Here’s chapter 34 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.
“Agatha, what are you doing here?” Elizabeth asked and saw Agatha in her dull look, which was quite unusual. She wore all black, from her cap to her pants and pump shoes. She had seen her videos on social media, from the first video she uploaded on YouTube to other accounts. If her memory was correct, she had never worn dark clothes from top to bottom. So, looking at her wearing these kinds of clothes caught her attention.
Certainly, Agatha still looked great. She was. Her odd choice of an all-black dress code enhanced her curves and amplified her fair skin complexion. Like her brother, she was tall. In fact, she was taller than her. And that left her feeling more starstruck and distracted.
“I didn’t mean to meddle, but I heard you, guys, fighting. So, I came here to check when I heard my name in the conversation. I became concerned, so, yeah, I am here,” she replied, stuttering, still looking away, trying to avoid gazing into her eyes. “Anyway, are you okay?”
Elizabeth nodded. “Yeah. How about you? I mean—What’s with your look today?”
“Nothing. Anyway, have to go. Have to film another episode for my vlog.” But as she turned, Elizabeth took her hand, pulling her to turn her back and face her. “What? Is something the matter? Do you want to go with me, or…” she added with a bit more concern while she took a few steps in her direction.
“Clay accused me of cheating after seeing you did something to me today.”
“What did he say?” Her voice sharpened as her eyes.
“Is it true you kissed my lips?” Elizabeth asked, making Agatha freeze.
Despite her attempts to keep her face as stoic as possible, she couldn’t hide how her eyes widened. Her eyebrows twitched in fear. “I did,” she said, pressing her lips.
“Why? Why did you kiss me—I’m sorry you got dragged into this, and I don’t know what else to say. But thank you… for everything you’ve done for me, and….” Elizabeth said, feeling more choked, though she tried to swallow it.
“It’s alright. I’m sorry, too,” Agatha replied.
“What for?”
“I didn’t mean to do something like that to you, and I deeply regret what I did.”
“Weren’t you drunk, were you?”
Agatha shook her head. “No, I wasn’t.”
“Tell me why you did it.”
“Because I like you, Liz,” Agatha said while looking away to avoid succumbing to the temptation to stare into Elizabeth’s eyes.
Elizabeth shook her head and turned her back, heading towards the room at the end of the hallway where she had seen Valon before. Even though Agatha followed her, she went inside the room and frantically searched for the canvas draped with black fabric. She searched every nook and cranny in the room but couldn’t find it anymore. “Where was it?”
“What are you looking for?” Agatha sputtered. packing her things inside her bag.
“Where was that canvas your brother worked on?” Elizabeth pointed her index finger in the direction where she had found it. “Why don’t you help me search for it?”
“What canvas are you talking about?”
“Clay told me he’s working something with your brother. And I believe it was here, but I couldn’t find it,” Elizabeth sputtered as she went on, grabbing one canvas to the next one. “God!” She cursed.
“I don’t know anything about it either,” Agatha said, which left her feeling guilty and horrible when she saw her turning her back and exiting the room, almost sprinting back to her room. As soon as she walked inside her bedroom, she frantically packed her clothes inside her bag. “Where are you going, Liz?” Agatha sputtered, only to find herself uncomfortable when Elizabeth refused to speak.
Despite her inhibitions, she tailed her while calling out her name until they arrived near the entry door before she managed to grab her, stopping her from leaving home. When she pulled her, facing her, she saw Elizabeth silently sobbing, though she kept yanking her, forcing her to stop and be still.
“Why does everyone do this to me? Why do they keep betraying me? Why does this keep happening to me? I can’t do this anymore,” Elizabeth slurred, muzzling her mouth with both hands, covering her entire face, while shaking her head in defeat. To her surprise, she found herself squeezed with Agatha’s passionate embrace. “I don’t know what I should do now, Agatha. I don’t. I am such a loser.”
Agatha pulled herself away and looked into her eyes. “Hey! Hey, look at me, Liz. Look at me,” she paused, shaking Elizabeth to get her attention, and when she did, she didn’t have qualms about landing an interested gaze. “Stop telling yourself you’re fucking loser because you are not. You’re an amazing woman who was caught in a disaster you have no control over. But you’re not a loser. Got me?”
Elizabeth’s face lit up. Then, she slowly stretched her lips, pressing them, before throwing her arms around Agatha, wrapping her tightly. “Oh, my God. What would my life be without you?” she said before stepping back and looking at her with a blossoming interest sprouting in her eyes.
Agatha took her hand and began walking, dragging her out.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Somewhere, we could chill and forget things that happened today,” Agatha replied. She took her hand, and they went outside.
Without them knowing, Valon was there, listening and observing them the whole time. He stood there still, eavesdropping on them since he saw Clay walking out of the room not too long ago. At that time, he was curious about what Clay had told Agatha when she approached him. What made him even more curious was how his younger sister fell into this mess. So, curiosity filled his head as he hid by leaning against the wall facing the living area, listening to every word they said.
Satisfied, he left and walked towards the kitchen’s back entry door. When he reached there, he stood beside the door frame, leaning forward at a distance enough to see Clay leaning against the wall.
As much as he wanted to meddle and give in to the urge to comfort his man, he couldn’t. Although his mind reeled a bunch of nonsense, in the end, all he could do was keep his mouth shut. Then, he was startled when he heard his phone ring. He took out his device from his pocket and answered it. “Hey, dad.”
“Look, who’s here! It’s a surprise for you, son,” Albert said with his phone in his hand before he passed it to the man sitting in the back seat. “Here, take it. Valon’s on the line.”
“Who?” Valon replied.
“Hey, Dude. Did you miss me?” Marco teased with a smile.
“Marco? Is it you?”
“Yeah, I am,” he replied.
“Marco! Hey, how have you been doing?” Valon roared, which caught Clay’s attention. It was a familiar name.
“I’m coming with your dad and….” he paused to glance at the two passengers, “Apparently, your dad’s guests.”
“Dad is bringing home guests?”
“Yeah. A lot of them,” Marco said with widened eyes, laughing while shaking his head. It was as if he was still shocked by the number of people Albert wanted to bring home for Christmas Eve. “Hey, how’s Agatha? Would she come, too?”
Valon paused and let out a smile. “Yeah, she is here.”
Marco swiveled his head to see and appreciate the majestic view of the mountain ranges only the province could provide. He sighed and smiled. “I can’t wait to see you, guys, again. I mean—”
“I know you’re excited to see her,” Valon replied.
“Shut up. I’m not,” Marco replied, excited as he continued looking in the distance. While his mouth stretched wide, his face flushed.
Agatha was beyond frustrated when she decided to continue walking around the town for her vlog. Then, when she noticed Elizabeth following her behind, she turned, looking surprised. “I thought you were going to stay there and go somewhere else. What are you doing here?”
“Do you need help?”
“Please, Liz. You need rest. You can stay in the car if you like. You don’t need to help me all the time. You’ve done more than I needed. It’s already okay,” Agatha paused when she saw how Elizabeth frowned, and she beckoned, which made her friend smile.
“I was thinking about something. But I’m unsure if it’s going to work out.”
“What is it?” Agatha asked.
“I want to build a blog. Though I don’t mind being seen in pictures or videos for others, I’m more comfortable off-camera, writing something online than being in front of the camera as much as you do.”
“That’s great, Liz. I’ll help you set it up. It’s easy. If you like, we can do that when we get home.”
Elizabeth smiled. “That would be awesome, Agatha.”
“What would you want to write for your first post? What do you think? About your work, project, or…?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Elizabeth paused and hummed, thinking of ideas she could possibly write about. Then, she pressed her lips and looked away, taking a few steps forward, prompting Agatha to follow, walking beside her. “But I have written a few things in the past. I didn’t have the time to work on them since I joined the Elizondos, working tirelessly for the foundation. Since I stepped into their family, I realized I’ve never done something for myself.”
“And you want to build a blog to express that. Am I right?”
Elizabeth nodded and flashed a faint smile as she hugged herself. When she briefly drew her attention to the vast mountain ranges before her, her eyes wandered as her mind reeled the words she wanted to say, but she didn’t have the chance. “‘Just Because I Smile, That Doesn’t Mean I’m Not In Pain.’ That could be the title,” she said, staring into the distance. Little did she know how those words stung Agatha’s heart.
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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