Here’s chapter 42 of the new book, Dr. Clay, I’ve been writing since NaNoWriMo 2022. Enjoy reading. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Clay walked out of the room with his travel bag in his hand. As he climbed the stairs, his eyes wandered, searching for Valon to ease his need to see him. When he saw no signs of him, he continued walking until he reached the car parked near the entry. Then, he saw Elizabeth walk around the vehicle after she closed the backdoor.
Elizabeth stood before Clay, looking down. She clenched both hands on the straps of her bag and pressed her lips. After she sucked enough courage to look into his eyes, she gulped. “Let’s end this, Clay.”
“Liz…” Clay was speechless. He couldn’t speak more words besides calling her name.
“We tried. But we both know this won’t work.”
“I thought you loved me.”
“I did. But—”
“Is it Agatha?” Clay interrupted.
Elizabeth’s eyes widened as she looked into the distance. She searched for his face for mockery. But given the distance between them and his glasses shielding his eye, she came up short.
Clay smiled, watching her remove the engagement ring from her finger and hand it to him. “I never expected you’ll like her, Liz,” he countered in his loving way of speaking.
“Likewise. I never expected you’ll like her brother.” She paused, feeling she was dying inside. Each time she heard them use those words, no matter how innocent they were, she thought of her mother. She ached at the thought of telling her the truth, especially to someone she cared about. “We came here in love and would leave as strangers. Who would have thought we both needed this trip to realize it? It could have been a disaster if we learned this after our first wedding night.”
When he was silent, she cleared her throat while wiping her tears.“Thank you for everything,” she said, smiling. Even though he refused to speak, watching his eyes turn red was enough for her to understand how he felt. She understood breaking up with him would be a tough decision. Yet, she was convinced it was the best decision to make. “I hope you’re happy being with him. I know it’s been tough for you, too. And I’m sorry for hurting you.”
“It’s okay, Liz. I’m sorry, too, for everything. For failing you.”
She shook her head. “Don’t worry. I don’t hold grudges. What is important now is fixing this mess when we return. Isn’t that what we both want?” She walked closer to him and kissed his lips.
Agatha saw them kissing. She understood how Valon felt about Clay. She froze, feeling her gut churn while watching them lovingly touching each other. Even though it was becoming more uncomfortable, she couldn’t move an inch.
Then, she pictured herself kissing her lips like she did that night. She remembered how soft her lips were. How they tasted remained in her lucid mind. Was it strawberry? Oh, yes. While their lips locked, her hands seemed to have lived on their own, crawling to find paradise in her body. They snaked inside the layers of the fabric until she felt her warm skin.
When Elizabeth pulled away, she was quick to land her gaze. A long, loving gaze. Her chest swelled with a familiar and sweet cocktail of bliss and fear. The long silence, which permeated through them, had her increasingly worried. While she didn’t know what to say, she waited for her to speak. At the back of her mind, she tried to prepare for it. Whatever she might say after this.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to….” Elizabeth said as she looked away with her finger pressed to her mouth. She looked at her, drawing her eyebrows in. She crossed her arms as she pressed her lips to ease.
“If you plan to play games with me, don’t,” Agatha said. She turned around the table and sat on the makeshift wooden chair facing the fireplace. “Don’t you dare use me, Liz!” She planted both elbows with her legs spread, leaning forward. She pulled back and looked at her again. She clucked. “Let’s forget about this. And pretend nothing happened. It’s not a big problem. Anyway, you’ll get married soon.”
Elizabeth remained silent as she sat beside her. Then, she slowly reached her hand and placed it on hers. She didn’t have qualms about looking at her, revealing the beauty of her almond-shaped eyes. She looked at her as if she was at the finish line when she placed her other hand on top. Call it romance, passion, or fire. Whatever.
But Agatha felt drugged.
Returning to the present, Agatha was at a loss for words. She couldn’t say a word. Her whole body was covered with a cold sweat. She felt horrible for disappointing herself this way. She hated this feeling of defeat. She couldn’t accept she felt used and betrayed. She had never felt so disappointed in her life until she saw her with another man. She couldn’t bear the feeling of sharing the lips she enjoyed with someone else.
When Elizabeth pulled away and saw her, she turned around, attempting to flee the scene. As she walked in strides, she noticed Elizabeth running to catch her speed. When she grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at her, she realized she was too late to hide the tears she had shed.
“Agatha…” Elizabeth said, loosely taking her hand.
Clay watched Elizabeth tail Agatha until his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw he had received a call from Dr. Hawkeye.
“What is it?” Clay asked.
“How’s your Christmas vacation, Doc?” Hawkeye teased, giggling.
Clay rolled his eyes while looking around, searching for Valon. But when he couldn’t see any sign of him, he nodded. “I’m heading back.”
“That’s great. I’ll be expecting you tomorrow. Don’t worry about working the rest of the day. I’ll talk with the patient and let you know the details soon. I know you’re still in the middle of your wedding plans. So, I don’t want to bombard you with work. I don’t want anyone to tell me I hammered you with work on your special day.”
Those encouraging words from Hawkeye felt like he was stabbed several times. He forced a smile while planting the other hand inside his pocket. He sighed as he lowered his head and looked at the distance, scanning the surroundings for the last time before they left. His eyes wandered, from left to right, until he noticed Alain leaning against the car while eyeing him. The look in his eyes was cold and distant. He wondered.
Anyway, where was Valon?
He gulped and turned around, thinking staring would distract him from the conversation. “I wouldn’t expect such a gesture from you,” he said.
Hawkeye laughed. “You’re a funny man, Clay. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.”
“Bye,” Clay muttered and ended the call.
As Clay tucked his phone inside his pocket, he swiveled his head in Alain’s direction and saw him calling on the phone. He walked back, searching for Elizabeth. He called her name many times until he reached the corner.
Then, he saw Marco approaching him.
“Hi, Doc,” Marco said, greeting him with a smile.
“Hi,” Clay replied.
“Have you seen Agatha?” Marco asked.
Clay shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Marco clucked. “I was talking to her before, and suddenly she was gone.”
Agatha shoved it away from her and crossed her arms. She cocked an eyebrow while leaning her weight on one leg. “Why are you following me?”
Elizabeth looked like she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t say a word to explain herself.
When impatience overrode Agatha’s mind, she scoffed and shook her head. As she turned, Elizabeth dashed and stood before her. Her hand wrapped and pressed against her arm, trying to stop her from leaving. “What?” she sputtered.
“Why are you running away from me?” Elizabeth asked.
Agatha scoffed with her mouth open as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “Oh, I forgot. You’re six years older than me. Do I look like a kid to you?”
“No, Agatha.”
“Do you think it’s easy for you to play me because I’m a lot younger than you?”
Before Elizabeth could speak, Agatha shoved her hand and turned around, ignoring her voice calling for her name.
“Hey!” Elizabeth grabbed her hand. “Listen to me.”
Agatha yanked her hand away from her before boring her with a stare. “Right. You’re leaving anyway. So, I hope this will be the last time we’ll see each other.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”
Agatha cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “You’re fiance is waiting for you. Go back to him. That’s where you belong.” She turned around and walked away from her.
Unable to accept defeat, Elizabeth walked in strides until she reached her. As soon as her hand grabbed her shoulder, she used her strength to force Agatha to face her. When they exchanged stares, she tilted her head and moved her face forward to reach her lips.
Clay and Marco strolled, looking for the two women. Clay remained silent as he kept walking each step while glancing at Marco as if studying him. What a small world, indeed. He couldn’t get over the fact saving this man would lead him to where he was now. He thought it would be fitting to thank him. If not because of this man, he wouldn’t ever meet Valon.
When he turned, his eyes widened when he saw Elizabeth holding Agatha’s hand.
And it didn’t end there.
The moment she leaned forward and kissed her lips, his heart sank. His mind squealed, wanting to flee. On the surface, it felt okay when they broke up. Yet, deep inside his heart, he couldn’t deny the pain of losing someone.
Imagine. Twelve years of being together for nothing. Like two loving fools becoming strangers again. It hurts. A lot.
But when he swiveled his head, Marco’s reaction looked like it didn’t sink well with him. How should he react to this? How? His mind screamed, watching how Marco’s eyes widened, stepping back. At this point, he was speechless.
All he could do was to keep his mouth shut and watch the man at a loss for words.
Author’s Note:
Thank you so much for spending time reading this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did when I wrote this part three months ago. This chapter, in particular, reminded me of those times when I sat before my desk, seemingly prepared to type in words, but I struggled to keep it up.
It took an external motivation to get it through, and, at that time, the NaNoWriMo event was upcoming. At that time, I thought, “This could be a great opportunity to try and give this a shot one more time. You’d done an excellent job with ‘The Rival,’ so you could do it, Mecyll.”
You know, it’s easier said than done because writing a chapter with a clear intent to finish it requires more than just a skill. Since I started writing fiction, I realized how much this work demands my ability to be naked and the guarantees to answer whether I was mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepared to face my fears, conscious or unconscious.
So, being able to write this down meant I managed despite the countless times dancing around with depression and enjoying the roller coaster rides my anxiety provided me.
This is why I don’t know how to thank you for your support, regardless of the scale or contribution size, from sharing my work with others or buying my books. It doesn’t matter because, for me, every small act you show is appreciated.
Again, thank you, and have a great day!
If you like to support my writing life, here’s what you can do:
- Get a copy of “The Rival” Uncensored Gay Romance Novel.
- Check out my upcoming book, “Non-Native Speakers Only.”
- Find more writing tips on my website (i.e., content writing, freelance writing, copywriting, self-publishing, novel writing, and many more!)
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