Thank you so much for your kind words!

I succeeded to write one small chapter for this weekend :)

I hope you'll enjoy it! Till Monday!

Chapter 28 "A new adventure… part 9"

Clara tried to recall why she had agreed to meet Maaike for lunch. What was she thinking? She wanted to meet her rival, to show her that Marina was off limits. But she instantly regretted her acceptance when she realized what she was about to do. This was so not her game. She inhaled deeply and smiled at Marina's concerned face. "Are you sure you want to do this, love?" Marina softly asked. "Sure, I'd love to meet her.." Marina chuckled and faced her with a smirk. "You can't lie, Clarinha.. I love that about you.." Clara glanced at the table for a moment while her lips formed a smile. Marina squeezed her hand as she said "There she is!" Clara's heart raced against her chest as she gazed at the door. She desperately tried to fight her emotions, but she felt how the jealousy slowly controlled her. Maaike's eyes met hers when she entered the cafe, before she smiled brightly at Marina. Clara held her breath while she stared at the beautiful Dutch woman. Her perfect figure, her perfect face, her perfect hair. And the way she looked at Marina annoyed her. "Hi!" Maaike greeted them enthusiastically. She kissed Marina's cheeks and turned towards Clara, who reluctantly pushed herself out of her seat. Maaike glanced in her eyes and smiled shyly. "Hi, Clara! It's so nice to meet you!" She hesitated for a moment before she leaned in and kissed her cheeks aswell. Clara noticed Marina's nervous expression next to her. "Nice to meet you aswell, Maaike" she whispered and hated the way she felt towards the woman in front of her. She seemed so spontaneous and yet she faced her as her enemy. "Marina was right..." Maaike softly said, before she added "You're gorgeous!" Clara watched her startled for a moment and felt her cheeks getting warm. "Thank you..." They sat down and before the silence could become awkward, Maaike asked "So, what do you think of Amsterdam, Clara?" Clara cleared her throat and glanced at Marina's smirk, while she picked Clara's hand. "Well, I haven't seen much yet... But we're going to explore the city today!" Maaike laughed and tried to break the ice. "I understand, you two had better things to do.." She blinked her eyes towards them and Clara felt how her anger slowly faded. Marina brushed over her fingers as they burst into laughs. "Yes, we had better things to do.." Marina giggled and pecked Clara's cheek. Clara noticed Maaike's shy expression and wondered what was going on in her head right now.

They ordered lunch and their conversation went smoothly. Maaike told them about her past and opened up about her boyfriend. Clara hesitated for a moment before she asked "Are you seeing someone right now?" She glanced at Marina's startled face as Maaike answered "No.." She picked at the flowers on the table and seemed nervous. "But I want to feel something again.." she whispered. "Watching the two of you gives me hope... That there is true love out there somewhere..." Clara shivered when she felt Marina's hand on her thigh and faced her intensely. "You will find someone, I'm sure... Just like I did... And it was someone I least expected.." Marina blinked her eye while she blew Clara a kiss. Clara felt how her heart skipped a beat by the passionate look in Marina's eyes. Maaike glanced at the two of them while they exchanged their affections towards eachother. She softly sighed and nodded her head.

When Clara went to the bathroom, Maaike faced Marina embarrassed. "Marina, can I be honest with you?" "Ofcourse!" Marina said while she watched her questioning. Maaike cupped her own face and moaned softly. "God, I was such a fool..." she whispered while Marina felt confused. "What do you mean?" Maaike looked straight into her eyes as she explained. "I was such a fool... To think that I would stand a chance.. She's truly wonderful, Marina... And the fact that she's here must give you all the answers you needed.." Marina shrinked when she realized that Maaike just confessed her feelings for her. She didn't know what to say and remained silent. "I'm sorry if I caused you any problems.." Maaike whispered and faced her shyly. Marina inhaled deeply and tried to find the words she wanted to say. "I'm glad you're being honest with me.. But I don't know what to say, Maaike! Except that you are right, I don't have feelings for you. No other than friendship... I love Clara!" Maaike's lips formed a little smile and she bended her shoulders. "I know... And that's completely fine... I just needed to tell you.." Marina nodded and immediately worried about the consequences. "But I hope this doesn't change anything between us... Cause I love to have you as a friend... And you're a great assistant!" She watched Maaike closely and noticed her relieved expression. "Thank you for understanding, Marina.."

After they said goodbye to Maaike they started to walk through the streets of Amsterdam. Marina draped her arm around Clara's waist and glanced at her carefully. As if she wanted to make sure she didn't cross a line by touching her in public. She inhaled deeply. Clara gazed at her satisfied face and closed her eyes for a second. She loved to see Marina happy like that. She deserved it after all the pain she went through. "What did you think of her?" Marina suddenly asked. Clara sighed and her lips formed a smile. "Well, I tried really hard to hate her..." she teased and watched Marina's smiling face. "But God... How can I possibly hate that woman?! She's so nice and genuine.." Marina gazed in her eyes and pulled her closer, while she whispered "I love you..." Clara pressed her lips in Marina's hair. "I love you too.." Marina moaned softly before she slightly pulled back. "She's absolutely no threat, Clarinha... I hope you realize that by now..." Clara looked straight into her brown eyes and felt the truth of her words. "I know, love.." she whispered and pulled Marina towards a small alley. She glanced around and before Marina realized what her intentions were, Clara kissed her passionately. She completely surrendered herself into their kiss and felt her knees getting weak. Clara pushed her body against hers, while their hands ran down eachothers bodies. Before she could lose control Marina slightly pulled back. "My God, Clarinha..." she whispered while she was breathing heavily. "How am I suppose to show you around when you kiss me like that?!" Clara laughed playfully as she noticed Marina's darkened eyes. She raised her hands. "Oke, I will behave..." she teased, before she pecked Marina's lips once more.