Loving Eleanor(BWWM)

Chapter Seventeen

Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Date: December 17th, 1949
Name: Eleanor Hazel Bush
Age: twenty-three

"Wait I just realized something!" Eleanor announced after recovering from a fit of laughter.

They were at the flower shop again for a date and Dale had just told Eleanor his cheesiest pick-up line, which was horribly cheesy.

"What is it, beautiful?" Dale asked attentively. Every second he spent with his love was a second well spent in his mind.

"It has nothing to do with what we were just talking about," She confessed. "I just realized that I don't know your middle name. Mine is Hazel, Eleanor Hazel Bush,"

Dale narrowed his eyes at Eleanor in wonder. She was so beautiful, but she was very weird.

"Oh, you already know my middle name."

Eleanor shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows. "No I don't," She said firmly. Dale was a confusing man.

"My name is Stephen Dale Curtis," He finally admitted, making Eleanor's eyes shoot open.

She scratched her head and pressed her lips together. "Why don't you go by Stephen? It's nice and sophisticated," She asked.

"I just like Dale better," He answered plainly.

Eleanor nodded and took a sip from her soda. "I like it too! Anyway, Christmas is coming up! Are you doing anything special?" She asked with a curious smile. Christmas was her favorite time of the year.

Dale didn't make a big deal out of any holiday. Christmas was just another day out of the year for him. "It comes round on a Sunday this year, so I reckon I'll just go to church." His answer seemed like a good one to him, but Eleanor's facial expression told him that it wasn't.

"Oh no!" Eleanor blurted in horror. "You can't celebrate Christmas all alone, you must come to my house for Christmas. Yes, that sounds lovely," She didn't want Dale to be lonely on her favorite day of the year, it just didn't feel right.

Dale chuckled at her over-exaggeration. He could tell that she was upset by his Christmas plans. "That sounds like a plan." He agreed and then an idea came to him. "How about you come to help me decorate my house for Christmas? I have everything you'd need, except for a tree, but we could get that together," He murmured the last part feeling unsure about Eleanor's willingness to go chop down a tree with him.

Eleanor's smile and joy surprised him. "I would love that! Do you just to the countryside and chop down a tree?" She gushed excitedly which made Dale even feel a little excited. "I can't wait!" She beamed brightly.

"That's exactly what we'll do. We can head over there now if you'd like," Dale suggested and Eleanor nodded as if she were a bobblehead.

So the couple made their way out of the flower shop and on the road for the hour drive to Pinecrest Acres.

But twenty minutes in, Eleanor wondered something out loud.

"Don't you need to go home or to a hardware store to get a saw?"

Dale nodded his head towards the back and took her hand in his. A warm sensation rushed through his body at the feeling of her warm hand. "I love you so much," He murmured in pure bliss, Eleanor made him content. She completed his life.

"And you make me happy, but seriously! Where's your saw?" Eleanor asked again, but Dale only pressed a kiss onto her hand.

"Sassy woman. To answer your question, princess, I have a saw in my trunk."

Eleanor went to respond, but all she could do was sneeze.

Dale turned his focus away from the road and onto her. "You alright? Your hand felt mighty warm when I held it,"