Page 14 of Scripted for Love and Poison
“Don’t solve cases,” Luke finished.
“Què t’ha passat?”Lola asked Sol in Catalan, visibly concerned about what had happened to her friend.
“It’s not that bad, is it?” Sol replied, also in Catalan, to her screenwriter friend who lived in Los Angeles. They’d met when Sol lived in California, and they bonded over their common Barcelona homesickness. They’d remained close since then. Even after Sol’s move. She’d perfected the art of long-distance friendships.
Lola looked at the normally stylish Sol and shrugged. They were meeting on Third Street in West Hollywood, in front of the salad and healthy-foods staple Joan’s on Third.
“The airline lost my suitcase, and I’ve had to improvise. They still haven’t delivered my clothes!”
“Oh no!” Lola said, understanding dawning on her face.
“I did some emergency shopping for underwear,toiletries, a damn party dress, and the most uncomfortable shoes in the history of heels ... but somehow I managed to forget about jeans, sweaters, and most basics. Hence the—” Sol gestured to her look.
She wore a pink Bimba y Lola cap to protect her face from the sun, which had been miraculously packed in her carry-on, black leggings that she’d remembered to buy because she had attended a Pilates class that morning before heading there, and a giant navy sweatshirt that she’d borrowed from Luke. It was stamped with the wordITALIAin big letters, and apparently it had been a souvenir gift from his sister Gaia, who was four years his senior and had gotten it at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“Okay, I understand your luggage got lost, and you had to make do with your partner’s hoodie, but did he go missing with the rest of your wardrobe?” Lola asked Sol as they both made their way inside the restaurant and lined up at one of the deli counters to order their lunch.
“What do you mean?”
Lola lifted an eyebrow, clearly annoyed. “Where’s Luke? You’ve been telling me all about him for months, and I thought I was going to meet him.”
“Ets una xafardera,” said Sol, dismissing her friend.
“I’m dying with curiosity, yes.”
“I promise I’ll introduce you before we leave, but I wanted to see you alone,” said Sol.
“Why?”
“Because I want to talk about him, obviously.”
Lola uncrossed her arms, suddenly understanding. “Ah.”
“I was actually going to propose?—”
“Not another marriage!” Lola interrupted.
“Of course, not another marriage,” said Sol, her tone justshy of annoyed. “I’m never getting married again! You know that. But I was going to propose to Luke to move in together with me. We’ve been practically living together since the summer, and it would save him some money. His place is all the way up, almost in the outer limits of North London, and not very convenient for me.”
“So you want him to move in with you?” Lola said.
“Yes, of course. My place is much bigger than his. Ridiculously small by any Californian standard but apparently quite big for a London cottage.”
“Perhaps phrase it differently when you bring up the subject with him,” Lola said, choosing her words cautiously. “Don’t just assume he’s going to see your place as the most desirable one.”
“But it is!”
Lola breathed deeply, as if bracing herself to find the patience to deal with Sol. “Didn’t you tell me he’s a North Londoner through and through? Perhaps he doesn’t fancy living south of the Thames.”
“Okay, okay. Point taken. That’s why I wanted to talk about this with someone with the capacity for empathy, because I know I tend to be clueless sometimes. But the thing is, I’m no longer sure if moving in together is a good idea,” admitted Sol. She didn’t add anything else as it was finally their turn to order food, and she hadn’t even had time to check the menu.
She copied Lola in her choice of the quiche of the day and a side of greens.
“What happened? Why don’t you want to propose anymore?” Lola asked Sol as they both sat at one of the outdoor tables, waiting for their food to be brought out.
“Nothing, really. I mean, these past few days haven’t been perfect. But a relationship cannot be perfect all thetime, Iknowthat. But then we came here, and it brought me memories of so many things, of everything that can go wrong.”
“Los Angeles is reminding you of your ex-husband David, and now you don’t know if you want to commit to another relationship because you’re afraid it’ll be the same as that last one,” Lola said.
