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“Of course I did. It was obviously me who remembered and not my sister,” Ellie tells her, putting the cake on the table before it falls. I smile at her answer. She definitely wasn’t the one to remember, but I’ll let her take the credit.
Elias then walks closer to her and kneels down to her height. “Happy birthday,” he says, handing her a gift bag that was hidden behind his back.
She smiles, taking it from his hand. “I thought Mom said you weren’t allowed to get me something,” she comments.
“Well, your mom doesn’t need to know. Plus, it’s your birthday, it doesn’t count,” he tells her. She laughs, hugging him. He accepts the hug, grinning.
I haven’t seen him smile in a long time. He’s been down throughout the trip, especially after Christmas. And it’s my fault. I can’t believe I did that to him. To Lorenzo. To all of them.
“You know, you didn’t have to,” Aurora says, standing next to me. I snap back to reality, turning my head to her.
“Ellie would’ve asked me to do it, anyway. Plus, as I said, you’re my guests. Everything is on me, even birthdays,” I reply. She gives me a smile of gratitude. I feel sorry for her. She’s one of the winners of the trip, yet it’s turned out to be all a mess.
Ellie then grabs everyone’s attention. “Now let’s eat the cake before I steal it for myself, and before the countdown for the new year begins,” she announces. It’s almost eleven, and midnight is close. This is the only day we’re letting them stay up, and they’re energetic. They’re excited for the new year’s countdown.
We cut the cake, and everyone gets a piece. The cake is quickly finished and by the time we tidy everything up, it’s fifteen minutes ‘till midnight. “Come on, we want to watch the live stream,” Elaina says.
“Guys, there are still fifteen minutes to go. You don’t start the stream until, at most, five minutes before,” Aurora tells them.
They both give her frowned expressions. I laugh at their response, then turn to see Lorenzo standing in the kitchen. He’s alone, staring at his phone.
I walk toward him. “Hey Enzo,” I say, standing in front of him. He raises his head, turning his phone off,
“Val. Hi,” he replies, putting his phone his back pocket.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, of course I am. Is something wrong?”
“I just . . . I’m sorry about yesterday. I don’t know what was wrong with me, and I shouldn’t have lashed out like that,” I tell him, remorse obvious in my tone.
“Don’t, Val. It’s not your fault.”
“Then who’s is it? Elias’s?” He’s silent, but I already know his answer. “Lorenzo, you aren’t listening to me. He didn’t do anything. It just happened; I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Val, I am listening. I—”
“No. No, you’re not. If you were listening, you’d believe me. Do you not believe me?”
“Of course I do, Val. But what if he’s making you believe it yourself? What if he’s manipulating you? It’s happened before.”
“That’s different Lorenzo. I’m telling you; it wasn’t forced. You can’t compare the two, you can’t compare Roland and Elias, because you know no matter what Elias does, he will never do worse than Roland.” He drops his head, sighing. “Please, Enzo. Remember, he’s your friend. One you told me was nothing like his father, that you told me I would warm up to. Why am I the one telling you that now?”
“Val, I can’t. I don’t care what I thought, but I cannot risk that with you. I cannot risk you going into another phase like you did with Tristan. I will never forgive myself if you do.”
“Lorenzo, I’m not. I’m not going to, this isn’t the same situation.”
“No. You said that last time. You said that, and I let you get hurt, I will not do it again. Until I am 100 percent sure Elias didn’t hurt you, I cannot let it go like it’s nothing. You know very well that if they knew anything about you, or about Roland, they would have sided with me. They would have sided with me more than myself. Because everything points against Elias, and everything points to you getting hurt. I can’t let you get hurt again.”
“Lorenzo, you can’t do that. You can’t risk ruining your life for me.”
“My life doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is that you’re okay,” he says. There’s a glassy look in his eyes. He’s not angry or upset. But he looks at me with something I don’t think I’ve seen in him before.
Elaina then starts chanting, “Oh my God, it’s starting, it’s starting!” I turn around to look at them, jumping in excitement.
“You know it isn’t going to start raining candy or something when the clock hits midnight.” Aurora warns them, but they don’t answer. Lorenzo walks past me to go to the couch, but a sudden urge hits me. Realization. An urge, the words rise up.
Ten.
