Page 15 of Falling for My Ex Next Door

She sighed.

“You don’t know how much I miss you. You didn’t reply to my texts and hid yourself from me.” My body had warmed against hers.

“Please, I might act foolish sometime in the future, but do not hide yourself from me. I’d rather suffer any other punishment than not see you.“ I confessed.

Slowly, she disengaged from me and turned to face me.

“How did I come to love a silly man like you?” Her eyes started to tear up.

“Oh, Clara,” I drew her in for a kiss.

“I miss you more.” Her tears soaked my shirt when I embraced her.

“I can’t imagine spending Christmas without you, my love.” I kissed her hair.

“What?” She hit my chest with her fist, apparently annoyed. “You can’t imagine spending only Christmas without me?”

“No, no-”

Her eyes had dangerously widened. I got the message.

“I can’t,” I said, pressing her body closer. “Imagine spending my whole life without you. What can I do to stop your tears?” By then, her face was wet with hot tears, as was my shirt.

“I don’t think you can...they just keep coming. I can’t help it.” She cried even more.

“Oh, Clara.”

Bringing her face to mine, I wiped her tears with my thumb.

“Do you miss me that much?” I tried to make light of the situation, hoping it would make her stop tearing up.

“I wanted to come to you, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, I-”

“You were angry with me, and it is justifiable, sweetie.”

“I don’t like it when we fight,” she began. “We are apart, and it just breaks me...” Her voice was shaken.

“And I am a fool not to have realized that. I’m very sorry for not coming earlier. I’m sorry I made you wait this long. I’m really sorry, my love.”

She wound her arms around me, tightening the embrace more than before.

“I’m sorry, too.” She breathed against my chest, and then gradually, her tears subsided.

Who could have ever thought that that day was a sort of foreshadowing of what was to come?

I remembered she wouldn’t even look at me. I disgusted her so much that my lips parted to call out to her, but she went right into the house and shut the door.

I raked my fingers through my hair. I was going insane.

I had peered that morning and waited to catch a glimpse of her, but she never came out. I couldn’t fathom why. Even on my way out to work, I intentionally waited behind in my car, discreetly watching for her to step outside, but she never did. Perhaps, I finally concluded she was tired from her travels and still asleep.

At the office, my concentration, no doubt, dwindled with the passing of every second. I wanted to go home; I wanted to see her and try to make amends. So, I told Jackson to keep the files away and cancel or postpone the business meetings for the day.

I drove back home and patiently waited on my porch. I wanted to make sure not to miss her entry into the house. At intervals, I would walk to and fro the porch, and at other times, I would hastily dash inside the house to get what I needed. She wouldn’t appear until I stayed longer inside the house because I was starting to feel cold.

Brisk steps.

Jingling of keys.

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