Until I Met Her

Chapter 5

I invited Eleanor to the park.

After our little... encounter at the university's library we've been avoiding each other but that's all water under the bridge... honestly, I find her company quite amusing, she's funny to be around.

Also, my mum forced me to do it.

I had no other choice.

Before my mother told me to invite Eleanor to do something, I had plans of going to the skate park, so I decided to take her with me, whether she liked it or not.

It happened like this: Mum and I had just gotten to the house from church, Matias had a football game and Dad is Jewish, although he doesn't practice. I was in the living room with my dad watching EmbarrassingBodiesas we always did on Sundays after church. When suddenly, the phone rang and my mum answered.

"Ptss! Ptssss!" My dad and I looked at each other, we both frowned not knowing what the ptss was, "Tyler!" My mother whispered loud enough that we heard her. My dad and I turned to look at her frowning with curiosity.

"Since when do we whisper?" My dad whispered. My mum glared at him, her curly hair was up in a bun and her light brown skin was sweaty from cleaning, she cleaned on Sundays after church. Her cleaning music was on but lower than usual. Really old Vallenatosthat she always played whenever she wanted to feel closer to home.

"Hazme un favor, I need you to go out with Eleanor this afternoon," She whispered, ordering me instead of actually asking for a favour. I shook my head, she nodded looking at me like she'd throw something if I refused again. She looked so much like my Abuela right now.

"But I'm meeting Freddie later, you know that, you were there when I told her at church that I—"

"Tyler." My mother's eyes got slightly smaller.

"Mum, it's Eleanor." I whined, my father shook his head, laughing as he turned back to the TV.

My mother shook her head with disappointment and I thought I had won an argument but you never really win an argument against your mother, do you? My mother lifted her phone back to her ear and with a fake smile she said, "Yes, Adele, Tyler can do it, she'll be there later."

And that's how it happened. That's why I was sitting in my mum's car thinking of ways to get Eleanor to come with me without actually telling her where we were going because if she knew, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't come.

When I figured I'd just wing it, I got to the front door and knocked once but no one answered. I knocked twice and nobody came. I knocked a lot of times repeatedly and annoyingly, until a frowning Eleanor opened the door harshly.

I could feel the awkwardness trying to raise up but I tried my hardest to push away the last words she said to me and I smiled.

Water under the bridge.

"Hi, Eleanor." I said quickly, not letting her talk. "Look at you all dress up and stuff. Anyway, as a peace offering I'm taking you out." I took her hand and dragged her out of her house to my mum's car. I opened the passenger's door and I sat her down, I even did her seatbelt ignoring her questioning looks.

I quickly got in the car and before she could open the door I locked the car and drove away.

I sighed in relief, how cool was this, I just kidnapped her.

"Kohen, you're so fucking weird..." She didn't seem too surprised by my actions which made me wonder if she knew her mother asked mine to ask me to get her out.

"Why aren't you surprised or pissed off?"

"Because as weird or stupid this might be, it does seem like something you'd do, something that would make sense to you." She simply said, I didn't know whether if I should feel insulted or not, I shrugged it off anyway.