"Sorry, your door was slightly open and I didn't mean to intrude," Ellie said carefully.
Before Ellie could finish her sentence, Bella immediately responded with an expression that was once again strong, even though she had just been crying a few moments ago.
"Yeah, I know," Bella said shortly, walking toward her room and slowly closing the door.
Ellie stood frozen, confused and awkward about the situation. However, she tried not to overthink it and decided to take a shower.
After the shower, the cold water washed over Ellie's pale, soft, and smooth skin. Once finished, Ellie went back to her room and prepared to sleep. She lay down on her bed, still thinking about Bella. "I thought she was cold, but it seems like she's someone who cries easily," Ellie thought. "Well, stop thinking about it."
Suddenly, Ellie's phone rang. Kring… kring… It was a call from her friend, Gaby, who was in London.
"Ellie, why did it take you so long to pick up?" Gaby asked, sounding slightly frustrated.
Ellie answered without directly addressing Gaby's question. "I just arrived, Gaby. I'm so tired today. The summer heat is overwhelming."
"So, are you meeting your parents tomorrow? I don't get you. You're coming back to the city where your family lives, but you don't want to stay with them. You choose to live alone even though you don't have to pay rent if you stay with your parents. You're so weird."
Ellie smiled a little and replied, "Yeah, I know, I'm weird. I just like living alone."
"You even quit your job in London to come back here. I thought you hated Exeter, that's why you left," Gaby said.
Ellie took a deep breath. "Yeah, I know," she answered while recalling what had happened two months ago.
Two months ago, when Ellie was still working as a manager at her company in London, her mom had called her.
"El, do you think you want to come back to Exeter and run the shop?" her mom asked over the phone.
"You know I'm not interested in business, Mom. I have a job here. Why don't you just close the business?" Ellie replied.
"Your dad doesn't want to close the business. But he can't run the restaurant anymore. He's old, and I'm worried about him," her mom said.
Ellie heard her father's voice in the background. "Chennn, don't ask her. She doesn't care," her father said.
Her mom spoke again, "Let me know if you change your mind." Then, she hung up the phone.
Ellie had only been living in London for three years. She hadn't even fully lived the life she wanted, yet now she had to think about her family again. "I guess, in the end, I can't live the life I want," Ellie thought, her face showing sadness, but she seemed used to the situation. She appeared strong in handling it.
Back to the present, after finishing her conversation with Gaby, Ellie spoke to herself while lying in bed. "I hope this summer can be a little warmer for me," she murmured before falling asleep.