Mi casa est su casa

Steve and Noah had both gone to work, while Laila and Maria had remained at the house. As Maria was still in her room counting sheep, Laila was mentally preparing herself to call Olivia. She had been waiting for it to become an appropriate time to call someone and it had been the longest wait she had ever experienced. Each second seemed to drag on but at the same time she never wanted the time to move. Now it was close to ten in the morning and she no longer had an excuse to wait any longer. She took a few deep breaths and then finally pressed the call button.

After three rings the call was finally picked up. In a voice that sounded as if she did not have caller-ID Olivia answered the phone by saying, "Hello?" in a questioning tone. Nervously Laila replied, "Hello Olivia. It's me, Laila." In a disinterested tone Olivia said, "Oh yes. Laila. I'm surprised you have the time to be calling me with your current houseguest." With these words Olivia had given Laila the perfect opening.

"Well, that is why I was calling actually. I know it has only been a day but I already feel like I need a break from it all. The thought of her staying her for multiple days is hard for me to bear. Fortunately for me, she is a late sleeper. So, while she is still in bed, I thought I should give you a call and see if you could save me from this hell I am currently in. I can't seem to get away from her anywhere in my own home. It is driving me crazy. So, I thought we could meet up at your place tomorrow and spend some time together like old times. What do you say?"

Olivia was hesitant. Although she was happy to hear that Laila's dislike for Maria was still great enough for her to want to run away after just one day. Something she could understand very well considering the person they were talking about. But to have her come over? That felt like a dangerous thing to do. In all this time they had never met up at her house. So, why was there a sudden need for that now? "There is no fun in us meeting up at my house. Why don't we instead go somewhere else and share a nice meal together? In fact, I know just the place. They recently opened up and I have been meaning to go there for a while now."

Laila got a bit anxious. She needed to convince Olivia that the only way for them to meet up was at her home. Otherwise there was no point to them meeting up at all. So, Laila did a second attempt as she said, "Although I would love to go with you to wherever you have in mind and I am sure it would be a wonderful place, as all the places you pick out are wonderful, I am not sure that it would fix my current predicament. I mean, if I go anywhere outside, I am positive she will find a way to tag along. What reason can I possibly give her for wanting to go to some fancy place and not taking her along? So, I figured if I said that you needed my help and that I was going to your place, she wouldn't want to join me. In fact, considering how things ended between you two, I am certain she will not follow me to your house. That is why it seemed like the perfect place for me to hide for a bit. We could hang out, chat and I would get a chance to get away from Maria for a few hours. So, how about it? Can we meet up this once at your place?"

Hearing that Olivia was still not biting, Laila felt herself becoming even more nervous. So, in order to sweeten the deal, she made a drastic move and added Noah to the mix. "I can even ask Noah to join us after work and we could have dinner together at your place. Doesn't that sound fun?" The moment Olivia heard Noah's name, she immediately was on board and in said, "Of course you can come over here. I never said you couldn't. I was just worried it might not be fun enough for you here. But mi casa est su casa. You know that. And of course darling Noah is most welcome as well. I would love to have you both over for dinner. You can come whenever you want and we will make a day of it."

Though her intentions were obvious and all her pleasantries were as fake as could be, Laila accepted her offer instantly and ended the call shortly after to make sure Olivia couldn't change her mind. As soon as she hung up the call, she called Noah to tell him about her success. A call that was answered almost immediately. Wasting not even a second more than what was necessary. Showing just how strong their bond and their love for each other was.