TAKE IT EASY • TC ✔️

20: Salvaging

The morning of Lucia's birthday was a beautiful one. The early May breeze travelled in through her open window, and the thin curtains of her hotel room fluttered gently. She smiled at the warmth of the sun on her face. Smiled until she remembered that she would be spending the day alone.

Lu didn't mind being alone. It was fine; she was used to it, she was good at it, even. But being alone and loneliness itself were two very different things.

Having since discovered that the hotel did indeed provide room service, Lu ordered abominable amounts of food over the intercom, her voice groggy with sleep. She might not have believed in birthdays, but she was not one to pass up on celebratory breakfast in bed.

While the girl waited for her food to arrive, she sprawled herself out over the comfortable bed, last night's shaven legs thrashing against the beautifully soft sheets. She luxuriated in their quality, rolling around with a contented sigh. However, Lu quickly tired of this and began padding around the vast room in her bare feet. She found herself sitting on the floor after a few minutes, propped up on her elbows as she looked at her phone. There was a message from Timothée, and she clicked on it.

Timmy

Is it normal for Julius to follow people home?

because like

he chased me into my apartment

and he's not leaving

he's just staring at me

bit weird

19:06

This made Lucia laugh. She thought about Julius trotting after Timmy, his little legs carrying him right down the corridor into the boy's apartment.

Lu
that's my cat you're talking about

😤😔😔

to answer your question, yes

he was probably just looking for attention

did you manage to get rid of him in the end?

09:35

Timmy

No, he wouldn't budge

I hope you don't mind but I let him sleep in my bed

09:36

Timmy's response came almost instantaneously, and something tugged at Lu as she imagined that scene playing out; Timothée patting the bed for Julius to hop onto, and the two of them curling up to go to sleep. She smiled fondly.

Lu

You say that like I have any choice in the matter

It's Julius's world, we're all just living in it 😔😔

09:36

She was about to reply further, try and find something to keep the conversation going, when there came a knock on her door. Lu chucked her phone onto her bed and hurried over to the entrance, attempting to run a hand through her hair. A quick check in the mirror by the door showed her hair that could not be salvaged by simply running a hand through it, but she left it alone. They'd probably seen much worse. She welcomed in the little cart gratefully, thanking the staff who had brought it to her.

Birthday pancakes had always been a thing in the Vermont household. It had stemmed from the year Marco was four, when he had decided that cake was not an option - only pancakes. Lu had therefore grown up with pancakes on her birthday each year, seeing as no one had bothered to ask her if she might like cake instead. Initially, Lu hadn't been all too thrilled by the prospect; she quite liked birthday cake. But Ron's blueberry pancakes, drizzled with maple syrup and fresh fruit-