63. Clarissa

Jalen packed his belongings into his bag, and I stood by the door, watching him. He was slow and deliberate. I felt a tug in my heart, seeing him like this. It seemed like he was being forced to do the same. I wished I could take away his unhappiness,

"You don't have to pack so much, you know. I've got a lot of money, so our traveling will be easy."

I noticed the unhappiness on his face. Despite his effort to hide it, his expression remained somber. My heart ached at the sight of him. I felt responsible for his sadness and wished I could do something to cheer him up.

"Jalen, don't you want to go?"

He looked up and caught my eye, and I felt my heart flutter in my chest. He gave me a small smile and I could see the sadness in his eyes.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You don't look happy. You don't have to… "

"Stop," he said, "You've sacrificed so much to be with me. This is payback time. I'm never going to leave you all by yourself."

I watched him as he carefully packed his art