AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Twenty
HARVEY
It’sclosetosix,but I arrive way too early, so I just park down the street from Elsa’s house until the time comes so I don’t seem too eager to see her.
Do I honk or walk to the door?
This might be the beginning of something bigger, and I don’t want to ruin it. But then again, I might be fooling myself. Plus, her parents already met me, and I can afford the extra time.
So why not step down and go greet her at the door?
I walk with a confident gait, but Elsa decides to demolish my plans and walks out of the door before I can reach it.
“You have quite the view from the basement, don’t you?” I tease, walking just slightly behind her to touch her shoulders as she walks towards my truck.
“No, I recognized the sound of your engine,” she says with a small smile.
She lets me open the door for her this time. I’m driving the same silver and black pickup truck, still not tired of it, and she does seem to know every inch of it by the way she comfortable gets into the passenger seat.
After I get into the driver’s seat, I look over at her and ask, “Is it okay if we just grab some food then relax at my place? I’ve been travelling and in and out of restaurants the last few weeks and just feel like being a home body if I’m being honest.”
She looks at me, unsure, then nods and says, “Okay, that works for me.”
We decide on Thai food, and we grab it to-go then head back to my place. I hate to admit it, but I’m a little nervous.
“This is your house?” she asks incredulously as I pull into the drive. I park and grab the bag of food then reply, “Yeah, this is my place.” I looks around as I press my thumb on the electronic lock. “Too fancy?”
She shrugs and holds onto my arm as we go in. “Hey, you can afford it. If I could, I’d live in a house like this.”
I ask my voice-controlled system to turn on the lights and immediately lights flicker on, revealing spacious environments decorated in a modern and minimalistic manner. I have some sports-themed artwork displayed along with some large-scale black and white photographic prints of the city.
“Who helped you decorate your place?” she asks as I guide her by the hand into the kitchen, placing the bag of food on the counter and grabbing plates and cups.
“Mom and Kiera,” I say as I start dumping the pad thai and drunken noodles onto the plates.
“What would you like to drink?” I ask, grabbing the cups. She shrugs and says, “I’ll just have some water please.”
I nod and get her some fresh water and get myself a Coke.
I hand over her Pad Thai and glass of water then grab my own. As she walks to the dining table, I say, “We can just eat on the couch. It’s fine.”
She raises an eyebrow as I walk into the living room and sit on my oversized leather sectional.
“At least it’s easy to clean,” she says, and I laugh.
I take a break from chowing down on my noodles to ask, “So, what’s next for you? Have you thought anymore about acting?”
She leans back, looks up, then looks back at me, only then releasing the breath she was holding.
“I still want to act,” Elsa says, bobbing her head around. “But I don’t even know where to start!”
“You have the money,” I say. “Get help for your panic attacks and you can do anything. Oh, speaking of which…” I bring out my phone and starts scrolling.
“I don’t know how long I would last,” she shrugs, looking down to the floor.
“You’re not this insecure, come on,” I say, reaching for her hand, but she is looking lost in thought and doesn’t acknowledge it.
“Maybe I am,” Elsa finally says, looking sad.
