Chapter 13

Bella kept staring at Charlotte who had been quiet since they got into the plane. She knew something had happened but she couldn't say what it was.
She wasn't going to ask her what it was, even though she was worried about her. She wanted her to speak about it herself.
Charlotte, on the other hand, had a lot going on in her mind. She had noticed Melvin as they were leaving the terminal, and she couldn't help but wonder why he did not come to her.
Why did he not come to ask her where she was going, and the reason she did not tell him? He should have tried to stop her, maybe she would have changed her mind. Was he really happy she was leaving? Or was he sad? He should have waved at her when he saw her staring at him.
Those were the thoughts she had running through her mind.
Bella stared at her again. How long is she going to be quiet? She wondered.
She wanted to speak to her but she decided against it.
A lot must be going on in her mind.
Charlotte looked out through the window. The flight had taken off already. She had unconsciously fastened and unfastened her seat belt.
As she watched the clouds, the reality that she was really leaving stuck her, and she sighed. She won't be back until after a month.
Will she really be able to pull that through, without changing her mind?
She turned to look at Bella, who had a book in her hand. Charlotte needed to speak to someone but when she saw Bella holding a book, she decided not to disturb her.
She closed her eyes to sleep. Bella closed the book in her hand and stared at Charlotte.
Does she feel better now? She wondered.
She had tried to read a book but she couldn't. Her mind was not at rest. She was worried about Charlotte but seeing her sleeping, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She decided to take a nap too. Maybe by the time they are awake, Charlotte will be ready to talk.
**
Charlotte opened her eyes and stared at Bella who was still sleeping.
For how long has she slept? She wondered. And how long do they have to remain on the plane before they land?
Charlotte looked around and noticed most people were still asleep. She tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn't, so she decided to read a book instead.
There were a few books provided for them with some magazines too. Charlotte decided to read some fashion magazines.
Since fashion is something she loves, maybe that will keep her busy.
She began to go through the fashion magazines one after the other. She was able to read a few things about the summit they were going for. A lot of things piqued her interest and she was glad she was going.
Maybe it wasn't a bad idea she decided to go. She thought.
She was glad now that Melvin did not try to stop her or she might regret changing her mind.
She was done reading the fashion magazines so she switched to sport. By the time she was done reading one, Bella was awake.
"When did you wake up?" Bella asked, rubbing her eyes.
Charlotte shrugged. "I don't know but it's long enough to be able to read all these magazines," She said, pointing at the magazines she had read.
"Did you feel better now?" Bella asked. "I mean..."
Charlotte smiled. "I am fine now. And I am glad I decided to go on this journey."
Bella was happy to hear that. "I am glad you are. I'm going to use the restroom. I will be right back."
Charlotte nodded. Bella stood up and left to use the restroom. She was back after a few minutes.
She sat down. "You really seem to like these magazines."
Charlotte nodded. "They are okay. At first, I wanted to read them because I was bored, but surprisingly, they were interesting and I got hooked."
Bella smiled. "I am glad you love them." She picked up one of the fashion magazines Charlotte had read. "I think I will read a few too."
Charlotte nodded. "You should. You will love them." She picked out two fashion magazines. "These two talk about the Vérah Fashion Summit. You might be interested in them."
Bella took the magazines from Charlotte. She had decided to start with them. As she read them one after the other, she nodded slightly in agreement.
Charlotte was right. They said a lot about the Vérah Fashion Summit, some of which she did not know about.
Charlotte dropped the last magazine and stretched slightly.
"Done?" Bella asked and she nodded. "Do you want to recommend any other?"
"If you are still interested in reading you can check out these two." Charlotte took another two magazines and handed them over to Bella who took it from her and muttered a thank you.
"What do you plan to do next?" Bella asked.
"I am going to use the restroom," Charlotte answered and stood up.
She headed to the restroom and returned a few minutes later.
"Are you okay?" Bella asked, seeing how tired she looked.
Charlotte nodded. "I think I am."
"Do you want to take a rest? Or do you want to eat something? I am sure you did not eat before leaving the house. Or did you?"
Charlotte shook her head. She was busy trying to leave the house so quickly that she forgot about feeding herself.
"I think you need to eat something." Bella stared at her wristwatch. "Thank goodness. Food will be served in a few minutes."
"How long have we been flying," Charlotte asked.
"About four hours, I guess," Bella replied. She closed the magazine in her hand and then stretched slightly. "I think I am hungry too."
Charlotte chuckled. "I can tell you are. Your stomach just grumbled."
Bella smiled, rubbing her stomach. The flight attendants had begun to distribute the food already. It was soon Charlotte and Bella's turn.
Charlotte stared at the food. She was hungry but she had no appetite.
"Are you okay?" Bella asked.
"I don't have an appetite," Charlotte answered.
"I think that is because you haven't eaten for a long time. You should try. You might have an appetite after a few spoons."
Charlotte nodded. Maybe Bella is right. She began to eat slowly, and just like Bella said, her appetite returned, and she was able to eat.
They ate in silence for a few minutes. Bella was the first to finish her food. She drank some water and then picked up the magazine to read. Charlotte finished a few minutes later but since she had nothing to do, she decided to sleep.
Bella watched her sleep and she smiled. Although Charlotte had not told her what was wrong with her yet, she was glad she felt better now.
She stopped staring at Charlotte and went on to read the two other magazines Charlotte recommended.
When she was done, she rested herself on the chair and closed her eyes to sleep too.