Chapter 24
To make things easier for work, Clara rented a top–floor apartment. The very next day, someone moved in across the ball.
hall. It was Danion. Over the next month in Jeston, she ran into him everywhere by the supermarket shelves, outside the pizza place, in a quiet corner of the park. Given his status, these weren’t places he was supposed to hang out.
Clara knew he was following her. Now and then, when they ended up face–to–face, they’d make small talk, like regular friends, Otherwise, he stayed.
behind her like a shadow.
Eventually, lost in her little world, Clara stopped noticing him as much. She told herself it was just like having a free bodyguard.
Once they were neighbors, they bumped into each other even more, and Damon’s smile only grew brighter. Every so often, he’d ask her out for a walls, dinner, or a short trip somewhere.
“sorry“, his eyes dimmed noticeably.
Clara always came up with an excuse to say no. Every time she said “sorry
She kept thinking that Damon would give up after she turned him down. But the very next day, he’d show up just the same. He would greet her with the same fresh enthusiasm.
Watching how eager he was to please, Clara was somehow reminded of Damon’s college days with Giselle. He used to be like this back then too, always afraid she’d reject him or get mad, so he did everything he could to keep her happy, even at his own expense,
But Clara wasn’t Giselle. She wouldn’t feel right taking advantage of his kindness and had no interest in playing games with him. She wasn’t the type to flaunt her appeal. All she wanted was to live her life and enjoy each day.
all gave way to early winter.
Time went by day after day. Spring gradually turned into summer. Before long,
ong, late fall g
The nearly year–long project was wrapping up, and the contract was set to end right on Clara’s 25th birthday. She booked a flight back to Falverton for that very day.
The night before she left, she was up packing until dawn when she happened to notice light snow falling outside the window. When the clock hit midnight, there was a knock at the door.
She opened it to find Damon standing there with a birthday cake. He was smiling as he wished her a happy birthday, but she could sense the sadness behind it.
Clara hesitated for a second, then quieldy pulled herself together and thanked him politely. Once the candle was lit, she pressed her palms together and
made a wish.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the expectation in Damon’s gaze.
“What did you wish for?” he asked.
“The same as last year,” Clare said.
And that was it.
Remembering her last birthday, Damon felt his smile fade into something bitter. Clara dropped her gaze to avoid his eyes. The air between them grew heavy.
After a long silence, he asked something unexpected, “Clara, what did you say the day you left last year, when you walked me out? I didn’t catch it back then.”
“What had she said? Clara couldn’t remember. Those cold, damp memories–the ones she had no desire to revisit–had long since faded. They were blurred by time.
All that remained were the brighter, livelier moments, the ones that still warned her whenever she thought of them.
Now, at the start of another year of her life, all she wanted was for everyone she met and everything ahead of her to find a personal happy ending. So, on a whim, she came up with two sentences.
I wished you well. And I wished the same for myself.”
Chapter 25
