"This Guy Is In Love With You" - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
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Thursday - Precinct
Michael strolled down the stairs with a pep in his step. He had a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. His bright smile attracted the attention of Chloe from her desk. She pushed herself away from her desk and stood up confused as to why Michael was there. He walked right up to his dear friend trying not to get caught before Ella saw him.
"What are you doing?" Chloe asked.
"I've come to see my girlfriend," he giggled out. He flashed Chloe a smile. "Is she in her work area?" He looked over toward the room, but didn't see her inside.
"She's down the hall looking over some evidence…" Chloe looked over the gifts Michael had brought. He pulled the flowers up so she could admire them. "They're beautiful."
"Why thank you. I hand picked them myself from the garden." He handed them over so Chloe could have herself a sniff.
"They smell amazing. Where did you say you picked them up from?" She ran her finger over the pedals admiring the color and beauty.
"The garden," he said with pride.
"Which garden?" Chloe asked, confused.
"The garden," he stated with a smile.
"The garden?" She asked. Michael nodded his head. His stupid smile forced her to realize he meant garden with a capital T. "The garden... Like Adam and Eve's garden!" She yelled out.
Everyone looked in their direction.
"Well it's not actually their garden, but essentially yes." He plucked the flowers out of her hands, clutching them close to his chest. "Now lower your voice."
"Wait wait wait wait," she let out a chuckle, "you can actually go to the garden whenever you please?"
"Of course," he said, like she could go there herself. "It's forbidden for you humans, but I can go whenever I please."
"I…" she shook her head. She couldn't believe the garden was an actual place. "I… I have so many questions, like -"
Michael ignored her questions and turned around. He could sense Ella walking into the bullpen. He lifted the bouquet in front of his face making sure to catch her attention. The sight of a stranger standing besides Chloe had her stopping with a smile on her face.
"What…" She said.
Michael turned the flowers down so she could see his face.
"Michael?" A big smile spread across her face. "What are you doing here?"
She walked up to him with her arms open wide. He did the same, wrapping his arms around her.
"I came to deliver these gifts to you." He pulled away and showed her the bouquet of flowers and box of chocolates. "And to take you out on a date. That is if you're not too busy tonight."
"I…" She was taken by surprise, she looked from Chloe to Michael. "I… I'm not sure -"
Chloe cut her off before she couldn't say anything more.
"Sure she can," Chloe injected. "Take her away, Michael. She's been working harder than any of us lately. She deserves a chance to get out of these walls and out to wherever you have planned."
Ella mouthed a thank you to Chloe. She was in desperate need of a break. Chloe nodded her head and slowly backed away so the two of them could head over to her office. She shot Ella a wink. The small Latina then pulled Michael over to her work area so they could have their privacy.
As soon as Michael stepped into the room, he placed her gifts on the desk and turned around. She immediately attacked him with a hug. Her face was pressed up against his chest, taking in the smell of his cologne. He smiled against the top of her head enjoying having her in his arms.
"I take it you were in dire need of some saving," Michael asked with a smile on his face.
Ella pulled her face away and placed her chin on his chest. She looked up at him.
"You have no idea."
Michael leaned his head down so he could place a kiss on her lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist, slowly swaying them side to side.
"I recall I was brought gifts?" She asked. Michael dropped his arms and let Ella look over the flowers that were on her work desk.
"Michael… these are beautiful!" She picked them up, immediately lifting them to her nose.
"You like them?" He watched carefully as she admired the flowers.
"Michael I love them! Where did you get flowers like this? They're so bright and alive." She pushed them right back in her face so she could smell them once more.
"Oh I know a place." He came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Is that code for, I stole them out of an old lady's garden?" She chuckled out.
"More like my old man's," he corrected. He buried his face in her neck leaving soft kisses.
"What?" She reached her hand back and laid it upon the back of Michael's head. "I didn't know your father was in the area."
"He's not…"
He pulled back and turned her around. He cupped the side of her face and bent down to kiss her. Her hands slowly moved up his chest, coming to relax around his shoulders. The conversation about the flowers was completely forgotten. Michael hummed. He stepped away from their kiss allowing himself to look upon her face once more.
"Hi."
"Why hello," she smiled up at him.
She wasn't sure how he was able to completely drop the conversation so easily, but he did. Ella had forgotten about the flowers and top of his father. She was so focused on his smile, she couldn't stop staring at him. She ran her thumb across his cheeks taking in his brown eyes.
"We have to be careful," he whispered.
Ella raised her eyebrow confused, "why?"
"What would our significant other say if they saw us kissing?"
Ella bite the inside of her lip trying not to laugh. She shook her head and played along.
"Well," she pulled one hand down and ran it along his chest. "I'm not sure about yours, but my boyfriend allows me to have an endless line of men at my beck and call."
Michael's eyes bugged out.
"What… no I don't!"
Ella immediately started laughing. She pulled his chin down so she could kiss him. He was an idiot, but she loved playing these games with him. After realizing she was joking with him, Michael lifted her up onto the desk so he had a better height advantage.
"Ah!" She called out.
Michael parted her legs so her could slide closer to her. His hands rested on her hips as he looked up at her. She went ahead and laid her arms over his shoulders once more.
"So…" Michael drew out. "Since your team captain has given you the all clear… What do you say about me taking you out on a little date tonight?"
"I'd like that very much." She ran her index finger along his bottom lip. "Where may I ask, are you taking me on this fine night?"
"Mmm, it's a surprise." He kept his lips closed as Ella tried to get it out of him.
"A surprise? Do I need to be dressed up for this occasion, because…" She looked down at her clothing.
"Nope, you're dressed perfectly fine." He looked down and smiled at her t-shirt. He pulled back and had himself a better look. A chuckle escaped his lips as he read the font. "I quite like this one."
"You do?"
"Mhmm," he smiled as he looked upon the radish on a scooter. "RAD-ish, ha! I get it."
She slapped Michael's shoulder.
"Don't pick on me!"
"I'm not!" He chuckled. "I genuinely like this one."
And he meant it. He'd always complimented Ella on her various t-shirts. He'd even gone as far as to ask her to buy him one.
Michael plucked at the ends of her shirt and moved it around.
"Mind if I try it on?" He smirked.
"Nuh-uh, I'm at work," she warned. Michael flashed her a wolfish smile and leaned forward.
"Are you? I hadn't realized." He latched his lips onto her neck. Ella let out a fit of giggles.
They were soon interrupted by Dan knocking on the door frame.
"Ella I was wondering… Oh! Shit, I'm sorry guys."
Michael pulled away from Ella embarrassed he'd let his teasing go that far. Ella was flustered. She hopped off the table and tried to explain herself, but Dan simply smiled.
"You're good," he chuckled.
"You wanted something?" Ella asked.
"Nope. I just remembered that I could totally do this myself." He hid the folder behind his back, slowly exiting the room. "You're good. Enjoy your night!"
Once Dan was out of the room, Ella turned around and whacked Michael on the shoulder.
"I told you no kissing at work. You're going to get me in trouble."
"Everyone here is our friend. There's no way you'd get in trouble." Michael reached out and grabbed her hand. He placed a kiss on top and pulled her close to him once more. "But I promise to be more cautious in the future."
"Mhmm…"
"Scouts honor!" He placed his hand over his heart and smiled. Ella just squinted her eyes at him, all too aware he liked pushing their boundaries at her work place. "So!" He gave Ella a little spin. "We got a short window for what I want to do. You think I can get you out of here before the sun goes down?"
"Well I was going to go over some…" she stopped talking as she noticed Michael's face start to drop. It wasn't like he was trying to pressure her into saying yes, he just knew she was working harder than she was supposed to be. "You know what," she shook her head, "I can do it tomorrow. It's not everyday my new boyfriend shows up with flowers and chocolates."
"Yeah?" He started to let the smile spread across his face.
"Yeah!" She walked into his arms and wrapped her arms around him.
.
Michael had a blindfold over Ella's eyes the whole car ride. He wanted to keep their destination a complete surprise. Ever since their first date back at the club, Ella had stressed how much she hadn't seen of Los Angeles. Although they had been living in the city for a while, neither had really experienced the simple things within the city.
Michael scouted activities to do over Los Angeles and out of a handful of things to do, this one had to be his favorite.
He drove Ella's car all the way out to Echo Park, so they could take a boat ride on the lake. And it wasn't just any ordinary boat ride. No no no. It was a self pedaling swan shaped boat. When the sun went down the edges of the boat lit up, creating a nice romantic ride.
Michael pulled Ella along by the hand. He made sure she was in safe hands, guiding her easily through the crowd of people around them. Ella chuckled to herself as she could hear a large group of people around them.
"Where have you brought me?" She asked.
"You'll see. Just keep that blindfold on." He walked them over to the front of the line so he could give the woman his information on the reservation he'd made.
"Next," the employee called out. Michael stepped forward, handing the lady his phone so she could check his confirmation email. "Alright, Mr. Prince. We have you checked in and ready to go. Once a boat returns we'll get everything ready for you."
"How long do you think that'll be?" Michael asked.
"No more than fifteen minutes… don't worry, a boat will free up before the sun goes down."
"Thank you."
Unable to take the suspense anymore, Ella yanked off her blindfold and came in full contact with the lake. Her eyes bounced from Michael to the water.
"Noo! What?" She let out a chuckle. "How did you even know about this? They have boat rides in Echo park?"
"Apparently, they do." He opened his arms asking for a hug. Ella walked into his embrace, wrapping her arms around him. "I booked us for a two hour ride. I wasn't sure how long to make it."
"We can ride after dark?"
Michael hummed against her head.
"The boats have lights along the edges so you can still see the swan. Do you like it?"
"Michael I love it!" She lifted up her head and smiled at him. "Really. This is the coolest date I've ever been on."
"We haven't even started the date yet, silly."
"It started the minute you showed up at the precinct." She sways them side to side. "I don't know who I have to thank, but I'm glad I have such an awesome boyfriend."
Michael let the brightest smile spread across his face. Her statement meant a lot to him. He tightened his lips together worried he'd scare her off with his constant smiling. Unable to keep his smile from spreading, he leaned down and placed his lips on her.
The sound of Michael's phone going off, forced them to part. When he pulled his phone out to see what it could be, he found a notification from the swan boat business.
"Our boat is ready," he said with a smile.
"Ah! Okay, let's go!" She grabbed a hold of Michael's hand and pulled him over to the head of the line.
The two were given a brief run down of boat safety. They were instructed to keep both hands and feet inside the boat at all times. If they were experiencing any difficulty they were to call the support line on the website. There was a phone besides the front desk that it connected to. Once all of the safety instructions were over, the employee fitted them for their life jackets. A navy blue floaty were Michael and Ella's fashionable outfit for the evening. Both of them were a little too happy to be showing them off.
Once they were ready, the two walked over to their boat. Michael helped Ella inside, lending out his hand for her support. She in return did the same for Michael when it was time for him to step inside the boat. Ella immediately fell into a fit of giggles as the two peddled away into the lake.
"Now this is cool," she called out. "This is so cool. How did you find this?"
"I had some help. One of my bartenders kinda suggested this to me. I looked it up online and thought it'd make for a fun little date." He held his hand out so he could hold hers. She extended her left and interlocked her fingers with him.
"Geoff?" She asked. Michael nodded his head, he was surprised she knew. "He looks like he'd know all the nice spots in Los Angeles."
Michael lifted her hand up to his lips, so he could kiss it.
"I know a few I'm keeping hidden for special occasions." He shot her a wink.
.
It'd been half an hour. The two had enjoyed the sunset and were now getting to know the other a little more. No more secrets. They were both opening up a little more so the other would know what they were getting into. It was all fun. They were joking the whole time.
"Okay okay. So let me get this straight. You used to steal cars -"
"I didn't steal…"
Michael looked at Ella, his eyebrow raised.
"Okay fine, I stole cars."
"You stole cars," Michael said with amusement. "You are full of surprises." He looked over at Ella with a smile.
"You're full of surprises, as well." She gave him a little shove as they peddled. "Trained in hand to hand combat, you know like a bigilain languages, won't tell me what you do for a living… I'm pretty sure I'm dating a spy."
"I'm not a spy," Michael let out a chuckle.
"That's exactly what a spy would say!"
Paddling couples looked at them funny. Ella looked at Michael embarrassed. He just chuckled as they kept moving about the lake.
"How do I know you don't live a double life? You could have a wife and kids in another town or state. Hell, even another country."
Michael let out a nervous chuckle. Although he didn't have a wife he did have the kids.
"No I can assure you, no secret wives or girlfriends you have to worry about."
"Well that's good," Ella replied. "How about an ex-wife? What are you like forty-two, some lucky lady has had to have swiped you up at some point…"
"Nope, no ex-wives and I'm a lot older than that."
"You can't be older than forty-five. I refuse to believe that you are older than that."
"Fine, don't believe me," a chuckle rolled out, "but forty-two? I'll take it." He pulled the boat over to the edge so they could see the other swan boats paddle by. "If I may ask… how old are you?"
"Well if you're forty-two," she used parentheses over his age, "then I'm a little under a decade your junior, big guy."
Michael smiled how she failed to give an actual number. He respected that.
"And no ex-husbands I have to worry about?"
She blew raspberries.
"Ha! You're funny, but no. Nope! This chicka can't be tamed." She looked over to Michael and smiled. The smile soon turned sour as she realized what she just said. "I didn't mean tamed… that was a horrible way to explain my lack of husbands," she said trying to back track.
"No need to explain, I understand." He shot her smile. He bit his bottom lip and decided to ask a more personal question. "Soo… just not interested in marriage or...?"
Ella faced forward trying to hide the growing smile on her face. She could tell he was sending out feelers. She didn't mind. It wasn't like she hadn't thought of getting married. She did. Any girl would. The only problem was finding the right guy. And everyone knew how she liked her bad boys.
But Michael was different… at least from what she learned from him. He had a shady past, but she figured it was due to his upbringing. She'd gotten to know him enough to know he was a nice guy. She figured if anything was wrong, Maze would have pointed something out to her. They'd talked about Michael enough for the woman to point anything out that she was missing. But no, everything seemed to check out with Michael.
So the idea of Michael being that right guy just seemed to tickle the curiosity of getting married. Whether it be with him or another nice guy. She at least knew she was worthy of someone nice.
Afraid she kept him waiting for too long, Ella turned her head and shot Michael a smile. The first thing she noticed was the innocent smile on his face as he waited patiently for her answer.
"I've never been opposed to the idea…" She shrugged her shoulders, "just haven't found the right guy. None of my ex-boyfriends were really husband material. You know?"
"You sure? I'm pretty sure that guy who took you to the rat funeral was excellent husband material."
Ella leaned forward and pushed Michael.
"Shut up!" She said through laughter. "What about you? You've never said anything about ex-girlfriends. A man of your age has to have had a few."
"A man of my age?" Michael asked, appalled. He clenched his hand over his chest. "Wow!" Laughter followed suit. "To be honest, I've never really dated anyone in the past," he admitted.
He looked over to Ella and noticed he might have said the wrong thing. Does she think I'm like Lucifer? That I rather sleep around than form attachments? Michael shook his head and reached out for her hand.
"I've always been on my own. I've come across a few good people in my life, but… I wasn't..." He tried thinking of the word. A word that would phrase, I am an angel who wasn't allowed to interact with humans.
"Ready for the commitment?" She added.
"More like allowed," he clarified.
That shocked her. She tilted her head off to the side, interested to see where this was going.
"My father is a very strict man. It wasn't until recently that he's allowed for my siblings and I to… well date."
"I…" Ella was shocked to hear the news. She couldn't understand how a parent had such a grasp on their children's lives. She could, she just just didn't think Michael had that problem. Oh, how wrong she was. "And you listened to him all these years?"
"Well… Yeah. I had to. My father isn't the kind of man you ignore."
"Who does he think he is? God? The King? Surely he doesn't have control of your lives down to the second."
Michael chuckled at Ella's statement. She still failed to believe him. He sighed. His eyes were focused on her hands. Their intertwined fingers. He gave them a kiss and slowly pulled his eyes up. As his eyes moved up he noticed her necklace. It wasn't out for him to see but he could see the imprint of the cross popping out from the fabric of her shirt. It made him smile. She was a believer again.
He shook his head before he could start thinking about her relationship with her faith.
"He did when I was younger," Michael said. "Recently… well he's softened to the idea. Guess it started with Sa… Lucifer." He practically kicked himself for almost saying Samael. He noticed the way her eyebrows furrowed when she heard the first syllables.
"How did it start with Lucifer?" She asked.
"His involvement with Chloe…" He kicked himself again. Ella didn't know. He backtracked and made up a lie. "Well you know, my brother had the family job and all. When he left, it changed the game. My father saw how happy he was and just kinda let us run free. Amenadiel has a kid. Lucifer is handling the business over to Mazikeen's mother… things are changing."
"Hence why you're new to the whole dating thing?" Ella asked. Michael nodded his head. It kinda made sense to her, but she knew how much parents could be assholes when it came to who their children dated. "I gotta say, your dad sounds like an ass. From what I've heard from Lucifer and now from you…" she blew out some air, "real God complex. Wow..."
"Oh you have no idea..."
"Well if it makes you feel any better, this is new for me as well," she gave his hand a squeeze. "I think you're like the only real honest man I've been with. So I'm glad we can experience this together." She finished her statement with a smile.
Honest man.
The words seemed to shoot him right through the heart, because if he thought hard enough he really wasn't one. Yes, he'd told her he was a celestial and of course she ignored him, but he could always prove it to her. The thing was, he didn't want to do that. He was afraid. In his years, whenever he proved his existence, people always put him on a pedestal or hide. He didn't want Ella freaking out. Humans always freaked out.
But an honest man…
If it wasn't the celestial card, it was the fact he had kids. He was keeping that from her. She never asked if he had kids, but she did mention the wife and kids combination.
Michael bit down on the skin inside his mouth.
"I uh…" He looked down at their hands. He was nervous. "I actually have something to admit to you."
Ella tried not to show any concern, but Michael caught it. A slight touch of fear was seeping off of her. He was sure his nervousness wasn't helping. He let her hands go to draw his gift back. The last thing he needed was her conjuring up fears from his nervousness.
"It's not bad… at least I hope not." He looked up at locking eyes with her. "I'm just a little nervous."
"I… take your time. I'm not rushing you." She tried to reach out and touch his shoulder, but he sat up straight. A frown crossed her face.
Michael started ringing out his fingers.
"I uh… as I'm sure you know, I've been busy working with Chloe and Dan on something. My constant research..."
Ella nodded her head, she was fully aware of the secret case her friends were working on with Michael. She wanted to ask about it on multiple occasions, but figured he'd tell her when he was ready.
Guess today was her lucky day. It seemed she was getting the story now. Ella turned in her seat so she could fully look at Michael. He let out a breath of air trying to get the words out.
"I'm sorry. It's just... I haven't told many people."
"Michael it's fine. You don't have to tell me. I don't want to rush you to say something you aren't ready to share."
"I know… it's just…" He sighed. "I should have told you awhile ago. It's not something I can hide, nor something I want to hide from you."
"Okay…"
Michael reached out and grabbed her hand once more.
"I uh…"
He locked eyes on Ella. A sudden warmth rushed over him. Like a hug. His heart stopped pounding in his chest. And the butterflies in his stomach went still. Michael took a deep breath and let the words fall off his lips.
"I have kids," he admitted. Before the words could register in her head, he continued. "I didn't lie when I said didn't have a wife, or an ex, but I understand that I probably should have admitted to having kids." He stopped talking so the words could sink in.
"Oh!" She said.
She wasn't sure what to say. She couldn't understand why the first words that came to her mouth were, oh. She shook her head a little and looked up at Michael. The man was still. It was almost as if she breathed he'd disappear.
"I understand if that is a dealbreaker… I just wanted this all out on the table before this got serious…" He loosened his grip of Ella's hand, but she prevented him from letting go.
"Michael…" She gripped his hand and forced him to look up at her. "It's not a dealbreaker... It's not."
He looked up and met her eyes. The first thing he noticed was her smile.
"No?" He asked.
"Not at all." She slid over so she could be closer to him. She wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leaned into his side. "It's a little bit of a shock, but it's nothing to be ashamed of. I've dated people with kids before."
"You have?" He asked. Ella nodded her head.
"They probably shouldn't have had them in their custody, but I've dated men with kids. I'm fine with dating a parent. Did you think I wouldn't be okay with it?"
"Well no… I just… I didn't see myself dating anyone while I was here. As we got closer it's just been banging in the corner of my brain. I've been trying to bring it up, but…"
"Kinda weird and out of the blue," Ella finished.
"Yeah… I'm sorry it took this long."
"Don't be." She brought his arm closer so she could kiss his hand. "I am glad you told me. It's been nice opening up with you."
"It has… It feels like a brick has been lifted off my chest. Like I can finally breathe."
"See... Talking helps a lot. I'm really glad you and I can talk. I've been in too many relationships with secrets. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf."
"I'm glad." He reached over and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
The two looked out onto the lake and enjoyed the view of people peddling around. It wasn't too dark outside, they could still see everything in front of them. After a few minutes of silence, Ella lifted her head from under Michael's head and opened her mouth.
"So kids?" She asked with curiosity.
"Uh… yeah," he let out a nervous chuckle. "Two, if you were asking. My youngest is around Trixie's age. I'm not entirely sure about my oldest."
Michael has kids.
The news came a little bit of a shock, but she really wasn't surprised. He was older than her. He had a life before they met. But kids… correction teenagers. He became a dad at a young age. She was dating a dad. A very handsome well put together dad. The thought made her smile. A new feeling flushed over her body.
"Their names?" She asked.
"My eldest is named Cal and my youngest is Elaine."
"I love their names," she looked up to him and smiled.
She noticed how he wasn't nervous anymore. He wasn't tense. He seemed to relax into her. Michael's arm was securely wrapped around her as they sat in the boat. A smile spread across his face.
"Thank you. Are you sure you're okay with this? I understand if it's not -"
Ella stopped him. He had no reason to feel ashamed of having kids. If he was honest with her about everything else he told her, she didn't see a reason to back away from their relationship.
"I'm totally fine with it, Michael. You have nothing to worry about."
"Okay…" He let out a chuckle. He'd been so worried about her freaking out, he didn't even think about the possibility of her being fine with the situation. That brick he felt on his chest was in deed gone.
"Can I ask where they are?"
She felt him tense up once again.
"I uh… I'm not entirely sure. It's why I've been working with Daniel and Chloe," he said. "They're lost."
"Oh my god…" She pulled herself away so she could completely face him. She didn't realize how important this conversation was. She just pushed him to admit something he might not have been ready to share. She reached her hand out and held his hand. "Michael I'm so sorry. I didn't know…"
"No, it's okay. Really. It's uh… it's fine."
She could tell it wasn't fine by the tone of his voice. She gave his hand a squeeze to bring him back from his thoughts. She could slowly see him thinking about the situation.
"Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed the conversation. I told you that you could tell me anything when you were ready. And I'm telling you that again now."
Michael nodded his head.
"I'm… I'm not entirely ready to share that story just yet. If that's okay?"
"Michael…" She lifted a hand up to his cheek. "It's more than okay. When you're ready, I'm here."
"Thank you… really, thank you." He brought his arm around her and pulled her close. Ella immediately tried to pour as much love as she could into their shared hug. She cupped the back of his head trying to show how much she was there for him.
"I'm sorry this was brought up… this was supposed to be a nice date," Michael said, pulling away from their hug.
"You don't see this as a nice date?" She looked at him confused.
"It was… I just feel like I brought down the mood by bringing up-"
"You shared something new about yourself with me. I think this has to be one of my favorite dates, due to the scenery and the honesty you shared with me right now."
He tried finding the lie, but he couldn't find it. All he found was love. She was genuinely okay with his confession. He leaned down and gave her a kiss.
She was something special. How she hadn't found someone worth her love, he couldn't explain.
When he pulled away and smiled down at her. His finger traced over her face just memorizing every detail.
"You told me earlier how lucky you were and you didn't know who to thank… I feel that. I understand. I'm glad our paths crossed."
"And I'm thankful for the same thing." She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips once more.
.
They had moved on from their boat ride and found themselves a taco truck not too far away from the lake. Ella was extremely vocal about their chance to try some street tacos, so Michael treated for dinner.
He didn't complain at all, the food was amazing. It put a whole new meaning to having food prepared in front of him. They tried a little bit of everything before heading back over to the car. It was getting late and Michael knew Ella had to work tomorrow.
The two walked hand in hand as they made their way back to the car. Their hands were swinging in the air, carefree. They stole glances at one another.
"What are you looking at?" Ella asked.
Michael shook his head trying to hide a smile.
"Nothing…"
"Mhmm." Her smile got brighter by the second.
They rounded the corner and found her car all alone in the parking lot where they had parked. Michael went ahead and pulled out the keys. Just as he was about to unlock the car, she swiped the keys from his hands.
"Hey," he called out.
"I know if I let you drive you'll park in the garage and have me come inside with you. I can't take that chance."
Michael placed his hands on his hips.
"I wasn't going to do that," he chuckled. One look from Ella and he lifted his hands, surrendering. He was totally going to do just that. Michael let out a sigh. "Alright, fine. You win." He leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek.
"Thank you."
She turned away and opened up the car. Michael made sure to open the driver door for her, before getting inside himself. Once the door was closed, he jogged around to his side. Ella went ahead and fixed her seating. Due to Michael's sheer height, he had to push the seat all the way back.
"Sorry," he whispered.
"Mhmm," she hummed.
She shot him a smile to show she was only playing with him. Michael leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek. Before he knew it, Ella turned on the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
.
Michael had to practically pull himself away from Ella's lips. He didn't want to leave. He wanted her to come up with him, but he knew she had to work in the morning. So he pulled himself away and looked down at her. He was standing outside the car on the driver side.
"You'll give me a call or text when you get home, yeah?" He hated that she had to drive home by herself this late at night, but she had the car not him.
"Of course. I'll shoot you a text as I turn off the car and I'll call you as I walk over to my apartment."
"Thank you." He leaned forward and gave her another quick peck on the lips. "I'll see you Saturday?"
"Yup! Bring your appetite. We'll be making our food from scratch."
"I can't wait." He leaned down one more time and placed a kiss on her lips. He could feel Ella smiling against his lips. "Okay okay, I'll let you go. Drive safe, please."
"I always do." She turned on the lights to her car and smiled back at Michael. "Goodnight Michael," she sang out.
"Goodnight, Miss Lopez."
Michael watched her drive out of the parking lot. As he watched her leave, he turned around and made his way into the building.
The club was still in full swing. It was still early, for club standards. It was ten o'clock. Michael walked around the club making sure everything was alright. Once he noticed that no one needed his attention, he made his way up to the penthouse for the night. His guard stepped aside as he entered the elevator.
As he was waiting for the doors to open, he pulled out his phone and looked over the pictures he'd taken with Ella. His smile got brighter as the pictures got more intimate. Once he found one he liked, he went ahead and sent it to Ella.
My favorite picture from tonight. You'll have to show me how to make this my wallpaper on Saturday ❤️
He went ahead and pressed send. As the elevator dinged, he looked up. The doors parted and he was immediately hit with a wave of music. He was confused.
Michael stepped out and found Lucifer dancing with a glass of alcohol in his hand. His brother had his back to him, unaware that he was even there. Michael entered the place, quietly.
"What is love? Baby, don't hurt me. Don't hurt me, no more," Lucifer sang out. His head was bobbing off to the side like a broken bobblehead. Once he turned around he was taken by surprise. He clutched his hand to his chest. "Some warning, Michael!" He grabbed the remote and turned the music off.
Michael let a chuckle escape out of himself.
"I see you're enjoying Chloe's playlist." He walked over and grabbed the glass out of his brother's hand. He took a sip and sat down on the couch.
"My playlist. I made it for her," Lucifer corrected. "She plays it?"
"Endlessly... I went the whole weekend with that thing playing." He pointed over to the sound system.
Lucifer smiled at the knowledge. He moved over to the couch and had himself a seat besides Michael.
"So what can I do for you? You're two weeks early."
"Nothing. I just came by to check in on things. I needed a break from everything. Lilith is…" he blew out some air, "I needed a break."
"That bad?" Michel chuckled. He handed the glass of alcohol back over to his brother.
"Thank you," he said, accepting his glass back. "No, she's just bossy. I was supposed to be here earlier, but she demanded I stay longer until she got the hang of it. Figured, I pop by and see how you and Chloe are doing." He looked around like Chloe was about to come out of the elevator.
"She has Trixie for the night, so she's inside for the night. It's Thursday."
Lucifer nodded his head, trying to hide the disappointment on his face.
"I'd stick around and surprise her in the morning," Michael pointed out. "I'm sure Lilith can handle things for a day or two. It'd mean a lot to Chloe if you stuck around and said hi."
"You don't think it'd be hard knowing I have to leave again so soon?"
"I mean it's only two more weeks, is it not?"
"Roughly… Things are coming together rather fast, so it could be sooner."
"Well then what's a day or two?" Michael asked. He tapped his brother's lap and smiled. "Chloe will be excited to know you're in town."
"Yeah?" Lucifer let a goofy smile spread across his face.
"Yeah. Maybe bring her some flowers in the morning?"
"Flowers?" Lucifer gave it some thought. "I could pick up some flowers. Do you know any good flower shops?"
"I do actually." Michael reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
As he was flipping through the endless cards he had in his card slips, Michael's phone rang. He tossed his wallet over to his brother so he could answer his phone. A smile flashed across his face as he noticed it was Ella.
Before answering, he looked over to his brother.
"Mind if I take this?"
"No, go ahead."
Michael got up from the couch and excused himself.
"I see you got home safe," Michael said.
He pushed open the glass door that led out to the terrace. Lucifer leaned back into the leather seat and looked out onto the balcony. He could barely make out the conversation his brother was having. He hummed as he watched his brother smile on the phone.