Axiel and Clara sat together in silence for a few minutes, her hand resting gently on his back as he played with the hem of her sleeve. When his breathing finally steadied, Clara leaned forward, reached for her phone, and saw the flood of missed notifications.
The she realised it wasn't only Sofia who tried calling her about the news.
She had three missed calls from Riley, and a text telling her to check the news.
This time none of her colleagues called, but mark had tried reaching her too.
Clara's stomach tightened. Of course he had called. Both their worlds were on fire, and she realised this just then, that Mark must also be having a tough time with the gossip.
Clara stared at her phone for a while, then tapped Mark's number without much thinking, and just as she expected, he picked up on the first ring.
"Hey Clara," he said softly, his voice warm in that kind of way he always spoke to her. "How are you holding up? I'm guessing you've seen the news?"
