Tough & Classy

Chapter 56

Chapter 56: "Maybe that's all we'll ever be- an incomplete sentence, a half-written story. Finished, without an ending."

Taking another puff on my cigarette, I glanced towards the door for the nth time. I couldn't shake off this uneasy feeling. The rational part of me knew that I made the right call, but at the same time, something inside me was telling me otherwise. 

As I saw Clint coming out of my house, I straightened my posture, trying to look calm while subtly glancing behind him.

He leisurely sauntered towards me; hands casually tucked in his pockets. "She doesn't want to leave."

As a sense of relief washed over me, I realized that deep down, I didn't really want her to leave despite the fear of giving in to her and risking my heart all over again.

I wasn't supposed to call Clint, but last night, I was so close to giving in, and that scared the f*ck out of me. It felt as though she was slowly tearing down the walls, I had meticulously built around myself.

I cleared my throat. "I see."

He gave me a long stare. "For someone who's supposed to want her gone, you seem surprisingly relieved that she's staying."

Natigilan ako sa narinig. "It's just I'm not surprised anymore given her stubbornness," I said, taking another puff on my cigarette.

He just raised his brow.

"As a friend, can I ask you for a favor?"

I glanced at him, surprised. It was the first time Clint had ever asked for a favor. "What is it?"

He took a deep breath. "Undeniably, Claire is still very much in love with you. And she won't let go because she feels that there's still hope."

Suddenly, I wasn't comfortable where this talk was going. 

"This might make me seem like a horrible cousin." He faced me and looked straight into my eyes. "But I want you to be blunt with her. Crush her hope."

"You want me to break her heart?" I scoffed, finding it hard to believe that such callous words came from him. Though he had always been cold, I never imagined his coldness could run this deep.

He nodded without even blinking. 

My jaw clenched. "May I remind you that we're talking about Claire, your own cousin."

"Exactly."

My forehead creased. 

"I understand where you're coming from. And I don't take it against you if you don't want to be with her anymore." Then he added, fixing his cold gaze on me. "But Claire is my family, and I would hate to see my friend letting my cousin hang around even when there's no hope anymore."

Hindi ako nakakibo. Clint knows Claire inside and out, just as much as he knows me. There's no use in denying the truth. Had I tried hard to push her away, that would've been enough to make her walk away. 

However, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was torn. And Clint knows it very well.

"She's stubborn, but she's a very intelligent woman. Once she realizes that there's nothing left to fight for, she'll walk out of your life on her own. And I'll make sure that she won't bother nor see you again."

While waiting for the elevator, I was in a cheerful mood. It was due to what ate Lou had told me. Apparently, Chester finally ate the food I prepared for him last night. Unfortunately, I missed the chance of having dinner with him as I locked myself in my room.