Lost

Chapter 14

                             ELLIE JONES

I wake up exactly when my alarm rings after having a dream-free and serene sleep. I feel much more refreshed and walk over to the bathroom to wash my face with some water. I clip my hair up to get it out of the way and take my laptop out to start studying. After about 4 hours, I decided to call it a day and shut down my laptop. I could feel my fingers getting super numb already. I rest my head on my desk thinking of what I should eat for dinner when I suddenly get a call from Alex. That's weird, he usually doesn't call me.

I pick up the phone and he informs me that I don't have to go to work tomorrow as the café will be closed for the installation of the new air conditioning units. I decide to take this opportunity to ask if he was open to hiring another part timer. He tells me he isn't really looking to hire anyone at the moment, but I manage to convince him to at least give Isaiah a shot. You can say I'm quite persuasive.

"Okay fine, I'll let him do a trial run next Monday. But if he doesn't work up to my standards then I can't hire him" Alex says sternly. I thank him and quickly search for the napkin that has Isaiah's number to let him know the good news. Well, kind of good. "Alex agreed to give you a job but only if you pass the trial run on Monday" I inform him. "Thank you so much Ellie !" He thanks me profusely. I'm glad that I'm able to help him with something. It made me feel like we are getting one step closer to actually being friends. "Don't worry about it" I reply.

Before I hang up, he insists on buying me dinner tonight. I feel unsure because I'm almost certain that if I say yes, I'll give myself false hope that we can be more, and that my feelings will return. I decide to lie and say that I have unfinished assignments, to which he replies "oh come on, I promise it won't be long. I'll make sure you get back with more than enough time to do your work and get sufficient sleep for tomorrow."

I finally say yes and he tells me that he'll pick me up in 10 minutes after I give him my address. I am really making this whole "give out your address to random guys who you just met" a habit. I quickly change out of my plain outfit and put on some light blue jeans and yellow tank top. I later realize that both outfits are plain, but just roll with the outfit I've just put on. Should I wear makeup? I don't even know where he's taking me. After much consideration, I decide not to overdo it and leave the house barefaced. He's already used to seeing me without any makeup, so he wouldn't mind right? I grab a small sling bag and stuff in my phone, wallet, and tissues.

Just then, I hear a loud horn from the outside of my house. I pull back my curtain and look through the window to see him waiting for me in a black car. It looks classier and more modern than Alfie's car, I think to myself. I push all my thoughts away and leave the house. "Hi" Isaiah says. I give him a small wave, and get into the passenger seat. We drive off, and I decide to ask him where we're going for dinner. "You'll see" is all he tells me.

We end up at the some café nearby, which is pretty underwhelming. But then again, I shouldn't have expected too much. We go inside after being seated and I order a salad. I wanted to eat something light. He orders the same which surprises me. "Can't a guy eat salads too?" He asks when he sees the subtle look of surprise on my face. "It's just unexpected" I reply. As we eat together, I completely forget about my silent mission. I was focused on him and the time I was spending with him.

After an hour of eating and talking, he drives me back home. The drive home is relatively quiet, and I appreciate that. It gave me some time to really think about what I should do about this thing between us, not that there was really any thing.

"Thanks for getting me home on time and buying me dinner Isaiah" I say when we finally reach the front of my house. "It's okay, you helped me find a job." He says. I give him a smile, and get out from the car to walk over to the door. "Hey Ellie?" I hear him say, causing me to turn around. "I really enjoyed tonight" he says. "Me too" I reply. He shoots me a smile and I wave him goodbye as he drives off.

I remove my shoes and throw my bag onto the ground as soon as I enter the house. I walk upstairs and lie in my bed hugging my pillow close to my heart. My stupid heart. The heart that got me into this whole mess to begin with. It was supposed to be my heart but it was betraying me in more ways than one.

I toss and turn and realize that his stupid yet charming smile, his voice, his tattoos, and everything else about him ruined my plans of losing my feelings for him.

I also realize that I was right. My feelings for him did return, and this time they were stronger than before.