Chapter 24

"What time is it?" Chloe asked.

"Five o'clock," Stella said. "It's still oo early, go back to sleep."

Chloe turned over on the side. She sighed. "It's too long," she mumbled under her breath.

"Did you just say something?" Stella asked.

"No," Chloe said. "I was grumbling about waking up."

"Oh," Stella said. "Get back to sleep, I'll prepare breakfast later." She closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly.

"Do you feel his melancholy?" Chloe said, but there was no reply.

The morning came three hours later. Chloe folded her clothes in a pile. Stella had gotten up and was cooking in the kitchen. She flipped the waffles in the pan and served them wih blueberries and raspberries. "Chloe, are you ready?" She called.

Chloe idled out of the room and sat on the kitchen chair. "Looks splendid," she said. She got up and picked a fork from the drawer. "Don't tell them I ate this," she said. "They'll miss it."

"They could've stayed the night, but I guess they were too busy."