We're in This Together

Episode 56

"Here's your strawberry cheese smoothie," Lawrence said, placing it in front of Julia.

"Wow, it looks delicious," she said excitedly. "Thank you," she quickly added to Lawrence.

"So, Julia, can I check out the competition website?" I asked as she sipped her smoothie.

"Yes, sure," she replied, pulling out her laptop from her backpack. "The website has really blown up because there are a lot of competitors," she added as she opened the website. She turned the laptop towards me, showing me the site. "Here it is, Professor Alison," she said with a wide smile. I took the laptop and started reading about the competition. 

"That's a really huge competition," I said, resting my chin on my palm. "And there will be a lot of artists coming to the competition."

"Yeah, there will be lots of famous artists there," Julia added eagerly. I nodded in agreement as I continued to browse the website. While looking through the details, I noticed the competition's final date, which was the last week of next month. As I found out the date, I swiftly recognized about Seb's campaign.  

"Seb, when are we going to Australia?" I asked while he was scrolling through his phone.

"Maybe next weekend, but if you need more time, it's okay. You can come after the weekend," he replied. "Why? Is something wrong?" he asked, resting his elbows on the table. I quickly shook my head.

"No, I was just thinking about the schedule," I said, my gaze fixed on the laptop screen.

"Why?" Charles asked curiously, also looking at me.

"Well, I mean... Julia's competition is also in Australia. But her competition ends in the last week of next month," I explained, scrolling through the website. "But our campaign will finish the week before that, right?" I asked Seb, and he nodded in confirmation. "So..." I trailed off, still looking at the laptop.

"So... you have to stay in Australia for one more week," Charles added, giving me a confirming glance. I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I have to stay there for one more week... I guess," I replied, glancing at them.

"It's only one more week, and don't worry. If you're uncomfortable staying there alone, I can stay with you guys," Seb added, looking at Julia and me. "It doesn't matter to me to stay there for one more week. So, don't worry, about that ," he said again, giving me a warm smile.

"I can stay there too..." Charles chimed in, making me look at him. "I mean, you know all the drivers never go straight back to their home countries. They usually stay in the race country for a few days after the race," he explained. "So, we can also stay there for a few days," he added with a small smile. We all looked at him, momentarily silent.

"Thank you, both of you," I said with a small smile to Seb and Charles. Then, I turned my attention back to the laptop, continuing to read about the competition's restrictions, methods, and rules. While I was reading, Seb asked another question.

"By the way, what competition is it?" Seb asked.

"It's an art competition," I paused and turned my attention to Julia, softly grabbing her shoulder. "She has a lot of talent in art and wants to participate in this competition, so I became her coach," I added, giving her a wink, which made her giggle.

"Yeah, Professor Alison is really awesome," Julia said with a wide smile. "She's really good at drawing, painting, teaching, sketching, and many other things," she added, taking another sip of her smoothie. While we were all engaged in conversation, Adie suddenly ran over from the counter, holding a small piece of cake in her hand.