When I got home, I had this sense of urgency overtaking me. I needed to read those diary entries and I needed to read them fast. The faster I read them, the closer I could get to Eleanor and God, did I want to be close to her. I wanted to get inside...
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At around 12:56pm, I hooked Nyla's leash to her collar and checked my phone. I hadn't received any message from Sara and I thought maybe she would let me know if she was on her way, but then again I wasn't familiar with how all of this worked.
I waited by the door, until the time hit 12:59 pm.
There was a knock, a soft but assertive knock.
I grabbed the handle, pulled the door open and nearly jumped back when I saw Elle. Was I dreaming again? Would I wake up just at the climax of this dream where she forced herself into my apartment and yanked me to my bedroom to-
"Elijah, right?" She smiled.
I hadn't spoken since I opened the door, I probably looked silly.
"Uh, yeah. You're not... Sara?" I asked, trying to seem like maybe I didn't remember her, but I did. Of course I did.
"No, no. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Elle. We met yesterday... I uh, told you about Euphoric Canine." She spoke slowly, unsurely.
"Yes, Elle. I remember. Sorry, I just wasn't expecting you. I was told on the phone that someone named Sara would be my dog walker?" Nyla started to whine behind me. She must have really needed to go.
"Right, about that. I'm sorry for not communicating with you, but there was a switch at the last minute. So, I took over for Sara." She grinned.
She had her hair pulled back in a tight pony tail and she even had makeup on. I don't think she had been wearing makeup the past couple times I had seen her.
"Oh, well that's no problem at all. I'm sure Nyla will love you." I said.
I handed over the leash to her and she gladly took it and crouched down, beginning to introduce herself to Nyla, letting her smell her. "She's a very sweet dog, I've never had an issue with her." I stated.
I hadn't had her long enough to know about any issues, but I guess we'd find out.
"She seems like a sweetheart." She stood back up and adjusted her shirt. "But um, I thought you said that you had a male dog?" She questioned me, with a small frown forming on her face and her eyes squinting.
I had a feeling this was going to happen. I wanted to slap myself. "No, no. I'm pretty sure I said she..." I mumbled, pressing my lips together.
She looked at me but I could tell she was having a hard time believing me.
"Sorry, maybe I was mumbling." I laughed, but more at myself. "I have a bad habit of doing that. But no, no. Nyla's a girl." I insisted. For the love of God, I hope I didn't fuck this up.
Her frown turned into a smile. "No, it's okay. It's probably me. Lots of long walks on hot days, my brain gets a little jumbled sometimes. Alright, well I'm off. We should be back here around 2:40 pm, give or take."
I nodded my head and smiled. "Sounds good. I'll see you later, Elle." I reached for the door to close it as Nyla walked out.
"It's Eleanor, actually." She stated unexpectedly, trying to get the words out quickly before I shut the door.
"I'm sorry?" I cocked my head.
"My name. It's not Elle, it's Eleanor. I kind of just threw out a nickname when you first approached me. You know, safety and whatnot." She giggled nervously.
She was smart. I like smart girls. "Completely understandable. Well, it's nice to meet you, Eleanor."
Her real name sounded so lovely coming from my mouth and I never wanted to stop saying it.
Eleanor, Eleanor, Eleanor, Eleanor.
"You too, Elijah." She gave me a smile that lasted longer than I thought it would before she walked away with Nyla.
She felt safe enough around me to give me her real name, not some silly little nickname she thought of on the spot. This was a good sign, I thought to myself. I think she liked me.
Maybe not as much as I liked her, because that's probably impossible, but it was a good start.
