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The Billionaire’s Burden(39)

By:Ella Cari


"Name it." I sighed, heading towards my room to shower and change.

"You leave your phone here!" She called after me, "I don't want you checking it every two seconds!"

I stared down at the screen, biting my lip.

Lucy was right.

I didn't need to be sitting at home, waiting for Eli to talk to me. He clearly wasn't going to answer any of the messages that I'd already sent until he was good and ready, it would be useless of me to sit here, moping and waiting for him.

"It's a plan!" I called back through thin walls of our bedrooms' partitions.

Sliding out of my cozy pajamas, I tossed them into my beige hamper, wrapping a towel around my body as I headed to the bathroom that Lucy and I shared.

Early on in our lease together, we'd agreed that I'd shower in the morning and she'd shower in the evening, that way we weren't competing for hot water.

As the warm steam spread through the bathroom, I gazed at myself in the mirror, waiting for the fog to cloud the whole reflective glass.

I'd never been the type of girl to get so lost in a boy. I'd dated, occasionally, and never felt the way that I did about Eli.

Was it just because he was so incredibly handsome that I felt the need to cling to him? Either way, it couldn't be healthy. It wouldn't do to neglect Lucy, or even myself, I had to remember that even though I felt complete around my new man, I could only complete myself.

Or at least that was what the motivational calendar in our living room told me.

That thing always knew just what to say to brighten a day.

Finally, I slid under the warm spray, huge sigh rolling from my lungs. There was nothing more relaxing than a nice hot shower. The weight of the last 24 hours left my shoulders, leaving nothing but the fresh lemony scent of Lucy's shampoo. I always stole a squeeze when I needed a mood lifter. It was my dirty little secret. I knew she constantly took my shaving cream, so it was a win-win for the both of us.

By the time I left the shower, Lucy was already waiting to leave the apartment.

"Come on!" She cried at me impatiently, drumming her fingers on the coffee table, "They stop serving breakfast at 11:30!"

"I'm going, I'm going." I shushed her, walking into my room and pulling on a sky blue sundress. It was the cutest dress I owned, not that I had too many other cute choices. I'd never been a big clothes type of girl. But, it made me feel good to dress up every now and then. After sliding into silver, strappy sandals, I joined Lucy in the living room.

Obediently, I'd left my phone on my bed.

"Ready?" She asked, leaping to her feet and grabbing her purse.

"Ready." I chimed in, leading her to the door.

With one last glance towards Eli's quiet doorway, we left the apartment complex.

We herded into Lucy's little blue sedan, kicking my feet up onto her dashboard immediately, as her ac began roaring and her radio hummed out some Spanish sounding song.

Spending the day with Lucy reminded me why we became friends.

Though she was bitter, caustic, and a little abrasive, her heart was huge and her witty remarks were hilarious.

We sat outside a tiny little cafe in the evening, sipping hot chocolate and people watching.

"The moon is beautiful tonight." She mused, gazing upwards towards the sky.

She was right, as usual. The moon was a perfect circle in the sky, so big and bright that you could see each dip and crater in the yellow surface.

By the time the evening died down, we were ready to go relax with our other best friend, Netflix.

True to her word, Lucy even put down the $7.99 for a fresh bottle.

We could hear the music before we even parked in the usual place in front of our apartment.

Eli's screaming, party metal spilled out into the sidewalk, echoing along the hallways of the apartment complex.

Lucy hesitated, gripping the bottle in her hands, watching me with a frown.

I pretended not to notice, casting her a smile as we walked to our own apartment. I opened the door resolutely, not even sparing a glance towards Eli's own apartment. Silently, I walked to the kitchen, grabbing two utterly fancy plastic wine glasses and the bottle opener and settling back on the couch.

Lucy hung in the doorway, shifting glances between Eli's door and myself.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" She asked with a frown, "Check your damn phone and see if he came to his gorgeous senses and invited you over!"

Before she'd even finished the sentence, I dashed towards my room. Once I had my phone in hand, I walked back towards the living room, turning it back on.

For a moment, the empty screen stared at me.

"Nothing." I sighed, looking up at her.

Abruptly, my phone beeped. Clumsily, I opened the messenger app, only to see an automated text from the university about not defacing the auditorium.

"Nothing." I murmured again glumly, settling down on the couch.