would only make things worse and perhaps ruin all the progress I've made so far.

"You never ?" she said, looking at me expectantly. I realized that I had trailed off, lost in my own thoughts.

"Nothing," I laughed nervously, and she gave me a curious look, as if she had her own thoughts running in her head.

"We will talk about it one day," I added as I got up.

"Are you dating Katherine?" she asked suddenly, and I felt the ground disappear from underneath me. She thinks I'm dating the woman that took advantage of me in my sleep? The sentence brought me nothing but disgust and pain.

"I'm not," I almost shouted, struggling to maintain my composure as I rapidly shook my head.

She studied me intently for a few seconds, as though contemplating my response. It made me wish I could read her thoughts, to understand what she was really thinking.

"Okay," she finally said, returning her focus to her food.

"Okay?" I inquired curiously. What does that mean? Okay, you believe me? Okay, you think I'm lying? What does 'okay' mean?

"Yeah, okay," she replied dismissively, indicating that the conversation was over.

"Okay then," I said sarcastically. She didn't look up to meet my eyes, and I felt the need to do something to ease the tension. Without thinking, I walked towards her and leaned down to press my lips on her cheek.

"Eat well and call me if you need anything," I said softly before walking out. I couldn't help but wish that I hadn't ruined everything.