Chapter 449: SoHo

Tuesday, February 14th, Morning

When she pushed the door open to the café, her cheeks were right red from the cold air. The walk from Hell's Kitchen was cold; her cheeks, nose, and toes felt like blocks of ice because of it. She pulled her sunglasses off and looked around the café until she found who she was here to meet.

Ellie walked across the café and sat down across from a young man with his nose in a book. Dawson Hickham looked from the book to Ellie and smiled.

"Ellie, you're early," Dawson said.

"Just a bit, made good time, have you been here long?" Ellie asked.

"No, maybe ten minutes," Dawson said.

Ellie turned to see the server coming to take her order. With a smile, "Hi, Columbian black, and a blueberry and banana muffin, please," Ellie said.

"Sure thing," the server said and left.

Ellie turned to Dawson, "So, Happy Valentine's Day," she said.

"Thank you, so is that why you wanted to get together?" Dawson asked.

"No, it's one of those last moments I'm free before I head back to North Carolina things," Ellie said.

"Why are you going back?" Dawson asked.

"Unfinished business," Ellie said.

"Then what?" Dawson asked.

"Back to New York and the grind," Ellie said.

"What else could there be?" Dawson asked.

"Trying to get a book published so that I can change the grind," Ellie said.

"I see," Dawson said.

"What do you see?" Ellie asked, laughing lightly.

"The struggle is real," Dawson said.

"You could say that again," Ellie said.

"Have you ever thought of self-publishing on Amazon?" Dawson said.

Ellie shrugged, "I might've at one time," she said.

"Why at one time?" Dawson asked.

Ellie shrugged, "Let's just say things change," she said.

Dawson nodded, closed his book, and put it down on the table. The server came over with Ellie's coffee and muffin and placed them in front of her.

"Anything else?" the server asked.

"Nothing, for now, thank you," Ellie said.

"You're welcome," the server said and left.

Dawson looked at Ellie as she took a bite of her muffin. After a moment or two, Ellie chased it down with some of her coffee. They looked across the table at each other.

"You're an enigma, at least to me, Ellie," Dawson said.

"What is the mystery? I'm just a southern girl from a small town trying to make it in the big city. I'm so common it's cliché," Ellie said.

"On the surface, yes, but I feel there's more," Dawson said.

"What do you mean by that?" Ellie asked.

"Just a feeling," Dawson said.

"Feeling? What type of feeling?" Ellie asked.

"There's more to you, Ellie than what you present," Dawson said.

"Are you trying to look in my soul? Setting up the proverbial window?" Ellie asked.

"I'm trying to understand you," Dawson said.

Ellie tilted her head, took a piece of her muffin, and popped it into her mouth. Slowly, she chewed, keeping her eyes locked on his. Ellie took a sip of her coffee, and she swallowed.

"What are you trying to understand?" Ellie asked.

"What makes Ellie tick," Dawson said.

"A heart that pumps blood throughout my body, like everyone else," Ellie said.

"I see; there has to be more," Dawson said.

"Why would you think I am more?" Ellie asked.

"You're too complex and intelligent not to be more," Dawson said.

"I'm just a girl, living in the city writing so-so articles to support myself," Ellie said.

"That in itself makes you interesting," Dawson said.

"I'm just living my life," Ellie said.

Dawson nodded, "What was that?" he asked.

"What was what?" Ellie asked.

"What you just said," Dawson said.

"What was what?" Ellie asked.

"No, before that," Dawson said.

"I'm just living my life," Ellie said.

"Eileen says that all the time in The Girl that Always wear Purple," Dawson said.

Ellie shrugged, "I guess many people say that," she said.

"You said it so naturally," Dawson said.

Ellie shrugged, "Sure, I guess," she said.

"Mhmm," Dawson said.

"What's wrong, Dawson?" Ellie asked.

"Something I'm mulling over in my mind," Dawson said.

"As in what?" Ellie asked.

"Like in that there's someone from the book I've met," Dawson said.

Ellie shrugged, "It's possible if I remember her opening line was the names have been changed to protect the guilty, let's be honest no one is innocent here," she said.

"That's one way to grab your attention," Dawson said.

"Yeah, I mean, hell, I couldn't have written it better," Ellie said.

"I don't think anyone could've," Dawson said.

"Some people are gifted with words or have a good person to suggest them," Ellie said.

"Yeah," Dawson said.

"Yeah?" Ellie asked.

"I feel I've met her," Dawson said.

"Who?" Ellie asked.

"Eileen," Dawson said.

"Oh, well, I see," Ellie said.

"Yeah, I just can't connect the dots," Dawson said.

"Why would you? It would kind of ruin the book," Ellie said.

Dawson chuckled, "Yeah, but one thing I got out of the book is that Eileen was just trying to find herself," he said.

"I guess it is subjective," Dawson said.

"Yeah, things are subjective, very subjective," Ellie said, took a chunk of her muffin, and put it in her mouth.

"Like when Eileen explained that she doesn't consider a threesome a gangbang," Dawson said.

"Ellie coughed, "What?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's in the book," Dawson said, "and I believe it was with her mother."

"I know, but why jump to that one?" Ellie asked.

"It just made sense to me," Dawson said.

Ellie shrugged, "I guess," she said, "Can I finish my muffin before we go into group sex? It's still early."

Dawson blushed a little, "Okay," he said.

Ellie's smartphone dinged. She looked at it and opened it to read the entire message.

Campbell: I just thought we could get lunch.

Ellie: What's your availability?

Campbell: Just today.

Ellie: Okay, meet me at Katz Deli.

Campbell: Want a fake orgasm, Libby?

Ellie: No good corn beef.

Campbell: Okay, one.

Ellie: See you there.

Campbell: See you, Libby.

Ellie put her phone down and looked at Dawson. "Old college friend, who wants to have lunch," she said.

"Okay," Dawson said and nodded.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" Ellie said.

"I'm going out with Everett tonight," Dawson said.

"A new…" Ellie said.

"I'm still figuring it out," Dawson said.

Ellie nodded, "Okay," she said and started eating her muffin