Close Encounters (3)

Elle exited the cafe together with Amelia and Mrs. Hayes who figured that she and Amelia might as well go eat now if there was no hope that her son would join them. The three of them had just parted ways when Elle ran into her second coincidence of the day, quite literally.

She was looking behind her, watching Amelia and Mrs. Hayes walk off together, when she suddenly bumped into someone. Elle looked up intending to apologize and realized that by some odd coincidence it was Chris.

"I'm so sorry - " He started apologizing immediately, stopping suddenly when he realized who he was talking to.

"Elle! What a surprise."

"I seem to be blessed with such surprises today." Elle said with a stretched smile.

'If Abby and Jacob showed up her day would be complete.' Elle thought to herself bitterly.

Amelia by chance saw the interaction between the two and it only reinforced the idea that Elle and Chris were in a relationship.

"Come aunty. Let's go." She said as she took Mrs. H's arm and lead her away with a satisfied smile on her face.

"I was actually planning to call you." Chris confessed.

"Oh? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I just never properly thanked you for doing such a big favour for me last time."

"That's right. We haven't spoken since that day have we? Don't worry about it, I had fun being your assistant too. Besides it's not a bad thing to have an A-list celebrity owe you a favour." She teased.

"Perhaps, but I do have something for you. As a thank you."

"For me?"

"You're leaving now right?" Chris asked.

"Yes."

"Perfect. Let me have just two more minutes of your time. Follow me." He said as he set off towards the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" Elle complained as she followed after him.

"It's in my car." Was the only explanation he gave.

Elle followed Chris to his car where he reached into the back seat and pulled out a small black gift bag.

"For you." He declared. "As a thank you gift."

Elle was flustered, feeling both surprised and grateful. "Thank you. You really didn't need to do this much."

"To be honest I didn't really do anything." Chris said sheepishly. "The company I modelled for that time gave this to me as a gift but I have no use for it. Since you helped me during that shoot I thought it would only fair for you to have it."

Elle opened the bag, a jewellery box laid inside, and nestled in the soft velvet of the box was a stunning diamond necklace.

"I can't possible accept this." Elle whispered. "It's too much. You should save it for someone more important than me. For a girlfriend or perhaps your mother."

"I don't have a girlfriend." Chris said with a laugh. "And I'm not particularly close with my mother. You deserve it after letting me ruin your day off in such a way."

Elle swallowed hard. She saw no reason to refuse it any more than she already had. "Thank you." She said, closing the box and holding it tightly. "I'll wear it well."

Chris smiled happily. It was such an innocent and child-like grin. "I'm glad."

Once again Elle was overcome with the feeling of looking at a younger sibling. Or perhaps a cute puppy.

After a few parting words they split ways and Elle finally returned to her car.

"What an eventful morning." She murmured to herself. "All this fuss for a simple pair of shoes. I should have just stayed in bed with Adam this morning."

~~

Elle had a few more stops to make; stopping to get lunch and some groceries, before she finally returned to Adam's condo an hour later.

"You're back." Adam said as he came down the stairs to greet her.

"Ugh, what a morning it's been." She complained as she walked over to seek the comfort of Adam's embrace.

"Was it that tedious?" Adam said with a laugh. "You'll make me start to worry that you hate my mother you know."

Elle's laugh was muffled by Adam's chest. "You know it's not that. It's just so intimidating to meet her. Especially when I'm keeping such a big secret. I wanted to laugh when she wondered aloud why you didn't answer the call, but I couldn't very well answer 'I told him to sleep in this morning' could I?"

Adam chuckled in response. "Well I hope the whole trip wasn't in vain."

"No, I finished all my chores." Elle said as she abandoned Adam's embrace to head into the kitchen to put the groceries she had gotten away. "Oh, I also met Chris again. I bumped into him by chance and he gave me this absolutely stunning diamond necklace."

"Oh?"

"He got it as a gift from the company he modelled for but gave it to me since he had no use for it and I did him a favour at that time."

"Tell me, did being a model or being a model's assistant pay better in the end?" Adam teased, recalling the times she modelled for MK.

"Being a model of course."

"Really?" Adam asked in genuine surprise. "Surely this was a better payoff, considering how little work you did but how expensive the reward you got out of it was."

"Yes, but I only ended up dating you because I modelled for MK. There can't possibly be a better reward in the world than that."

It was Adam's turn to flush for once. Elle poked her head out of the kitchen, wondering at Adam's silence, and found him turned away from her with red ears. Teasing ensued of course.

With such silliness and domestic bliss the rest of the day passed by quietly and unassumingly. By the time she went to bed all of the anxiousness Elle had felt from that morning had been long forgotten. In its place, engraved in her memory, was Adam's smile and the warmth that it gave her.