Where are we running away to
Ella gazed melancholically out the window. It was pouring rain, accompanied by purple lightning and thunder so loud that even fearless Louis crawled into my bed and curled up next to me, trembling violently.
— What time are we flying out? — my friend asked me. I don't know what kind of aftermath this rupture has, but she had asked this for the fourth time that evening and my answer remained unchanged each time:
— At eleven in the morning.
Just as her reaction:
— Right... At eleven, — watching how Ella was coping with all of this, I began to worry if I really had something for Leo, or if it was just a trick of feelings that had been raging within me since our first conversation.
Finally, someone rang the doorbell: on the threshold stood soaking wet Sarah in a beige trench coat, high black ankle boots, and a killer expression on her face.
— Woman, did you really forget that an umbrella was invented for situations like this? — I purred.
— Ha-ha, you made me laugh, — the girl grinned and walked inside, leaving a trail of drops and mud behind her.
I had to change her into clean clothes and serve her berry tea.
— So what do I need to know? — as soon as I began my story, Sarah would immediately regret agreeing to this.
I recounted the details about Louis's feeding and the whereabouts of things that might be useful for Sarah. Ella and I had asked her to look after our apartments while we were on vacation. Ella adored plants, so her "green" apartment needed special care.
P.S: never buy a lot of exotic plants for your apartment.
Sarah nodded her head until I finished, and then she glanced at Elizabeth and asked:
— And now tell me, how did you manage to do this? — she took my cat and sat down on the couch next to Ella, signaling that she was ready for all the details of the latest events in our chaotic lives.
— It's all thanks to Ella! — I waved my hands.
— Not true, — my friend weakly protested. — She listened to both of us and even sympathized, — the girl for some reason fluffed the pillow she was lying on and once again took a semi-sleeping position.
— Maybe — I stretched the word, — but I was really surprised by how she acted.
The thing was that a week after Ella's "incredible discovery," she received a call from Loretta. I happened to be nearby at that moment, and we decided to tell everything as it was. Leonardo and Nikolai probably still didn't understand what was happening and why we were ignoring and avoiding them (Elizabeth was receiving flowers and letters, but she refused to even look in their direction, and I tried to take her away irrespective of the circumstances because I wasn't even sure if she would find the strength for anything other than work and watching old movies), so we partially suspected Loretta of telling them everything. Instead, the woman carefully listened to us, sympathized with us, promised not to say anything to anyone, and even offered to pay for our trip somewhere. I never understood why she was being so kind? Did she want to finally get rid of us, or did she genuinely want to help?
We resisted for a long time, but the lack of money for a nice vacation and Miss De Ville's assurance that it would be her gift for my birthday (that made my eyebrows shoot up to my forehead; how did she even find out about my birthday?), convinced us that we wouldn't be doing anything criminal.
That's why tomorrow at eleven we were supposed to fly to Jeddah. Elizabeth urgently needed a warm climate and sunshine instead of the constant gloom. I needed the sea, and Dan agreed with all of this. Honestly, the guy was always up for any kind of fuss, as long as it was with us.
There were only about ten days left until Christmas, and we were sure we would spend it there. Maybe because of this my mood improved, or maybe it was the prospect of finally being alone with my thoughts and breaking free from my already monotonous routine. But for now, a five-and-a-half-hour journey awaited us...