KASMINE.
Claire twirled her fork through the untouched spaghetti absentmindedly, entirely lost in her thoughts. She’d been moody all day, and I was sincerely concerned..
I was expecting a lot of stories about how her date went, the excitement in her voice as she gushed over the details, but she’d been quiet about it all day.
“Claire? What’s wrong?” I broke the silence amidst the small chatter of colleagues around the cafeteria. “You’ve been like this all day.”
She dragged in a long breath and set her fork on the plate. She hadn’t even touched her food yet.
“I am fine, Kasmine,” she released the breath she was holding, forcing a smile.
“We both know that’s a lie.” I leaned forward, lowering my voice. “Did he do something? Your date. Did he hurt you?” My fingers curled into fists beneath the table, my mind already racing through a hundred ways to make the bastard pay.
She hesitated–too long. That pause was an answer in itself
“Not really, but…” Her voice trailed off before she sighed, her shoulders slumping. “It just… it wasn’t what I expected, that’s all. We didn’t really talk about us–or, well anything intimate. He just kept asking questions that had nothing to do with me. Nothing personal.”
A flicker of hurt passed through her eyes before she shrugged, feigning indifference. “But it’s nothing to worry about.”
She took a sip from her orange juice, probably to wash down the lump I knew was forming in her throat. I knew Claire too well. She was only holding back from crying at this point.
“Nothing to worry about?” I scoffed, sitting up straighter. Claire, if he made you feel like this, I swear to the gods
She laughed suddenly, cutting me off before I could finish my threat, “Come on, Kasmine. Don’t worry about it. I’m certain our next date will be better,” She replied lightly, but I was no fool. She was hurt.
I blinked.
Next date?
“You’re going out with him again?” My brows pulled together.
“Yeah” She nodded quickly, like she’d already made peace with it. “He wasn’t bad. He just…” Another pause. Another excuse formed in her head for this jerk. “He just… He was a bit detached, but… maybe that’s just how some men are, right?” She let out a weak chuckle, swirling the straw in her orange juice.
“Claire.” My voice flattened, my stomach twisting uncomfortably. “You’re making excuses for him.”
“No, I’m not!” she said quickly, too quickly. “It’s just… maybe he’s just the type that takes time to open up. Maybe he doesn’t know how to have those kinds of conversations yet. Not everyone is good at this dating thing, Kasmine. I know this man, and I am not surprised if this is truly how he is ”
I stared at her with a sinking heart. She believed that. She was forcing herself to believe it
Who the hell was this man anyway? And how did he worm himself into my friend’s heart so much that she was making up excuses for him in this manner?
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Chapter th
“Claire,” I said gently, reaching across the table to take her and, “you don’t have to do this. If he made you feel like this, if he made you feel unseen, unheard, like you weren’t even there, why the hell are you defending him?”
She swallowed, her fingers twitching beneath mine. She was so close to admitting the truth about how she felt, about how much it hurt.
But instead, she pulled her hand away, plastering on another weak sille.
“It’s not that deep, Kasmine. I’m overthinking it.” She shook her head, picking up her fork again, though she still didn’t eat. “I’ll give him another chance. It was just a first date. It’ll be better next time.”
I studied Claire carefully. She was too careful with her words and expressions today like she was hiding something deeper than just a bad date.
“Where is Kester?” She asked, “I haven’t seen him all day.
“I haven’t seen him either. He asked the driver to bring me to the office this morning, saying he has something to take care of.”
I saw her countenance drop a bit, but she masked it well since she was hell–bent on not letting any emotions show today.
“I heard June is still at the house,” she stated.
“Yes. She is.” I replied and I honestly didn’t like the way I felt about it. 1
Guilty.
Claire’s grip tightened around her fork, her fingers pressing into the metal so hard I half–expected it to snap. Her shoulders tensed while her lips pressed into a thin line before she exhaled and shook her head..
I could feel the resentment bubbling beneath her silence.
“I wish she would just disappear.” She said, and I froze.
“Claire!” I snapped at the sheer coldness in her voice, “What the hell did you just say?”
She met my gaze with an eye roll, “I’m being honest, Kasmine. I meant it.”
My pulse thudded in my ears. Did she even realize how messed up that sounded?
“You “Iexhaled, “You’re sounding crazy right now. You have to stop.”
“I’m not,” she said coolly, “I’m just tired of her being there Hanging around him. Always in the way. He should be mine, Kasmine.”
“If she weren’t there, if she wasn’t constantly in his life, maybe he’d finally see me one day,” she added, and I scoffed inwardly. I stared at her, struggling to find the right words.
She never knew June wasn’t even the problem here.
Twas.
How would she feel knowing that I was actually fucking Kester, and he had sworn never to look at another woman except me? She’d murder me?
“This isn’t normal, Claire,” I said in a quieter voice, “You’re talking like–like-”
“Like what? Like I actually want him?” She let out a bitter laugh. “Guess what? I do. I’ve always wanted him since I was seventeen, Kasmine.”
Chapter 66
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“And what about the man I thought you were giving a chance? The one you were actively defending a moment ago? “I asked, crossing my hands on the table.
She was quiet as if contemplating her next words before syphone rang
It was Kester.
I didn’t know if I should answer the call or not because he was a sensitive topic at the moment but heck, I had to answer. I was curious to know where he’d been all day.
“Excuse me,” I said to her and picked up the call.
“Hey, beautiful,” he called from the other end of the line, and I tried my best not to blush at the sound of his baritone voice filtering into my ears. “What are you up
to?
I had to excuse myself in order to speak freely. “Nothing much. Why aren’t you at the office?”
“Was getting a surprise for you,” he said, and my heart fluttered.
What could he possibly have for me this time around? He was becoming too good at this, and now, I was getting used to always anticipating, a surprise from Kester-
“What surprise?” I asked.
“Why don’t you come home and see it,” he replied, and my heart dropped.
“Kester… I don’t think…” I sighed, knowing that Kester didn’t really care about these things, but I did. “June is still in the house, isn’t she?” I asked, and I knew he already understood where I was driving at.
“But you don’t have to worry about that. She’s not a problem, Mine. We have your room all to ourselves,” He sounded so unbothered, “And I am already making sure she leaves tomorrow. I’m sick of her presence.”
“But, Kes…”
“Just meet me at home, Mine,”
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