Page 15 of Man Seeking Woman

Chapter Four

Ella

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Ringing the doorbell, I waited anxiously outside.

I agreed to have dinner with a man I didn't know. With a man who I had barely spoken to for more than five minutes. With a man who placed an ad, for lord knows what, in the paper.

"Who is it?"

"Kayla, it's me, I'm sorry I didn't call first, but I need your help."

The door buzzed, letting me inside, and I was almost in a full sprint as I crossed the lobby of her building to get to the elevator. Slamming my thumb repeatedly on the button for the eighteenth floor, I couldn't stop my hands from trembling at my side.

What the hell are you doing, El!?

You shouldn't be doing this!

My brain was firing off in succession, screaming at me to be smarter, to use my damn head, to realize that there was something not right with this. But I wasn't listening, because I had tunnel vision. All I could see was the possibility of a paycheck.

"Come on, come on," I said to myself as I watched the lights blink with each floor it passed.

A part of me wondered if I was showing up at Kayla's so she could talk me out of going. But that fucking curiosity was a killer, and I knew it wouldn't matter, because I was at least going to see this through and find out for myself if this could be my golden ticket to stabilty until my dreams came true.

The elevator came to a stop, my legs already launching forward before the doors were even fully open. Squeezing through the partial opening, I stalked down the hall to Kayla's apartment.

Knocking quickly, I stood still for a split second, then slapped the door loudly with an open palm. "Kay, it's me, open up."

"Alright, alright, give me a second," she said as she turned the deadbolt and pulled the door open. Stepping to the side, she eyed me curiously. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"I did something," I said as I walked past her into the apartment, raking my fingers through my hair. "I can't believe I did it, but I did."

"What did you do?" she asked, her words drawn out as she followed closely behind me.

Turning to face her, I held my hands against my mouth and bit my bottom lip. I wasn't sure how to tell her that I had actually called.