4 A New Dawn

Claire stared at the text message in front of her unsure of how to respond. Half of her didn't want to see Derek's face again and the other half was desperate for answers.

After deliberating for nearly an hour, Claire reluctantly responded to Derek's text.

'Ok. Let's meet there at 10 am.'

After sending that message, Claire let out a deep sigh and tossed her phone to the other end of the couch. She tucked her knees to her chest and rested her head on her legs.

'What the hell is this situation? Was it even the right decision to agree to meet with him? I can't even cry about this anymore.'

Slowly, the sun rose completely, and sunlight fully brightened the room. Claire unfurled her legs and grabbed her phone again.

'I can't just lay here and mope. I should eat something at least. Too bad there isn't much left in here, otherwise I could make something nice for myself. Some of the delivery places should be open now though.' Claire thought as she opened her favorite delivery app.

Claire ordered herself a full breakfast. Just because she is suffering doesn't mean that her tongue must suffer as well. She ordered herself a Belgian waffle topped with fresh strawberries ad a salted maple caramel sauce. On the side she ordered scrambled eggs and beef bacon cooked crispy.

Finally feeling a small bit of joy, given how the day prior had gone, Claire found renewed motivation to prepare herself for the day. Although she only had her suitcase with her and outfits set for celebration; she justified dressing up nicely by affirming to herself that her mood should not affect her outfit.

She picked out another cute summer dress, this one was flowy and white; covered with small blue flowers. This dress also draped softly off of her shoulders, highlighting the smooth lines of her neck and clavicle. She arranged her hair into a cute, braided crown, with small wisps of hair hanging out delicately.

After getting dressed, Claire checked her face in the mirror. Her eyes were rimmed with red and prominent dark shadows were visible under them. Though her face was quite plump, her skin was pallid, and her lips were ashen. Shocked at her own appearance, Claire hurriedly grabbed her cosmetics bag.

'At least I was kicked out when I had the basics on my person. I can't imagine how much worse this situation would be if I had nothing with me. Derek is such an asshole.' Shocked at her thoughts, Claire paused her actions. 

'Derek is an asshole…' she thought again. Through all the years she had dated Derek, this was the first time she had truly considered him an asshole. After this realization, another thought flashed through Claire's mind, but it came and went too quickly for her to fully grasp it.

New emotions started to bubble inside of Claire. Momentarily suppressing them, Claire continued to put on her makeup. As she finished, a knock came from the door.

'Ah, that must be the delivery' Claire hummed to herself. She took one last glance at her face before leaving to answer the door. Her complexion was brighter, and blush created a soft glow on her skin. The dark circles under her eyes were now invisible. Her lashes were fluffy and full. Altogether, her features were reminiscent of a doll.

Claire then opened the door to the apartment.

"H-Here is your delivery, ma'am." The young delivery man stammered and stared at her briefly before remembering to hand her the order. 

"Thank you so much." Claire smiled brightly as she grabbed her food.

"You're welcome! I hope you have great day, beautiful." The delivery man said with small flush on his face. He took another glance at her, and then turned to leave.

The sweet and savory smell of the food instantly filled the entire living room and kitchen of the apartment. As Claire unpackaged her meal, small plumes of steam rose into her face, filling her nose with the buttery scent of the waffles.

"I needed this." Claire exclaimed aloud.

Peace and comfort filled her mind as she filled her stomach. The sweetness of the salted maple caramel syrup was perfectly balanced by the tanginess of the strawberries, and the buttery goodness of the waffle.

By the time she finished eating, it was nearly 10 o'clock and she needed to leave to head towards Sunflower café. Anxiety rose in her stomach once again, as she realized that she needed to leave.

'I chose to meet up with him again. I deserve answers to what happened yesterday.' Claire thought while attempting to suppress her nerves.

Luckily the Sunflower café was within walking distance from the apartment, so Claire grabbed her things and left without much worry. She walked slowly to the café, as her leg was still sore from bumping it the day prior. The closer she got to the café, the harder it was for her to keep the anxiety at bay. Her palms were sweating, and her stomach was in knots.

Soon, the signage for the café was visible. Claire stopped to take a deep breath, and then continued into the shop. Seated at a table in the back corner was Derek.

Bells chimed as she walked through the door, and Derek looked up at her. He stared at her boldly, without conscience, as their eyes connected with each other awkwardly.

  "Hey." He said in a gravelly tone. "Come have a seat." He said standing clumsily, and gesturing towards the seat across from him at the table.

Seeing his face and hearing his voice, Claire's anxiety quickly changed to anger.

"Hey? Really? That's the first thing that you want to say to me?" Claire snapped at him as she walked towards the table.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Derek?" Claire continued, her voice raising.

"Woah, woah." Derek said while raising his hands innocently. "Calm down for a moment. I know things didn't go right yesterday but let me explain first."

  "Calm down? Wow. You've got some nerve. Go on, Derek. Explain" Claire snorted while sitting with her arms crossed. Her face was hot and she could feel rage building inside her like never before. 'Since when was he this heartless?' she thought.

"Alright, I can explain. Yesterday was definitely a disaster. It was not supposed to be like that. I know what you saw looked really bad, but baby I swear, everything I'm doing is for us." He said while retaking his seat.

"Nikki's father, Duncan Goodmore, has recently started taking interest in me and my company. He agreed to personally invest in me, in us. His only requirement was that I take care of his daughter. So that's what I'm doing right now. Once we get that investment than it's you and me again sweetheart. We'll be able to live the lives of our dreams" Derek said smoothly. He reached out in an attempt to grab Claire's hands, but she pulled away from him.

"You're kidding, right? This is your explanation? What a joke." Claire chuckled out of spite.

"You know what Derek; you've actually done me a favor today.  There is no longer any reason for me to feel sad over you. I can't believe you thought this would be ok." Claire said firmly.

She rose to her feet and started walking away. Turning back, she said, "Goodbye Derek. Please, don't speak to me ever again." And with that, Claire left the café.