Sunshades and ice creams

Chapter seventeen

The annoying sound of her phone ringing woke her up. She rolled on her bed trying her best to ignore the call but her ringtone little mix_ woman like me kept on repeating itself. She groaned loud enough to wake a sleeping lion. With closed eyes she picked the call

"Yeah" she didn't even check the caller ID.

"Hey Diane"

When she heard Elena voice through the phone, she sat up her eyes clear of sleep. She hadn't heard from her in a while and she was dying to know the whole details of the honeymoon not the smooching part or any personal details. She wanted a PG 13 gist.

"Lena?! Gosh it's been long" she replied grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah it's been a long time" her voice sounding down. "Can we meet up and have some ice creams, nuts and pop corn?"

"Are you in town? When did you arrive?" Shock was evident in her face. She thought Lena was still in Dubai with Jason for their honeymoon.

"Last night"

"What!! And you didn't call"

"I'm sorry Dee. I'll make it up to you..."

"With a full gist of your honeymoon"

Elena didn't reply, she nodded her head and bit her lips as she tried to hold back the tears in her eyes.

"Lena?" Diane called questioninglyly

Elena immediately sniffed and wiped the small tears that escaped her eyes with her free hand.

"Yeah, I'm here" she answered after clearing her throat to rid any atom of breaking down.

"Are you alright?" diane asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine " Lena answered but a bit fast and edgy convincing Diane something was wrong. "I'm okay"  it didn't sound a bit convincing.

Diane face fell, she felt convinced that something was wrong with Elena and she was going to find out what. Elena wasn't that convincing, she spoke like she was trying to convince herself that everything is alright. This is not the Elena Diane knew, the one Diane knew was the overconfident one.

"Lena " she called cautiously and suspiciously.

"How's Ruby" Lena diverted the question.

Diane didn't push but she knew better, the matter on ground was serious. She had to find out the truth but for now, she'd play along dumb.

" She's fine....she has Dario wrapped in her tiny fingers" talking about Ruby and Dario brought a smile to her lips.

"Why do I feel like you're smiling?"

Diane chuckled and shook her head.

"And what about Dennis?"

"Well, we are good. He calls me mom now"

"Wow!!" Lena exclaimed with lack of enthusiasm that Diane Didn't fail to notice. " You would tell me everything that happened when I was away and I mean everything. So by 10: 30am?"

" 11:00, I'll be there" Diane replied and cut the call.

Diane, dressed in a blue summer dress walked down the stairs to meet Charlotte already serving breakfast to Ruby and Dennis who wouldn't sit still. She giggled watching as Charlotte tried to stop the little devils and also trying to serve their food. Her giggle caught their attention and within some seconds they were running towards her.

"Mommy!!!" They shouted. She pulled them into a hug, pecking them on their hair. She ruffled Dennis hair earning a big scowl from him as he scooted back.

She laughed at his antics. She looked around for Dario but couldn't find him.

"Where's your daddy?" She asked them.

"Upstairs" Dennis replied as he rushed back to the dinning table earning a squeal from Ruby as she ran after him.

"You cheated!" Ruby whined stamping her feet on the floor when she got to the dinning table.

Dennis grinned " no i didn't"

Ruby rolled her eyes, clinging to her rag doll " yes you did" still adamant

"That's what big brothers do" Dennis replied intelligently as he dug into his bacon and eggs.

Diane smiled at how they got along, it was marvelous just like real brother and sister. Diane noticed Ruby refused to touch her food, she was about going over to meet them when Dennis held Ruby hand.

"Won't you eat?"

Ruby shook her head frowning.

"Ok fine, I cheated. " Ruby's head perked up as she listened to him intently "but if you don't eat we won't have a rematch"

Ruby nodded excitedly and immediately dug into her food.

She smiled at them, she could sit here all day watching them but she had to meet up with Elena "Charlotte, would you please set Dario breakfast in a tray and hand it to me"

Charlotte nodded her head and got to work. When she was done she handed the tray to her.

"Dario is his study" she added.

"Thanks" Diane collected the tray and left.

Diane knocked on the door and heard a muffled come in, she walked in and placed the tray on his small circular table that was on the other side of the room then she turned towards him.

Dario eyed her cautiously what does she want now? Though he enjoys her serving him breakfast everyday that he usually don't eat until she's downstairs but the last time she served him breakfast in his study, she wanted something.

"Your breakfast" she smiled, an infectious one that almost caused Dario to smile.

"What do you want?" He asked with folded arms as he relaxed on his chair forgetting the piles of work he had to deliver to the office and send a review of the company to his dad.

She scrunched her eyebrows together with her hands on her hips "can't a friend bring food for another friend"

Friends.

He smiled liking the sound of that, the new idea of being friends with her though it was a bit foreign in his lips. For a week they've lived as a family and he wanted it to continue that way....

"Don't you want breakfast?" Diane corked her brows

He stood up and walked in the direction of the circular table. "Join me" he requested

She shook her head and politely declined. It was already past eleven and she promised to meet up with Elena at eleven sharp.

"I'll see you later in the evening just wanted to make sure you don't bury yourself in work and forget about breakfast"  she said with the door open and then she stepped out.

"I'm sorry I'm late" she apologised as she sat next to Elena.

"It's nothing. It gave me time to think and clear my head" Elena replied.

Diane noticed Elena made no move to take off the sun shade though they were inside the ice cream parlour. She felt the urge to ask but she waved it away. That wasn't the only thing Diane didn't fail to notice, she noticed the varieties of ice creams on their table like cinnamon ice cream, coconut ice cream, vanilla, chocolate velvet, caramel macchiato, rocky road ice cream, strawberry and so many others.

"Ummh, is anyone joining us?" Diane asked staring down at the ice creams with wide eyes.

Elena shook her head and dived into the caramel macchiato. This was totally weird for Diane, Elena was always and she means always conscious of her weight but the Elena sitting in front of her didn't give a damn about it.

She picked up the vanilla and began to lick, before she could finish a plate of ice cream Elena was done with five. She couldn't take it anymore she had to break the killer silence.

"Ok, what the hell is wrong with you?" Diane dropped her plate of ice cream waiting for a reply.

"I don't get" Elena tried to play dumb.

"Don't play dumb with me Lena. What's going on? First you won't take off the sun glasses, second you ordered this ice creams and you haven't said anything since I came here." After her ranting she  calmed down and asked "What's going on?"

"It's..."

"And don't even think of lying to me" Diane folded her arms on her chest with a serious look.

Elena sighed giving up in her act. " I don't know where to begin, I don't even know how to start"

"You can start by taking off your glasses and telling me why you finished five plates of ice creams"

Elena took off her glasses and stared at her best friend. She watched as Diane gasped at how horrible she looked.

Diane couldn't form a proper word. She just stared at the red puffy eyes and swollen face her friend had. How did this happen? What happened? All this questions ran through her head and she needed to voice something out.

"How?" That was the only thing she could say.

"Jason asked for divorce"