A Vida Barco

[13]

[ 13 ]

I heard the pillows rustling below me when I turned around, a little confused at first.
I groaned as my back was aching and started stretching, the pain fading away slowly.

The room was bathing in orange and pink shades, and I figured it must be from the sunrise.

I slowly sat up, leaning my back against the headboard.
What time was it actually?
I reached out for my phone - the old, non - spectacular prepaid thing - and checked the time.

5:46 AM. Why was I awake? I tried to go through the events of yesterday.

I had arrived at 12pm in Koh Lipe and felt super tired.
So I had went to bed immediately when I had got home.
And it looked as if I had slept until now, nearly 6AM the next day.

And that meant that it now was 11PM back in the US.
My absence would've been noticed until now.
And my parents must've read the letter until now.
I was dead.

For somehow, it felt strange. It felt super strange.
Knowing that a thousand miles away, people were missing me.
Well, I didn't know whether they actually missed me.
But the whole idea was crazy. While I had been laying in bed, they were looking for me.

I looked at the chair on which I had thrown my clothes on. I definitely had to get new ones.

I walked to the door to the balcony and opened it, the fresh air cooling me down.
It was so peaceful.
Nothing could disturb me here.

For some time, I didn't know what to do.
There was something in me, telling me to check on the internet whether I could find a statement. I mean obviously I hadn't been part of the qualifications, so NASCAR must've published a statement.

But on the other hand, it made me feel insecure. Even the thought of it made the paranoia rise in me.
It felt like if I googled them or whatever, they could find me. Of course, it was ridiculous. They couldn't. But it just made me feel this way.

I grabbed my clothes from the day before - actually my only clothes - and took the keys to my new home before I got outside and walked down to the beach.
It just took me five minutes.

I couldn't stop thinking about what my parents were doing right now. Or Ryan. Or my team.
Did they have another driver or was the 9 just not racing?
Could my parents sleep? And then it hit me.
What did Ryan want to talk about?
I'd never forget his face. He really had seemed desperate.

"Man", I groaned and kicked away a little stone.
Why did I do that? I let in the memory of my past life. And that even though I was in paradise itself. The fresh air felt absolutely soothing on my skin and the regular sound of the waves was amazing. The sunrise was like in a movie. It was perfect.

A few metres away, I saw another person, running down the beach.
I could do that, too, I thought. Excercising down here.
That would be lovely.

In general, there was so much to get done.
I had to get a new phone, I had to get new clothes and the most important thing - I should check my investments on a daily basis. I had invested in some shares and derivates.
I really had to make a list.
It was weird. Others made a list for shopping. I made a list for my new life.

The person that was running finally had reached me, and when I looked at her, my face lightened up immediately.

"Lelani?", I asked out loud, causing her to turn around.
The next moment, she tripped and fell, right into the sand.

"Oh", I gasped, jumping to her, reaching out my hand to help her up.
"I'm sorry", I started, but she shook her head.
"I didn't watch. But hey, what are you doing here?", she laughed and stood on her tip toes to hug me, which caught me by suprise.

"Well I told you I was coming back", I said and smiled.
The woman nodded, tightening her ponytail.
"And for how long will you stay then?", she asked.
"I'm not planning to leave", I admitted, "I've moved here"

She laughed, a little caught off guard.
"But not in this area, right?", she asked, making me raise my eyebrow.

"Actually, yes, in this area", I said. "Is there something wrong with it?"
Silence.
Then, she started laughing.
"No but - that's the rich area and ... well it's private, like a private beach ...", she was trailing off.

"Yeah, speaking of that, what are you doing here?", I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I - I", Lelani clearly was trying to explain herself, "I don't live here, I just like to go for a run", she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest when she had a closer look at me.
"Actually, that's none of your buisness", she said, confidentially.

"Actually, it is", I said, crossing my arms, as well.
"I bought a house close to a private beach to be on my own and what do I get? People working out who clearly do not belong here", I snickered and couldn't help myself but grin.

She was quite cute when she didn't know what to say.

"Now you got me", she admitted and I grinned.
"It's fine", I smiled, "I don't mind whoever is running down here. And since you know me, you have every reason to be here, I guess", I said and winked.

She gave me a weak smile.
"So... how about we go out for dinner tomorrow?"
I suggested.

Lelani shielded her face with her hands and looked at the horizon.
"Sure" she said and smiled.
"Tomorrow then"

"I'll pick you up", I said and grinned.

For a moment, I completely forgot about everything. It was just Clyde, hitting off a date.

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