Brown and Laura had lived in L City most of their lives. Living there was totally different than living in J City. Understandably, they were not used to the lifestyle here.
They had developed dark circles under their eyes, obviously from lacking of sleep.
Ashley knew Ellie was struggling. So, she said, "Brown, Laura, it's getting late now. Why not go to sleep? Give Ellie sometime to think about it. She has her own concerns. I will talk to her."
"Okay! We will go to sleep," agreed Laura. "But don't stay up talking too late. It's not good for your health."
"We won't. Goodnight Laura!" said Ashley.
Laura and Brown walked to their room. Ashley looked at Ellie and asked, "What do you think, Ellie? Should we keep them here or let them go back?"
Ellie looked confused. "I don't know. I want to keep them here so that I can take good care of them," she replied. "But they are not used to the life here. I really don't know what to do."
Ashley thought for a moment, and said, "I think it's the best to let them go back to L City.
They have a life there, and they love it. But they will not leave this place if you don't agree because they love you.
At the same, it's tough for them to adjust to their life here, too. We can't stay with them all the time. We have to go to work, which means they would have to navigate the city by themselves, and J City is huge! They don't know where to go and how to get around.
Of course, you can run all the errands for them. But they are still healthy and wouldn't want to be fully dependent on you. They care about you and don't want to burden you. I think they will be happier in L City.
If you want, we can go visit them more often."
Ellie agreed, "I guess I don't have much of a choice."
Ashley was glad that Ellie finally agreed. She asked, "When do you plan to send them home?"
Ellie responded, "Maybe in a couple of days. I want to spend a li
t moment!
But she just realized something. Ashley sighed.
It was quite loud and drew Andrew's attention. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Ellie's grandparents are going to leave, and she is a little upset. She needs me! I want to spend more time with her," she explained.
Andrew sneered and thought to himself, 'No, she doesn't. You just want to stay with her!'
He frowned. "Are you sure she really needs you?" he asked.
Ashley responded, "I am telling you. Before I met you, Ellie and I would spend every day together. Brown and Laura are going to leave soon, and she is going to be all by herself. Of course, she needs me!"
Andrew pursed his lips and didn't say anything.
She kept trying to explain herself and was talking for a long time. Suddenly, she realized Andrew hadn't respond to any of it. So she turned to look at him.
She was shocked! Beads of sweat had collected on his forehead, and his face was pale. He was clearly not okay. He was biting his lips to hold himself together.
Ashley panicked. "Andrew, are you okay?" she asked.
He looked at her casually. "I am okay. No worries," he assured her.
Ashley bit her lower lip. She was really worried about him. "How can you be okay? You don't look good at all," she said looking concerned.