FLASHBACK
Julian let me flew out to Monaco by myself. Gave me lots of money, hugged me like he never did before and said he was proud.
It was as if he was saying goodbye?
I moved in my new apartment, stalked Lando for days. I had to make it seem as if I wasn't planning this.
Jayden told me to make it look accidental.
But Lando didn't have a schedule, he just did whatever he wanted to do, whenever he wanted.
So it was impossible to bump accidentally into him.
I grabbed my dirty clothes and walked out of my apartment, to the only laundromat in Monaco.
No one used those things here, everyone had a washing machine or had someone to do it for them.
But me, I liked the sound of washing machines, of dryers. It canceled the noises.
It didn't matter what was happening around the house, it blocked every noise.
Even the noise of your dad shooting your mom. The noise of your dad pushing your brother against the wall, beating him.
I put my clothes in the washing machine and put it on. I sat down in front of it, closed my eyes.
Cancel everything out.
And just when I wanted to cry - just to let it all out, someone else walked in.
I groaned, just when I wanted to be alone - someone had to disturb my moment.
I got up and looked straight in the eyes of Lando.
How much I might claim that it wasn't accidental, it actually was.
"Nova?"
"Lando."
He was only one shirt, which he immediately dropped and we crashed into each other arms.
As if we knew each other for years - had years of history.
We didn't but it definitely felt like that.
"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Here as in Monaco? Or here as in this laundromat?" I chuckled.
"Yea-I don't-both?" He stuttered.
"I told you I was gonna find you" I smiled. "And you? Don't you have a washing machine?"
"It broke down and I need this shirt" he laughed, pointing at the shirt on the floor.
He put that one single shirt in the washing machine and we both sat down on the floor again.
We talked about his life, I lied about mine.
Put our clothes in the dryer when they were done and he looked at me, held my hand.
"You still owe me a dance" he smiled. "I thought you couldn't dance?" I titled my head.
"Still can't, but you can teach me" he pulled me against his body.
And then we danced, on the sounds of the dryers.
The things that reminded me of horrible memories - he replaced that with this beautiful moment.
The dryers stopped at the same time and there was only silence.
The thing I hated the most - silence.
Became one of my favorite things.
He put his hand on my cheek and kissed me. Right here, in the silence.
"I thought I was never gonna see you again" he mumbled on my lips.
And I said nothing, because I didn't want to lie.
"Don't worry - I will never let you go again" he said instead.
And instead of taking our clothes out of the dryer, we walked outside and sat down in front of the laundromat.
Looking up at the stars together.
And with that - I was out.
