Her Autumn Attraction

Chapter 6: The Ride Home

Eline’s POV

She got off the elevator, heading for the front door. The doorman was standing in his usual spot right by the door. “Don’t you ever have time off?” She asked with a teasing voice. “You know me Miss, always working”, he answered with a smile.

Jeremiah and his wife lived in the apartment on the ground floor, so he could literally never escape his work.

For the past 5 months she had been coming here, it had always been the same doorman greeting her, Jeremiah had never had a day off or a sick day or been on holiday. He was always working. Day in and day out.

She smiled shyly at him as he opened the door for her. “Your car is waiting for you Miss, same time tomorrow?”. He sounded like a caring old dad in her ears. “Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow, say goodnight to the Mrs from me, and have a goodnight” she quickly walked out into the chilly autumn breeze. A black SUV was waiting for her on the curb.

She got into the backseat. She had said to the chauffeur that she didn’t want him to open the door for her, she could open her own doors.

The first couple of times the chauffeur picked her up from Jackson’s apartment, he had opened the door for her, she didn’t like that.

She was her own woman, she could open her own God damn door and if she had her own car, no one would open her door, besides herself.

So she didn’t want anyone to open her door, just because someone else was driving. She didn’t mind taking the bus, but Jackson insisted on getting her a car.

He also tried to get her other cars with chauffeurs so she didn’t have to take public transportation, but she shut that down quickly. She hadn’t needed a man to come and save her, not now, NOT EVER!

She might not have much, but she had what she needed.

She lived in a small two bedroom apartment, with her roommate Alicia, a sweet female coworker of hers, and her two cats, Salt and Pepper. Obviously names for a white and a black cat. She was content and comfortable where she was in life.

She sometimes dreamed of how it would be to live with Jackson, would she finally get to cook him food? Hug him? Maybe even kiss him?!

They had never kissed, not on the mouth at least. They had kissed each other all over their body’s, but never on the mouth. That was another thing she never dared to ask him about.

“You’re quiet tonight Miss” the chauffeur said looking in his rearview mirror, with a frown brow. “Long day at work, and a weird evening” she answered with a light not so convincing laugh. She continued looking out the window.

She was usually a big chatter. She loved talking to people and getting to know people, that meant she was on a first name basis with almost everyone she knew. Although the doorman and the chauffeur insisted on calling her ‘Miss’. She was convinced Jackson had told them to call her Miss, and no matter how many times she tried to convince them to call her Eline, they never did.

They drove the rest of the way to her apartment in silence. It only took 14 minutes by car from his apartment to her place. “You have a good one Miss” the chauffeur said with a light smile, as he pulled up to the curb at her apartment complex.

She just looked at the building, a thousand thoughts going through her head.

Why wasn’t she allowed in the rest of his apartment? Why wasn’t she allowed to spend the night there? Was he hiding something or someone? And who was he to say she wasn’t allowed to do anything! She was a grown woman, who could do as she pleased, when she pleased!

But she didn’t want to lose him, she was trapped, between going after what she really wanted and losing everything instantly!

“Are you okay Miss, do you need help?” The chauffeur’s question brought her out of the spiral of thoughts and back into the real world. “No, thank you, I’m sorry, I’ll get out now” she said a little embarrassed, and hurried out of the car, closed the car door and stared at her building again, she saw the car driving away out of the corner of her eye.

She took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions, they were all over the place. She took herself to her forehead, “what’s wrong with me?!” She hissed at herself. Life wasn’t always flowers and rainbows.

She was hurt tonight. Not physically but emotionally. She was really hurt. Why would he change their routine? Why would he hug her? Well she liked the hug, but it had never happened before. So why now? Why tonight?

She took another deep breath and walked inside.