The next morning, Elis appeared at the Starling household with a neat box of chocolates and a bouquet of yellow roses. When the doorbell rang, Mrs. Starling herself opened the door, her face instantly lighting up.
"Oh, Elis! Come in, come in!" she said cheerfully. "Sit on the sofa, dear. I'll finish up in the kitchen."
Elis shifted uneasily, polite as ever. "Aunty, should I help you instead?"
Mrs. Starling shook her head firmly. "No, no, you just sit. I'll bring coffee for you."
"Aunty, really, you don't need to trouble yourself—"
But Mrs. Starling had already waved her off. "You're stepping into our home for the first time, of course we'll treat you properly."
Soon she returned, setting a plate with buttered toast and fresh fruit in front of Elis. "So tell me, dear, what kind of job do you do?"
With a polite smile, Elis answered, "I work at a private company."
"Oh, that's nice," Mrs. Starling nodded. "By the way, you gave me too much advance rent yesterday. Our house isn't that expensive."
"It's okay, aunty," Elis replied simply.
Mrs. Starling smiled again, pushing the plate toward her. "From now on, you can have breakfast and dinner here with us. We'll be glad to have you. You see, our only daughter doesn't have any siblings, so—"
Before she could finish, a loud yawn came from the hallway. Mr. Starling stumbled out, scratching his head. He spotted Elis at the table and blinked.
"Who's this boy?" he asked, completely baffled.
Mrs. Starling smacked her forehead. "Honestly! Do you even know who lives under your own roof? This is our new tenant!"
"Oh…" Mr. Starling scratched his hair again. "Right." Then he turned back to his wife. "Anyway, I'm starving. Get my breakfast ready, please."
Mrs. Starling glared. "Go freshen up first, then I'll serve you."
Elis glanced around the cozy living room, her gaze flicking toward the empty hallway. With a polite pause, she turned back to Mrs. Starling and asked softly,
"Aunty… I don't see Yuni anywhere. Did she already leave for school?"
Mrs. Starling sighed. "Yes. From last night her mood has been strange. Normally she's lively, always joking around. But yesterday… she looked gloomy, barely ate dinner, and left for school this morning without touching breakfast. I don't know what's gotten into her."
Elis lowered her gaze, guilt settling in her chest. It's because of me… If I hadn't spoken so harshly, she wouldn't be this upset.
Finishing her meal, Elis stood up. "Aunty, I should get going now. I'll be late for the office."
Mrs. Starling nodded, and Elis excused herself, still weighed down by regret.
---
Meanwhile, at school, Yuni sat through classes with a blank face. She hadn't spoken a word to either Loir or Sam. Both of them tried, again and again, to cheer her up, but nothing worked. Even when Loir nervously told Yuni about everything that had happened between him and Sam the day before, she gave no reaction.
It hurt Loir to see his best friend so cold. Later, he confided in Sam, who listened patiently before saying,
"Yuni must be really upset about something. Give her some time. When she's ready, she'll tell you everything herself."
Sam's calm reassurance soothed Loir a little, but his heart still ached for Yuni's silence.
To be Continued.....