Love, Eliot

Takin' Care of Business

The fall air nipped at the tip of my nose. I shoved my hands deep into my sweater pockets to keep them safe from the chill while traveling across campus.

I had assignments to do but none of the willpower to force myself to do it. So instead of turning right, toward my dorm, I took refuge in the nearby cafe.

The doorbell chimed, announcing my arrival.
I scanned the room, noticing several students glancing in my direction.

Self-conscious, I tugged down the hem of my sweater, covering my leggings, so no one else could see Eliot's latest command.

After rehearsal, I ran off the stage as fast as my feet would carry me. I let my imagination get the best of me. But the campus was too large for Eliot to be someone I saw every day, or had a class with.
I decided not to worry about Eliot's identity anymore.

I sucked in a breath and pushed myself forward, out of the entryway. Cowering because of one embarrassing experience was not an option, I knew that.

I didn't have time to wallow in self-pity. The deadline for my literature essay was creeping up on me and all I had was a weak thesis statement.
But, coffee would be my saving grace, I decided.

I approached the counter where the auburn-haired waitress doodled on a napkin. She snapped up as soon as I reached the cash register.

"Oh, sorry," she pushed the inked napkin away, "What can I get you?"

I gave her a reassuring smile, "Just a large black coffee."

"Long night?" The waitress tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Essay due tomorrow." I glanced at her name tag and handed her my campus card.

Jenny sucked in a breath, "Been there." She picked up the pot of coffee, poured it into a cup, and passed it off to me. "Hopefully, you're smarter than I am, and don't wait till the last minute."

"I wouldn't be picking up caffeine if I was." I lifted the cup. The bells chimed and gave me my cue to move out of line so other desperate students could get their fix.

Before I could weave my way through the crowded cafe, I spotted Drew tucked away in the corner. He typed on his laptop, drowning out the endless stream of chatter with his earbuds.

"Hey," I nudged his propped-up legs. He glanced away from the screen and turned down his music, "What are you doing here?"

Drew typically steered away from the cafe during busy hours. Something about running into too many of his residents. Many of which were interested in more than a business relationship.

"Vacationing," He responded with a smug grin, "I'm in the Appalachian mountains with a hammock and thermos full of coffee." He tapped his half-empty cup to mine.

I leaned on the wall next to him. "Clever."

"Always."

I rolled my eyes, "What are you really doing out?"

He sighed, "I had to drop a package off. Shouldn't you still be at practice?" He must have gotten too cold to make it back to the dorms in one trip.

"We got out early because Rosemary felt sick," I drank a sip of my coffee, careful not to burn the roof of my mouth.

"Is she okay?"

I nodded, "I checked on her after class. She went to her dorm to sleep it off."

Drew ran a hand through his hair, "Good." He continued typing until I asked what he was working on, "I have to make a blog for my journalism class."

"Find your calling?" Maybe he would finally choose a major.

"Giving my opinion when nobody asked for it?" He laughed.

"Yeah, your specialty."

He put his hand over his heart, "That almost hurt."

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I tried to ignore it the first two times but when the third message came through, I gave in.

"Popular?" Drew asked, being in earshot of the constant buzzing.

I checked the notifications. "I just got your messages." And Eliot's.

He swore, "Nothing would send earlier."

I tapped on Eliot's message, "Done with class?" I swiped him away and read Drew's attempts at being funny.

"Three puns, really?"

"Thought you might need a laugh."

"Well," I shifted my bag, "Right now I need to finish my paper."

"Due?"

"Tomorrow."

He whistled as if I didn't get most of my bad habits from him, "Good luck."

"Yeah, thanks," I glanced at his laptop screen, then looked away before I saw anything I didn't want to know, "I'll see you later."

Drew sent me off with a nod and I made a beeline for the door. My phone was out before the bell could chime behind me.

"Just got out...what are you planning?" I tapped the link to Eliot's profile. Eliot1980: Takin' Care of Business.

I rolled my eyes.

The green light by his name flickered on, "You'll see. You know the fountain on campus?"

My heart jumped into my throat, "Yes..."

"I left something for you underneath the bench. Hurry before someone else gets curious."

"What is it?"

"A surprise."

"That sounds scary."

"A surprise you'll like." I pushed down the anxiety forming in my mind. I nearly brought the same idea to him but decided against it. Still, I wanted to see where this could go.

But before I headed in that direction, I texted Rosemary my location, just in case.

The cold air pushed me along the sidewalk and through the crowd until I reached the side of campus where the stoners spent their evenings.

The fountain waited in the center of the plaza. Green water dripped over the corroded edge of the graffitied stone while nearby camera lenses were spray-painted black.

No wonder they don't work.

I headed to the rotted wooden bench across the stone courtyard and picked up the cardboard box waiting for me. A sloppy red bow sat on top of the box, still labeled from shipping. I moved the bow in hopes of discovering a name but Eliot had scratched it out. I sighed and stuffed the box into my book bag before someone could walk by and see me holding it.

Then, the sound of footsteps spiked the adrenaline running through my veins. I struggled to zip the bag before the footsteps got any closer.

As soon as the box was out of sight, I turned, facing the man behind me.