𝕄𝕆𝕋𝕀𝕍𝔼. || Lando Norris

✨Part-62✨

Her parents could see the changes in her behaviour, she was a lot more focused and happier. Claire was also patient with Ophelia, which the baby enjoyed a lot.

It was a pleasant Saturday afternoon, Ophelia was entertaining herself. Claire was watching a movie with her mom.

"I realised we never got to talk about how your trip was!" Her mother exclaimed.

"It was nice, a good change of scenery! Manama is beautiful, you would have loved the Souq." Claire smiled.

"I'm sure you took pictures." Her mother hinted at the obvious.

"Yeah we did!" Claire pulled her phone out. She scrolled through her gallery, showing her mother the photos and describing the place they were taken at.

A reminder popped up, it was time to check in with Akira. She left her phone with Grace and headed to her room for the video meeting.

"How are you doing today Claire?" Akira asked.

"Good! I took Ophelia to the park, watched a movie with my mom and I was just talking to her about my trip."

"That's good! Anything else you want to talk about?"

"Not really, not in this check in at least."

"Alright then! I'll see you later." Akira ended the call.

Claire walked back to the living room, Ophelia babbled for her to pick her up. She picked her up and plopped herself onto the couch next to her mom, who was smiling at the phone.

"Care to explain this image?" She showed her the phone.

Claire took a closer look at the image, it was from the day Lando was leaving Bahrain. They had run into each other at the lobby and he wanted a picture with Ophelia before they parted ways again, after Nicole insisted Claire agreed to be a part of the picture and this very awkward family photograph was clicked; Ophelia looking up at her dad, who smiling at Claire. And Claire who was just awkwardly smiling at the camera.

"I-it's a long story mom." Claire sighed.

"Well, we've got all the time in the world." She settled into the couch.

"Let me get Squirt some toys before she pulls all my hair out." Claire said prying her hair out of Ophelia's little hands.

Claire narrated everything that went down, excluding the part she nearly kissed him and confessed that she still loved him. In fact those were feelings even she had been trying to escape, she didn't want to think about them right now. She felt instantly guilty about not confiding in Akira about what had been going on in the back of her mind.

"That was... an intense start to what should have been a relaxing vacation." Her mother remarked.

"It was, but then once he was gone it was fun. We got to hear Sonya complain about Ilya all the time."

"What happened to that boy?"

"Oh yeah! Ultimately Ilya did start speaking, asked Sonya for her number." She laughed.

"Was Sonya satisfied?"

"Not until the deal is signed and papers are on her dad's desk." Claire answered.

"She's got that shrewd businesswoman thing going on for her hmm?" Her mother asked taking a sip of her tea.

The ladies chatted on while Ophelia continued babbling and playing with everything but her toys. The time had elapsed and Ted was home, ready to tell them about today's interesting patients.

The family spent dinner hearing him talk about work and then Claire telling him about running into Lando again, weeks ago but she needed to tell them about it. It felt good to let them know, that they had met again and connecting again wasn't some random change of mind.

What she felt about him? That was a conversation for another day.

***

"Are you trying to say I CAUSE my own problems!?" Claire glared at Akira.

Akira took a deep breathe, "Claire, I'm not attacking you. I'm simply telling you."

Claire was taken aback, today's session had been heavy. Claire felt a lump form in her throat, she was afraid about being confronted about her own flaws. She knew she wasn't flawless but when someone tells you what's the matter with you, it certainly burns.

"It's okay to feel defensive Claire." Akira offered her some tissue papers to wipe her tears, "Now let's analyse what you feel about him."

"He's the cause of all my problems." Claire shot back.

"We just addressed that, he's not the cause."

"Then what is the cause?"

"Vulnerability Claire, you struggle with it. And it takes time, we'll get there slowly."

"How can I be vulnerable to someone I don't trust?"

"You don't trust because you don't communicate." Akira explained, "and that, isn't solely your fault. Both of you seem to not know how to express yourselves without absolutely hurting the other person."

"I feel like shit right now." Claire responded wearily, plopping her head on the armrest of the couch. "Oh I see why people do this, it's relaxing." She settled into laying on the couch.

Akira let out a chuckle and asked her to continue, Claire confided to her about how scared she was about being alone through her whole pregnancy. The time she felt afraid about getting so used to him she won't know how to live when he wasn't around.

Claire admitted, she felt like somewhere along feeling safe and getting close to him she has lost herself. It's almost as if she took down everything from her mental checklist that wasn't him or related to him.

"I feel like I made him my whole identity while he was still trying to figure out where I fit in his life."

"I agree, also moving in with him so soon? That wasn't a very smart move."

"I didn't really have a choice did I?" Claire laughed, "That reminds me pretty much eighty percent of my belongings are probably still in his house."

"Notice how you danced around the subject of him but never told me how you feel about him?"

"I was kinda hoping you'd forget you asked that." She joked. "But alright, I'll tell you."

"Go on."

"He makes me feel like I'm a teenage girl again, you know? The butterflies, the blushing and getting my heart racing."

"So an infatuation?"

"It's so much more, the sparks are still there. But I'll never tell him."

"And what will you get out of that?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"And how do you think you'll deal with that internally?"

"A part of me will die inside every time I see him but it's a small price to pay."

"Suffering internally isn't a small price to pay for anything!"

"We'll figure out Akira!"