FIXATED ON YOU - chapter 2
CHAPTER 2: THE HEART THAT KNOWS
The morning sun spilled through the pastel curtains of Little Bloom Kindergarten, casting a soft glow over the classroom. Clara Evans knelt by a small table, helping a curly-haired boy with his crayon masterpiece.
“No, Miss Clara,” he said with a serious frown, pointing at the crooked sun he’d drawn. “The sun has to be orange. Yellow is for babies.”
Clara chuckled, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. “Well, Mr. Liam, I think your orange sun looks perfect then.”
His frown turned into a toothy grin, and he eagerly continued coloring. Clara stood, surveying the room filled with the soft hum of children’s laughter and the faint scent of finger paint. This was her world—messy, loud, unpredictable—but it was real. And it filled the spaces in her heart that nothing else could.
“Clara,” a voice called from the doorway.
She turned to see her colleague, Hannah, leaning against the frame, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Clara raised an eyebrow, already sensing where this was going.
“Guess who’s back again?” Hannah teased.
Clara sighed, wiping her hands on a napkin. “If you say Mr. Coffee Shop Guy, I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you.”
Hannah laughed. “Oh, come on. He’s cute, and he clearly has a thing for you. Always ordering his latte at the same time you grab your morning tea? Coincidence? I think not.”
Clara shook her head, smiling despite herself.
“It’s not that I don’t like men, Hannah. I just…”
She trailed off, searching for the right words.
“None of them feel right. It’s like… there’s no real connection. They don’t fit with my heart, you know? Like something’s always missing.
Hannah wrinkled her nose. “You’re too picky.”
“Maybe,” Clara shrugged. “But I’d rather be picky than settle for someone who doesn’t see me for who I am.”
Before Hannah could reply, a tiny voice interrupted. “Miss Clara, I need help with my glue stick!”
Clara gave her friend a playful salute. “Duty calls.”
As the day went on, Clara’s heart stayed light. The kids filled her life with laughter and purpose. But later, as she stood by the window during naptime, watching the world outside, she felt it—that quiet emptiness in the still moments. The kind that whispered maybe, just maybe, there was more waiting for her out there.
She just hadn’t found it yet.
