Before heading home, Ellie decided to stop at the nearest supermarket near to her house to buy a few things for her new place.
She pulled out her car into the parking lot , she only focused on a simple thing on her mind.
"I need toilet paper and laundry detergent"
She turned off the engine and was about to get out from a car but she saw a familiar figure standing by the entrance.
"That woman looked just like Bella, the cold women who lives with me, what a coincidence" Ellie thought
"Hmm, I think she needs to buy something too. hold on, she's not alone I guess. who is that with her? Are they arguing?" Ellie mumbled under her breath.
She watched as Bella and the other person talked for a bit before getting into a car and driving off.
"Is she okay? Wait, it's not my business," Ellie hesitated, then headed into the store to buy her simple shopping list before going back home.
_____________________
At home, the place felt quiet. Ellie checked the kitchen, then the living room. No sign of Bella.
"Hmm… Is she not home yet? It's already 10 PM," Ellie mumbled, feeling a little worried.
Her mind drifted back to yesterday—Bella crying—and just now, she saw her arguing with someone.
Ellie shook her head.
"No, stop. It's not my problem. Why am I even thinking about her? I should focus on my own mess."
Ellie trying to distract herself with her mind about bella, she turned on the music through her speaker and played "You'll Be in My Heart" song.
"You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say~" Ellie sang softly while walk to the bathroom to wash up.
Creakkkkkkkkkkkk!!
She opened the bathroom door, And then.
She freeze.
There was bella inside sitting in the bathtub, half-covered by water.
It took Ellie a few seconds to process it what was she seeing now, and then—
"AHHHHHH!!!" , Ellie screamed
"I—I'm sorry!! Why are you here?!" Ellie panicked and quickly covered her eyes with her hand.
But at the same time she's trying to peek a little bit through her fingers and She seen Bella staring back at her.
"What's going on now? So embarrassing" Ellie thought
"Sorry, I don't know you are home already! Why you not locked the door? And why is it so quiet?" Ellie shot out question after question, still flustered.
"Don't overract" Bella said, casually.
"What?" Ellie Blinked.
"Never mind. You can come in, I'm almost done, don't worry about me" Bella replied casually like it wasn't a big deal.
Ellie's brain went blank.
"Come in?! What does she mean, 'come in'? Who just invites someone into the bathroom like that?"
She shook her head quickly.
"What?" Ellie replied.
"Is that only a word that u know?" Bella replied.
"What?" Ellie repeated for a third times.
"Nevermind, I'am just done" Bella stood up with nothing cover her body and grabbed her towel before wrapped it around her body.
Bella walked out of the bathroom heading Ellie who still freeze standing outside the bathroom door
"Ba-dump, Ba dump…." Ellie heart beating
Her eyes were still shut, both hands covering her face.
"What's she doing now? Don't come any closer…"
Bella stood right in front of Ellie, they were so close. Even Ellie was a bit taller and older than her. But the tension between them right now made Bella more dominant
"Your music? Can you turn it down?" Bella said calmly.
Ellie, still a bit dazed, barely processed the words.
"Huh? Okay. S—Sorry. I thought no one was home." Ellie replied.
Bella gave a small nod before disappearing into her room and leaving Ellie who still standing there with her face red.
"Okay? I just simply said okay to her. What a shame ellie"
In other hand after Ellie showering and back to her room
Buzzzz - from Ellie phone
"I'll talk to your dad. He'll let you run the restaurant next week." (message from Chen, Ellie's mom)
Ellie checked a message "I hope I made the right decision."
With that thought, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
_____________________________________
The next morning, Ellie wore a white long-sleeve shirt and light blue jeans with a white sneakers and a pair of sunglasses, Ellie look really stylish today.
She glanced in the mirror, thinking about buying new furniture for her dad's restaurant. She wanted to make it look more modern and fresh, reflecting her new vision for the place.
Meanwhile in the kitchen there's Bella stood quietly, chopping some vegetables for her salad. Her face was unreadable as she focused on the knife, but then, her hand slipped. Blood dripped onto the counter.
"Ouch!" Bella's voice was steady, but you could hear the surprise in it.
Ellie, still in her room, heard the cry and quickly rushed into the kitchen. When she saw the blood,
Ellie froze.
"Your hand?!" Ellie's voice was sharp with concern.
Bella looked at her hand like it was nothing.
"It's fine. Don't make it a big deal," Bella said like she didn't care.
But Ellie didn't let it go.
"What do meant fine? Look at your hand, you're bleeding!" Ellie said, grabbing Bella's wrist fast, not even caring about Bella's cold look.
"I'm fine, don't mind me" Bella said firmly, pulling back a little—but she couldn't, Ellie was stronger than her.
Ignoring Bella's words, Ellie made her sit on the couch in the living room and looked at her with sharp eyes.
"Don't move! I'll grab the first aid kit from my room. Let me taking care of this" Ellie said
Bella used made Ellie feel intimidated with her but now the table just have turned, She could feel herself being taken over by Ellie's determination. It makes her unable to argue, even though she was clearly frustrated.
"If you insist" Bella muttered, her voice softening a little.
Ellie came back with the first aid kit from her room. She gently pulled Bella's hand closer and rested it on her lap, make it easier to take care of. As Ellie cleaned and bandaged the wound, Bella noticed her blood had stained Ellie's white shirt. She tilted her head and looked at her.
"Your shirt? Aren't you worried about it?" Bella asked.
"My shirt?" Ellie looked down, but she doesn't seem to care.
But Ellie noticed Bella looked a bit guilty even thought her face doesn't give much expression when she asked it to her, so Ellie tried to make her feel better.
"It's just a shirt. I can wash it later. It's fine," Ellie said, sounding calm and sure.
Suddenly, Ellie's behavior changed Bella's perception of her. From their first meeting, Bella thought Ellie was foolish and a bit careless. But now, Ellie seemed like a completely different person. She looked like someone you could rely on.
Bella stayed quiet, watching Ellie closely.
Bella's eyes were a bit intimidating, and it made Ellie realize that Bella was really looking at her with a sharp gaze.
"Does it not hurt?" Ellie asked
"What?" Bella replied
Suddenly, Ellie laughed at Bella response.
"What funny?" Bella said, feeling offended.
"No, I just can't believe you said a same word that I used last night". Ellie replied.
"You weird" Bella muttered.
"Hahahaha, sorry. I'am just teasing you" Ellie replied with a grin.
As Ellie finished bandaging Bella's hand, she stood up, still concerned, just to make sure everything was okay.
"I think it looks fine now. I'll get you some water," Ellie said.
As Ellie walked away, Bella watched her.