[Book 2] What If

Chapter 32

The mentor-mentee took turns taking their nightly shower.

While Lea was enjoying her leisure time at the bathtub, Ellie had been organizing all the things she just have bought. She puts the casual clothes on the small wardrobe provided on the room. 

As for the pants and her training shirts, she just folded them all and put inside the backpack she also purchased. She stopped for a while, thinking of all the things that transpired for the past few days. 

El finished packing up her things and turned on the television as she settles down on her bed. When Lea got finished freshening up herself, she put her used clothes at the dresser of her own room and went to check how her protege's doing. 

The Broadway star could see the physical and emotional exhaustion on Ellie's eyes as she sits beside her on the bed.

The young woman just smiles at her as she approaches her. "Thank you, for staying with me tonight. You don't have to, but you still did."

"I'd like to make sure everything's alright with you."

"Don't worry coach, I can get through this. I just need to make sure my parents won't find me as long as they're here."

"What really happened Ellie?" There was a deep concern when Lea asked her of this. The singer felt that there's something more to the fact that El's parents doesn't want her to continue working here in the Philippines. For just that reason, is so petty for them to restrict Ellie from going outside their home.

With her coach's question, El could vividly remember how her conversation with her mom went last Friday.

"M-Mom. Dad. N-Nanay. You're all here.." Ellie nervously says.

"You came home late. Where have you been?" Her mother asked her with a strict voice as she looks at Ellie with a serious stern look.

"I-I.. I went somewhere with my colleagues.." Ellie moved forward as she kissed and hugged her parents and her grandmother.

She took a seat on one of the couches as she asked how their flight was.

"Did you just went to a bar? You reek of alcohol." Her mother commented.

"Sweetheart, it's Friday night. It's normal with people her age to go bar clubbing." Ellie's dad defended her from the judging looks of his wife.

Ellie just smiled at her dad's thoughtfulness. "You guys must be tired. Have you already eaten?"

It was her grandmother who responded. "Not yet, we were actually waiting for you."

The young woman felt sorry for coming home late. She told them she didn't expect for them to be here and so she wasn't able to make enough preparations to welcome them.