Chapter 205: Morning Television

[Chapter 205: Morning Television]

In a sleepy haze, Julia thought she heard some noise coming from the living room. She hugged her pillow and rolled over, wanting to drift back to sleep. But after the turn, the sound seemed clearer. After a long moment, she reluctantly opened her eyes. The curtains cast a faint glow, and when she turned on the bedside lamp to check her watch, she saw it was just past five in the morning.

She threw off the blanket, got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and tousled her hair as she made her way to the living room. It was only then that she took in the situation.

The living room lights were off, and the curtains leading to the balcony were drawn tight. The only light came from the flickering television, emitting a soft sound. Elisabeth sat cross-legged on the couch, cradling a throw pillow in her arms, completely absorbed by the screen. She munched on a bag of chips, the crunching sound filling the dim-lit room and making her resemble a little mouse sneaking around for a midnight snack.

"Liz, what's up? Why are you awake so early?" Julia asked as she settled down next to Elisabeth, pulling a blanket over herself.

Elisabeth swallowed her snack before whispering, "I... I just couldn't sleep. I had insomnia."

Julia leaned closer, puzzled. "Insomnia? Why?" After she asked, she suddenly remembered, "It's not because of what I said last night, is it? I was just kidding around, and you took me seriously?"

After a few stammers, Elisabeth leaned closer and whispered into Julia's ear, "Julia, do you think that jerk has been trying to seduce me covertly?"

Hearing Elisabeth's words, Julia blinked quickly before bursting into laughter. "Liz, you've been up all night worrying about this... this nonsense?"

In the dim light, Elisabeth's cheeks flushed red from Julia's laughter. She playfully scratched Julia in discontent and said, "How can you laugh? I was seriously asking you about this!"

After Julia calmed down, she was about to respond, but seeing the seriousness on Elisabeth's face made her smile again. "Hey, hey, hey! I'm angry!" Elisabeth pretend to jump up, but Julia quickly held her down, shaking her head. "No way! You don't even know that guy."

Once Elisabeth saw Julia wasn't laughing anymore, she steadied herself but felt dissatisfied with Julia's reply. "Oh, and you do know him?"

"I don't really know much about him either," Julia said as she shook her head again. "But I do know one thing."

"Hmm?" Elisabeth grasped Julia's arm eagerly. "Spill it, don't keep me in suspense."

As Julia looked at Elisabeth's lively face framed by her golden hair, she couldn't help but think that even after a night without sleep, Elisabeth looked remarkably fresh.

"When it comes to women, he has always been very ruthless. If he wants a woman, he wouldn't bother with any subtlety. He'd more likely drag you into a room and throw you on the bed," Julia said, remembering that night and the imposing jerk who had toyed with her, a slight heat creeping into her thoughts.

Elisabeth opened her mouth slightly, then responded, "He wouldn't dare do that to me; if he did, my dad would make sure he pays for it."

"Maybe," Julia said softly in the dark.

However, deep down, Julia was somewhat skeptical of Elisabeth's confidence. With Eric's wealth and status, if he did manage to get this girl into bed, Rupert Murdoch might actually endorse it. For a newspaper group still developing its foothold in the TV and movie industry, Eric would be a perfect match.

Elisabeth didn't catch the underlying tone in Julia's voice and continued, "So, you're saying he really isn't interested in me, right?"

"Of course!" Julia nodded with a smile.

Elisabeth let out a sigh of relief, as if she had finally put her worries to rest after a restless night. But moments later, she suddenly pouted, "How could he not be interested in me? Am I not pretty enough?"

"Hahaha..." Julia laughed out loud again.

Realizing her faux pas, Elisabeth quickly became flustered and reached out playfully at Julia. "Hey, stop, quit it!" Julia begged, catching her breath. "I just remembered something that guy once said to me: he said women are very complicated creatures. When you're near them, they tease and insult you, but when you're away from them, they complain. That line fits you perfectly, haha."

Seeing Elisabeth's exasperated look, Julia quickly stifled her laughter and said, "Okay, okay, stop it, Liz. Let's try to get some sleep before the sun comes up. Otherwise, you'll be exhausted all day. Um... I'm going back to sleep now."

"Wait, you can't leave me all alone!" Elisabeth exclaimed, grabbing Julia as she tried to get up.

Julia plopped back on the couch, exasperated. "So what do you want to do then?"

"Why don't we go for a run? It's already light outside!"

Julia shook her head immediately. "It's too early! There aren't many people out, and who knows what the safety is like here? Italy is the birthplace of the Mafia. Who knows, you could be running along when a bag is thrown over you. It wouldn't end well."

Though Julia joked, Elisabeth still felt a bit scared by the thought. "Then... let's watch TV! I cannot sleep anyway," she said, eagerly handing Julia the remote.

"Alright, alright. You're just like a child," Julia said, taking the remote with a resigned expression. As she turned on the television, it was an Italian soap opera, which she couldn't understand, so she switched channels.

After flipping through several channels, she finally stopped when the cheerful canned laughter came through the speakers.

Elisabeth heard some dialogue and exclaimed, "It's my family's TV station! It's a sitcom; this is it! You can understand this one!"

Julia also recognized the logo of Fox Television, so she set the remote down.

...

On screen was a cafe where the main characters discussed the odd situation regarding Ross's wife. After a few humorous lines, both Julia and Elisabeth were drawn into the storyline. They burst into laughter when the character Phoebe made a funny gesture at the downcast Ross.

"Wow, this is so funny! How did I not know there was another sitcom?" Elisabeth said as she slapped her thigh.

Julia laughed too, but she quickly remembered, "This should be prime time on the East Coast, around eight o'clock. It must be a new show; otherwise, we would have heard of such a funny sitcom by now."

Elisabeth nodded, "Yeah, let's write down the name to follow it later."

They were talking when Ross said to his sister Monica, "I don't want to be single, okay? I just want to be married again!" Just then, there was a loud clatter, and a drenched bride burst into the cafe, shocking everyone as they exchanged bewildered looks between Ross and the bride.

Right after that, Chandler excitedly waved his arms towards the door, declaring loudly, "And I just want a million dollars!" 

This time, of course, his 'wish' didn't come true. Chandler awkwardly waved his hands again and stuck out his tongue.

...

"Hahaha, that was just... it was so funny," Elisabeth nearly doubled over in laughter after seeing that scene. When she looked up again, she caught Julia's dazed expression.

"Hey, Julia, what's the matter with you?" Elisabeth teased, poking Julia in the side.

Julia pointed at the TV screen, "Look, that... that bride in the wedding dress is Jennifer Aniston!"

Elisabeth didn't quite register it at first, but she followed Julia's finger, nodded, "She's a pretty girl, what about it?"

"Don't you remember, Liz?" Julia continued, "That's Jennifer Aniston. She's that guy's girlfriend, meaning this show is the one he directed that the media has been promoting lately."

Elisabeth's mouth dropped open as she recalled some scenes, indeed recognizing a setting that matched the cafe on-screen.

Julia nodded slightly, as she kept up with news about Eric, which was why she knew the show's title from its promotion.

The two girls exchanged glances, leading Elisabeth to pout in frustration, "Why is he everywhere?"

Julia chuckled, recalling, "Seems like it really is the premiere today."

Despite their mixed feelings, they laughed at the jokes that popped up, although it didn't reach the same level of merriment as before. Their attention never left the TV screen, even while ads interrupted the show.

Finally, when the second episode ended, Elisabeth exclaimed, "That girl is such a jerk; I don't like her," as Rachel, played by Aniston, called her maid of honor, wishing for her ex-fiance's child to inherit his ugly features.

*****

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