Love, Claudia (BWWM)

Chapter Four

She was entirely enthralled, engrossed by the story that hadn't left her hands since ten in the morning.

Now, it was almost two in the afternoon, and the story wouldn't leave her hands until she read the last word.

At times, Claudia lost herself in fictional tales. Christian romance, cheesy Christian romance, Excellently written Christian romance, but her favorite of all was a sort of guilty pleasure.

Though, she had nothing to be guilty about.

Claudia loved interracial age-gapped books.

They were rarely without inappropriate themes, so when she found one, she loved it and bought a hardback copy if she could to keep it forever.

They were treasures to her heart and with Christ as the center and hope of the characters, telling her to put them away was like telling a dog to share his treat.

Completely useless.

She enjoyed every moment of being swept away by a story surrounding and echoing the love of Christ, something relatable to her taste, and undoubtedly filling her with various emotions as the characters experience love, surprises, heartache, and love once more.

However, reading such a story came with a price she had to pay every single time she opened one and loved it.

The ending.

The epilogue.

The snap back to reality, to the world she enjoyed, but wished could stay on pause while she threw herself into stories galore.

But, that wasn't how life worked. And she didn't mind.

Even if it was good fiction, Godly fiction, Claudia knew there was a limit to how much she could endure before her sheep-like mind wandered away to hopeful scenarios regarding the future she hadn't one clue about.

She trusted God too much to allow her mind to wander.

The Holy Spirit surely held her mind and reminded her to step away when it was close to too much for her to bear.

She appreciated God for keeping her calm and hopeful but delighted and satisfied in all He provided for her.

Words written to her father four years ago echoed in her mind at times when she looked around at the prosperous life her father allowed her family to live.

Even through prosperity, no lack of sustenance, wanting for nothing, and being wealthier than one family needed, they had times of suffering need.

The loss of her mother, the loss of a wife, the loss of a best friend.

She was snatched away in the blink of an eye. But not a moment delayed or too soon.

"Natural causes." They said with solemn stares.

Two words utterly shattered and desolated the hearts of the family missing, needing, loving, the one who was taken in her rightful time.

With all they had, the worldly 'goods', the uncountable piles of money, the yachts, cars, homes, and private planes, nothing could replace the suffering need within their heart.