Previously : As Ellie moved to leave, Bella couldn't help but watch her. The way Ellie had effortlessly taken charge—without flinching, without hesitation—was something Bella hadn't expected. There was something deeply attractive about it.
Drink this," Ellie said, handing Bella a glass of water. She crossed her arms and sighed. "How did you even manage to cut yourself like this? I thought you were old enough to know that knives are sharp, no?" Her tone was light, teasing, attempting to break the tension.
Bella shot her a flat look. "Are you mocking me?"
Ellie smirked. "Hmm… not really. But let me guess—your zodiac sign is Scorpio?"
Bella rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you be busy with something else? You should just go back to whatever you were doing."
"You didn't answer my question. Are you a Scorpio?" Ellie asked again, this time with more persistence.
"Why does it even matter? No one cares about zodiac signs these days," Bella retorted.
"You might be right, they're not that important," Ellie admitted, shrugging. "I just needed an excuse to get closer to you."
Bella blinked, caught off guard by Ellie's unexpected sincerity. "What… do you mean by that?"
Ellie chuckled. "Have you never had a friend before? Why are you so surprised that someone wants to get to know you?"
"I don't need one," Bella replied curtly. "And shouldn't you be worrying about yourself instead? You seem to have other things to do today." Her eyes flickered toward Ellie's crisp, stylish outfit.
"Ah, you mean because of my clothes today?" Ellie leaned back, grinning. "So that's why you were so worried about my shirt earlier. You thought I had something important going on today? Well, no need to worry—I'm still unemployed for now. So I have all the time in the world." She laughed, trying to ease the tension.
"I wasn't worried," Bella muttered, quickly looking away, a faint hint of embarrassment on her face.
Ellie raised an eyebrow at her reaction but decided to let it slide. She stood up and stretched. "Since I'm free today, and your hand is out of commission, I guess I'll help you finish making your salad." She turned toward the kitchen without waiting for a response.
Bella frowned, watching Ellie move around so casually. She hesitated before mumbling under her breath, "Why do you even care?"
Ellie, despite the low volume, still caught her words. "Huh? Me? Caring?" She turned back with a cheeky smile. "Of course! You're my housemate, and I don't want anything bad happening in this house. It's already old and creepy enough as it is. If something terrible happened to you, wouldn't it make this place even scarier for me?" She let out a playful laugh.
Bella shot her a sharp glare. "Are you making fun of me?"
Ellie simply winked before crouching down to clean up the blood on the floor and kitchen counter. Then, she turned back to preparing the salad. Bella sat in silence, realizing that somehow, this strange interaction had softened the distance between them.
As Ellie worked, Bella found herself observing her. There was an unexpected level of skill in the way she handled the knife—effortless, precise. "You're pretty good at this," she remarked, crossing her arms.
Ellie glanced at her with a grin. "Well, my parents own a restaurant around here, so it's not surprising that I know my way around a kitchen."
Bella gave a small nod. "Ah… I see."
"You're not even curious?" Ellie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you wondering why I moved here when my family has a restaurant in Exeter? Shouldn't you be asking why I'm not living with them?"
"It's none of my business," Bella answered, but there was a slight hesitation in her voice.
Ellie smirked. "I just moved back from London. Quit my job and decided to take over my dad's restaurant next week. So technically, I'll be a restaurant owner soon." She said it casually, but there was a hint of pride in her voice.
By then, the salad was done. Ellie set the bowl in front of Bella and pulled out a chair beside her. "Here, eat up."
She rested her chin on her hand, eyes twinkling with anticipation as she watched Bella.
Bella frowned at the intense stare. "How am I supposed to eat when you're looking at me like that?"
Ellie feigned innocence. "Like what?"
Bella let out a slow exhale, staring at the woman beside her. She hadn't really paid attention before, but up close, Ellie looked… different today. Maybe it was the way she carried herself, or maybe it was the sharp contrast between the playful girl from before and the one who had taken control when Bella got hurt. Either way, she was suddenly, annoyingly aware of how effortlessly charming Ellie could be.
Still, she wasn't going to say it out loud. Instead, she picked up her fork, glanced sideways at Ellie, and muttered, "Never mind."
Ellie grinned. "That's what I thought. Now, eat up."
Ellie leaned back in her chair, absentmindedly tracing the rim of her glass before finally glancing at Bella, hesitation flickering in her eyes.
"If I may ask…" her voice was softer than usual, but still filled with curiosity "Last night, I saw you in the supermarket parking lot, with someone. I thought it was a woman—though I'm not entirely sure since I only caught a glimpse from afar. You two seemed pretty close, but… there was this tension between you. I just wanted to make sure everything's okay. What happened?"
Ellie paused for a moment, studying Bella's reaction carefully. Her voice was softer now, full of concern, though she tried to hide the curiosity she felt building up.
What really happened last night?