27Chapter 5: My Puppy Joe
Benjamin
"What?" I asked her, looking a bit confused on my part.
"We're gonna stay with Joe, if that's ok with you, that is." She smiled; I had let her drive, considering I had never been up here, to look for her brother's old apartment. She claimed that she had never stayed there, but had often visited and sent letters to him, while he was in high school.
"Are you sure he'll let us bunk with him?" I looked at her again, she seemed so positive about the ordeal.
"Yes, of course. After all, don't you have to be a certain age or something to rent a room at a hotel?" She replied, looking at the road still.
"I dunno. Maybe. Are you sure we can trust this guy?"
"Yes." She stated firmly.
"Why?" It had come out of my mouth before I even realized it. I shouldn't need to interrogate her about her relationship with him, but then again if I was staying there, maybe I should.
She looked thoughtful for a moment, then sighed, a sign clearly meaning: I might as well get over with it now. And she did. "Let's just say that Joe has always had sort of a thing for me." She looked across at me and gave me a look that ended the conversation. Although I had to admit, she looked just a little unsure.
I crossed my arms. That remark gave me something to think about mainly, what kind of relationship she had with this Joe. I was immediately defensive, and did not agree with Eleanor at all that we should stay with him, but again, what right did I have to tell her that? It was my car, but I should be the gentleman I was when I picked her up. I set my hand on my forehead and shook my head.
The main thing I was worried about now, since Eleanor had the deepest trust in the man, was what we would say for my sake.
"Hey El," I turned to her, "What will we say when I show up beside you?" I asked.
"Oh shoot, I hadn't thought of that." She said. She was quiet for several minutes and then she placed her hand in the middle of the steering wheel and honked, a giggle emitting from her mouth.
"What'd you do that for?" I exclaimed, looking in front and behind us.
"Out of frustration! Haha! You shoulda seen the look on your face!" She laughed heartily and when she saw my serious posture, she quieted down.
"You are so weird…"
Which made her laugh harder.
She was in his arms, greeting him like she hadn't seen him in years. And he didn't look the least bit displeased either. So what feeling had arose in me while I watched them? Jealousy could be one word. But I had a year and a half's experience of reading people, so I was smart enough to know that Eleanor did not return his feelings at all. She hugged him like someone would a brother. I wasn't worried at all. But then again, what did I have to worry about? It's not like I liked her or anything. So I just stood behind her, sort of looking around the little place. I saw a pool down to the right; he lived upstairs and in number 53. It was a bit awkward, standing there with my hands in my pockets, and a dirty shirt on. Eleanor had been right, it looked like Joe did indeed have a thing for her, he stared at her for a while before turning to me.
"This is Ben…" Eleanor started.
"Benjamin Evans," I declared, stretching out a hand to Joe.
"Joseph Taylor, pleasure." He said evenly, meeting my eyes. Huh, the guy wasn't too bad after all, he didn't look too much like the jerk I presumed he would be, he was blond and had light brown eyes. He seemed like the California type who gets up every day to tone their so-called muscles at the beach, but I didn't say anything as Eleanor went inside, me following her and then the puppy.
Yeah, I decided that Joe should be called what he is, a puppy.
I stood there, taking in the little room that was so lively. It had a couch and an armchair to my left, pale green, a medium-sized TV, with a little bookshelf next to it containing DVD's, photos, a newspaper, some tape, a device that looked like a radio and last of all, a book. Next to that, there was a tall black lamp. There was a little glass table in the middle with Monopoly on top and what seemed a mug of coffee. The walls were white and the carpet was a tan brown. To my right was the a table with four chairs and the kitchen, tiled of course, with the usual kitchen necessities, and straight ahead was a hallway, leading to the bathroom and bedrooms.
Eleanor plopped herself down on couch, grabbing a magazine that was on the arm of it and flipping through it. "Ben, come here, sit." She said, giving me a look. I knew what it meant right way: sit here before Joe comes and molests me! Well, that's what I interpreted it as anyway.
So, I stalked over and sat down, while Joe went to his kitchen. He came back a few seconds later with two glasses of water. Handing one to Eleanor and me, he sat down in the armchair and stared at us.
"So El, why the pleasant surprise?" He asked, a genuine smile placed on his face.
El was in the middle of taking a sip when he had asked so we had to wait a few seconds for her reply. "Well, I was in town…and I decided to come and see you."
Joe had an unreadable expression on his face and laughed, "Yeah, right. You only come see me when you want something." And I believed he would hand her the world on a silver platter if he could!
"Oh come on," pressed Eleanor, "Isn't just seeing your face reason enough to come and visit you?"
He sighed. "Seriously now, why'd you come?"
I looked at Eleanor, funny how this guy got straight to the point, no small talk at all. He hadn't even asked who I was or how Eleanor's brother's life had unraveled. She looked a bit surprised at what he had asked.
Then it was her turn to sigh. "I know that I haven't been too nice to you, Joe. I haven't been the friend that you were to my brother, but we are still friends aren't we?"
The puppy nodded.
"And I just have always wanted to come and explore Sedona, since you know how my family is," she smiled sadly, a thing which he understood and I didn't, "they never come here because of what happened…and I think it's a waste to not come and see how beautiful this city truly is. I just never got the chance to actually be here, so I'm asking you if we, Ben and I, can stay here for a few days and sort of tour the city." She gave him her best smile, trying to break through to him. I knew he would, after all it wasn't too much to ask, except if he had visitors or something. Shoot, being that crazy about her I wouldn't give it a second's thought. I mean, if I were that crazy about her of course.
Then he did the darnedest thing. He got up and left, to the hallway.
I looked at Eleanor, who seemed worried. I asked her what was up with him and she just shook her head.
"Let's leave." She said.
We got up, placed the glasses on the table and walked towards the door. Eleanor turned back just as I reached for the doorknob.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, Joe. Bye." She turned to me and nodded, with a sad expression on her face.
"Rose, don't leave just yet." Came a muffled voice.
Rose? Why did he call her that? I wondered while she stood there.
Joe came back out, with a long white piece of paper in his hands that appeared to be five feet long. On there, in a sad attempt at cursive was scribbled: "Mi Casa Es Su Casa."
I laughed, along with Eleanor who was on the verge of tears. Joe joined in as well and we shared the first signs of a long friendship. Or so I thought.
Eleanor sighed as I sat next to her, late in the evening, at Joe's still. I was sipping on some coffee and she had a tall glass of chocolate milk in front of her, Joe a mug of coffee as well.
"Well, that's the life of my bro dearest. Never grown out of his loser-like self." She giggled quietly. "Oh, but how I love him. Oh have I got news for you! You know that Shannon girl?"
Joe nodded. "She said she would follow him to the ends of the Earth. Well, last I talked to her anyway. What happened?"
"He proposed ." Joe nodded. and Eleanor glared at the glass in front of her. "…And you know what that, that, person did? She said she would think about it, and next morning she said she isn't ready for that kind of relationship, that they were too young, that her parents wouldn't give them their blessing, that she didn't want to end up like her grandmother and that I wouldn't approve of it!"
Joe looked down, "First of all, you don't need a sister's approval for anything, much less a little sister." He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes. "But why would she think that? And how did you find out?"
"Well my brother, broken-hearted and furious, called me and let it slip I guess. He wasn't really thinking at the moment. He said that she had said that because we were always close and when I had met her in Colorado, that I gave her nasty looks and never warmed up to her. Well God, they had only been dating for 3 months when he took her to dinner with us, I didn't think it was gonna be anything serious!" She exclaimed.
Joe shook his head and I stared at Eleanor. I had seen many emotions cross her face, but never an angry one. She was always either solemn or smiling.
"So what happened?" I asked. They looked at me as if I had barely showed up.
"Oh, well Shannon repented what she did and asked for his hand as he had her. But as much as he loved her, his pride triumphed over those emotions and he refused. I would have to. And you know what the funny part is? The next day he found out that she had been cheating on him, for like two weeks, because she was insecure or something. So it all worked out, but nowadays, I hear that she is rather lonely and still asks him to forgive her. And he has, believe me he is very lenient on things…but I don't think he loves her anymore, or as much as he used to." Eleanor sighed deeply, meeting my eyes. She smiled a tired smile. "And that was it."
I nodded at her and Joe asked if we would like something to eat, before it got to late. "Eh, we'll go out and get something, don't worry 'bout it Joe." I patted his arm and he insisted, "No, really, although I may not buy groceries too often, there is food in the fridge. We can cook something up right?"
Eleanor smiled, complaining that although she would love to cook, she was just too tired. Then, her eyes brightened.
"Hey! We have Taco Bell leftovers in the car, right Ben?"
"Oh, shit. My car probably stinks by now...ugh. Those leftover aren't any good now, Eleanor." I responded. Her face fell a little but then she turned to Joe.
"Hey Joe, do you think maybe you could lend me- well us – some clothes or something?" She asked.
Me and Joe both looked at her. Sure I could probably wear his clothes, he looked about my size, maybe a little bigger, but for Eleanor? Then again, she did like baggy clothes. But what about her…undergarments?
I knew that Joe was probably thinking the same thing that I was and we looked at each other.
"Up for some shopping, Ben?" He asked me.
"Yeah, let's go Eleanor." She eyed the both of us and suddenly blushed, finally catching on. She put her hands on her cheeks and let out a small "Aah!" And ran to the bathroom. A minute later, still flushed, she came out.
She inhaled a deep breath and smiled. "Ok. Let's go."
I drove my black Toyota around until we found a department store that was open. Target, typical. Driving there, I got to see the view of Sedona and for what it really was. A beautiful city, with red, red rocks. They were high and there were little clouds around, pines surrounding the mountains with valleys below and little rivers flowing thoroughly throughout the city.
We all got off and stalked inside, grabbing a cart for as Joe had said- just in case. It was then that I realized the ditz that Eleanor truly was. She hadn't brought any clothes- save for the extra layers of clothing that she probably usually wore. Although I did see her whip out a shirt from the big humongo pocket in the front of her sweatshirt, this morning I think, I wasn't sure it would last her for the days that we would be here.
Eleanor stalked over to the women's department and snatched the cart away from Joe, looking very much like a mother scolding her kid, and got lost in the clothes and clothes of the store. She told Joe and I to wait for her and I went to get my own necessities, with the little puppy trailing not far behind.
"So, Ben, how long have you known El for?" Joe asked, flipping over an upside down shoe.
"Uh, not as long as you have, probably." I decided to go with the safest thing, I still wasn't sure what Eleanor and I would say about me.
"Ah. Yeah, Jake and I were roomies for the last two years of our high school. Rosy sure was upset the day he declared that he was gonna move in with me. He had a stable job and got through school mostly alone, with help from his two sisters of course. His parents never really cared as much for him…but that's not my business to talk." He explained.
Why did he keep calling her Rose? And Jake was…Eleanor's older brother, of course. I grabbed a few pairs of socks that were on sale for $ 2.99 and seeked out what I would need for the next couple days.
About ten minutes later, we met up with Eleanor and she declared, "Ben, I will pay for your things, since it was my plan to come up here and not yours."
Yeah, right. I wasn't going to let her pay. That's just plain rude. And so I told her.
An astonished look crossed her delicate features. "Rude? How in the world is it rude? I'm gonna pay for you Mr. Evans, whether you like it or not." In the midst of all this, I caught Joe's eye and he was cracking up.
"Eleanor, please. You already got a lot in there, just let me take care of my stuff and yours as well." I said, taking hold of her cart. She yanked it back, gently. When I pulled on it again, she came along with it and fell into my arms when she almost tripped. She looked up at me and I told her softly, "Please, it's no hassle."
As soon as I let her go she ran away with the cart, laughing loudly. And I ran after her.
About half an hour later, we were all jostled up in my car, out of breath. The solution was that El paid for her stuff and I paid for mine. It turned out to be almost the exact same price. Wasn't too expensive, considering the face that I had gotten three pairs of jeans for a really low price. Eleanor got a few jeans as well and some t-shirts and blouses and of course her undergarments, as did I.
I had trouble finding my way back with all the laughing and chortling going on, but with Joe leading me, we arrived safely, at almost 10:30 p.m. Grabbing mine and Eleanor's stuff, we ran up to the small apartment and I hauled the bags onto the couch.
"Rosy, Rosy, Rosy, what will we do with you?" Joe asked her. They were dancing in the kitchen and he had just twirled her around. Being with Joe, Eleanor seemed to have a lot of confidence. She had gotten over her shyness with me a while back, there were still some tension-filled moments but I guess with Joe, she just showed her fun and wild side.
I asked Joe casually where we would be sleeping and he said that the extra room was available, because his own younger brother was visiting some family in the East. El walked over to where I was and led me to the other room leaving Joe looking like a sad and neglected puppy.
"Sssh!" El whispered, when I had started to ask her something. She looked into my eyes and I remember the night before. Those damn thoughts hadn't bothered me at all during the day and now they came streaming back.
"Sorry, I just wanted to talk to you about something Joe had asked me." We were standing by the door still as I said, "What? What was it?"
"He asked me who you were and well, I told him the first thing that came to mind." I saw red creep up her face.
I nodded. "Yeah?"
"I kinda told him that we were you know-" She stopped abruptly. Again, she looked deep into my eyes. It was then that I noticed how exquisite they were. So grey…
"Um, it's kinda weird, but uh…"
I was still quiet when a light bulb flashed in my head. "You told him that we were going out." I blurted.
She shooshed me again, looking around to see if there was a looming Joe somewhere in the room, avoiding my eyes. A little guiltily, she nodded.
"Ah. Well. I dunno what to say. Uh. Ok. How are you gonna explain our 'affection' towards each other?" I asked her.
"Well I told him when you were carrying the bags up here that I was going to tell you that I had told him already. So supposedly, we weren't being all that lovey-dovey towards one another because Joe hadn't known." She gave me a small smile. I nodded and then shook my head.
"Is that the only thing you could come up with?" I asked her, a little mad now that she had put me in this position without consulting with me first.
"Well as I said, it was the only thing-" She tried to explain.
"You coulda told him I was your cousin, or a very close friend or your body guard!" I whispered madly.
She looked down. "You're right. I'm sorry. If you want, you can leave-"
Again, I interrupted her. "No, I don't want to leave. It's fine, Eleanor." I moaned and ran a hand through my hair.
"It was the only thing I could come up with that would keep him…away from me." I looked down at her, her eyes plastered on the ground.
"Oh El, oh I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up, I should have known." I placed my arms around her, hugging her tightly. The last thing I wanted was for Joe to try and do something to or with Eleanor. I asked her if she wanted to keep him away, then why did we come here?
"Because although he likes me, I trust him, he's like another an older brother to me and sometimes when we're alone, well it's just awkward. He had asked my brother permission to date me before he had even asked me. My brother was unsure, saying that I was too young, and still I am, but he said if that's what I wanted then go ahead. It was just this past year that Joe asked me too." She said, now lifting her eyes to meet mine.
"Well, do or rather, did you like him?" I asked her, a little afraid of the answer.
"At first, yes, I thought being a young girl with an older boyfriend would make me happy and I would show him off to my friends, but then I realized that I only saw him as brother and a close friend. It was then that I rejected him and we haven't spoken since that day. Until of course we show up here. That was why I told him we weren't the best of friends…but what could I do? I do feel kind of guilty but it's not my fault he's four years older than me and I don't return his feelings."
I didn't know what to say, she was right, it wasn't her fault but neither was it Joe's. I figured that she thought Joe would be over her, but seeing him now, she's still the bone that he chases after…puppy-wise anyway.
I let her go, deciding that we should go out and ask Joe for some blankets to settle in for the night. There was one bed in the room, and it was rather neat, with a basket for dirty laundry, empty, a little table supporting a smaller TV, some game consoles and two rather large, fancy dressers. One was tall, the other small, but wide, and both were a dark brown.
I headed out and grabbed the Target bags, hauling them in the room and smiling at Eleanor when she saw them. I hadn't seen Joe, so I figured he was in his own room by now. And then there was a knock on the door.
"Rose? Ben?" A voice said. Joe's, of course.
"Yeah, come on in." Eleanor smiled from the bed as he did. I was standing over my bag that was next to Eleanor, getting out some clothes.
"Here are some extra blankets, and towels are in the bathroom if you guys wanna take shower or something. Feel free to rummage the fridge if you like…" He joked.
"Thanks, Joe." Eleanor and I said at the same time. We looked at Joe then at each other and the three of us laughed.
"Ok, have fun then. Good night." Joe left.
I heard Eleanor sigh beside me. I threw a pair of socks at her as she fell back on the bed.
"Hey, what was that for?" She grabbed the pair and hauled it at me.
"Come on, lazy, go take a shower. Or I'll beat you to it…" She sat straight up and ran out the door. I walked slowly after her, chuckling softly.
She had locked herself inside and I knocked on the door. "Hey El, you don't have any clothes with you do you?"
I could already imagine the expression on her face. A muffled voice said, "Ben…could you pretty please get me my bag?"
I laughed loudly so she could hear. "Not unless you come out first."
"But then you'll take the bathroom!" She whined.
Again, I laughed, she could take a shower, but she would never come out with only a towel wrapped around her body. "Come on, just open it."
Silence.
I sighed, shaking my head and set my own clothes down on the floor, walking back to the room to grab her bags.
"I got your bags Eleanor," I told the door. I heard some shuffling and then, "I need proof."
I grabbed a shirt from the bag and stuffed it underneath the door.
"No, I need more. For all I know you could have just grabbed that and left bags in the room." And then went a pair of jeans under the door.
I heard a sound of disapproval and fished something else from the bag. A sweater? In the middle of summer? I shook my head and shoved that underneath as well.
She was quiet for a while. I realized what she was trying to do. She wanted me to keep pushing more clothes underneath the door so that she could take a shower knowing she could change right afterwards with all her needed clothes there, but that would also cause her to realize that I would have to shove her underwear and bra as well, and I knew she was far too shy for me to do that without her having a heart attack.
I cackled evilly and she muttered something. "Ok, you win!"
The door burst open and Eleanor stood there, surprised that I had been standing so close to the door. I smirked and bustled in, while she was trying to shove me out. Somehow, I ended up pinning her to the counter with the door closed. For the third time that day, Eleanor's brilliant eyes looked up into mine and I stared long and hard at her when she finally blinked.
I didn't know what to do so I decided to say something and it came out as a hushed whisper. "The bags are still outside…"
For some weird, otherworldly reason, I had a sudden urge to stroke her hair, but stopped myself right on time, hand in midair. She was still as ever and I couldn't detect the emotion that filled her eyes. She wasn't frightened, neither was she in all confidence to deal with the situation. Her gray eyes emitted the same emotions as when I had first seen her- confusement, bewilderment and just a little glad of someone being there. Silent and sly as ever, I brushed the hair out of her eyes while she snapped her orbs shut. I backed away slowly and stared at her. When she finally opened her eyes, her face was red as a tomato. Looking down, she raised one shaky finger and pointed to the door and I responded to her demand, walking out of the bathroom without a word.
A/N: "Who's the puppy now?" is what I'm thinking...haha lol Anyway, hey there! I updated quite quickly did I not? You all should be proud of me, and it was pretty long as well! So what did you guys think of Joe? Also some good stuff about Eleanor's family and her past with Joe, I just covered that slightly. Haha. Well anyway, I hope you all liked it, I sure am proud of it! Lol Well I'll TTYL, ok? BTW, I dedicate this chapter to my old friend, Kerry, the toe-biting maniac. Haha lol! Review if you're reading this!
Now, review replies for all chapters:
Kiara Asukara: Thanks for all of your support Kaitlin, I really appreciate it. I'm glad that you like my story, but you should update your own soon! Well, coolio, I'll talk to you later.
violin-lady 13: Thanks for your reviews, you're awesome! I do think I made it lengthier this time, I hope you liked that. I already revealed the reason why Ben left and we will leave it at that…
write25: Thank you for all of your tips, they really helped me.
FDA Approved/Chump: You're very welcome! Thank you and yeah my chapters have gotten pretty longer, I hope, or at least not as short as the first one(s)!
saturn567: Thanks, hope you'll keep on reading!
Marissa: OMG! I love you for reviewing my story! Don't go emo on me now! Then I will go emo as well!
loves him: Sorry for your troubles! That happened to me as well, but I just decided to quit clicking the little button. You think Eleanor is like that? Haha, that's so great, it made me laugh! Yeah, you're right about the contractions, but I actually sounded it out and saw that the "is" was needed. That was why I added it. Thanks for all your reviews, you're great!
Rosalina: Oh you're welcome! Um, it was Ben's phone that went off and not Eleanor's, considering she doesn't have one…but yeah thanks for your review!
Thank you to all of my reviewers, you're great, and you reading this, REVIEW now! Jst kidding, do whatever the heck you want. Bye-bye now…
-XgainMyAgainX