How Well Do You Know Your Friends?

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"Hey, Bella hasn't come down since last night, should we call her to eat?"

Andrei was flipping a pancake on a pan, while Laurie was leaning her hips against the island counter, sipping a steaming black coffee. She was wearing dark glasses because her temple throbbed from the harsh light.

If she wasn't going to the Nakamura's house, she would rather lay down on her bed until the hateful hangover left her. But, she couldn't do that today. She promised to have dinner with the Nakamura's and she must go.

She was trying to counterattack the alcohol she consumed last night by drinking caffeine. She was on her second cup of black coffee and so far, it was working.

After her first cup, she no longer felt nauseous and murderous.

"Bella is a writer. Don't try to distract her from her creative juju because of your disgusting pancake," she eyed the pancake that Andrei just flipped on the pan.

The pancake was burnt, and she could help but shook her head in disgust.

"Do you really have an idea of what you are doing, Andrei?"

"It is edible. That's what matters," he smirked.

"I would rather die of hunger if I have to eat that pancake of yours."

"Do you know how to cook? Or are you all talk?!"

She laughed then groaned. When her body shook with laughter her head erupted in pain.

"I can't watch you wasting food," she pushed herself away from the island counter, and with her coffee in hand, went to the living room. She put down the coffee on the table and slowly ease herself to lie down on the couch.

"Aghh, this feels so good. I don't want to go anywhere!"

"You have been saying that you are going somewhere, where would you go?"

"Nakamura's house. I wish to god Hideaki wasn't there because I don't know what I would do," she mumbled loud enough for Andrei to hear.

But he didn't reply to her and all she heard was the banging of some pots and pans as he moved around the kitchen.

Laurie closed her eyes and let her mind drift away.

The Nakamura's house was about an hour's drive away from here. According to Mei Mei, it was her father, her and her husband who lived in that old house.

Hideaki and Ryu were both living on their own in Tokyo. Mei and her husband have an apartment in Tokyo as well, where they stayed when her husband had to work and they couldn't come back home.

Apparently, Mei Mei has been living the life of the perfect housewife. She is where her husband wants her to be. She followed her husband everywhere to support and serve him.

She grimaced inwardly thinking how she would get bored if her life would be spent following her husband around.

She couldn't imagine herself running a household. Let alone do it without complaint. She could vividly see herself nagging and drinking to stupor if she would be in the situation.

"Hey, come here and eat."

"I don't want to die, yet," she replied to Andrei without moving from the couch.

"Bitch! I can't make a pancake but I can scramble some eggs and I put some bacon in the oven."

Hearing that there was some bacon, Laurie got up from the couch and made her way to the kitchen. She was half way to the kitchen when she remembered her coffee. She went back to the living room and picked up her now cold coffee.

She opened the pantry, grabbed an empty ice tray and poured the cold coffee in it, and put it in the fridge. A frozen coffee will be good to use for an iced latte or iced americano later. One of the hacks that she learned from drinking lots of coffee every day.

When she was busy with work, she would sometimes forget to drink her coffee, and since she doesn't like to drink cold coffee, it would go to waste, until she decided to freeze and use it when she felt like making some iced coffee.

She poured herself a fresh cup of coffee afterward and enjoyed her scrambled eggs. The bacon will always be bacon. There is nothing you can do to make it turn bad.

"What's your plan?"

"I'll pack some clothes since I'll be staying there for the weekend, and take a nap before the driver arrives. And you?"

"I would email my lawyers because I am taking your words seriously about investing with my furniture store branching out in Asia."

"Well, good luck with that," she replied, putting down her fork, wiping the corner of her mouth, and finishing her cup of coffee. "Can you help me pack my clothes?"

"Sure, of course. But you really have to keep your word about --"

"Listen, Andrei. What I told you last night was not because of alcohol. I mean it. But - my lawyers would work faster on it if you just work on it from your end without talking about it," she said, lifting her eyebrows, making sure that he understood what she was trying to say.

"Oh - okay," he nodded. "You can go ahead, start packing your clothes. I will just wash the dishes and follow you right after."

Laurie headed up the stairs and was surprised to find Bella standing at the top. "Did you just wake up?" she asked with a frown on her face.

"Oh yes, I just woke up and just about to go down." she chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh-okay," Laurie chuckled at Bella's awkwardness. "There might be some burnt pancakes downstairs," she said, walking to her room.

"Are you going to Mei Mei's house today?"

"Yes. And I'll be staying overnight," she answered.

Before she entered her room, she just happened to glance over her shoulder and was stunned to see Bella staring at her with strange expressions on her face.

Before she could call her, she turned around and went down the stairs.

She cocked her head, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. The expression on Bella's face was pure anger.