After returning from the cafeteria, Clara was disturbed and couldn't stop thinking about what happened earlier. Mira had been acting strangely these past few days and even the cheerful atmosphere around her had diminished. Clara heaved a long sigh and made a mental note to go see her after the working hours, then stared down at the pile of works in front of her and picked up the blueprint then started studying the character she was still working on with a frown.
She had thought of every possible way to make her character seem realistic but realized that it was harder than she thought. Comic drawing had been one of her hobbies and only does it when bored. She wondered the kind of confidence Mr. Long had in her and sighed helplessly. " No, I don't think I can do this, " she muttered and rested back on the swivel chair while twirling around. She didn't even study comics art and can only doodle some pictures, however, this work deserves a professional which she can't think of calling herself. she paced around her cubicle and heaved a sigh then slumped down on her chair with a helpless look and slowly raised her hand and stared at the paper again. " Hmmm.. but I can't go back on my promise, " Clara added gloomily and contemplated for a while before picking her phone then dialed Maya's number.
The phone rang three times and was finally answered from the other end, then came the cheerful voice of Maya.
" Hey, babe, what's up. "
Clara fiddled with the hem of her skirt while softly saying, " Ehm Maya, remember that time we used to draw comics together? "
" Haha, you mean when you used to force me to learn comic drawing with you from the Internet. " Maya replied from the other end and added, " I exclusively remember that and how you would compel me to draw comics with you when you're bored. "
Clara's face fell as she listened to her friends chattering which was more like scolding from the other end. She scratched the back of her neck and chuckled awkwardly. " hehe, but you also like drawing them,.. right?" she said softly in a cajoling manner.
" Urgh Clara, what are you up to?" Maya replied from the other end seemingly uneasy. She had a gut feeling that Clara wanted to request something enormous.
Clara smiled cheekily even though Maya could not see her then chuckled and said in a sweet voice, " Hehe, you know you're the sweetest best friend in the whole universe and you love me so much. I'm very lucky to have a generous friend like you... You're as sweet as honey, beautiful as the moon, nice as...."
" Clara!!!, spill it. " Maya's sharp tone was heard from the other end. She was finally sure that her best friend was about to ask for something impossible.
Clara quickly cleared her throat and replied gloomily, " Bestie, I really really need your help. the company gave me a little project and...
" I knew it.. " she heard Maya said from the other end.
Clara sighed then continued, " Maya this one is a little complex, can you please help me? I have to draw these characters because I already promised the manager and he's counting on me. "
Maya's loud voice was heard again. " haha Clara, you know I'm not as good as you when it comes to drawing comics, if it's hard for you do you expect me to use magic?. "
" Huh?, no no no I'm not talking about you, I mean you should help me ask Ken since he studied cartoon arts in the university, " Clara said hastily and bit her fingers. She had never asked for any favor from her best friend's boyfriend before and this seems awkward because Ken was a busy person and a rich CEO on top of that.
There was silence from the other end and Clara frowned slightly. " Maya, are you still there?. " she looked at the screen with knitted brows and found out that the line was not cut off then placed the phone back on her ear and finally heard Maya's gloomy voice from the other end.
" Ehm Clara..., we actually broke up, " Maya whispered in a barely audible voice, sadness evident in her tone.
" What!!! " Clara jolted up from her chair with wide eyes. " W..what happened? why did you guys break up? Maya, when did this happen?" she asked anxiously with one hand placed on her beating heart. She had always looked at the pair as the perfect couple and had even prayed many times to get a boyfriend like Ken, what could compel them to break up?, then she remembered that during one of their phone calls, Maya did not sound cheerful when she asked her about Ken but thought maybe they only had a misunderstanding not realizing that things would escalate to this extent. She thought about how caring and nice Ken was which made her all the more surprised at this turn of events.
Maya listened to her friend's barrage of questions from the other end and sighed. " It's a long story Clara, I'll tell you everything when I return for the new year's holiday. "
Clara also sighed and sat back on the chair then said softly, " It's alright Maya, don't think too much about whatever happened, I'm so sorry that I'm not there for you. " her heart ached when she imagined the kind of pain her best friend was going through. Ken had been the only one she saw Maya crazy about, despite dating some guys in the past .she sighed again and patiently listened to the silence from the other end then added softly, " And don't go to the bar, please. " Maya would likely drink whenever she was sad and she feared that her best friend might bump into bad people in that foreign country now that Ken was no longer there to protect her.