Gain comfort

The alarm went off at 7:00 AM. Exhausting days make Clara reluctant to get out of bed. Clara decided to take a day off from work. She wouldn't do anything and would stay quietly at home. Clara picked up her phone and called someone. It wasn't Gio she called, but her mother. She wanted to know where her father's grave was. Her mother quickly sent the location via text without much delay. Clara hurriedly showered and then went to her father's grave.

Upon arriving at the cemetery, Clara could no longer hold back her tears. While crying softly, she gazed at the gravestone inscribed with her father's name. Clara cries and thinks about her father. Clara's phone rang, and she stopped crying to answer the call.

"Hello... Gio, what's up?" Clara spoke sadly.

"Clara, are you okay? Were you crying? Why does your voice sound so hoarse?" Gio asked with concern.

"I'm fine," Clara replied, still concealing that she had been crying.

"No, you're not okay," Gio insisted.

Clara then asked Gio to meet up. They decided to meet at the café they usually frequented to spend time drinking their favorite coffees. Clara was still on her way to their meeting place with Gio. Since her father's funeral was far away, it took her a long time to get there. Clara could only sit quietly on the bus, staring out the window. She kept remembering the heated arguments she had with her late father. Not a single sweet memory could she recall. Clara still couldn't believe that her father was gone.

When she got to the bus stop, Clara kept walking, not knowing where she was going. Someone grabbed Clara's hand, making her scream.

"Hey! It's me, Gio. Are you startled?" Gio felt guilty for startling Clara.

"Oh, it's you. Thank goodness, I was half-panicked just now," Clara replied.

"Wait! What's with your eyes? Why are they so red? Have you been crying again?" Gio asked anxiously.

Clara didn't want to look bad in front of Gio, so she quickly averted her gaze. Without further questioning, Gio hurriedly took Clara inside the café. A waiter approached them to take their orders. The atmosphere became a bit awkward. Gio and Clara didn't know what they wanted to talk about first. Clara remained silent, playing with her phone, while Gio seemed lost.

Shortly after, the waiter approached them again with their food orders. Clara seemed relaxed as she ate her food eagerly. Meanwhile, Gio still seemed puzzled by Clara's unusual behavior. They then enjoyed their meal without speaking to each other. After a while, Clara finished eating, put down her utensils, and suddenly shed tears. She bowed her head as if not wanting anyone to see her. Gio was surprised to see Clara suddenly crying. He immediately lifted her head and wiped her tears away.

"Clara, can I finally ask what's going on with you?" Gio asked softly.

Clara looked deeply into Gio's eyes. She couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Without saying a word, Clara could only cry. Gio seemed to understand her.

"Okay. If you need to cry first, cry. So later, you can release the burden in your heart. I'll wait," Gio said, gently patting Clara's shoulder.

Clara began to cry uncontrollably. Gio remained silent, waiting for Clara to finish crying. The café wasn't too crowded at that moment. Some people were eating, and the waiter was standing by the cashier. The café was about to close soon, so they weren't taking any more orders. Nevertheless, a few pairs of eyes glanced at Clara and Gio.

Gio felt a bit uncomfortable being the center of attention. One of the Waiters asked Gio what was going on. Then Gio tried to calm Clara down, and Clara fell silent for a moment, observing her surroundings. Clara felt embarrassed for causing a scene in public. Gio explained to the waiter who had questioned him and apologized. After Gio finished speaking, he immediately approached Clara again. Then Clara pulled Gio's shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"Gio, can we leave here? I'm so embarrassed right now," Clara whispered to Gio.

"Alright. I'll go pay. You can wait outside," Gio replied.

Clara left first and waited for Gio in front of the cafe while Gio went to the cashier to pay for the food. Gio took the initiative to invite Clara to talk in the park near the cafe. Fortunately, the cafe was close to public facilities such as bus stops, playgrounds, and even a mall not too far away.

When they arrived at the park, Clara began to tell Gio everything without being asked. She recounted everything from the beginning to the end until she started crying again. Every word Clara uttered astonished Gio. Until then, Gio still thought Clara was a woman who was too proud and brave. But all of that was wrong. Clara was very fragile. Gio listened and paid attention to every word Clara said. He hugged Clara to make her feel better. Gio gave Clara advice after advice, hoping she would be comforted by them.

Time flew by, and they had been talking for two hours. Clara began to feel better after letting out everything she had been keeping inside, and Gio began to understand Clara better. Not just chatting, Gio finally invited Clara to karaoke so she could feel better and gradually forget all her bad memories.

As the day grew late, they finally decided to go home. Gio escorted Clara home. Gio insisted on going because it was late, and he was worried. Clara refused at first. Clara was very grateful to Gio. Thanks to Gio, she felt better than before. Gio was also happy because he could lighten Clara's burden. Gio left because there were no more buses to his home.

When he arrived at the bus stop, his suspicions were correct. The last bus had already passed. So, Gio went home by taxi. Gio always saved money. He was used to living simply, so he always carefully calculated his daily expenses. But this time, he didn't mind it for Clara's sake. Throughout the journey, Gio kept thinking about Clara. Gio felt a strange sensation within himself as he looked at Clara. Gio thought maybe he had fallen in love with Clara.

The next day,

Gio seemed more enthusiastic. As usual, his morning routine was breakfast, then off to the clinic. Gio had a lighter schedule that morning. While enjoying his breakfast of a sandwich and a cup of cappuccino, Gio checked his phone. There was a message that he found very strange. The strange message was from Clara. Clara had never sent him a good morning message like this. Gio was confused.

Gio didn't know how to express himself. Should he be happy or just normal? Even though his heart leaped with joy, he didn't want to show it because he didn't know Clara's feelings for him. When Gio arrived at the clinic, he received a phone call from Clara. They talked for a while. As Gio was about to end the call, he heard a knock on the door. Gio thought it might be one of the nurses bringing patient data for him, but it turned out to be a woman he hadn't seen in a long time.