Lost Stars

xiv. nebula

It was beyond her control, but Elle was once again driving through the land of riches and luxury. The sun was just about to rise and gracefully paint the sky with the color of roses and lilacs, but then her phone buzzed with yet another cryptic message for her that coincidentally also asked her to drive down to Jack's house. It was as if that was his form of a formal invitation to come over and hang. But who was she to deny a sign from the universe that she tried for so long to understand. She was taking this as its unraveling with every inch of confidence she had in her.

"You'd think that the second time would be much easier." She said as she found herself once again leaning over the steering wheel to see if anything rang a bell, but it was much too early for her mind to be as functional as it would on a regular day filled with caffeine and yoghurt. Elle was on the brink of giving up and was ready to jump over, until the familiar collision of modern and contemporary met her eyes in one beautiful work of art.

With a breath of relief and exhaustion, she grabbed her hand bag and jumped off of her out of place car in the company of the other, more luxurious, cars that were openly exposed on the street. She strutted hurriedly up the cobblestone path that lead to the door, and her finger was about to press the doorbell and only a whisper of a soft breath separated them, until the door suddenly whipped open to reveal Helen looking very stressed. There were a few strands that were sticking out, unlike their first encounter where she was the epitome of grace and beauty. The lady that she saw the last time was a goddess. The lady that was in front of her now was a human who was clearly having a variety of thoughts bouncing around her head.

"Hello, dear. I'm glad that you could make it, but I'm afraid that my flight leaves in literally in half an hour. Jack is upstairs in his bedroom, and I trust that you will be responsible and take care of him." Helen didn't even have a glance to spare before she leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, and Helen was soon rushing towards her Lamborghini, which was a very conventional sighting in this side of town whereas her car was probably the oddest thing here. Elle was left with confusion as she tried to connect all the rambling she did. She was speaking so fast that her tired mind couldn't process everything. She watched as the silver car disappeared, and she found herself left wondering if she should just let herself in, but Elle took the opened door that Helen left as a sign to just do it.

Her head rolled around along with her body to take everything in in one breath of air before she noticed a few things on the coffee table. The first thing that her eyes latched onto was Jack's phone, and it was totally beyond her as to why it was on the coffee table as opposed to being with Jack just as any smartphone should be. The second thing was a sophisticated piece of paper standing beside the case of fresh tulips, and she would have totally ignored it with the fear of imposing, but she noticed that her name was written on it. The thought of having a letter directed towards her was making her heartbeat race just like anyone would, when you are called into your boyfriend's house-if that was what he was- and find his mom writing you a letter.

Elle's fingers were shivering with both anticipation and hesitation before she unfolded it and saw that it was covered with Helen's beautiful cursive. It looked like it was done by a professional with its precision and beauty, just like a reflection of her. Her eyes scanned over everything more times than she could remember just to make sure that she didn't misunderstand everything that could push her into a whole lot of embarrassment.

But soon after, she found herself excitedly running up the stairs and gently opening the door that lead to Jack's bedroom. "Hey you." She said in a whisper before flashing a big smile that radiated how happy she was to see him, but she definitely wished that it was under better circumstances. He was wearing a white shirt, and if she knew Jack Kingston, he definitely loved to show off his ripped body as much as he could. His crimson bed covers were pulled up to his neck with only his arms poking out. He wasn't even leaning against the headboard, his head was flat on his pillows.

"Seriously? Mom sent you to take care of me?" Jack groaned as he threw his arm over his eyes, but his smile wasn't covered at all, and that was all Elle needed to see to know that she was welcomed inside. Everything was still the same. The shelves were still there with the occasional spontaneity in the form of books stacked in unconventional ways, Rubik's cubes that were intentionally scrambled up, as well as signed baseballs and footballs here and there. His impressive closet door was a bit ajar but nonetheless allowed a few logos to be seen.

"Well, it's not like she'd leave you by yourself. You'd probably forget to look at expiration dates or microwave a spoon." Elle joked as she took in his sick self. His nose was brighter than the child of a tomato and Rudolf's nose. His skin has turned into a pasty shade. His eyes were dull but now had the littlest glimmer in them the moment they met hers. Although, his hair was still as sexy as ever. But it was definitely a grounding satisfaction to know that even perfection has his sick days.

"I would have rather you see me on my better days." He commented as he tried to execute one of his knee wobbling smirks, which was an art form that required intense practice and impeccable focus according to him. Elle rolled her eyes and laughed before going to the side of his bed and knelt down beside him. "How are you feeling?" Elle asked him in a gentle voice with genuine affection and care that shocked him, not because of her swift transition but because she actually did want to know.

"Well, my head feels like a sledgehammer is hitting it like concrete. Breathing through my nose is absolutely disgusting, and my body feels like it's being weighed down by boulders. But you being here actually makes it bearable. I much prefer having you rather than the doctors and nurses bolting in and out of my house." Elle listened to him like how a child listened to his mother as she lulled her to bed with her favorite bedtime stories. Her legs were tucked under her, and her chin rested on her arm as it was firm on his bed as she looked at him with such interest.

"How'd you get it anyway?" Elle whispered to him, thinking about all the memories she had when nothing would feel just ass satisfying as to yell at everyone to shut up because of how sensitive her ears were to loud sounds. She watched as he tried harder than usual to prop himself on his elbows and look at her as he admired how her maroon wool sweater made her look like an absolute rose. "Let's just say that I haven't built the defenses up to fight against the rain." He said before falling back down on the bed, which made it bounce. Elle got up and sat beside his head before throwing her legs up and laying them out straight in front of her.

"It was because of that rainy night after the festival?" She asked him skeptically as her fingers ran through the fabric that his covers were made of, and she was shocked that it was made of silk that reflected that light beautifully. "Now that I think about it, my mom probably got my phone, didn't she. That's how she contacted you." Elle recalled the phone that was placed beside the letter and nodded before grabbing it from her pocket and handing it to him. "Well, I'm very glad she did."