" C..Carl." she slowly shut her eyes as his face leaned closer and her heart started beating wildly.
' Hmmm, Bye-bye little Clara. . . I can do this,' she chanted anxiously but frowned after some seconds and snapped her eyes open.
" Carl! Y..you..." She glared at the guy who was now putting on his pajama shirt and sighed helplessly.
" Mm?" Carl turned back and gave her an innocent look and chuckled then retrieved a long-sleeved shirt and closed his suitcase. " What? Do you want me to__"
" Stop!." She cut him off as her cheeks turned scarlet then quickly snatched the shirt from his hands and rushed inside the bathroom while he laughed softly behind.
Several minutes later, she came out of the bathroom while looking down at the oversized cloth that almost reached her knees and sighed inside. Her eyes shifted to the guy who was now engrossed in his phone and she smiled happily then walked toward him.
Carl dropped his phone on the bedside table as she laid down beside him, Then turned to his side and faced her after covering both of them with the bedsheet.
" Good night, " she whispered with a small smile and pecked his lips.
" I love you." He kissed her forehead then wrapped his arms around her with a chuckle.
Clara chuckled and replied, " I love you too." She yawned then buried her head in his chest and instantly fell asleep.
Carl stared down at her and his thoughts drifted back to what Lily had said to him after listening to the recording. He sighed and lowered his head then placed a long kiss on her forehead.
He tightened his arms around her and dazedly stared into the darkness then also drifted off after some minutes.
********
__ The Next Morning __
Jack groaned with a hand pressed on his head as he sat up on the bed. He sighed heavily after rubbing the sleep off his eyes as all the things that happened last night flashed through his eyes;
He was so ecstatic to have finally seen her when he arrived at the festival and watched in glee as she performed the play, putting in mind that he would immediately run to her as he anxiously waits for the play to be over.
But then, in the next second, his hope and happiness were totally shattered as Carl appeared suddenly and he watched in anguish as they kissed on the stage.
He had followed them to the backstage and stood at a distance as he painfully watched them hugged continuously and the expression in her eyes. ' Hmmm.' she seemed really happy. But the most surprising thing is what he saw next. Lily was actually Clara's sister.
His eyes darted to the girl who was sleeping beside him and another sigh escaped his lips. After leaving the festival last night he had got drunk and watched in his blurry vision as she had appeared in front of him and confessed how she had recorded his voice in order to resolve the misunderstanding between Carl and her sister.
" Lily, " he called out softly and lightly patted her shoulder then watched as she slowly fluttered her eyes open.
Lily sat up on the bed and smiled softly at the guy whose gaze was fixed on her then heard him continue.
" Why didn't you go home?" Jack asked and she slowly shook her head.
" You could barely stand up last night, so I had to help you here. and by then, it was past midnight, " she replied softly and remembered how he had grieved last night after finding out everything and she sighed.
" I'm sorry Jack, I had to do it for my sister, I couldn't bear seeing her in so much pain," she said and slowly lowered her head.
Jack smiled slightly then lifted her head. " It's okay, you also help me realized that I could never have a chance with her. . ." he replied softly then added, " thank you."
Lily nodded and sighed in relief and glanced sideways at the bedside table then retrieved her glasses.
" You didn't get to celebrate your birthday, right?" He asked with a small smile and she shook her head then smiled back softly.
" No problem. besides. . ., I received the best gift." she lowered her head and chuckled lightly.
Jack also chuckled, not quite comprehending what she meant by the best gift. He stood up from the bed and went inside the bathroom after grabbing his clothes from the wardrobe.
Lily sighed inside with a small smile as her gaze lingered on the bathroom door and after some time he came out, freshly bathed and now dressed in the new clothes.
" Do you want to take a bath? I'll go down and get breakfast, " Jack said and she shook her head.
" I need to go home now. Meet me at the riverside later, I'll inform my sister, " she replied softly and got down from the bed and he walked her to the door then downstairs, out of the hotel.
" Let me drive you home, " he said and she stopped walking then turned to him.
" My house is near, I'll trek home. . . Bye, " Lily replied and waved him goodbye then walked away.
Jack stared at her back until she was out of his sight then his eyes darted to the familiar car which had just left the hotel and was taking a different direction. He sighed again and went back inside the hotel.
********
Clara groaned exasperatedly as her gaze darted to the guy who had a small smile on his face.
" Carl stop already, do you want to put me in trouble,? " she whined for the umpteenth time then sighed in relief as he finally stopped the car.
Carl turned to face her with a small frown. " I want to go with you, " he said in a serious tone.
" W..what? " Clara's eyes widened and she shook her head frantically " No no no, you can't go with me, Carl. Argh! my parents are going to kill me."