— Are you busy? — she asked.
— Preparing for the exam, — I huffed in response, — you should be doing the same.
— I only have one test left.
— So what now? Are you trying to distract me? — I really didn’t have time for small talk.
— No, — my friend’s voice dropped, and I tensed. — I found something… Let’s say I found something. It’s related to the birthday.
Adele’s birthday was a week ago. What could she have possibly found after a whole week?
— From Dam? — I asked briefly.
— Yes.
The conversation ended.
I ran out of the house ten minutes later and dashed toward the café. Halfway there, I realized I had worn white shoes instead of boots, which meant I had a direct opportunity to freeze. I pushed the café door open and dashed inside. It was already drizzling outside, and my hair began to electrify. Della was, as always, sitting at the bar, her leg crossed over the other, drinking cappuccino. Only she could drink coffee a hundred times a day and still sleep ten hours.
— Hi, — I weakly greeted my friends and sat down next to Adele.
The girl swallowed her drink hard and pulled out the watch that Nick had gifted her on her birthday. Damiano and I exchanged knowing glances; I understood — he had figured out from the beginning who had truly gifted Della the accessory.
— As I said, I found something, — she flipped the watch over and moved the lid aside. At first, I thought my friend was just going to show us the mechanism, but to my surprise, we only revealed another panel of the watch. There was a neat engraving:
"My Cinderella, 19.11."
In Ukrainian!
— I won’t go into details about how I found this, — Adele raised her eyebrows and hid her face in her hands.
Dam looked emotionlessly in the same direction I did.
— That means "My Cinderella" — the boy nodded understandingly. And then it hit him, and his eyes bulged. I tossed my hair back with satisfaction and remarked:
— I told you so.
Adele looked at me skeptically and replied:
— Bet you knew it was from Leo.
— So what? That doesn’t change anything, — I replied, but still felt guilty.
— It changes. Probably… — Della’s voice became quieter. She stared at the engraving, biting her cheek.
— Dell, I know this is hard for you, but you have to admit he really values you, — Dam cautiously said. — You need to finally decide who you are to each other.
— But I need to know if history will repeat... If he really considers this something serious, — I didn't recognize my friend; her eyes were red, her hands slightly trembling, and her words seemed unnatural.
— Well, that can be arranged, — I blurted out foolishly. My friends turned to me with surprised looks. — I can ask Nick; they're good friends, so they definitely share such feelings, — what was I getting myself into? But Adele looked at me with such hope that I no longer thought about the consequences. — Yeah, I think I can do that.
We agreed to meet at a small restaurant we had been to several times before. After the first dinner, I suggested splitting the bill down the middle, but Nick, with a confident face, waved it off and said, “Spend your time on me, and I’ll spend the money.”
The guy always came to me with flowers, and to my surprise, we could talk for hours about anything and everything. I couldn’t deny that I saw no drawbacks in him. Nick was unlike any of my previous boyfriends.
I stood by the restaurant door for a few minutes, not daring to go inside. My brain reveled in the fact that even Sara, who didn’t like such adventures, agreed that our plan wasn’t bad. But not only did I have to pry into Nick’s feelings about Leo towards Adele today, but I also postponed this moment until our two-month anniversary.
I usually arrived on time, or was only slightly late, but today I came even a bit early. However, I knew the guy was already inside; I saw through the window that he was talking to someone on the phone. Finally, I exhaled and stepped in.
The restaurant was decorated in emerald and gold tones, with modern sconces on the walls and a glass wall to the kitchen, through which you could observe the preparation of dishes.
Nick was sitting with his back to me, drumming his fingers on the table. I caught words from his conversation:
— Yeah, Elizabeth, — I froze, not daring to move further. — Well, Leo liked her friend, and he asked me to charm her. After all, he needed her support to win Adele. It’s not serious and not for long...
My heart fell into my shoes. That’s exactly how I felt — empty. I didn’t listen any further. But how could I keep standing there and listening to this? Panic drove me; I dashed out onto the street, looking around, unsure of where to run. My eyes betrayed me, filling with tears; I felt them and the lump rising in my throat. Eventually, I broke down. I trudged toward the subway, sobbing. People around turned to look; but what did I care? Some came up and asked if I needed help, but I started crying even harder. How could they help me? I was almost tearing my hair out. Adele was right. About everything. There is no such thing as love at first sight. Everything I had imagined was just a lie. A lie I believed in like an idiot. A lie I had been convinced of. How could I have messed up so badly? I almost laughed at fate for leading me to the restaurant at the exact moment when Nick was talking about me. It really was painfully funny.
On the subway, I was similarly greeted by surprised and sympathetic looks, which made me feel redundant. As if my grief had no place in the normal world of happy people. After a while, my phone started blowing up with calls from Nick and Della. I just turned it off, not wanting to get more annoyed. I didn’t even have the strength to block Nick. I just kept sobbing.
Adele wasn’t home, so I shuffled into the café to Dam. That’s where I found my friend nervously arguing with the bartender.
— Here’s our lost princess, — Damiano triumphantly pointed at me, and immediately added, — Good people, what happened to you?
I sat on a barstool, holding back a flood of tears streaming from my eyes, raised an eyebrow, and turned to Adele.
— I have news for you, — I declared. — It seems Leo decided to pursue you at all costs. But...
— But? — Adele’s voice conveyed impatience and concern.
*Adele*
— If you don’t stop crying, I won’t understand anything, — I couldn’t bear to see her in tears anymore.
Ella had deep dark brown eyes, so deep that sometimes they even seemed black as night. My little Bambi, what happened to her?
— I... Nick... It’s all over! — Dam’s mouth fell open in shock, pulling her closer and looking questioningly at me. I waved him off.
— How did this happen? Did he leave you? — if Ella said “yes,” I could already imagine how I would mutilate his face.
— No. He doesn’t even know yet, — what a statement!
— What, you left him? — to say I was in shock wouldn’t be enough. For the first time, I lacked the imagination to picture how this was possible.
— Yes, he’s not who he appeared to be.
— Now, from this point, let’s get into the details, — I definitely did not expect this turn.
— I arrived early, but just in time to learn the truth. He was talking on the phone with someone, mentioning that I was only needed for Leo to win you over, — Ella glanced at me for a moment, making me feel eerie, — that Leo needed my support to win you over, which he managed to do — her expression became even gloomier, although it seemed, how could it get worse? — And I was nothing serious and not for long to Nick.
I was filled only with rage, but then it suddenly changed into emptiness. Such a familiar emptiness...
— Wait a minute. Was I some trophy for Leo? — was I that blind not to see the obvious?
— Maybe it means something else to them, but the essence is the same, — Damiano was turning red from anger. — I’m not perfect, but I’ll never make either of you cry, — the guy gently wiped the tears from Ella’s cheeks.
We sat in complete silence for a couple of minutes. Probably, everyone was processing what they heard and putting two and two together. Then I said:
— Don’t you want to use my best plan?
— What plan? — my friends asked in unison.
— To escape.