Cupidity (Sequel to Cupid's Daughter)

Chapter 5~ I'll Take My Secret to the Grave and You With Me

"Are you gonna tell him?" Ellie asked me for what was probably the fortieth time in the last half hour.

"No."

She paused. "How about now?"

"Still no!"

A second passed. "Now?"

"Elizabeth Yasmin Stevens! Stop!"

Ellie pouted and flopped down onto her bed as I finished packing my things into a small canvas bag. I shoved clean underwear, pyjamas, a tank top, some shorts and my toiletries into the bag and zipped it shut.

"You have to tell him at some point, you know." Ellie informed me as she rolled over onto her stomach, red-streaked hair draping over her shoulders in luscious loose curls.

I sighed. "I will. I just... I don't even know if I'm going to accept it yet-- I mean, the only information Mr Manolis gave me was that he wanted me to intern at the LA office for six months. Taking a semester off college is a big decision and I want to consider every option before I commit." I reasoned, causing Ellie to roll her eyes.

"Boooorrrinnnnggg. Take a risk, Isabelle!" Her eyes gleamed as she bounced excitedly on the bed. "Opportunities like this don't come around often, and you'd be crazy to pass it up. Besides," she shot me a sly look, "if you and Noah love each other as much as it looks like you do, then distance isn't going to be an issue."

I sighed and raked a hand through my hair, taking a huge, cleansing breath. "It's not just Noah, Ell. I mean, where am I going to live? How am I going to support myself? It's not like an unpaid internship is going to put a roof over my head." I frowned as I pictured myself sleeping on the ground of the magazine office, eating crumbs off the floor and drinking water straight from the sink. The thought made me shudder.

"Why don't you just call Mr Manolis and ask exactly what the job entails?" Ellie suggested, and I had to admit that that sounded logical even to me.

"Yeah I will. But for now I just want to enjoy my evening with Noah." I brushed off her comment easily as I pushed my cellphone into my pocket and grabbed my dorm keys from the study desk.

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon." I informed my roommate with a smile, and she replied by wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Have fun! But not too much fun, God knows we don't need any little Noahs or Isabelles running around here." Ellie  teased, making me blush furiously as she continued to flip through the magazine laying on her bed.

"It's not like... I mean, we haven't... I uh..." I trailed off and felt my cheeks become even more heated. "I gotta go." I muttered quickly and practically ran out of the door, leaving a smug-looking Ellie behind. The afternoon air was cool for Spring, but the slight nip felt nice against my warm cheeks.

The train station was only a ten minute stroll away from campus, making it the perfect way to travel to Noah's college. Noah wasn't expecting to see me until Friday, and it was only Wednesday, but a few of my classes had been cancelled due to a timetabling clash and I figured I'd surprise him.

I reached the train station just as the express train pulled up, and I hurried through the doors to find an empty seat. There were only a few people on the train but I liked to find a window seat right at the front, where no one would bother me.

I spent the first half hour of the journey researching The World Against Us magazine on my phone, unable to stop myself from thinking about Mr Manolis' proposal.

I was twenty minutes away from my destination when I decided to call him.

"Good evening you've reached Peter Manolis. I'm Mr Manolis' secretary Jane, how may I help you?" The woman's gentle voice spoke through the speakers, and it took me a moment to pull myself together and gather the courage to talk to her.