[Fanfiction] INTIMACY - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Marina got dressed while Clara tried to get herself back together and they went down.

- I thought you two would stay in there forever. I'm hungry, Marina!

- Calm down, Vanessinha. Let’s go, girls. - She waved to Flávia and Giselle.

They chose a nice restaurant in Santa Tereza. Marina sat next to Clara, closer than necessary. Vanessa was facing Marina, from the other side of the table, and she didn’t take her eyes off of the two of them. She hated all that intimacy. Things were different between them, she could see that. Vanessa didn’t miss an opportunity to hold Marina’s hand across the table and caress it while making comments on her photos. She looked deeply into Marina’s eyes, as if no one else was there. And yet, Marina was completely focused on Clara. She would always rest her hand on the assistant’s leg. Eventually, she would look at her and smile in a way that made Clara melt.

On their way back, as much as she didn’t mind to spend all the time she had with Marina, Clara decided that it was better to go home. She had a lot to think about. And she needed to talk to Helena.

- Okay, then. - Marina hugged her and said softly. - I loved that you came here this morning. - She smiled lovingly. - I'll miss you during the weekend, don’t forget me. – She said as she slightly touched Clara’s cheek.

- I could never forget you. - She smiled once again, showing sincerity, and said goodbye.

***

At home 

- Marina, we need to talk. – She said bluntly.

- Do you need something, Van?

- I do. I need to know what the hell happened between the two of you in that bedroom this morning and why you spent the whole lunch time glued to Clarinha. – She spoke the name with disdain.

- Wow Van, what is all this? Nothing happened in there.

- Nothing happened? Marina, how long will you insist on this story? Will you only come to your senses when she let you down? There are so many women in this world ...

- And none of them is like her. I waited so long for Clara, Van. Stop trying to ruin my happiness.

- Since when is your dream woman a straight and married housewife?

- She is so much more than that. She is – she began talking about her with shining eyes.

- Oh, for God's sake, don’t start this again. Marina, open your eyes. This won’t work, and even if it does, if you ever have her, it won’t be more than an one-time thing. Curiosity. That's all.

- That’s not true. She gets me. And I know I mess with her feelings too. Today more than ever I had the proof of that. There is a chance that she might actually feel the same. I believe that. And if that’s true, I'm not giving up on her. – She came closer – I’ll bet on that.

- Marina, she is married. – She said slowly. - She has a family and there’s no room for you in it.

- Gee, Vanessa. I know. I know I’m late. Cadu found her first. But I'm not a home wrecker. If she were happy in this marriage, she wouldn’t have given me space, and if that were indeed the case, I wouldn’t insist. I’d swallow my love for her because I want her to be happy. But she wasn’t happy. - She pointed to herself. - I make her happy. And I'll commit myself to that. If she feels the same for me, Van, only I can make her happy. And I will make her the happiest woman in this world! – She said enthusiastically.

- Marina, you're completely out of your mind.

- I won’t argue with you, Vanessa. - She left the room.

- Wait, Marina.

But she was already gone. When she got to her room, she was in a state of bliss. Clara had let her get close, as close as she wanted, and it was mutual, she wanted that too, Marina could feel it. She threw herself on the bed smiling and then she noticed the presence of an object that didn’t belong to her on the pillow. She took the bracelet and held it against her body.

- Clara. – She played with it. – Yay, now I have a little excuse to find you. - She smiled.

***

- I don’t know what to do, sister.

- This Marina girl.. she stirs you up, doesn’t she, Clara?

- She does. She does and she knows that. She knows and she defies me. - Clara said remembering that morning.

- Defy you? How? - Helena asked curiously.

- Oh, you know, Heleninha. She knows exactly what to say, she knows what to do. She ..

- What do you mean?

- Nothing. - Sighed.

- Tell me, Clara. Did something happen?

- Of course not! No way. Nothing happened.

- But ... ?

- But .. – she said nervously - but not for lack of desire. Oh my God. - She stroked her hair. - She's driving me crazy.

- Clara, let's be open here. It’s clear that there’s desire between you too, but then what? Is there more than that? Are you in love?

- No. I mean, I don’t know. I shouldn’t even be thinking about this. I am a married woman, for God's sake. And ... Cadu. Cadu was always the love of my life, he was my first love.

- He was? As in he’s not anymore? My sister, don’t be silly, marriage hasn’t been a lifelong contract for years now. It’s a commitment, of course, that deserves to be honored. But first of all, you have to be happy. Happiness is part of honoring it. If you aren’t happy, Clara .... Look at you, you get all flustered just by thinking about Marina. She makes you happy. Just figure out how far this happiness will take you. Figure out if that happiness is greater than what you have with your husband. If Cadu is no longer the source of your happiness, you can’t really hold onto your marriage. That wouldn’t be fair to you or him. Much less with Ivan, that would be in the midst of an unhappy family. And now .. there’s Marina in the middle of all that too, right?

- I never thought I'd feel this way for a woman. I never felt like this before. This is .. it’s crazy. It’s ..  wrong. – She whispered as if she were confessing a crime.

- Wrong, Clara? - Helena laughed. - There's nothing wrong about being happy with whoever gives you that. Wrong would be trying to continue deceiving and stalling the two of them. You have to make a decision. Choosing the known is much more comfortable, but you need to analyze Marina’s place in your life.

- I know. And that won’t be easy.

- The consequences might be complicated, but from what I'm seeing here, making your decision won’t be that hard. - She said standing up and kissing her sister’s forehead.

***

Clara took Ivan, who was at school, and then went home.

- I'll need your help with a science project, mom. Dad!! - Ivan ran and hugged Cadu. - I won my fight in judo today, our coach said I’ll be getting the next belt soon.

- That’s my boy. – He answered, while messing with Ivan’s hair.

- Hi, Cadu. - Clara greeted him with a peck on his lips. - How was your day at the bistro?

- It was great. We barely begun, but we’re already making a great success.

- Good, my love. - She smiled. - I'm happy for you.

- I wanna talk to you, Clara. - He said, seriously.

- Dad - Ivan interrupted. - Come play video games with me?

- Not now, son. Daddy is tired and I want to have a word here with your mom. Maybe after, is that okay?

- You’re always tired or working. You don’t do anything with me anymore. – He pouted.

- Damn, kid ... - he stopped and sighed - okay then. - He turned to Clara. – We can talk later.

***

The next morning, Clara noticed with a smirk that as she woke up the first image that came in her head was Marina. She wondered if she would be awake too, if she was thinking of her. Then she looked beside her and heard Cadu snoring.

- Where did you spend the day yesterday, Clara?

- Helena’s place.

- In the morning? I came to have lunch with you, since you weren’t going to work, but you weren’t here. Neither were you at Helena’s. Where were you?

- Alright, Cadu, you’re supervising me now? Is that it?

- Yes, I am. And do you know why? Because you don’t even have to tell me where you were. You were with her, weren’t you? Marina! – They started arguing.

- Yes, I was. Are you satisfied?

- Why did you go there? You didn’t have to work, but you couldn’t stand a day without seeing your Marina ...

- Ah, Cadu, drop this. It’s none of your business, you’re my husband, but you don’t own me. The day has barely begun and you already got me tired, goodbye. – She left to her room to take a shower.

- I need to put an end to this. - Cadu thought annoyed.

***

Clara left to her shower angry. Even angrier that only five minutes with Cadu had put her into that mood. She couldn’t feel that way about her husband. But that concern didn’t last long, soon she was already thinking of Marina again and smiling like a lovesick teenager. She thought of when they were together on her bedroom. And all the things she felt that morning came back, and they brought the need to see her again, to hear her voice. She could call? But no, she shouldn’t. Why would she? To say she missed her already? That she missed feeling her touch burning through her skin, as if the simplest touch could make her burst. Well, it can. Clara began to imagine her in there now, in the shower with her. She pictured Marina behind her, kissing her neck and eventually sucking, pushing her body against hers on the wall, as her hand went up her inner thigh. Her lips moved to the housewife’s earlobe, who received a bite. Clara felt her nipples stiffen, and as instinct she held her breasts imagining her hands were the photographer’s. She moaned. The sound of her voice startled her, her eyes widened and she shook her head trying to get rid of Marina. She leaned on the wall and turned the cold water.