Nice try Mr.CEO

Chapter 6

Turns out just my luck. Mark wasn't able to make sense of the situation because he didn't even show up to get me from work. Turning my phone on, I quickly shoot him a text asking him where he's at.

A couple of coughs, sneezes, and shuffles later, I check my phone once again, only to receive nothing in response. Where is he? He had promised to pick me up at least 30 minutes ago. I shoot a text to Talia to ask if she could pick me up but once again, nada.

I hear the door open slowly from behind me as I turn my phone off. Slightly angling myself to take a look at the mysterious stranger.

"Hey, Natalia," she says.

"Oh hey, Elaine. What're you doing here so late?" I respond, watching her as she walks over to me.

"I was just heading out. Are you waiting for a ride home?" She asks.

"Oh yeah, seems like my ride bailed on me." I chuckled as my hand instinctively felt for my phone.

Looking at Elaine I could see her slightly flushed cheeks in the moonlight. It seemed as if she was trying to hide it from me. Her messy hair showed obvious signs that she had just run her fingers through it. When she looked into my eyes, I could see some confusion and tiredness that she seemed to cover recently or during the day.

"Oh, well, goodnight then Natalia," Her head nodded.

"Wait!" I reached out to her as she began to turn and walk away, "Do you want to walk home together? It seems like we're heading in the same direction."

She glances at me with an uncertain look as I stare at her. Different emotions muddled her brown eyes as she slowly nodded in response. Her actions showed a completely different story than what her eyes did.

"I promise I don't bite." I smile. Her face and body stiffens. Her body posture went from being uncomfortably relaxed to completely on guard once again. Giving her a strange look, I try to brush it off as we begin our walk.

"Sorry, I just remember Liza saying that to me today." I try to give her a smile while she just looks down the concrete sidewalk leading down the street.

"She's quite nice you know." I hear from beside me. Taking this as an invitation to start a normal conversation, I jump right in explaining to Elaine how scary that meeting with Liza was.

"You are right though Elaine, she is quite nice. She had congratulated me on multiple occasions mentioning how I was special to be receiving this job."

"Oh. That's nice." It seemed that Elaine didn't really want to talk about Liza, so changing the subject wasn't too difficult.

There was a long pause after her last comment and the next time I spoke. The streetlights that we passed had long ago turned on and now shone brightly in the dark. The sidewalk stood firm as we passed over it. Our feet guiding us around the low hanging branches of trees and over fallen branches in the wind.

Sucking in a breath of air I finally began to speak again. But this time, I began to ask questions. It seemed that Elaine was very reserved and it was wrong of me to assume that I could get her to open up to me that quickly. But after a little while, it seemed that she slowly unthawed.

"I'm actually originally from Wyoming. I moved to Tennessee when I was just leaving 1rst grade." I began.

"Oh, wow." Another pause began to loom as I waited for her to become comfortable to talk again.

"I'm actually from New York, but my father got a job down here and I had to move when I finished 10th grade."

"Wow. That must've been tough. End of 10th grade and all." I respond.

"Yeah, it was a bit rough. I was just beginning to understand myself and what I should be when we had to move."

I just solemnly nod in response.

My apartment building began to show up and I already tried slowing down our pace to continue talking with Elaine, but it seemed that she wanted this conversation over, so I stopped.

Reaching the front door of the building, I turn to Elaine and thank her for the wonderful walk and conversation. Knowing more about her just made me feel a little more comfortable in the company. Especially after that whole ordeal with Mr.Volk, er- now Alexander.

"See you tomorrow Elaine." I say as she mutters 'goodnight' to me in response.

Now, to figure out why my boyfriend forgot to pick me up.