invasato [h.s]

29

"Not sure why you expected them to be on time." Bianca then decides to open her mouth to add her input. "They never are."

"Why are you even here?" I shoot back.

"We need to be checked into the penthouse by 11 at the latest. Let's go." Zayn directs, stopping the banter and throwing his cigarette to the ground and stepping on it.

I quickly roll my eyes beneath my sunglasses and then head for the jet staircase. The stairs are carpeted with red material. As I get closer to the stairs, Elaina walks past me.

She's got a scent of freshness, like a fruity body wash. She's definitely showered this morning. She's wearing leggings and a loose fitting white shirt with a long knit brown cardigan overtop, her red hair in two french braids. Shes wearing white socks that go up past her ankles over the leggings and white sneakers. She's so simplistic with the way she dresses, maybe because she's so detailed in other areas of her mind—like her art...or how she asks questions all the damned time.

She walks in front of me, getting up onto the staircase as I get caught behind her. She's got a black backpack on her back as well as a baby blue duffel bag on her shoulder. How many bags does she need? It's only three days.

Does she need a grandma outfit for every hour of the day?

As she walks up the steps, I notice the strap of her duffel bag falling off of her shoulder. The strap falls down to the crease of her elbow on her bent arm.

With an eye roll to myself, I start to reach forward to pick the strap up off her arm and pull it back on to her shoulder in need to hurry her up the stairs so I can get in my seat.

But, before I can reach for her bag, Liam does.

He was a little bit in front of her on the steps and he had looked over his shoulder briefly, just in time to see her bag falling. He presses his lips into a half smile and helps her, pulling the strap onto her shoulder.

"Thanks." she smiles back.

I inhale through my nose. Why is my chest burning all of a sudden?

Getting on the plane, Elaina freezes very briefly as she takes in the sight before her. I don't know what she was expecting on a private jet flight, but I guess it wasn't wide seats and tables and private booths.

There was enough space to walk past her so I did, Niall following behind me. Him and I tuck into two leather seats across from each other with a table between them.

Zayn and Louis sit adjacent to us in the other set of seats, while Bianca, Liam and Aldo go sit at a booth that could fit five people.

"El, come sit next to me." Angela speaks from the row behind Niall and I. Elaina clears her throat and brings herself back there, getting herself in to one of the leather chairs. From where I was sitting, I could see her sitting across from Angela—not her whole face, but half...and if she moved her head, I could see all of her.

This flight was going to be around two hours long. We're landing in Palermo—one of the cities in the region of Sicily. The casino is in Palermo, and a party is being hosted inside said casino. The host is reportedly the daughter of the casino owner, who is big on fancy dress parties like the one we'll be going to.