✧ Lovelorn ✧

XXXIV ❥❥❥ Ep7- A world without the heroine

C L A R A

Clara was living her best life.

She never felt as free, and as happy in her second life before. She had always been scared to be too happy, or to be complacent with the life she has. She always thought that her happiness has a price. When she gets too happy, them some great unimaginable force in this world would take away all her happiness from her. There's a deadline, a limit to how much she could enjoy herself. It had always been like a cloud hanging over her head for so long. She had always been afraid of being happy, or grabbing her own happiness when it was just an arms length away from her.

But without the heroine- she could live her life and enjoy all the luxuries that come with the Skotadi name.

"Avarys?" She asked tentatively, noticing the mop of carefully styled blonde hair from far away. She always found it easy to differentiate him from his twin brother, and she feels that wherever she goes, her feet would always walk back to him.

He looked up from his steaming hot mug of coffee. "Clara, what are you doing so late?"

"I couldn't sleep," She shrugged, while sitting on the couch next to him. The cafeteria was empty, and it was already lights out by now. Clara originally planned that she would smuggle a few cookies from the cafeteria pantry then run like the wind back to her room. She also already found a few curtains to hide into if ever she encountered the student council doing their rounds. "How about you?"

"I don't want to sleep."

"Huh?" She didn't quite hear him right.

He smiled, before bringing his mug to his lips. "I was craving coffee."

"At midnight?"

"Why not?" He blinked. "I could say the same for you. Cookies?" He took out a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

He was oddly quiet tonight.

"Is, is something wrong Avarys?" She asked tentatively. Avarys was human too, no matter how bulletproof and decisive he seems most of the time. For sure, even someone like that would have problems as well.

He looked as if he was about to say "no", before he decided against it. "It's nothing for you to worry about."

"....... Remember when you said you would help me if I ever needed anything?" She recalled that one winter when she was being an absolute brat about enrolling to Gardenia Academy. "I could help you too!" So rely on me more! She thought haphazardly.

Maybe she did say that out loud, because he was now staring a there, wide-eyed.

"Help ... me..." He repeated in a hushed whisper. Clara nodded eagerly.

"Would you... help me... Clara?" He said, as if testing the words on his mouth.

"Of course!" Clara responded confidently, although she wasn't very reliable, to be honest.

"You don't know... Just your presence. you're already giving me hope already."

"So what's bothering you?" Clara usually has a short attention span, but even for her, Avarys was blatantly dodging the topic. He's really great at being evasive