somewhere || George Russell

twenty-five

December 1st, 2019
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

"See you later, Mr. Limitless possibilities," Iray teased and said goodbye to George.

Laurel gave him one last kiss. "See you," she smiled.

"Sure," George smiled back at her and squeezed her hand. "Oh," he suddenly remembered. "Alex and Lily want to go to the Warner Bros park here in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, is it okay if we go all together?"

Laurel grew a bigger smile on her face. "Of course," she hurried to reply. "See you tomorrow."

Iray was already some steps ahead, unable to believe what she was watching. This is too sappy, even for Laurel, the kind of girl who wants you, but that doesn't necessarily means she needs you, someone who walks like a boss, talks like a boss. Laurel is just a complicated woman, hard to hold on to and hard to fall this hard, but George seems to know how to understand her. Maybe because he also walks like a boss, and talks like a boss, with the little difference that he is more...diplomatic.

They are not even saying a thing, just staring at each other, with stupid smiles on their faces.

"Laurel," Iray called again.

Laurel blinked a few times. "Yes, sorry," she said to her sister. "See you tomorrow."

"Can't wait," George replied and before she turned around, he put his hands on her waist to make her stop and gave her another small kiss on the lips. "Goodbye."

"Seriously this is the longest farewell I've ever seen," Iray walked to them, a little annoyed.

Probably jealous that Laurel found her second love ahead of schedule. When she broke up with David a couple of months ago, everyone -meaning Iray, Emilio and Rafael- were so sure that it was going to take longer for Laurel to fall in love again, because well, she is too busy with her own thing to focus on something else. She always do things on her own, she is like a little Miss Independent.

"Sorry, I'll let you go," George chuckled and winked at Laurel.

She smiled -yes, again- and shrugged. Then, she and Iray could finally walk together out of the circuit, where they found Emilio and Rafael.

"What happened?" Rafael asked, noticing the rosy color in Laurel's cheek and her big smile.

"Let's get going, we have forty minutes to talk," Laurel replied.

The four got into the car, and Laurel started to tell them about she and George officially being a couple, after weeks of begging. She took like half an hour talking about him. So much so that Iray got sleepy, and Rafael and Emilio started to think that Laurel is lost. Literally. Her rational and logical self is gone.

"Wait, I'm still intrigued, who was the girl then?" Emilio asked from the co-pilot seat.

Rafael chuckled, shaking his head. "That doesn't matter anymore."

Iray was already asleep next to Laurel in the back seats of the car, while Rafael drove back to their hotel, and Emilio made questions.

"Is a friend of his, they know each other from a long time ago, and his mum has always wanted them to be together, you know, instead of him being with the American girl who lives on the other side of the world" Laurel explained with her eyes on her phone, texting with George. First stage of being in love: they can't separate from one another, even when they have just said goodbye half an hour ago.

She sighed and smiled. She feels that sensation of adrenaline and other hormones in her body, giving her that state of happiness and excitement that is felt when someone is in love. She is in love.

"A Saturday Night Fever themed wedding!" Iray suddenly woke up, startling Laurel.

"Geez, I thought you were dead..." Emilio frowned. "Asleep."

"Yes, but then you said something about a wedding, this song started to play, and I had an epiphany," Iray insisted, listening and moving her body to the beat of Night Fever.

Laurel looked at her and shook her head. "It's not scientifically proved that epiphanies exist."

"I don't care," Iray muttered. "Who's going to marry, by the way?"

"Nobody," Rafael said.

"Laurel was telling us that the girl who gave her a bad look is just a friend of George who his mum wanted him to marry," Emilio explained. Yeah, that is definitely not what Laurel said. That's how much attention he pays.

"That's insane. Arranged marriages are from the age of Methuselah," Iray said, with disgust.

"Nobody was talking about an arranged marriage," Laurel frowned.

"Methuselah is way older," Emilio teased, remembering what Laurel said yesterday and ignoring her latter words, where she makes clear that she wasn't talking about marriage.

"You're wrong, pal," Laurel shook her head. "Arranged marriages have always existed. There is no prove that Adan and Eve were in love at the moment they started to reproduce."

"And for science there is no prove that God existed," Rafael said.

"But I am not a scientist," Laurel wittily answered and shrugged.

"This conversation is turning way too controversial," Emilio interrupted. "Let's get back to Iray's epiphany."

"Oh, yes," Iray straightened her back in the seat. "Mum and dad's favorite movie is Saturday Night Fever, so, why don't we do their wedding with that theme? They love the Bee Gees."

"They also love the Miami Sound Machine, we should just hire Gloria and Emilio Estefan," Rafael shrugged.

"Sounds easier," Laurel agreed. "Baby when you're loving me, I feel like I could cry. Cause there's nothing I can do, to keep from loving you,"she sang.

"Enough with the lovey-dovey," Iray rolled her eyes and threw a jacket to her sister to shut her up.

Laurel shrieked. "What's wrong with you? Mum loves this song," she laughed.

"She does?"

"Yes," Rafael chuckled.

They arrived at their hotel and got out of the car. The guys from the hotel took the car away and the four siblings entered the hotel.

Emilio was focused on his cellphone. "I'm trying to find evidence that proves Laurel is wrong and arranged marriages have not always existed."

"For God sake," Laurel rolled her eyes. "I am never wrong."

"It annoys me every time," Emilio complained.

"You're not going to find anything, just stop," Rafael sighed and took Emilio's cellphone away.

They entered the elevator and went up to their room, just longing to lay in bed finally after a tiring day.

The four entered the suite and in the first small table of the suite there was a bouquet of pink flowers.

Iray ran to them and took the small card on her hands, but she handed it back to Laurel when she realized it was from George.

"You hate roses," Iray frowned.

Laurel read the card and smiled. When did he got the time to ask for this? She looked at the bouquet that besides roses, had cherry blossom. Her favorite flower.

"But I love cherry blossom," she put a goofy smile on her face and took the bouquet to her room. George remembers I like cherry blossom.

"God, we lost her," Rafael stood there in disbelief, while Iray and Emilio stared at Laurel like if she was someone they didn't know.