With a bunch of people in my apartment
— Hi, Adele, how are you feeling? — Ella and Nick came over this morning; they wanted to go have breakfast at our favorite café and thought they’d stop by to see me.
— Not as bad as yesterday, but not better than the day before.
— Something in between, got it. I brought you some vitamins, — Matthieu (Nick’s last name) places mandarins, apples, pomegranates, and strawberries on the kitchen table.
— Where did you find strawberries in October?
— Those who seek will always find, — I didn’t understand what Ella was hinting at.
— Is your middle name by any chance Savior? — I asked without looking at Elizabeth.
Nicolas smiled:
— No, my middle name is Raphael, but my third name is Savior, — I laughed and leaned back in my chair.
— Exactly, — Ella interrupted us, rolling her eyes.
— So, we’ll probably head out now, get well soon, — Nick takes Ella by the hand.
— Alright, and thanks for the fruit; I really need them right now. Bye, sweet couple, because I’m getting nauseous from your joyful faces, — Ella gave me a light tap on the forehead and promised to drop by again in the evening.
I saw them to the door and nearly fell over when I closed it.
I hate it when I feel weak. I feel like a defenseless little kitten, unable to do anything. I’m a very energetic person; I’ve been taught to plan my day down to the minute, and I take great pride in this quality. When I’m sick, almost out of strength, it annoys me so much! But what to do? I need to act because Mark is arriving today, and my apartment is not in the best condition. I turned on some music to lift my spirits. Okean Elzy always inspires me.
— Search for my trace in the phone. Kiss my lips at the window, — don’t I know all their songs by heart? — As a sign on my shoulder you…
A bell rang from the hallway. And the same courier is looking at me again through the camera.
— Buongiorno, e tornato a te, iscriviti per favore, — he hands me a piece of paper.
I quickly sign and accept another bouquet with a note that now says:
I’m still waiting for your reply.
Please don’t ignore me; I know I’m at fault.
And I care about you.
Leo
Is he serious? Will he keep sending me flowers until I forgive him? This is ridiculous; he’ll get tired of it and just leave me alone. I just need to wait a little, and that’s all.
— Wow! You’ve grown up! — my brother burst in through the doorway.
— Seriously? We haven’t seen each other for a year; how could I have changed at twenty-two?
Well, fine, almost twenty-three, but still.
— Life has shaken you a bit; that’s what I meant, — he winked at me.
— Oh, you old jerk; what does that say about you then?
— I’ve grown up a long time ago; I brought you some Lviv treats.
— There’s nothing tastier than our chocolate!
— So that’s why you look older; you’ve been eating less sweets? — he grabbed me and pulled me in for a hug while I laughed.
— Hey, you’ve gotten fit.
— And you’ve lost weight.
— I missed you! — emotions overwhelmed me.
— Me too, dear, — he kissed me on the crown of my head. — So what are we ordering for dinner? I’m incredibly hungry. They fed us horribly on the plane!
— I haven’t forgotten about your appetite and ordered a few things.
— Mmm, I wouldn’t refuse anything that smells better than the soups you make, — I rolled my eyes.
— Don’t start.
— I’m not starting, — he paused. — Can I use your bathroom?
— Go ahead, — I ran to the kitchen to set the table.
The evening turned out just perfect. I felt like I was home in the US because the atmosphere was so cozy, and Mark’s stories about Lviv emphasized this. I even started feeling a little better.
The next day I woke up quite late. Mark was already up, and the kitchen smelled delicious. My brother cooked well, all because when my mom had business trips that lasted more than a month in my childhood, dad rarely went near the kitchen, because once he nearly burned the apartment down, and I was still a little girl. So Mark had to cook for us.
— Good morning, sunshine, — he greeted me. — I have something for you.
— Good morning, really? And what is it? — I was surprised.
My brother pointed to a bouquet that was standing on the table. I had gotten so used to the bouquets over these three days that I didn’t even notice the tulips when I first walked in. Now I was almost disappointed:
— Oh, you’re talking about this… — I added a bit sadly and shuffled over to the table.
— Who are they from? — Mark asked; he looked at me with childlike curiosity, leaning against the kitchen surface.
— From an acquaintance, — I replied. I didn’t want him to get involved in this. At least because he could easily contact De Ville or come up with something even worse.
— Oh! Not bad, Delli!
— He just messed up, so he’s trying to apologize.
— Then he doesn’t know my stubborn sister at all.
— Just like dad, — and at that mention, I felt sad, — are they well?
I kept in touch with my parents, but it was rare and in two words.
— Lately dad hasn’t mentioned mom, but it seems everything's alright, — I let out a little sigh. Whatever the case, Mark won't lie. I approached the bouquet and found a note.
Interesting fact: I don’t know how to lie.
Shall we talk?
Leo
I tossed the note back into the bouquet.
When will he understand that I don’t want anything to connect us anymore? That I have no desire to be tangled up in his prolonged chaos with this girl?
Mark and I had a productive breakfast of oatmeal and freshly squeezed orange juice. Mark was just finishing washing the dishes when the doorbell rang.
— Girl! How are you? Is everything alright with you? — Sarah was dressed in jeans and a shirt.
— I thought you had forgotten about me.
— How could I forget? — she protested and hugged me tightly, — You understand all these auditions and… Mark! What are you doing here?
— Came to visit my dear sister, — the boy smiled. — Come in, come in, — he invited her as if it were his apartment. — Tea, coffee, or maybe brandy?
— Ha-ha, — Sarah laughed falsely, closed the door behind her, and turned to me. — I brought you what no one else will bring except me.
And Sarah grandly pulled out a few chocolate bars and a pack of my favorite cookies from her huge bag.
— You're just like always, — I was ready to dance from excitement.
— Oh, I also brought you a new book; I know you’ll definitely like it. I read it a few months ago and have wanted to gift it to you for a long time. And now I decided it was the right time and stopped by to get it on my way, — the girl took the book out and handed it to me. The cover read: "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara. I thanked Sarah for such a flawless gift and comfortably sank onto the couch, listening to everything that happened to her over these days, and her life was quite energetic.
— And where are the flowers from? — Sarah asked, pondering. — Three whole bouquets! Admit it, you robbed a flower shop? Without me? How could you? — I burst into laughter and shook my head in denial.
— No, I know how much you love hydrangeas. And I would never rob a flower shop without you. It’s something else. And the problem is that I barely found something to put them in; I only had one vase. I had to ask Ella for one, and I’m afraid I’ll need to ask you too because this is hardly the end.
— So who are they from? — Sarah continued to press her line.
— You know who they’re from, — I threw back and looked at her meaningfully. I was sure she would understand me.
The girl gasped and stared at me. “I hope she doesn’t eat me out of curiosity,” I thought jokingly.
— Are you kidding? — it seemed like Sarah was about to fall from surprise. — From him? — she hissed, glancing sidelong at Mark as she concealed my admirer’s name.
— Absolutely, — I calmly nodded.
— And what did Leo do so wrong? — she leaned in closer and whispered.
— Come by in the evening and I’ll tell you everything, — I answered her in a whisper too.
— Only if your brother isn’t home, — she teasedly winked at me, and I completely agreed with her conditions.
— He’ll be gone soon, — I signaled to her with a gesture.
While Sarah and I were talking, Mia joined us. She rushed to me after one of the rehearsals. She was wearing a dark green velvet suit with white sneakers, which looked very striking.
We greeted each other, and I introduced her to Mark.
— This is Mia; maybe you remember her, — I suggested.
— Yes, but back then she was about twenty centimeters shorter, — the guy recalled.
— And this is my brother Mark; you probably remember him too.
— Don’t quite remember, — Mia replied, looking at Mark from bottom to top (they had quite a height difference). The girl turned away from Mark and began placing the fruits she had brought on the table. One of the oranges rolled across the smooth surface of the table. Mia noticed it too late, while my brother caught the bootlegger of peace.
— Need help? — he asked the girl.
— No, thanks, — she quickly replied, not even looking at Mark.
This scene somehow stuck in my memory.
We talked for about half an hour when the girls got up. I had almost forgotten that everyone except me had their own affairs. Then after lunch, Ella came by with Damo. We sat for a long time, chatting about nothing. I demanded explanations from Ella regarding the flowers and why she didn’t come yesterday as promised. The girl calmed me down by saying that Miss Lynette had been driving her hard because everything needs to be perfect for the new director now. I even forgot that Leo bought the company.
Already in the evening, I felt better and Mark left. He bought me a bottle of wine, and Sarah and I decided to drink a little, for which I was endlessly grateful to both my brother and Sarah because I fell into a deep sleep without dreams. Sarah and I sprawled out on the couch.
— So what happened with you two? — Sarah asked.
— Remember when you talked about the event from "Louis Vuitton"?