𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 (𝐌å𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧)

Chapter 22

I'm sorry that I haven't
written a chapter from
Coraline's POV in a while
but I promise I'll write one soon :)

Sometimes love is not enough
And the road gets tough
I don't know why
(Lana Del Rey - Born to die)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Iris' POV

"Cora?" I whispered.
"Wait, Iris!" Coraline then said and we wrapped our arms around each other.
I couldn't stop myself from tearing up and eventually having a breakdown of pure joy.

After my family and I had moved to Austria,
her and I sent each other letters for the first couple of months. Then we stopped and eventually stopped talking completely.
I don't think any of us wanted to end the friendship, but when you're a child it's hard to keep in touch with the people you love if they're miles away.

"I can't believe it, I missed you so much" I sobbed and broke the hug.
"I missed you too. I thought I'd never see you again" Coraline replied, wiping away a couple of tears that she'd shed.
"How about we go for a walk together and we catch up on some things?" I suggested and she agreed.

We both left the apartment building and wandered through the streets of Paris.
"So...how have you been?" I asked.
"Oh uh..good, yeah, I've been good. What about you?" Cora said but I didn't actually believe her answer. She seemed to be hiding something but I didn't want to bother her too much. Maybe it wasn't anything serious and I was just overthinking.

"I've been okay. Actually, I got accepted at the Paris College of Art. That's why I'm here" I told her as we walked past a couple of old houses in a rather ancient neighborhood.
"Omg I'm so proud of you! That's a really big thing" She responded with a huge smile on her face.
"Yeah, I'm so excited. I've been wanting to go there for years now. So, what leads you to this beautiful city?" I questioned while emphasizing the 'beautiful'.

"I just wanted to get away from Italy for a while. You know, see something new" She explained and I nodded.
Something about her living in Paris seemed off to me. What about Damiano? What about her mum? And her dad?
I might have not seen my friend for a few years, but I knew for certain that she would've never left without Damiano.
Those two had always been inseparable.

We continued walking for an hour or two until we returned to our apartment complex.
"Do you want to stay over for dinner?" I asked Cora.
"I'd love to but I still have a bunch of unpacking to do. Perhaps we could meet for breakfast tomorrow?" She proposed and I agreed.

We said out goodbyes and I unlocked the entrance door of my small accommodation.
I was about to head to the kitchen to make myself dinner when my phone started ringing.
"Hello?" I said.
"Hi, it's Vic" the voice on the other end replied.
"Hi, what's up?" I asked and sat down on my couch.
"I know this might sound really weird and I totally understand if you have no idea what I'm talking abou-" She started rambling but I cut her off.
"It's fine, just tell me" I laughed.
"Ok umm...do you happen to know someone named Coraline? And if so, have you seen her around Paris" Victoria asked and I was confused.

"Sure, we were best friends when we were little. I actually met her again today. But why are you asking? Did Damiano never tell you about our friendship?" I interrogated.
"Omg thank god. And no, he hasn't told me anything about you. Or at least not that he knows you" She answered.
"Oh, ok" I replied and wondered why she'd suddenly ask me about Coraline.

Growing up, Coraline, Damiano and I were best friends. Then, after we moved, the two got even closer and barely left each other's side.
I met Victoria around 3 years ago on a vacation in Milan. We clicked and became friends immediately. She told me a lot about her band and to my surprise, Damiano was a part of that band.

"Well, thanks for telling me. I hope I didn't bother you too much or anything" Victoria apologized but I reassured her it was fine.
We hung up and I decided that it would be best to just order in since I wasn't in the mood for cooking. The time I spent waiting for my food to arrive, I couldn't stop thinking about the conversation between me and Vic.
I had so many questions as to why she was calling me for something so banal.
And why was Cora lying about why she was in Paris.