Chapter 5 Amora Roberts She did something! I'm sure of it.

As soon as Liz and I arrived at the café, we chose a table at the back, where the dim lighting and the distance from other tables ensured a sense of privacy. After all, our conversations were usually intense, full of revelations and laughter, and we didn't want to be the subject of curious or indiscreet looks.

Persephone arrived with her captivating smile, greeting us with a wave and quickly taking a seat. Her eyes sparkled with a mix of curiosity and anticipation as she settled into the chair, ready to hear what we had to say.

"Hello! Loves, good morning! What's on the agenda today?"

"Let's place our orders first, I didn't have breakfast earlier, and thank goodness for that! Otherwise, I would have thrown up in front of Mr. Trevis," I sighed, recalling what happened.

"Pê looks at me curiously."

"Relax, I'll tell you everything in a bit."

I beckon the waitress with a discreet wave, and she soon approaches to take our orders. While she takes notes, I take the opportunity to start the conversation, feeling a mix of nervousness and determination.

"Persephone, first of all, I would like to thank you for meeting us here today," I begin, my voice a bit tense but determined. "I have something important to discuss, and I want your honest help and opinion."

Persephone raises an eyebrow with interest. "Hold on, it must be something very strange for you to talk like this, you're scaring me," Pê squints at me, staring.

"Pê, I think it's good for you to start telling us what good or bad happened to you this weekend that we haven't seen each other," Liz winks at me and smiles.

"Okay, okay, so I met a guy, he's so handsome and charming, blond, green eyes, and tall, I think around 6'1"... um, seems promising! And the best part is he's really fun, and in case you're wondering, Amora, this was yesterday," she says with a playful smile.

"How come yesterday?" I ask surprised.

"Well! The proper ladies didn't want to go with me to The Night, as they were getting ready for 'crazy Monday,' but I think one of them was doing something much more important than that."

"And about this 'yesterday at The Night,' did you have a lot of fun, I imagine?"

She chuckles, shaking her head. "You know how it is, Amora, sometimes we need to break the routine and have a little fun. But getting back to serious business, I'm sure someone here had more fun than me."

She says, making air quotes with her hands and looking at me and Liz, who spits out her juice.

I look at Liz curiously, I know there's something there.

"What's up, Liz, what did you do?"

"I... um... nothing!"

"She did something! I'm sure of it."

"Persephone! Let it go, I didn't go out with you because I was reviewing the spreadsheets to show to Mr. Trevis and by the way, the investment won't happen," I sigh, frustrated.

"Why? Your company is solid, there's nothing wrong, in fact, if there is, it's because there's something very wrong with you, you're a perfectionist."

"I know, Persephone, but I'll tell you what happened later, now Liz, tell us what happened and why Persephone said that."

"Um, ummm... Oh my God!"

"Eliza, stop stalling and spill it already," Persephone says, already bouncing in her chair.

"Okay, I didn't want to tell you now, I wanted to wait a while."

"Eliza!" I call her, and she looks at me.

"Take a breath and spill it, stop stalling, or I'll start tossing these lovely rolls at you."

"Fine, so, yesterday I lied to avoid going out," she covers her face with both hands, peeking at us between her fingers.

"Ha, I knew it! You can't lie, Eliza, and yesterday when I called you, you stuttered and said you were with your mom, taking care of her because she had a cold."

Eliza puts her hand on her face, covering it, and then quickly removes it. We start laughing, and she, noticing our laughter, looks at us confused and then wipes her face to understand the reason. However, her hand was covered in sugar from the doughnuts she was eating, and as she removes it, she inadvertently spreads sugar all over her face. This makes us laugh even more, and Eliza finally realizes what happened, joining in our laughter as she tries to clean her face with the napkin.

Liz rolls her eyes. "Oh, Heavens!"

Persephone and I burst into laughter. As Eliza gets up, saying "I'll be right back!" and walks towards the restroom to clean her face, Persephone starts talking amid laughter.

"She did something, she's only this clumsy when she's nervous and thinks we'll judge her or argue."

"That's true, we've known Eliza for 3 years now, and she only gets like this when she feels threatened."

Eliza returns and sits down, still a little embarrassed, while both of us try to stifle our laughter.

"Friend, you don't need to be nervous, we won't judge you, and besides, never forget that life is yours, and you do whatever you want with it, you know we're here for everything and that if you need it, we'll give you a little ear-pulling, yes, but never forget that we're accomplices even in death."

Eliza smiles, taking a deep breath and thanking for the support. "It's reassuring to know that I have friends like you by my side, always ready to support me and give me advice, even in the most embarrassing moments." She holds our hands. "Thank you! It's just that I get a little embarrassed sometimes."

"But first, let's get these things away from you, or you'll spill coffee, juice, and tea on us," we laugh, covering our mouths, and Eliza laughs in agreement, pushing the doughnuts away as the waitress approaches with our coffees.

"So, do you remember Paul?" she asked, her voice tinged with implication.

"That hot neighbor of yours?" Persephone asks, letting out a knowing smile. Memories of the last time we met came flooding back.

She nodded, leaning in closer, her cheeks flushing.

"Yes, him. So I was really relaxed in my apartment, you know how I get really relaxed," she continued, letting out a sigh.

Persephone and I nodded.

Persephone smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, we know, dear. You deserve every moment of peace you can find," she said, her voice soft and comforting.

She nodded gratefully for the support. "That's true," she replied, a slight smile playing on her lips.

I look at her curiously. "So what happened when Paul showed up?"

"So my doorbell rang, and I was popping popcorn because I was going to watch a movie, so to avoid burning it, I rushed to open the door, and as soon as I opened it, Paul was standing there with a cup in his hand, and as soon as he saw me, he dropped the cup."