Elena's POV
Current day
"Hi, Elena!" Jane sang as she entered my room and plopped herself on my messy bed.
She just got off her work shift and she looked a bit tired... or maybe even sad... whatever it was, she didn't look too happy.
I wasn't in the mood to ask what was bothering her, as I was already preoccupied with my worries about tonight's flight.
"Hi Jane," I greeted, ignoring her gaze as I continued packing my clothes into my bag. I was leaving Boston in about two hours to go and visit my folks in Beaufort.
I wasn't scared of flying, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. It was just that I had this uneasy feeling that something was about to happen, and I couldn't shake the feeling off.
I shook my head, annoyed at myself, and tried to get myself to focus.
My father had sent the jet to fetch me, so the trip would be quite fast.
I just couldn't pinpoint why I was so nervous about going home. It wasn't the first time I have been on a plane. I basically lived on one. You see, my father is a billion-dollar businessman, and my mother and I used to accompany him often on trips.
So I knew it wasn't the flying part that was bugging me, something else was bound to happen.
"Are you ready to visit your folks in Beaufort?" Jane asked as she handed me a blouse.
"Sure," I lied. Ignoring Jane's gaze yet again. I haven't seen my parents for a while. I have been avoiding them, enjoying the freedom of being a student at a nearby elite school.
Usually, on holidays, weekends, and days when I didn't need to study, I occupied my time by working at the small coffee shop down the road.
This obviously was against my father's wishes, but after having sent back all his bodyguards and refusing to have Julia living with me, he settled with Jane being my roommate.
"What time is your flight?" Jane asked, breaking my chain of thought.
I wanted to laugh at her curiosity. She knew very well what time I would be leaving and for how long I would be gone. Why she wanted me to repeat it all again was a misery to me... I sighed.
"At eight," I answered and lifted my gaze to look at her. "Are you not going to change?" I asked.
I gave her a quick but thorough look. She had gone to the hairdresser today and cut and colored her hair... her natural blond hair was now cut short in a pixy style, and she had shocking pink streaks in them.
"Nah, I will get ready just before we leave," she answered.
"I like your hair like that, it suits you well," I complimented.
That was one thing about Jane I could never understand. She always made sure she made a fashion statement wherever she went. Her big light green colored eyes had a hint of gold in them and they were always full of life, but tonight it looked like the golden color had faded away.
Even her smile couldn't hide the sadness in them.
"Cool, when will you be back?" I rolled my eyes at her.
"Really Jane?" I cocked an eyebrow at her, challenging her question.
What was it with her tonight?
Jane is my best friend and I saw her as more like a sister, rather than a friend. Being the only child of a billion-dollar businessman, I never had the privilege of having someone so close to me or calling someone my best friend...
I knew a lot of people, and they knew me, but I had no interest in having friends who were more worried about my parents' fortune than me.
The other issue was, well, my family was constantly out of town.
I had attended home school, but when it came to social events between kids, I lost out.
I could tell you a lot about ballgowns and cocktail dresses, but school parties and events... I had no clue...
Jane, on the other hand, knew a lot more about those kinds of things. She came from a lower middle-class family up North. Her mom had taken two jobs to get her through school and her father, whom she never spoke about.
Her scholarship had paid most of the expenses for her studies but she had to attend to the living expenses in Boston. We met when I applied for a position at the coffee shop. Jane took me under her wing and we quickly became close friends.
Jane was a free spirit and could lift any person's mood and influence them, changing people's minds by just using her charm.
She made sure she had a steady social life, and dating was her hobby... but just as colorful as her personality, she got bored very quickly and moved on to the next... breaking quite a few hearts left, right, and center...
I, on the other hand, had a non-existing social life. I ignored attention, ignored people in general, and was a loner.
I was more the bookworm kind of person. Reading was one of my passions. Drawing and painting were my stimulation.
Don't get me wrong, next to Jane, I was more beautiful and more influential.
I have long soft blond hair, which hangs on my lower back. Then, I have the deepest aquamarine-colored eyes, which always remind me of the sea that I so dearly miss and I am blessed with a small button nose and a set of rosy pink lips.
Yes, I grab a lot of male attention wherever I go, but I had no interest in them or even in dating.
Too many boys had tried their luck and asked me out on a date. I just blankly refused.
It didn't feel right... something was missing in every one of them... so why date someone who you know was not meant for you?
Jane only commented about my lack of interest in dating once.
Something in my facial expression told her to back off...
"I'll be back after the summer break, as you know," I answered.
Jane walked over to the balcony, which looked over Boston Harbour. She had fallen in love with the view at Devonshire, worse than I did.
I kept one of the largest Penthouses in Devonshire. Living on the 42nd floor, the view was breathtaking, it gave us the beauty of both the harbor and the nightlife in the city.
My father had bought the penthouse for business, but when I said that I wanted to be schooled here in Boston, my father suggested that I live in the penthouse.
A small smile played on the corner of my lips. Yes, I was still daddy's little girl, and daddy made sure everything I needed was provided.
The penthouse itself was luxurious. It had three enormous bedrooms, all painted an off-white color. Each had its own ensuite attached.
The kitchen was stocked with the very best equipment and a chef would be proud to work in it. Not that we did much cooking in the kitchen...
My father had Peter do the internal design. He had the living room decorated with Italian leather couches. The walls are decorated elegantly with black and white family photos and abstract images.
My room was decorated with an ocean theme, Jane's with a nature theme, and the third room was done with all different whites and a tint of black here and there.
"I'm going to miss you," Jane said, turning around.
"I'm going to miss you too," I answered and walked to where Jane was standing on the balcony. I hugged her as tears started to spill over and run down her cheeks.
"Don't be sad," I tried to comfort her, "I will be back sooner than you think…" She gave me a small uncertain nod.
"Or maybe when Ms. Thompson decides to give you leave, you can come and visit... I'll send Daddy's Jet to come and get you... Daddy wouldn't mind," I said, wiping the tears off her face.
Mr. Thompson was the owner of the little coffee shop we both worked at.
Oh how much I love the old woman. She was such a proud little thing, with a soft voice, grey hair and small dark eyes, a real mother figure, and a warm personality, and she wasn't a difficult woman to work for.
Ms. Thompson and her husband couldn't have any children. She poured all her love into the little coffee shop and her customers.
She could bake the most delicious treats and cookies in the small little coffee shop kitchen.
Mmmm... I am going to miss working there...
The coffee shop is always busy. We have our regulars who visit us daily... and over the holiday season, the poor little shop booms with holidaymakers.
Now, Ms. Thompson isn't someone who would debate, but when Jane went and asked her if it was possible to take leave, Ms. Thomson refused. She did explain her reasons why... It was just that Jane's timing was bad.
Mr. Thompson was ill and she only had junior waiters and Jane to help run the shop, this while it was peak season.
Even though Jane could understand her reason, it left her devastated.
"Come on, let's get something to drink before I leave," I suggested. I still had time left before my departure, so both of us went down to our local pub to spend some time together before I needed to fly home...
As we entered our local pub and grill, Jimmy's, the most intoxicating scent hit my nose and my knees bucked under my weight...
Never in my life had I ever smelled such a potent scent and had such a pull toward something I couldn't see or touch.
My mouth suddenly watered and I started to search for the owner of the divine smell.
I felt compelled to find it, calling me with a silent voice and pulling me in with an invisible force...
It took me a moment to figure out what the smell reminded me of... then it hit me like a tidal wave from the sea... the scent reminded me of home... the smell of the ocean breeze with a tint of pinewood...
While the smell drove my insides to mush, the uneasy feeling pushed up in me again and every hair on my body was raised...
I was still deciding if it was a good or bad feeling when a couple of guys from our class came to join us at our table...
Rich kids...
I internally growled and rolled my eyes at them...
They were so full of themselves...
I took the opportunity to take a whiff of every one of their scents, hoping to find the one who was the owner of the mouth-watering scent...
When I couldn't find it between them, I sat back... pouting... half-heartily listening to Jane's flirting with the boys...
I didn't mind, at least Jane wouldn't be lonely... or bored... while I was gone.
I rolled my eyes at her silly and annoying habit... at least she never brought any guys back to the penthouse...
When one of the boys tried to involve me in whatever plans they were discussing, I had excused myself, mentioning that I would be out of town for the summer break, but added that Jane would be more than happy... and available...
We left soon after and our trip to the airport was quiet... too quiet...
When I got out of the car and handed Jane my car keys, she pulled me into a hug. Holding onto me for dear life...
"I am coming back..." I reassured her with a small teasing smile, and pulled her away from me, "in a few days you know..."
"I know," she said, tearing up, and I turned on my heels to catch the jet, my father sent...
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