𝙼𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 | 𝙽𝚎𝚠𝚝 𝚂𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛

Chapter 2 | Bloody Hell

Elizabeth dug in her purse for her keys to her apartment door. She mumbled words under her breath, most were curse words. She rarely cursed, but it was only to herself. Maybe she left her keys somewhere, or they're still in her apartment room.

Babel sighed softly, looking up from her purse. "This is ridiculous." She says. She grabbed the door handle and tries to force it open. It didn't work.

Her neighbor from across the hall has her spare key. When she went out of town to visit her brother back in London, she had her neighbor, Mr. Kowalski, tend to her plants, so they didn't die while she was gone. Luckily, she left instructions for her plants.

She fixed her dress and hair before walking across the hall to his apartment. Elizabeth knocked on the door gently, hoping he heard. "Mr. Kowalski? It's Elizabeth, your neighbor."

Elizabeth heard footsteps come from the other side, approach the door. Jacob unlocked the door and opened it, smiling gently at the woman. "Ah, Miss Babel. Do you need anything?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, actually. Do you still have that spare key to my apartment? I seem to have lost my key." She shrugged gently, watching as Jacob quickly understood the situation.

    "Oh, of course." He leaves the door open as he went deeper into his apartment, soon coming back with the key. "Here you go, Miss Babel." He hands the key to her, allowing her to take it.

    "Thank you. Deeply apologize for interrupting your day." She says. "Did you get the loan for your bakery?" Elizabeth asks, overhearing it from him that very morning.

His smile faded slightly. He shrugged. "Oh, well, not really, no."

    "Aw, I'm sorry to hear that. It would've been brilliant to see you get that loan. Walking past your bakery every morning." Elizabeth spoke as if she was retelling her day. "Maybe next time?"

Jacob nods. "Hopefully, yes." There was a small moment of silence before Jacob drew in a sharp breath. "Well, I should probably get back to it." He says. "You know, planning for my bakery."

Elizabeth caught on. "Oh, of course. Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Kowalski."

    "You can just call me Jacob, Miss Babel." Jacob says, knowing that they're close enough not to be formal so much.

Elizabeth gives a sweet smile. "Then call me Elizabeth, Jacob." She says before turning away and makes her way to her apartment to unlock the door. Jacob watched her for a moment before closing the door once Elizabeth safely got inside.

She closed the door behind her and shrugged her coat off, placing her purse on the table next to the window. Elizabeth grabbed the book out from her bag and placed it gently on the table. The place smelled like wood and lilacs from her plants. It was a nice and comforting feeling as she made her way to the bathroom to wash up.

Elizabeth grabbed the washcloth and tipped it under the faucet. She brought the washcloth to her face and washed the makeup off her face. Once done, she looked through the mirror, gazing at herself. Her imperfect face structure. The freckles she was cursed with. The way her nose scrunches up when she's angry. Elizabeth smiled slightly, seeing if her smile was at least pretty. It looked fake.

Her lips were small and covered in lipstick. Her face felt awkward when she smiled forcefully. Her ears pocked out more than other women. Her waist wasn't small and petite like usual women. She wasn't tall, with a posture of a fine, young woman. Her top lip wasn't like the others. Her face wasn't clear and soft like other women. Her hair wasn't a dark brown or a light blonde. Her hair was ginger with tight curls.