Eleanor's Demise ✔️

Chapter 38: Who is this

The risky text was left alone for a full week. At this point, Eleanor didn't think he'd even looked at his phone. Or perhaps it was because, after all she'd believed this to be the reason at first, it simply wasn't his phone number.

But that all appeared to change when a certain Eli appeared at her door once again. He simply told her he wanted to "have just sex- no feelings." And was quickly turned down by Eleanor.

"Don't come back here again. If you're that desperate- ask your girlfriend. Or better yet, go to a damn whorehouse and don't come back here." She spat angrily. Her nerves were on edge.

Sex was meaningless without emotion. She needed Adam and not for sex this time. She needed him for the comfort his presence gave her, the love he always showed her, she needed him because he made her happy. She hadn't realized it, but she'd forgiven him.

Forgiven him for the pain he'd caused her, forgiven him for all kinds of circumstances. It wasn't worth it- the stupid grudge she'd held and she knew deep down that she wanted things to go back to normal. She'd forgiven him for ratting her out, all she wanted was to see him.

As she grumpily dipped her hot cocoa and sat on her too-expensive couch, she wondered if it was the right thing to talk Eli off earlier. Of course it was, she wasn't some play toy. She'd only ever slept with men she was comfortable around or in a relationship with- except Eli. Perhaps she was comfortable around him, but he was the first non-relationship boy she'd slept with and it made her feel strange. She was evolving, but she didn't want to sleep around.

The doorbell rang to her fancy apartment once again. She decided to ignore it. She really wasn't in any mood to talk to anyone unless they wanted to be spat upon and yelled into the ground. She was spitfire and angry.

The persistent knocking made her angrier. She was about to punch whoever was on the other side of that door.

She groaned, pushing herself to her feet to answer the stupid door.

She stood beside it for a couple minutes as the knocking stopped. She needed to stop being hot and cold all the time. She headed back to her seat on the comfortable couch in the yellowish living room light as the knocks resumed.

She began wondering if it was some serial killer there ready to end her life. Eleanor took a deep breath, trying to push any bad thoughts out of her mind.

But if it was a serial killer, she didn't want to invite them in. She didn't even want anyone to know she was home and refused to say hello. She glanced through the peep hole but whoever was on the other side had it covered with a hand.

She didn't know what to do as panic began to file in. This is how she felt the night that Hank Carnegie kidnapped her and the sinking feeling in her stomach made her feel the need to puke. Who the hell was on the other side of the door?

Before she could think any longer, her stomach decided to share its contents with the world and she rushed to the nearest sink.

She reached for her phone, contemplating whether or not to call 911. She was clearly overreacting, being alone did that to people.

She took a deep breath, a wooden spatula in her hand and her thumb ready to call the cops in the other. She then realized she couldn't contact the cops because they'd put her back on house arrest. Muttering a small prayer, she reached for the handle and opened the door.

"Thank goodness! It took you long enough!" Stephanie Cooper barged into her home with a firm line on her lips. She crossed her arms.

"You scared the hell out of me! Why didn't you text me you were coming?"

"I wanted to surprise you." She grinned, turning toward me, "Happy Birthday kid." She handed me a small box and a frosted cupcake.

"T...thank you? How did you know."

"I make it my business to know." She simply said, "anyway, that was only part of the reason I came here. The other reason was that we are doing fashion week in Paris next month and we need you to be there. I know you haven't gotten your passport in order quite yet- but assuming you are Eleanor Carnegie, you can always dig that up at your old home right?" She grinned, leaving no room for an answer, "I'll see you in a few weeks."

"Wait!" Eleanor called, "the only way I can get that is to talk to Adam about having it sent over... and we're not exactly on speaking terms."

"Then get on speaking terms," she countered, as if it were really that easy. He hadn't even replied to her original message. She wasn't about to send another- that looked desperate- and perhaps she was.

"Look Mrs. Cooper, it's not like I can exactly do that.. is there some other way I can?"

"Unfortunately no. I need valid documentation so we can fly you out to Paris. This is very important to us and just know you'll be getting a lot of attention for it." Eleanor moves her lips to one side, unsure if Stephanie was being serious. "Now, don't give me that look, you still have... let's see.... four weeks before we have to head out there. So just take your time or try to get it from your old home as fast as you can."

A plan began to formulate, but as quickly as it appeared, it's bubble popped. The despair and hopelessness that followed shoved it aside. No, she wasn't going to set an agenda this time. She had no other plans, she would simply ask Adam for the passport- tell him she can have someone pick it up- and go to Paris for her job. End of story.

"I'll try... I'll let you know Ms. Cooper."

"Call me Stephanie, Eleanor! We've been working together for a few months now... I would say we are on that first name basis." She said and as quickly and persistently as she came, she left like the blink of an eye, a whoosh of goodbye.

Eleanor shut the door behind her and grabbed the cupcake and the tiny box. She placed a small candle inside it and lit it.

"Happy birthday to me..." she mumbled darkly as she blew it out the candle. She reached for the tiny velvet box that Stephanie had so hastily tossed at her and smiled at the expensive shiny earrings inside. She took a bite out of her cupcake, deciding that vanilla was her new favorite flavor, and then brushed her teeth and turned on an old show.

She was watching Kim Possible episodes on her TV, smiling at the memories that were attached to her role model at a young age.

Out of nowhere, perhaps heavenly luck struck and an angel sent a strike down on Earth, she watched the bluish light of her phone screen light up.

Her fingers wrapped around the device as she stared at it.

Three simple words were written on the screen from the number she'd messaged a week ago. Her heart rate skyrocketed almost instantaneously and pulsated I'm her chest as she stared. She couldn't contain the happiness it brought her even if the words could potentially lead to more hurt.

She was willing to deal with pain of happiness came along with it.

She felt giddy and in need to reply and tell him of all the early-mid-life crisis' she was encountering. Her realization that it was okay to be kind, that it was okay to love unconditionally.

As scenarios played in her mind, they put her to sleep with the three words to comfort her for the night.

Who is this?