For Tobias' Sake

5

The drive to the lawyer's office is surprisingly quiet and I'm a hundred percent sure Elias is upset with me. If his clinched jaw didn't give it away, then it's the fact that he hasn't spoken one word to me, since we left the apartment. It really annoys me how much his sudden mood change bothers me. I'd much rather have his obnoxious smirk and the raspy chuckle than this.

Wow, I would've never thought I'd ever say that. Elias Coleman is definitely something else. I look back towards Tobias and pat him. He looks so much more energized and happy. If I didn't know his real age, which is ten years, I would think he was a teenager. I feel myself smiling. How old do English bulldogs normally get?

The car comes to a halt in front of the familiar large building. I hop out of Elias' truck, almost slipping and falling on my butt on the way. I quickly look at Elias, hoping he didn't see. He's too distracted getting Tobias out of the backseats. So I wipe some imaginary sweat off my forehead and close the door.

"Do you think he's here?" I ask Elias, just to make conversation.
"Why wouldn't he?" He asks and I shrug.
"It's Saturday. Not everybody works on a Saturday, like me for example. Or you." I say, adding the last part with a frown.

Now that I think about it, what does he do for a living? I mean, I'm just curious, because of Tobias. I see him shrug and open the door for us.

"Guess we'll have to find out." He says after getting himself and Tobias in. I nod and look around in the familiar hall. It's way busier than it was yesterday. Maybe because when I got here it was pretty early and now it's already past noon.

We make our way towards the elevator, passing the receptionist and wait for it to arrive. I glance to my right to see Elias looking around impatiently. He groans when the elevator takes a little too long. I've observed he isn't a patient person, which makes me shake my head in amusement. This guy couldn't be any more different than me.

When our lift finally does arrive, we get in and it's my turn to groan, much quieter than Elias of course. If there is one thing I hate, then it's a crowded elevator. I'm surprised we even got in, especially with Tobias.

When the doors close and the elevator starts moving, silence surrounds us. An odd smell reaches my nose and I decide to hold my breath. I glance towards Elias, shocked at his careless posture. He doesn't even seem to be bothered by this! I look towards a few other passengers and they all make me lower my head in shame. Maybe I'm just not used to this as much as they are. Plus, I've always hated being in a small room with people, or people's touches in general.

I breath out as soon as we reach the tenth floor, where Mister Thomas' office is located. We walk towards the closed green painted wood door and ring the bell. I look down at Tobias and smile instantly. There's something about this dog...

"Good morning, Mister and Misses James. You're right in time." The middle-aged woman smiles at us after opening the door. I frown, when I realized she wasn't there yesterday, which would explain why she called us by some couple, who obviously made an appointment. I should've thought about making an appointment.

I was about to correct her when she stepped aside and held the door open, but Elias had another idea.
"That's us. We're always punctual." He says in a joking matter, before turning to me, his eyes telling me to play along. I widen my eyes and swiftly shake my head at him. Oh no, I've never been a good liar.

"Come on, honey. Let's go." He places his hand on my back, making me blink a few times. With a slight push, he manages to get us both and the dog inside the small room that is attached to Mister Thomas' office.

"This way, please." I assume she is his secretary. She leads us towards the door to his office. I glare at Elias when his hand travels a little further down. He grins at me when the woman averts her gaze towards the door while opening it.