It is already past midnight, but Ariane is still busy scrolling on her laptop. She was searching for something on the net-the perfect destination for her next trip.
"Gotcha!" she exclaimed when she finally found a country that captured her interest.
"Stay tuned, Italy. I'll be on board in no time," she said while looking intently at the image on her laptop-a picture of a beautiful country, Italy, and its tourist destinations.
Since she had already found the perfect place to go on her next flight, she turned her gaze at the wall clock to check the time.
When Ariane glanced at the wall clock hanging on the wall, that was the only time she realized that it was already 2:05 in the morning. But instead of going to sleep, she faced her laptop once again and started surfing the internet.
Through an online website, she booked a flight and made a reservation for an apartment in Florence, a charming city in Italy that is also considered the best town in the Tuscany region. She did everything to ensure that her flight and stay in Italy would be stress-free and enjoyable.
It was past 3:00 a.m. when Ariane decided to call it a day and shut her eyes before eventually falling into a deep slumber.
A few hours later, the deafening ring of her phone awakened her.
With her eyes still closed, Ariane reached for her phone resting on top of the side table, and vaguely swiped the screen to answer the call.
"Hello? Who's this?" Ariane asked on the other line as soon as her phone touched the surface of her ear.
"My goodness, Ariane!" someone squealed on the other line, enough for Ariane to wince in annoyance.
Ariane distanced the phone from her ear and placed it on the bed instead after putting it on loud speaker.
"What time is it now?" the caller asked in a loud voice, almost shouting.
Ariane immediately turned her gaze at the wall clock to answer the caller's question.
"Ten in the morning?" Ariane answered with a frown.
"And you are still in bed, am I right?" Her friend, Christine, asked who sounds exactly like her mother, scolding her for waking up late.
"And I would still be asleep right now if you did not call. But anyway, why did you call? What's the matter?" Ariane asked in a dry tone as if she wasn't interested at all in what Christine wanted to tell her.
"Isn't it your flight to Italy tomorrow?" Christine diverted the topic, which made Ariane frown even more.
"Yeah. What about it?" Ariane asked, silently praying that it wasn't about going to Italy with her.
Although Ariane wants to be with her friend on her trip to Italy, they both know they can't do that. Her friend has a lot of things to do at work‚ and it would be the end of her career if she'll leave the country without her boss' approval.
"Come with me. We'll do some shopping," Christine answered.
Ariane heaved a deep sigh of relief. And she was about to say yes to Christine's invitation when Christine spoke again.
"I'll be hosting a farewell party for you, my friend," Christine added, which made Ariane's jaw drop.
"What the fudge! Are you being serious?" Ariane asked, horrified by what she heard.
"Do I sound like I'm kidding?" Christine asked in return.
"The hell I care! I'm not going! I better stay asleep all day than go to your party and spend my night partying with your circle of friends," Ariane firmly said. She picked up her phone, and she was about to end the call when Christine made a dramatic sound on the other line.
"Ouch. You are hurting my feelings," Christine said on the other line dramatically. "Want me to accompany you instead? You know it would be fun traveling to a strange country with me," Christine blackmailed Ariane, making the latter cuss multiple times.
"Fuck! Fine! I'm going. I'll be on your condo in an hour," Ariane replied, heaving a sigh of defeat afterwards.
"Great!" Christine squealed in delight. "I'll be waiting for you then. Goodbye."
"Haist!" Ariane hissed when the call ended as she threw her phone on her bed before doing her daily routine.
After prepping herself, Ariane immediately went to the living area to look for her parents.
Ariane found her parents in the living area, sitting side by side while watching a Korean drama on TV.
"Aherm!" Ariane faked a cough to get her parents' attention.
Ariane's mom was the first one to look in her direction, followed by her dad. And as their eyes settled on her, a smile crept into their lips.
"Hey. You're awake. How's your sleep?" Ariane's mom asked in a sweet voice.
Ariane smiled at her mother before answering, "It was fine."
"Do you want me to prepare something for your brunch?" Ariane's mom asked.
"Brunch? What is that?" Ariane asked with a frown, clueless as to what brunch is.
Ariane's father chuckled at her reaction. "It's breakfast plus lunch," her dad explained to her.
"Yeah. Whatever." Ariane just rolled her eyes to refrain from laughing because of her parents' silliness. They were really fond of using millennial terminologies. According to them, it makes them feel young.
"Wait. Why are you all dressed up, by the way?" Ariane's mom diverted the topic while eyeing Ariane from head to toe.
"I'll be staying in Tin's condo for the whole day," Ariane answered with a shrug.
"For what?" Ariane's mom asked when she returned her gaze to Ariane's annoyed face.
Ariane can't help but to roll her eyes while answering, "Farewell party."
The eyes of Ariane's parents widen in disbelief. "Seriously?" they asked in unison.
"Tss. You know Tin. She's a weirdo sometimes," Ariane replied.
Ariane crossed the distance between her and her parents and gave them a peck on the cheek.
"Correction. It is most of the times," Ariane's dad corrected her.
"I'll agree to that." A chuckle escaped Ariane's lips, and it was followed by her parents' laughter.
"I have to go. See you tomorrow morning," Ariane bid goodbye to her parents before she made her way to the main door.
"Yeah. See you. Enjoy the night!" her mom shouted from behind.
"I will!" Ariane shouted back while waving her hand with her back facing her parents.
"No men allowed!" her dad added, which made her chuckle.
Ariane turned back to face her father with a sly smile on her face. Then she straightened her back before giving her father a salute.
"Noted, sir!" Ariane replied with a salute before she made her way to her car parked outside their gate.
As soon as Ariane sat on the driver's seat of her car, she speedily maneuvered her car as if she were in a race, which is the normal speed for her ever since she realized that she doesn't have that much time to go to every place and country that can be found on Earth.
A/N: I admit it. I am not good with English. Haha! But who cares? There's no harm on trying.
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In Between
RomanceAriane Nabor is a Filipino citizen who loves to travel. She began traveling back and forth when she was twenty-seven. She doesn't settle in one place. It was her first time being away from her hometown, and she's very satisfied that she's been able...
