Clara turned behind her at once. For a moment, her heart skipped a beat when two big bikes appeared and halt to a stop just a few meters away from them.
Clara could not keep her eyes off Fuego as he got down from his motorcycle and took his helmet off. She met his cold, blank gaze, and something sharp shot her heart. He looked like he did not know her.
The second driver was a tall woman in a dark suit with curves in all the right places. She took her helmet off and revealed a beautiful face. She looked like a goddess with long, wavy hair. She was something Clara was not. That moment, as she stood there and watched how good they look together, Clara wanted to die.
How could Fuego cheat on that gorgeous woman with her?
“Hi,” Venice greeted. “Are you Jeremy’s friend? I’m Venice.”
“I-I’m—”
“This is Clara, and she’s not feeling well.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She smiled sweetly and turned to Fuego. “Hey, I’m going to go first. I need a shower.”
“Go ahead,” Fuego replied.
Clara looked away and closed her eyes. She missed everything about him. She missed him that bad.
“You know what this means, Fuego, right? You need to talk.” Jeremy pressed Clara’s shoulder before he went inside.
Clara wanted to stop Jeremy and ask him to take her with him. She still had not found the courage to talk to Fuego. She could not bear to look him in the eyes and pretend she was not hurting and jealous. But she wanted to touch him, feel his body close to her, and listen to his heartbeat.
“Do you have something to say?” he said in a cold tone.
The Fuego she was talking to at the moment did not look like the Fuego who begged her to come back to him. And Clara could not still bring herself to hate him.
“U-until now, I still don’t know what to say,” she said. “All I know is that I wanted to see you and apologize for the last time. I’m sorry our story has to end this way. I’m leaving everything behind. I’m going home to my real family just like I always wanted. I can finally do that. And it was all because of you.”
When she began to take a step toward him, Clara’s legs were wobbly. She was feeling worse each time.
“W-why did you ask me to go back to you when there was already someone else?” Tears rolled down her face for the nth time that day. “T-that’s not funny, Fuego, you know. How could you tell me you missed me when there was Venice? How could you cheat on that beautiful lady who looked like she was made for you? If I had not known about her, I would have gladly gone with you that night.”
Fuego stared at her in confusion.
“What are you talking about, Clara? What’s Venice got to do with us?”
“And stop acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about!” she yelled. “Did she know you already slept with me?”
“How did you know about her?”
“Don’t answer me with another question,” she spat weakly.
Fuego grabbed her arms and pulled her toward him.
“Who’s cheating on who?” he asked.
“I-I hate you. I r-really do.” She sobbed. “But I love you more. Why can’t I hate you as you hate me? That’s just so unfair.” Clara’s knees gave in as her head spun.
“Clara!”
She felt Fuego’s strong body against her before everything went black.
CARLOTA arrived at the hotel lobby fifteen minutes late. She wore a black dress, a pair of red shoes, and red lipstick. She was able to pretend that nothing happened that day. She was on a date with Julian, and that was the only thing that mattered now.
But something was wrong. Carlota was not as excited as she used to imagine at that moment. Well, it could be because of stress.
Julian stood and smiled at her as she approached him. Carlota smiled back.
“I’m sorry, I’m late,” she said.
“Nothing to be sorry about. You look stunning.”
“Oh, thank you. You, too.”
Julian pulled a chair for her. She uttered a ‘thank you’ before they settled down.
“Nice place,” she remarked as she looked around.
The evening looks elegant and romantic. The jazz singer was already serenading the guests on stage.
“I’m glad you liked it. Shall we order?”
“Yeah, sure.” Carlota picked up the menu. She watched Julian as he went through the list. He was still as charming as the day she first met him. “Would you mind telling me what this dinner is for?” she asked nervously.
“What do you mean?” Julian asked as he glanced at her. “Oh.” He chuckled when he realized something. “Do you expect us to talk about business the whole night? I’m sorry to disappoint you. I just really need a companion tonight. You were the first thing that came to mind.”
“Isn’t that flattering? We’re really on a date.” Carlota giggled.
“Who says we’re too old for this?”
They both laughed.