I dragged my attention back to my friends in time to see Stella’s face pale at something on her phone while Ava and Bridget chatted about Bridget’s upcoming diplomatic trip to Argentina.
A seed of concern sprouted in my chest. “Is everything okay?” Stella rarely looked that rattled.
“Yes.” She slid her phone into her bag and smiled, but it looked more forced than usual. “Something came up at work, but I’ll deal with it later.”
“You should find a job that treats you better,” I said gently. “You’re talented enough. You can even go full-time with your blog.”
Stella made a ton of money from brand sponsorships.
“Maybe one day.”
I took the hint from her subdued response and dropped the issue, though my concern remained. Stella kept all her feelings and troubles bottled up. It wasn’t healthy in the long run, but now wasn’t the time to get into it.
We rejoined Bridget and Ava’s conversation and eventually shifted topics to Ava’s promotion at work. It was past midnight in Eldorra, but Bridget stayed up with us to talk.
My chest glowed with warmth.
It felt like old times, when we would order pizza and talk into the early hours of the morning in our dorm room.
We weren’t eighteen anymore, but we were still us. Even if one of us lived on a different continent now, and we didn’t see each other as much as we used to at school, our friendship was a steady rock.
It was comforting to know that no matter how much some things changed, others will always stay the same.