Luca did not visit Claire again after that day. He passed his days in an almost monotonous routine, giving lectures and attending to other freelance work.
He did read about Claire's release from the hospital and the court case that condemned her ill-fated miscarriage. The newspapers were vocal about her responsibility as a prominent figure in the medical world. Several journalists, who had caught wind of his art project with Claire, had sought comments from him outside his apartment, to which he ignored.
A few times, he had reached for the phone and punched in the familiar number. He reasoned that even if she refused to talk to him, they still needed to work on their agreed upon engagement. But, each time, he failed to press the dial button.
There were also his attempts to clear the air with Rafael. The blonde man's temper had led to the failure of several arranged meetings.
Until one autumn evening, he had initiated a meeting through his secretary to his surprise. The formality involved raised his suspicion. Luca wore a white pinstripe shirt and black trousers and arrived ten minutes to his four o'clock appointment. He was ushered in ten minutes after the appointed time.
"Rafael."
"Please sit, Mr. Davies."
Luca had been unsure if he was addressing the official or his lover, but it was clear now he was acting the official role. The secretary brought in two cups of tea and after she left, Rafael spoke again.
"How have you been?"
"I'm fine. And you?"
"As usual," he waved a hand in dismissal, "Have you seen Ms. Walker since?"
Luca felt something grip his heart at the mention of her.
"No."
Rafael gave a disapproving tut at this.
"I trust you remember the project? I should remind you the final two commissioned artworks are due in less than a month."
"I'm aware of that."
"Good."
The blonde man stood up and walked to look out of his window.
"Rafael-" Luca tried to talk to him but was interjected.
"Claire visited me recently."
His heart raced as he wondered what Claire had said to Rafael.
"Kristine forced us to talk and between the three of us, we had a very long conversation."
He felt the annoyance he had felt for the feisty woman replaced with slight admiration.
"Do you love Claire?"
The sudden change in topic confused him.
"What are you talking about?"
"Answer the question, Luca."
Luca frowned at his persistence and chose to not respond to something he was unsure of. A few minutes ticked by before Rafael spoke again.
"I love Chad, I always have."
Luca felt a tightening at his chest at the revelation. He always knew but to have him say it out forced him to face the truth. There was a pause before Rafael continued.
"You could say I've done everything I could, in hopes that he will one day return my feelings. I was ruthless. When he left Claire, I thought of ways to keep Claire away. But, he fell for another useless guy and now-," he stopped himself abruptly. There was a choking sound and his shoulders trembled.
