Love in Twilight novel (Clarissa and Damien)

Bethany kept an eye on Mrs. Faber's door while waiting for the latter to come out.

As she had expected, it didn't take long for Mrs. Faber to come out in the shirt Bethany had bought for her.

Before Mrs. Faber could even say anything, Bethany said, "Oh, no, it's much too loose for you. It's okay. I'll exchange it."

She walked over to Mrs. Faber and helped the latter straighten the shirt.

At the same time, she shot Clarissa a look.

Damien knew very well why Clarissa had suddenly returned. She was only here for Bethany's sake. She had used him and Neil as an excuse.

Lily, Bethany, and Clarissa met up at a pizzeria. The one they went to specialized in spicy pizzas, and they made sure to order those. Even if Lily was pregnant, she still insisted on eating spicy food. Bethany even ordered some alcohol, wanting to celebrate the fact she had managed to meet her future mother-in-law.

She and Clarissa had a lot to drink. It had been a long time since Clarissa had last felt so relaxed. The three years she had spent in Lotharia felt like jail time. Aside from her depression, she seemed to have gotten persecutory delusion as well. She had been terrified of Iris stalking her and watching her every move.

Now that she knew about her parentage, though, at least she would know what Iris's motives were if Iris were to do anything. It was much better than being in the dark.

The three of them were chattering away when Clarissa's phone suddenly rang. Someone was calling her from abroad.

She was a little tipsy, so she answered it without hesitation. It was Seth.

"Clarissa," he said.

"Yeah."

"Have you been drinking?"

"Yeah, I'm back in Genovia and with some old friends. I'm in a pretty good mood now." She rubbed her head, feeling a little dazed.

"You were always so down in Lotharia. I kept hoping you'd burst into laughter one day, but you never did. I'm quite happy to hear that you're having fun drinking," Seth said. Clarissa wasn't as sharp-minded as she normally was. She merely chuckled.

"Forget it, I'll call you some other time. I don't think you can say anything much right now, anyway. You have friends with you, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, two of my best friends from school."

"Can you pass the phone to them? I want to tell them something."

Without even realizing what she was doing, Clarissa handed the phone to Lily.

"Hello. Clarissa's drunk, so I'd like to trouble you to take her home," Seth said. "Alright, it's no problem," Lily said.

"Thank you."

After hanging up, Lily asked, "Clarissa, where'd you find yourself such a nice guy? I never knew you were so good at this. You only have one ex, after all." "Out with it!" Bethany pat Clarissa on the shoulder as well. "Where'd you find him?"

"In Lotharia, when I was studying there. I was down in the dumps, and when I woke up each morning, I couldn't stop thinking of ending my life. I was under a lot of stress, too. That Iris..." She suddenly slammed a hand on the table. "What an asshole! You have no idea what she's done to my mother! Seth's my psychiatrist. For some reason, I just felt really really close to him the moment I laid eyes on him."

"Alright, alright. Let's get straight to the point. What have you guys done together?" Bethany was blunt.

"We've hugged and kissed."

"You didn't sleep together?"

"No, he never brought it up. He's a gentleman." Clarissa was on the verge of sliding off her chair.

"Man, what a waste. You didn't manage to sleep with a single person when you were abroad for three years. What a waste of your good looks!" Bethany patted Clarissa again, sounding disappointed. "You could've slept with at least ten guys during those three years. You're divorced, anyway, so you wouldn't be cheating.”

"Don't I know that?"

"Then again, you're a scumbag compared to President Lawrence, aren't you?" Bethany giggled.

Clarissa laughed as well. "Well, he had to be a role model for Neil, didn't he?"