Chapter 17

"What happened? You looked gloomy." Bella questioned while chewing on the chips in her mouth.

Ever since Kaylee returned home, Bella had noticed her gloomy expression.

The young lady, who had her jaw placed on her crossed arms on the dining table, was looking at the water through the glass cup as if she were in a daze.

Kaylee raised her body to sit while she faced Bella who was beside her.

"Do I look ugly or unappealing?" Kaylee questioned abruptly while moving her face from side to side for Bella to view carefully.

Bella stared at Kaylee for a short time before she shook her head silently.

Kaylee clicked her tongue dubiously and puzzled. "So what's wrong? Did I look unattractive in the dress?" Kaylee mumbled to herself.

"Did anyone tease you? Who was that?" Bella questioned, looking a little curious and confused.

"It's nothing. Just that I ran into a narcissist and something embarrassing happened." Kaylee forced the words out of her belly.

Bella turned more perplexed. "What do you mean you ran into a narcissist? Did something bad happen in the restaurant?"

"No, it was at the bus stop," Kaylee said as she started narrating the whole incident to Bella.

When Kaylee finished telling Bella about it, Bella couldn't help but stare at the young lady with pity in her eyes.

She dipped her hands into the chips cup and brought some slices of chips as she stuffed them into her mouth and then chewed them.

"This is the reason I always tell you to make yourself a little more attractive. It's frustrating how you never listen when I tell you to spruce up your look. No makeup, no lip-gloss, Jeez. So tell me, which young man would let a 60-year-old-looking lady in his arms?" Bella teased.

Upon hearing Bella, Kaylee's eyebrows creased a little, and her mouth opened in disbelief.

"Hey? Are you adding more salt to my wound? Makeup is not my thing and you know that." Kaylee glared at Bella.

"When will you become a better friend like others?" Kaylee questioned, looking a little frustrated.

"I don't know, maybe it won't ever happen," Bella answered Kaylee's last question.

Kaylee scoffed at Bella's reply and found her friend unbelievable.

When Bella noticed that angry look on the young lady's face, she rolled her eyes to the other side without minding as she gnawed on her chips nonchalantly.

Her heart pounded in her chest, sending waves of heat rushing through her veins. The room felt suffocating as if the air had grown thick with her boiling emotions.

Kaylee's brows furrowed as she stared at Bella's nonchalant expression. How could she be so blasé about everything? It was infuriating, like a slap in the face to their years of friendship.

Every dismissive gesture and casual remark fueled the fire within Kaylee, making her anger grow even stronger. But despite the overwhelming rage that consumed her, Kaylee found herself trapped in a cage of powerlessness. She longed to release her anger, to let it explode like a volcano, but her hands remained tightly bound by the restraints of self-control.

With each passing second, her frustration grew, knowing that these words would remain unspoken, trapped within the confines of her mind. And for now, she had no choice but to swallow her frustration, silently vowing to find a way to regain control and confront Bella, no matter how powerless she felt at that moment.

Does anyone have such an annoying best friend like hers?

She stood up and glared at Bella who had an upsetting smile on her lips while grinning at her.

"I'd rather stay plain to look like a clown, just like you." Kaylee taunted back.

Hearing Kaylee, Bella's mouth went wide open in shock.

"Hey! Come here! Who is a clown?! At least no guy would have done that to me! You should try to look pretty rather than look like an old hag!" Bella yelled at the young lady who was striding to her room with a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Hey!" Bella was fuming as if she was about to explode at any moment.

"Where are you going, old hag?! You get upset for no reason and that's how old hags do!" Bella yelled.

Bella waited for a while and got no reply.

Bella also felt like kicking Kaylee out of the window as she angrily stuffed some chips into her mouth and started grinding. Bella glared toward the room Kaylee had just entered.

Bella stood up and left the dining era, moving to the parlor. As Bella went to the parlor and sat down on the couch, her eyes fell on Ellie, who was busy sketching. It seemed like an umbrella the little girl was sketching, but she couldn't see it.

Bella craned her neck to see the sketching. however, Ellie's hair which fell over her shoulder blocked Bella's view as Ellie didn't pack her hair into a two ponytail this time. Just as Bella was about to see the sketch clearly, Ellie closed her sketchbook as if hiding something precious from others to see.

Stunned, Bella chuckled in humor before asking softly. "What are you drawing, Ellie?"

At first, Ellie couldn't sketch peacefully because of the two adults and now it seemed one was here to accompany.

Ellie, who laid on the neat floor while sketching, sat up with her fixed on the curious young lady.

"It's something no one should know. Don't worry Auntie Bella, you will know in the future." Ellie answered politely.

Bella couldn't help but chuckle again as she found the little girl interesting, even though it was the first time Ellie had spoken to her since she came to her place with Kaylee.

"Auntie?" Bella emphasized the in disbelief with raised eyebrows.

Did the little girl just call her 'Auntie' when she was still in her twenties, or was her face aging? Bella seemed a little troubled by Ellie's word which she used to address her.

"But I'm not yet old enough to be called Auntie. See, I'm younger than your mom. Can't you see how pretty and young I am?" Bella said, boasted.

Ellie squinted her eyes a little at the young lady, who had her face close to her for the little girl to examine properly.

"Umm. You don't seem to be younger than my mama and she looks pretty and younger than you." Ellie said reassuringly.

Ellie raised a finger to touch Bella's face.

The little girl's intense focus on her finger was evident by the way her eyes were fixated on it, oblivious to Bella's presence. Her face scrunched up in concentration, causing a tiny wrinkle to form between her eyebrows. Bella couldn't help but wonder what thoughts were running through the young girl's mind as she continued her perplexing activity.

A mixture of curiosity and anticipation filled the air, leaving Bella on edge. She desperately wanted to understand the little girl's intentions, yearning for a glimpse into her world. Yet, the uncertainty lingered, making Bella feel like she was tiptoeing on a thin wire, afraid to disturb the delicate balance.

"You applied make-up, and I have seen you putting on some every day. Don't you know it isn't good for your skin and would make you age quickly if you apply them every day?" Ellie put on a haughty smile while she said.

Bella was stunned at the little girl's words her eyes went wide open in disbelief.

"Mama doesn't put on makeup every day and yet she looks pretty. I think Auntie Bella looks pretty natural," Ellie said with a grin at Bella.

Bella couldn't say anything for the moment. At first, Bella thought Ellie had found it difficult to speak or make a sentence in the past few days probably they weren't too close and they only exchanged pleasantries. She had observed the little girl hardly utter a word, but now she got the wrong idea.

Bella felt a little embarrassed when a chuckle escaped her lips. "I'm not older or younger than your Mama. But this has been the trend recently. Anyways I would try to look pretty natural."

"That will be nice then," Ellie said.

The little girl turned around to lie down again and continued her drawing when she heard Bella asking.

"By the way, I'm I also in the future?"

Ellie turned her head and fixed a gaze on Bella with a slight twist of her lips to the side in a cute way.

"I'm not sure yet but I think you would meet your kind of person." She smiled sweetly at Bella. "I guess I shouldn't be distracted while sketching else I might make a mistake."

She returned her gaze to the sketchbook while drawing something strange.

Bella turned confused about what the little girl said by 'meet your kind of person' Does that mean she would have a partner soon?

Giving it a second thought, Bella decided not to go overboard about Ellie's words perhaps the little girl just said it out of her baby instincts.

Bella chuckled softly as she stuffed another mouthful of chips.

"Right, you shouldn't be distracted," Bella said indistinctively and nodded following Ellie's words as she picked up the TV remote.

She turned on the TV while watching her usual reality TV show.

"Auntie Bella, tomorrow is the weekend, right?" Ellie asked suddenly with her gaze at Bella.

"Yes, Ellie," Bella answered abruptly with her eyes still on the screen.

"Then I should go and start packing to leave for Hawthorn. I can't wait to see Grandma. Grandma must have missed me. Don't miss me tomorrow, Auntie Bella." the little girl said happily as a hearty smile radiated from her face.

Ellie stood up and left the parlor, taking her sketchbook along.

On the other hand, Bella didn't know if to get upset or happy at the adamant little girl who dot listen like her mother. In addition the word 'Auntie Bella' sounded cute in the little girl's mouth, Bella decided to let it be. Bella shrugged while she dipped her hands into the cup and realized it was empty.

Bella thought it wouldn't be fun watching her show without something to sweeten the mouth. However, she found herself too lazy to get up and get some for herself so Bella decided to manage like that.

Ellie needed to pack something's and she couldn't do them alone, so she requested her mother to assist her as Kaylee did. She could see how happy the little girl was while packing a few things for the weekend.