Acumen: Riddling Life

24. Brussels, Belgium

Day 18

I bite the top of my pen as I recall the recent days, trying to pinpoint missing details from this trip.

When Arianna and I went shopping together back in Zurich, I came across this exquisite notebook, and in that instance, I just knew I want to have it as my travel journal.

I can't believe I'm writing a travel journal!

I sit straighter on the bed, checking off the places we visited in Geneva, Zurich, and Ardennes so far in my head. The moment we got to Brussels, we headed to the Atomium. It gave the similar impression I had in CERN; I felt alive.

I go through the tiny details in my journal and after being satisfied with the sum of information I've written in it; I put it away and pull up my laptop.

Going through the plan Adrien and I made in Geneva, according to it, tomorrow night we'll head to Gravesteen and two days after that we'll travel to Bruges, being our last city in Belgium.

Lost in rereading the plan, my cellphone blinks on, its light catching my attention from the corner of my eye. I lean over and pick it up from the nightstand and read the text sent from Arianna.

'Come to my room.'

I stare at it for a minute before abandoning my stuff on the rumpled mattress and push myself to my feet.

With phone in one pocket and key card in the other, I walk out of my room and make way to Arianna's hotel room. I stand facing the door with a vacant expression and mind, not knowing what to do.

My heartbeat rising as I try to gather up my courage to knock.

It's preposterous. This simple action driving me anxious up to this point. She asked me to come here! It makes no sense, why must I freak out.

Plus, she's been super nice with me in the past days.

With a sharp intake of breath, I rap my knuckles on the wooden surface.

I chew my bottom lip as I wait. Maybe she wanted to send it to someone else?

My legs take me a step backward, as I contemplate fleeing back to my room. That's when the door flies open and Arianna stands there looking surprised with one eye having eyeliner and the other not.

She twirls the pencil in her hand, "Girl, you seriously need to knock louder than that. We thought Adrien is hearing sounds and going crazy," she remarks and a smile breaks through her face as she steps aside and I trudge inside.

With hesitance, I nod. The first thing I locate as I get into the room, is Adrien sitting behind a desk with his laptop in front of him and his black-rimmed glasses on the brim of his nose.

I thought he didn't use glasses any more. Guess I was wrong.

He offers a loop sided smile which I return with a small one. Stepping further into Arianna's room, I see Dylan sprawled on a sofa, with his red and white electric guitar.

The moment his chocolate-brown eyes land on me, he straightens himself, making space for me.

It'd be awkward if I sit anywhere else now.

Dylan has been behaving in a strange way. Everyone's been acting weird. Arianna is to my utmost surprise kind to me, Dylan is busy in tireless attempts of coming up with topics to keep on talking with me. And Adrien... well, he's back to being the high school Adrien. Not to the extent of bullying, but being moody and snapping at everybody for everything.