Odd was running frenetically around their loft while Ulrich was sitting on the sofa with his eyes moving, chasing his friend.
Their apartment wasn't too big, but it was perfect for them. Once you entered through the front door, a wave of black and brown tones flooded to you, making it clear that this apartment was inhabited by two men. There were barely any decorations adorning the walls, except for a few pictures where their group of friends where posing when they were little. In none of them appeared Aelita.
-Hey Ulrich, I could really use some help right now, you know?- Odd shouted from his room.
-Well, keep searching!- Ulrich answered back. The truth is that he didn't know whether to feel happy or angry about this whole Aelita situation. Of course, he had missed her, but, still, she was the one who went off and stopped contacted them. And now that she came back she expected a warm welcoming? Because if yes, it meant she didn't know him well after all.
-Oh come on man, we can't have the apartment bad when she comes.- Odd said entering on the living room and positioning himself in front of Ulrich. Odd's eyes were showing true happiness... A lot of days had passed since Ulrich have seen him like that... So excited about something. Or someone.
He was going to do this for his best friend. Not for Aelita.
He stood up, and without any word, he started to pick up the garbage from the kitchen, which was not little. They spent the rest of the night like that: without sharing any word just picking up the dirt, and preparing Odd's room for Aelita to stay. They agreed that Odd would sleep on the sofa. Maybe Ulrich was doing this for his friend, but he wasn't going to lend his bed.
A bell rang, but it wasn't the one from the front door, if not the one from the street. After all, they lived on a seventh floor. They looked at each other, each faces showing different feelings. Odd's one was showing a big smile, and Ulrich's face was neutral.
Odd answered, and then, the countdown started. The whole apartment was filled with a heavy silence, neither of them dared to talk. Or maybe both of them didn't find the exact words.
The bell rang, this time from the front door. Ulrich didn't move a bit, he decided that it was best if his friend opened the door. He looked at the hour: three am. It was pretty late.
Odd opened the door and hug Aelita but immediately separated because she was sodden from the rain. Her long pink hair was, half in a bun, and other half falling through her back, she was as tall as he remembered from high school. Maybe she has changed a bit, but she was the same girl that he had known for nine years.
-Aelita, hello- Ulrich said stepping to hug her, it was brief and awkward, Almost as if they were strangers. Maybe they were.
-Ulrich, you haven't changed a bit.- She smiled. And much for his confusing, he smiled at her too. Maybe he was still distraught, but it was good to see his old friend back.
-You too.- Ulrich said, separating a bit from her.
None of them talk again, Ulrich looked back at Odd, searching help for the situation. Aelita seemed to notice this, but she kept the same smile on her face.
-You'll sleep in my room princess.- Odd said breaking the silence, guiding her through the living room toward Odd's place. Aelita started to protest, but Odd shut her putting his finger on her lips.
-No excuses. We are already settled. I'll sleep on the couch, I don't mind.- Odd told her and then entered on the room followed by Aelita.
-Of course, you don't.- Ulrich muttered. No one heard him, they were occupied doing whatever inside the room. He entered with them and started to help Aelita settle her belongings, which were scarce.
-This is going to be really interesting.- Ulrich thought.
[()]
Once the boys went off the room, Aelita laid on the bed and started to think if this was a good idea. Was it out of place?
She looked around, and she couldn't help to think that she wasn't supposed to be there. The walls were purple, which remembered her of Odd. After all, this was his room.
Although she didn't saw his friends for five years, she still liked to think that they were still, well...friends. It wasn't really her fault, was it?
She remembered when she got the news that she would be on tour with the subdigitals. It was like a dream come true, and, when she told her friends, they all agreed that it was going to be great for her. Well, one more than others. But still.
She spent nine months touring, and it was perfect. She talked with them almost every day, and they didn't have any problems. When the tour ended, she got a proposal from a record company and, of course, she accepted. But it ended up being a fraud. From there, everything went down.
By the time, she was already nineteen years old, Odd and the rest had already graduated and went off to college, or unless, that's what they told her. She began to run out of money, and she didn't want to seek help to them. They had already done too much for her, they save her from a digital word, they gave her a home and a family when she didn't have any. Yeah, she believed that was enough.
Before she knew, she fell asleep.
The next day she woke up, but, certainly not by choice. Two voices from people she didn't know, were arguing. She slowly walked to the door, wondering if she should step in.
She opened the door just to see Ulrich and Yumi. He was leaning on one of the kitchen counters with a cup of coffee on his hands. He had his brown hair loosen up, almost as if he had just woken up, which Aelita suspected. In front of him, Yumi (who was much smaller than him) was looking directly at her. But not with a welcoming look. He dark short hair was perfectly combed, and she was wearing what seemed like an expensive suit of work.
-Talking about the queen of Rome.- Yumi said in desperation walking to the sofa to take her purse.
-Yumi, how good to see you.- Aelita said, walking towards her to give her a hug, but Yumi turned around and went off the loft giving a loud slam that could surely have been heard on Mars.
Aelita looked down at her feet. This wasn't going to be easy after all.
[()]
End of chapter 2! In the next chapter, you would get to see more of Yumi and Ulrich lives. I also want to say that chapter 3 will be much longer than the last ones. I think that the rhythm on the history is going to slow. What do you think?
I also have been watching friends lately and is so funny how some characters seem so much as code Lyoko ones. For example, Joey (one friend character) is so much alike as Odd. So I decided to give this story a friends vibes, but with more drama on it.
Did you like this chapter?