[Sleep well, dear. Good night.]
Glara read the message once she was fully awake. Although her body was still on the bed covered by the blanket, she was already in a sitting position to get rid of her laziness and sleepiness. It was her first day... Erm, her second day in London. All-day yesterday, she went little because she had to unpack her suitcase and ensure that her needs were met for the next few days. Clothing, snacks, toiletries, medicine, and more. She had to be sure everything was ready, so she had plenty of time to learn about her new environment.
[I've just got up.]
The message was sent to Tatiana.
Tatiana was a friend who came from Spain. They first met when Tatiana and her family were on vacation and business in Indonesia at a big mall in Jakarta. At that time, Glara was standing in front of a big screen playing a song from her favorite band. The Rotary. When she turned her head, she found a girl standing next to her, just like her, thoroughly enjoying the performance. Later, they got acquainted.
Soon, they became close, and Tatiana introduced Glara to her family. Furthermore, her parents supported Glara's life until she graduated from high school.
Oh, Glara never asked for it. She would not ask if it was not for an important reason. However, the crucial situation really happened. She had been in arrears for several months of school fees, and if she did not pay it off, the school would not give her the report.
Of course, her parents were the first she asked for the money. But all she got was anger and a long tirade about she should have used her allowance to pay for it. She clearly objected to it because how would she get to and from school if she used all of her money to pay the fees? And one slap on her left cheek was enough in response. They would not give her the money.
She cried. Sure. She felt alone. No one in her house cared about her. And that made her devote everything to Tatiana, including the matter of her financial difficulties.
They initially intended to adopt her. But, she refused because both of her parents were still alive. So, they offered something else, paying for her schooling. Indeed, with no one knowing.
The kindness of Tatiana's parents opened her eyes to fight for her own life. Since then, she had been looking for a way to make money. She made cakes and sold them. But, again, her parents bothered her by taking all her income. They watched her, so she couldn't budge, such as taking little money for saving. So, she looked for other ways and managed to gain success through it. And it was the path that brought her free from her parents.
Yeah, that was a piece of a relatively long story about her relationship with her best friend and their enormous influence on her life. And the decision to leave her home was also approved by Tatiana's family. After all, she was twenty years old and had the freedom to decide her future.
Glara turned her upper body to the right and then to the left. She tried to shake off the stiffness by that. Next, she slowly turned her neck. It was a brief stretch on the bed.
--
Glara took a seat closest to the window. She deliberately chose that place to get an exciting view. What was better than walking the city while looking around? This was what she looked forward to when she visited a new place. Satisfying her eyes with new sights. Agreed?
Because of that, she used a bus which would definitely provide a better view than the tube. And as a compliment, she boarded a two-story bus she saw for the first time and sat on the second floor. This way, her eyes would be more satisfied.
Before long, she felt a movement that showed the bus was starting to move.
"Hello."
Someone's voice interrupted the fun that was just about to begin. The sound was so close that Glara couldn't eliminate the possibility that it was aimed at her. And her guess came true as she saw a beautiful woman staring at her. The woman had long hair.
"H-Hello," she stuttered a little. Her English was not bad, but also not so great. Although she often communicated with Tatiana using English and sometimes Spanish, they mainly communicated through messages. It was definitely different from having a face-to-face conversation.
"This is the first time I've seen a face like yours. Are you a tourist?" asked the woman with a smile on her lips. Her face showed her friendliness.
Glara nodded. "Yes," she answered simply.
"For a vacation?"
She nodded again. To be honest, she didn't mind when someone spoke to her. It was only that her nervousness was so intense that her tongue felt numb.
"Me too. Where are you going?"
Glara slightly tilted her head, a bit surprised at the question. Her mind thought about the reason the woman asked her that.
The woman who saw the confusion on her face said, "Oh, my name is Cassie." Her hand was on her chest to confirm her introduction. "And he is-" She paused for a moment, pointing to the man sitting in front of her. "-my cousin, Wyatt. We're tourists here too. So, maybe, we can go together," she continued with a brief explanation that she hoped would ease the confusion of the other party.
And her reaction was to carve a smile on her lips. "My name is Glara. Sure, we can go together. I'm heading to the museum."
"Museum?" Cassie parroted. "Good! We love museums too. I hear there are lots of interesting museums in London."
"I heard that too," Glara responded. Although she meant by that was clearly not hearing in the real sense but reading it from the internet. Oh, she loved to read. And actually, she was planning to visit the library in this city. It would be nice to have a full day immersing herself in the thousands of books and the serenity of the library.
"So, may we join you on the museum tour?" Cassie slipped her joke into her question. However, it couldn't completely cover her anticipation of the answer. Glara's first reaction when she asked about her destination was not very welcoming. She understood it. After all, they were strangers. So, she was a little worried that Glara would reject her for the same reason.
Fortunately, Cassie's worries didn't come true. Glara's reply was the exact opposite of her fear. Glara even smiled broadly as she agreed, "Yeah, sure. It would be nice to have a companion."
Cassie involuntarily exhaled, relieved to hear her acceptance. Likewise, Wyatt, who had been silently observing their interaction. He waited for the right time to join in their conversation. But, in silence, he actually had so much opportunity to observe Glara. He had barely even taken his eyes off of his woman ever since she left her apartment building.
Yes, yes. Wyatt would admit it. He followed her with Cassie in search of an opportunity to approach her.
How about Theo? Where was he?
He assigned his beta to take over his job.
"Thanks, Glara. You're so sweet."
Glara smiled awkwardly at her words and compliments. She was not used to receiving similar sentences from strangers or even those closest to her. It seemed like those things didn't need to be said, though it would bring pleasure to her because she felt her existence was recognized.
Ah, did that mean no one really cared about her existence? Yeah, it was kind of like that. Except for Tatiana and her family, of course. "You're welcome." She was no less awkward saying it.
"Anyway, where are you from?" Cassie brought up a new topic. The first stage had been passed. Next, she had to maintain their interaction.
"Indonesia. You?"
"We're from England, but we live in Oxford. Have you heard of it?"
"Yes. But I only know Oxford university."
"Yes, it's one of the famous universities in our city. But we certainly have many other interesting places."
"Really?"
"Yes. Come to Oxford, and I'll take you around the city."
And their chatter didn't stop there. Glara and Cassie continued to talk until they reached their destination. It appeared that Theo's idea of including his mate in their plans to approach Glara was the right decision. Look how fast they got along. Cassie's friendly and open personality made it easy for her to get close to other people. And it became the most crucial ability in the initial success of their plan.