Taste (H.S. / A.U.)

Chapter 52

TRIPLE UPDATE: Chapter 52-54

JADE ASTOR

I use my foot to push into Elle's ribs, the soft spot she often is self conscious over, not realizing it is something that everyone in the world fits beacoup sexy and plush. Hell, I wish I had her body, the absolute divine feminine beauty she always exudes, yet she will stand in front of a mirror pinching between her fingers and calling it useless fat. She's rather ridiculous and oblivious like that. Digging my foot a little deeper she paws at it, swatting me away while still staring at her phone. "Remember when you used to be fun. Now you're an old woman waiting on her balcony with a shawl waiting for her husband to return from war. Like, kinda' funny when you remember he was in that war movie, but whatever, I miss nights out on the town with my bestie."

Elle rolls her eyes at me, "Jade, you're in a whole ass marriage. It's not like we were single women out on the town."

Scrunching my nose and grabbing the remote to skip the intro song of New Girl I concluded, "no, but I was a dutiful wingwoman and I stand by that. Like, I am glad you found love and all that blah blah, but now look at us. In France, and you're stationed at your phone while I await my big dummy man to bring me some sweet Parisian treats. We are way too domesticated. Honestly," I flip around quickly, perching myself up on my knees and snagging her phone out of her hand. I knew she wasn't talking to Harry because he was still at his concert. "Why aren't we out exploring creepy catacombs, or drinking full bottles of wine while walking through an art museum? Or shopping, I know there is tons of places to shop."

She huffed at me when she reached for her phone, but I tucked it away under my butt to hide it from her. "It's been such a long day. Flight, class, and we literally did drive by the Arc de Triomphe, plus we ate out till I felt like I was going to turn into an actual croissant. Now it is relaxation time while I facetime Pickle. So may I have my phone."

Her palm was outstretched but I ignored it.

 "I'm just saying, look at us, where did the days of young and impulsive fun us go." I mock sigh dramatically while sinking into the couch that we shared. We were both in pajamas since it was already dark out, and honestly I wouldn't want to be out and about, but the notion was what I was pressing. I wanted the details about Harry and Elle, and being the doting big sister I was, I knew playful bullying was the best way to get it.

The phone began to vibrate under my butt, giving me no option but to bring it out and make sure it wasn't anything important. After this mornings big showdown of details, Elle has been eerily calm. 

We barely talked about it on the plane, instead she only told me again that she was completely willing to do it and save face, but also to get them off her back. She cut the whole conversation short in front of Harry, and I know he was a little worried about that. Hell, I was worried about her too, but Elle would tell us if this was something she couldn't handle, I think and desperately hope.

She put on a great face, killed it in class, and has been acting like she saw this coming from a mile away. Maybe she did. Elle was married to Chase for years, dated him even longer, and she was privy to his fucked up ways.

"Oh looky who is calling you, shall we speaker phone?" While I flash Elle's phone to her, a wide smile takes over her. "Hey Harlet. How you doing?"

Elle leaned over closer to me and the phone that I had angled in my hand between us. "Hi Harpsichord. How is the photographs?"

"Oh god, you are both here. Well what's better than one hot trouble maker, two I guess. Well guess the hell what? I did the shoot my shot thing and asked. You guys are hearing it here first, in Madrid I get to work with Lloyd to help out with photos at Harry's concert. Fuck yeah to Elle for bagging such a babe. This is going to be such killer exposure for my branding honestly."

Elle looked confused, because with everything else happening I forgot to tell her this news. While we were in Belgium Lloyd and I were talking in the kitchen, he was talking about cameras and I did the thing about telling him how my old roommate also was a photographer. After showing him her Instagram, he initially swooned over her photography, but then swooned over her. Lloyd said he likes a "tattooed baddie" apparently. Poor guy will totally get his heart ripped out by her, but that's not the point. He followed her, and they started up a conversation.

That must have led to the next step, where now we get a reunion with Harpy, and it will be at a Harry concert of course. How many problems can this dude solve?

I loved getting to catch up with Harper, because her life was full of travels, wild food, crazy experiences, meeting people, and so much more. It was what Elle and I have been now living lately, and I understood the hype of it so much more. Rewind my life a few years earlier and I would have picked a job where I travel more.

The front door of the air bnb opened, Ricky shouting to us that he has midnight snacks, despite it only being ten o'clock.