Clarissa, as well as the others, were surprised.
“Jasmine, you attended the reception too?”
Jasmine nodded and said, “Yes, but my husband and I only stayed for a while before leaving. When I saw Clarissa and Mr. Tyson from afar, I thought they were a very good-looking couple, and they seemed to be very loving as well.”
She sounded serious and genuine when she said that they both seemed very loving as there was no sign of mockery.
While the six ladies looked at Clarissa in an amused and playful manner, Clarissa’s face began to redden as she felt very shy.
“Ah, Clarissa’s already blushing.”
“She even looks good when she blushes, what an angel!”
“Why are you blushing, Clarissa? Were you also this innocent when you write novels?”
Clarissa sensed the familiarity after talking with them for a few moments, as they teased her just like they used to whenever they chatted online.
“If you stare at me again, I will make each of you the villain in my novel.”
“Ah, I want to be a villain who sleeps with all the beautiful men in the world.”
The cheeriest Raelynn enthusiastically agreed to play the role of a female antagonist.
“You are still a student, Raelynn, so this is a bit too wild for you. How are you going to find a boyfriend?”
“Ah, don’t look down on me, my dear ladies. I have many boyfriends.”
“Really?”
“Of course. There’s TT, Bernard, Leonardo…”
Raelynn was fond of those male celebrities.
Without any barriers, Clarissa laughed and chatted with them. Even though their friendship in the virtual world was not necessarily real, they were chatting online for several years, and now they have even become close friends, which means their friendship has stood the test of time.
All six of them were in the working class except Raelynn, who was a student. Ava was the eldest among them as her children were already in high school. As for the other women, in addition to being married and having children, they had stable jobs as housewives, company directors, teachers, regular employees, and even civil servants.
Although they had different professions and lived in different regions, all of them came together because they liked reading Clarissa’s books. Furthermore, they were delighted to be able to form such a friendship after so many years.
After a long conversation and lunch together, they continued to walk around, shop, and chat until late in the evening. They seemed to be able to talk for a long time, where they gossiped, shared their everyday lives, their jobs, their families, and having fun joking with one another. It was rare to find friends who were so easy to get along with.
Raelynn felt heavy-hearted to bid them farewell after they had dinner together, and so she suddenly proposed, “Let’s book a large room and stay up all night talking?”
“Sure!”
“Sure!”
Everyone agreed, including Clarissa who said, “Alright, I will book the room.”
Just when she was about to book the room, her cell phone rang.
When she picked up the phone, Clarissa blushed immediately, as the six people were staring at her intensely, as if they were watching a good show. In just a glance, Clarissa knew what they were waiting for.
As she blushed, she instantly got up, turned around, and stopped looking at the six people behind her.
Over the phone, Matthew heard several women laughing and raised his eyebrows.
“You’re not done yet?”
“Yes, I was just about to tell you that the few of us are thinking of booking a hotel room and continue chatting all night. I won’t be going home tonight.”
After pausing for a moment, Matthew responded, “I don’t think it’s right for you not to come home, Clare.”
Upon hearing him say that in a flirtatious and low voice, Clarissa’s face blushed even more, while a few others behind her laughed quietly as if they knew what they were talking about over the phone.
“There’s nothing wrong about it.”
“But I can’t sleep without hugging you.”
While twitching her lips, Clarissa asked, “So are you saying that you haven’t been sleeping well for the past thirty years and more?”
Matthew chuckled as he said, “I did sleep but nothing beats the sweet feeling I get when I’m sleeping with you.”
“Stop it. Anyway, I will not be returning home. Please tell Grandma on my behalf. Besides, I have Gina with me, so don’t worry. That’s all for now, I’m hanging up.”
Clarissa hung up the phone before Matthew could utter another word. The moment she turned around, she pretended not to see the girls’ mischievous smiles.
After checking into their booked hotel room, they realized the room was not big enough for their party of seven to eight people. Nonetheless, they managed to squeeze into the room, some were sitting and some were lying on the bed. Although it was their first time meeting one another, the group instantly clicked and they talked all night long.
Gina was very quiet and did not participate in the discussion. However, only after Raelynn, who was extremely energetic, kept probing her, did she occasionally say a word or two.
Throughout the entire night, they were high-spirited, and it wasn’t until around two o’clock in the early morning that they began to feel sleepy.
Clarissa hurried to the bathroom in a sleepy state when her phone rang just after dawn.
Matt’s deep voice echoed over the phone as he said, “Clare, I’m at the entrance. Come out.”
Clarissa was surprised to hear that, then she quietly grabbed her coat and bag. Just when she was about to head out, she noticed Ava staring at her.
Feeling embarrassed, Clarissa uttered, “Ava, he’s waiting for me outside, so I have to go now. After everyone wakes up, I’ll come back.”
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