How far away is Celine's house from Mira's in WATN? I feel like I imagined it was further away in the dinner chapter, but much closer in the latest chapter (which I LOVED) because of the hijinks.
In the dinner chapter, it’s only stated that Celine is further up the hill than Mira. See below:
As they approach the turn off for Mira’s road, she turns right, going further up the hill. “No, Celine lives near me.”
“So you can just walk round to borrow a cup of sugar whenever you want?”
Mira shrugs, “I guess. It’s a bit of a hike for a cup of sugar, though.”
By hike, Mira means that the hill is steep and not worth traversing for a cup of sugar. (This line is semi important for a later chapter, fyi)
It’s also mentioned in chapter 2 that the hills are steep enough that Frannie, Zoey’s car, struggles on them.
(I have never been to Beverly Hills myself so don’t know if there are actual hills or if they are steep. I’m assuming there is due to the name. I based it off of the similar area in the GTA V city Los Santos lmao. Creative liberties have been taken)
it’s later mentioned that you have a clear view of Mira’s home from Celine’s guest bedroom:
“Because of this view!” Zoey exclaims, bounding up to the window. “Oh hey, Mira you can see your house from here.”
Mira approaches and looks out. Sure enough, down the hill is a clear view of Mira’s home. Her stomach twists and she chooses to ignore what could be the correlation with Rumi sleeping here over her old room.
“Oh shit, yeah,” she says dumbly.
“I bet with all the lights on, you can see everything.”
Mira can’t deny the truth of the statement. With her large floor to ceiling windows covering ninety percent of her home, everything would be visible from here.
I didn’t really specify the distance. Zoey was able to see Rumi’s silhouette in the window and recognise it enough to be Rumi, though she couldn’t see any facial expressions.
In the latest chapter, Mira specifies it’s a ten minute walk up there, in the line:
“Why don’t you go up there with a measuring cup and ask if you can borrow some sugar. It’s the neighbourly thing to do,” Zoey says, breaking the silence and slipping the final pancake onto the stack.
Mira sighs, placing a couple of plates on the island counter. “Zoey, it’s a ten minute walk up to Celine’s.”
“Gives you a reason to see her.” Zoey shrugs and places the stack of pancakes on the counter
Later, Rumi’s internal monologue gives the same time and comments on how it’s faster to drive than walk:
Though it’s a ten minute walk down to Mira’s, with the car, Rumi gets there in two minutes flat.
Whether you take this as hyperbole due to her and Mira’s heightened emotional state, is up to you. For me, with both of them saying it’s ten minutes to walk leans more to it being true, however you could read it as the two of them having similar thinking patterns when in heightened emotional states (and I think this is interesting to unpack character and relationship wise; possibly adds more to how they have both gone so many years not talking about what’s between them, and how at the root of it all, they both over complicate their reasonings and feelings. Food for thought.)
Keep the time given and the “cup of sugar” playful comment Zoey gives in the back of your mind, as mentioned earlier. It seems like throwaway lines but like with how I went of my way to mention the clear view of Mira’s house you have from Celine’s guest bedroom set up the “Rumi becomes a voyeur” moment in the previous chapter (and hints that Rumi would sleep there because she was closer to Mira, (Rumi hasn’t ever witnessed Mira naked or having sex before this moment btw, which is why she has the reaction she has in the last chapter and this one)) there will be some form of “payoff” to the cup of sugar, ten minute walk lines, later.
Hope that clears it up. It’s a ten minute walk because her house is on a steep incline so most go at a slower pace up the hill. I’ve also had some US friends tell me that places that are an hour walk for them, are only five minute drives. I know this is more for rural areas where there aren’t pedestrian paths but like I’ve said, I’ve taken some creative liberties with the geography and topography of LA ahaha.
I’m glad you enjoyed the last chapter and are enjoying the fic! I am working on the next chapter, but not sure when it will be finished.
