Chapter 254 - Loved you since forever

''Good morning; ''

Hell no, she wasn't waking up! Last night, she surprised herself, even when he got tired, she kept on kissing him, she didn't know how many times they did it last night but she knew by the time they were done, she couldn't even move a muscle.

She didn't want to imagine the smug look on his face right now, so she kept her eyes shut, she'll just sleep till he went into the bathroom.

''It still feels like a dream Claire, that you're here with me. ''

She heard his voice, soft against her ear and it made her heart tingle and she couldn't help smiling, he knew she was awake. His hand brushed her hair softly as he gazed at her pearly skin, it still felt like a dream, Claire was in his arms right now, and she said she loved him. Right now, all the pain he had ever felt washed away, only happiness coursed through him.

Claire turned around; her eyes fluttered open and her lips smiled, Leo was gazing at her with love written in his eyes; her hands itched on her side and she raised it to hold his face, his beards tickling her palm;

''It's real Leo, I'm here and I love you. I think I've loved you since forever, but I didn't realize it was love until you started seeing… '' the words hung on her throat when she realized she they just cheated on Hazel, or rather, he just cheated on Hazel. Her hand shook and she quickly retracted it from his face but Leo stopped her and brought it back to his face, his hand over hers. Claire's eyes looked to him;

''I'm going to end things with her today, I've been lying to her but she deserves better. ''

Claire gulped, ''you… you don't love her?''

''No; '' Leo answered vehemently, he had not been surer about anything else in his whole life. A faint blush stained her cheeks;

''I'm sorry for rejecting you the first time; I wish I didn't let you go through all that pain… ''

''Shh, it's okay, you're here now, I can't even remember any of the pain I felt, all I can feel now is unending happiness bubbling inside of me. Claire, you've made me so happy. '' Leo brushed away the hair on her face, and he kissed her lips, short but passionate, making her eyes close involuntarily.

''I love you; very much. '' His eyes searched hers as he said sincerely; she exhaled.

''I love you too Leo, '' she pulled him down and kissed him again, this time she didn't let go, his hands inched down and cupped her butt and pulled her upwards, making her straddle him. In a few minutes, they were m.o.a.ning in ecstasy again.

They showered together and prepared breakfast together, all the while grinning at themselves; Leo could not remember the last time he saw her smile so sweetly, he didn't realize he was the reason for her moodiness until now.

During breakfast, Leo's phone rang and it was beside Claire, so her eyes reflexively looked to it. The smile on her lips paled when she saw who the caller was;

''who is it? ''

She took the phone and passed it to him; ''Hazel ''

Leo took the phone from her hand, he stared at the caller ID for a moment, he didn't want to lie to her again, so he rejected the call, put it on silent, and turned the phone over on the table.

Claire looked at him in shock; ''why didn't you answer it?''

Leo sighed; ''I've lied to her enough, I don't want to lie again, I'll explain everything to her today. ''

Claire's hold on the cutlery tightened; even if Hazel was an angel she wasn't going to take the news lightly;

''She's going to be mad; '' she said calmly, her eyes staring blankly at her plate. It was her fault, if she had not rejected Leo in the first place without even giving him a chance, they won't be in this mess right now. Hazel would be shattered if she loved Leo. And people took rejection differently; she didn't know how Hazel would take it.

Leo's eyes turned to her and he saw that she was beating herself about it; he exhaled and rubbed on her arm;

''Claire, it's okay, everything would be fine. Hazel, she's going to be hurt but she's going to get over it soon. ''

Claire forced a smile; ''yeah, but she'll be hurt really bad. I told her we had nothing a number of times so I feel guilty for this now, I feel like I've betrayed her. '' she pouted, looking at her meal and losing appetite to eat. She imagined being in Hazel's shoes now, it would hurt a lot.

''let's not think about it until we get there, I'll make sure I make her understand. I know I should have been clear with her, but I didn't think that you would ever love me back. ''

Leo breathed; brushing his hair with his hands.

''Right, but she's not going to be angry with us forever, would she?''

Claire grinned trying to ease the tension;

''Yeah she won't, let's eat now, we'll worry about that later. ���'

…

Tiana's eyes fluttered and she looked at the ceiling of where she was lying confusedly. It was a matter of seconds before everything came flooding back to her;

Her eyes widened and heaved heavily on the bed, tears pouring from the side of her eyes;

Diana was sleeping on the large couch and when she heard a voice in the room she opened her eyes and she quickly dashed to the bed where Tiana was.

''Tiana! Thank God, just wait for a second, I'll call the doctor now '' quickly, she dashed out of the room and she returned a few minutes later with a doctor.

''Nick… Nicklaus… '' Tiana's hands shook on the side of the bed as her eyes watered;

''He's fine, he's fine, everything is fine; '' Diana replied. She just came back alive, if she told her that he was still missing, she might die.