Steve´s afternoon (Chapter 10)

Eloise came from Harlem, where she had lived her whole life. She lived together with her mom in a small apartment and worked hard for the rent. She knew the streets of Harlem like the back of her hands and she also knew about the places that would stay secret for most visitors of New York, the true diamonds of this neighborhood that sprinkled the long-hold magic. Eloise took Steve to see exactly these places. A city tour at its best. Steve felt like he had experienced the best day he could have ever imagined. Never would he have expected to spend the day like this, visiting secret local spots with an unfamiliar person. However, Eloise was no stranger to him anymore. The whole afternoon with her felt like an eternity of wondrous magical experiences. During this private Harlem tour, Eloise and Steve had plenty of time to get to know each other. For a while, he even forgot about Anika. But Steve’s adventure was about to gradually come to an end. Yet, before he should part ways with Eloise, he wanted to take her out to grab some food in a nearby restaurant, a way to say thanks and pay her back for the free tour around her neighborhood.

“Thank you, Steve”, Eloise said, after taking the last bite of her food. “Thank you?”, Steve sounded surprised. “Why do you thank me? I am the one who has to say thanks! You showed me around these awesome places, you shared all your knowledge about this town with me, and you sacrificed a lot of your time today to do all this for me, for a total stranger”. He shook his head. “You are amazing you know that? I mean you are so generous. And so kind-hearted, Eloise”. Now it was Eloise’s turn to blush. Never had somebody told her that before. “Thank you”, she repeated in a soft tone. “I mean, you were great company too. And honestly, I am glad I could help out a lost soul to discover the unexplored beauty of this City”. “I would say we both won an enormously pleasant memory and a new friend”, Eloise appraised. Steve’s heart soaked in joy while listening to Eloise’s words, though he was aware that this could lead nowhere else than to a far-away reminiscence in the future.

Steve was smiling silently. What a weird day, he thought to himself. Who would have thought this morning when I made a joke about meeting a nice girl, that I would really end up meeting one? Anyway, nothing happened. Of course not. I love Anika. Even though Eloise was a beautiful and charming woman, Anika was something special to him. Steve has always believed in destiny. Meeting Eloise must have been destiny bringing him a new friend and an unforgettable adventure. But since day one, he thought that meeting Anika had been destiny bringing him the love of his life. So when Anika held her speech about fate and true love this morning, he was in. He wanted to prove it to her so badly. To show her that he was right. That their love was meant to be. But his determined and eager plan of proving it to her also stressed him. What if it doesn´t work out in the end, he thought. What if I can’t find her? Steve’s whole idea and belief in fate would probably be crushed if he couldn’t find Anika today. Or would he be able to shrug it off just like he did with his emotions? Well, he told himself, you’ll soon find out.