"Maybe It's Time" - Baby Bash, The BashTones, Joey Quinones
Once again it has been some time since I've uploaded a chapter... I'm sorry. I'm working on it
.
Michael dragged Ella into the kitchen, over to the island where the pizza resided. The two circled around the boxes trying to locate a slice to grab. Both stole glances at one another like they were hiding their relationship. Neither Lucifer nor Chloe paid them any attention as they were too busy ogling at one another.
Trixie on the other hand watched in horror as everyone in the apartment seemed to be dating one another.
Michael soon joined Ella on the other side of the island, looking at the box she had chosen. It was his signature favorite, chicken, bbq, and bacon bits. He slid behind her and wrapped his arms around her midsection. His head rested along her shoulder, looking at the pizza she had in front of her.
"You ordered my favorite pizza," he addressed with a smile.
"You got me addicted," she replied. Her hand snaked up and rested along his head. She smiled as his lips peppered the side of her cheek.
"I knew you liked it."
"I never said I didn't," she chuckled.
Ella went ahead and placed two slices on her plate. Michael removed one of the arms wrapped around her and placed his plate in front of her.
"Are you asking me to put a slice on your plate?"
"Yes, please."
Ella went ahead and placed a few slices on his plate. Michael leaned forward, delivering a kiss to her cheek once more.
"Thank you."
Ella let out a hum as she knew he only asked so he could keep his arm wrapped around her.
Michael scanned the counter at the various items his brother had ordered. There was everything from cheese bread, wings, and desert. Not wanting to step away from Ella, he leaned into her embrace more. His body flush against hers as he looked around the counter.
She let out a chuckle as his hand traveled from the side of her hips to the small of her back. She knew what he was doing.
"Michael…" She warned.
"Hmm?" He halted his movement and looked down at her.
"Hands to yourself," she whispered. There was a playfulness to her voice that made him want to do it more.
"Apologies."
He leaned down and placed a kiss on the crown of her head. There was a wickedness to his smile as he pulled back. Before Ella could find what he was up to, she wiggled out of his embrace and began walking to the dining table.
Michael joined the rest of the group, opting to sit beside his brother, across from Ella. His foot nudged hers to grab her attention. When she looked up, he shot her a wink. Ella rolled her eyes as he shamelessly flirted with her in front of everyone.
On the left of Michael, Trixie bounced her eyes on the pair. A smile plastered across her face as she watched the two make faces at one another.
"Are you two dating?" She asked. Michael took his eyes off of Ella and turned his attention to Trixie.
"What was that?"
"I asked if you two were dating. You're definitely acting like the two of you are dating." Her detective skills were present as she began to interrogate Michael.
"Trixie," Chloe whispered.
"No, no. It's okay, Chloe," Michael assured his friend. He corrected his seating so he could give Trixie his full attention. A smile plastered across his face as he was proud to utter the next words. "Ella is my girlfriend."
"Since when?"
"Uh…" Michael looked at Ella, giving it some thought. "Two to three weeks?"
"Two weeks," Ella corrected.
"What!" She looked amongst everyone. She couldn't believe it had been that long. Michael had been over four times in the past two week and neither her mom or Michael had mentioned anything. "And no one told me?"
A cluster of laughter echoed out into the room. Lucifer kept his face low as he watched the teenager gather the courage to go off on his brother.
"I wasn't aware I had to share my availability status with you," Michael chuckled.
"I thought we were close… We tell each other everything." Sadness filled her voice as she felt left out.
"That we do," Michael agreed. He leaned forward and tossed her hair about. He looked at his brother with a frown. Something about his friendship with Trixie felt wrong to him. He was ashamed. Michael withdrew his hand, clearing his throat. "I had to keep this one a secret until I knew Miss Lopez wouldn't kick me to the curb." He turned his head over to Ella and smiled.
"Fair," the child responded. She picked up her pizza, folding it half like a taco. "You kinda are a handful."
"I am not!" Michael whined.
"You kinda are," Ella whispered. She blew him a kiss to soften the insult.
Chloe leaned over and placed a kiss on her daughter's head. She whispered a short warning to stop picking on Michael before letting her eyes fall on Lucifer. Her lips rested on the child's head, thinking about the situation between the two of them. She wondered what Trixie would think about her and Lucifer dating. They weren't a couple yet, but she was sure once he finally returned they would for sure be one. She hoped. The thought still sloshed around her brain. They were never good at communicating their feelings for one another but after his last visit… She had hoped they were finally on the same page.
Chloe lifted her lips off of Trixie and turned to Michael. The two were still going on about the new couple's relationship status.
"So like… Ella is a part of the family now?"
"I uh…" Michael wasn't sure how to respond to that. He looked from his brother to Ella silently asking for help. Lucifer just chuckled on the side enjoying the way the child bombarded his brother with questions. "Uh…"
"Michael and I are already secretly married," Ella joked. Michael turned his head to her and lifted his eyebrow. "It's true… We went bowling not too long ago and had to get hitched to be a part of a married couple squad."
Michael laughed at the memory. "That we did. I couldn't have us be the only couple not tied to one another. So I guess the two of us are married now."
"I wouldn't joke," Ella warned. "I'm a big believer in no divorces." She stretched her leg under the table, running it up his calf. "You'll be stuck with me forever."
"Mmm is that true?" He leaned parted his legs letting her foot run up higher.
"Mm-hmm."
"Well…" He inched closer to the table
Trixie had the biggest smile on her face as she watched her new mopey uncle literally brighten with Ella's presence. Chloe and Lucifer coughed to get the pair's attention. The two quickly pulled apart and smiled at the three.
"Apologies," Michael stated. He shot ella a wink and turned back to his food.
Trixie on the other hand turned to Lucifer and smiled at him. The sight of seeing the child's eyes on him had him fidgeting in his seat.
"Yes?" He asked.
"When are you finally going to ask my mom out?"
"I beg your pardon!?"
Chloe's eyes widened at her daughter's blunt nature. She wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but she was sure a certain demon's influence was the answer. Dammit, Maze.
Just like Michael, Lucifer looked to his brother and Chloe. His mouth was flapping open, not entirely sure if this was the time to be talking about this. Ella leaned her elbow onto the table waiting for Lucifer to get over his fear. She kicked his foot under the table when he was taking too long to answer.
"I uh… I uh…" He cleared his throat. Fixed the lapels of his jacket. Then turned in his seat to face Trixie. "I thought we weren't going to bring that up until I came back," he grumbled.
"You said you were only going to be gone for two months," she retaliated. "It's been six."
Lucifer let out a huff. The child was right. He nodded his head and looked up at Chloe. As their eyes met, he realized how intense her stare was. She was literally waiting on the edge of her seat for the question. He gave her a soft smile before replying.
"I believe your mother and I have things to discuss before I ask her… but," he looked over to Trixie and smiled at her. His next words were but a whisper, "if i have your blessing, I would very much like to date your mother."
"All I wanna hear," Trixie smiled.
"Good…"
Lucifer looked at Chloe once more. There was hope in her eyes. Hope that he would ask her out and everything would fall into place.
But he knew it wasn't that easy.
Lucifer nodded his head and turned back to his food. Chatter could be heard over his thoughts. Laughter soon followed as everyone started to discuss what game they should play first.
.
.
After a few rounds of yelling and claims about a certain someone cheating, Lucifer had to excuse himself from the game boards. He was fairly sure the child was cheating, he just couldn't prove it. He excused himself out into the patio to give him so much needed air.
Lucifer reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his silver container. With a quick flick, he had his silver case opened and a cigarette stick in hand. He flicked the stick stiff, drawing it to his lips. With a few taps to his breast pockets, he found his lighter. Just as he was about to light his cigarette, Chloe pulled open the sliding glass door.
She let out a soft chuckle as she noticed him taking a smoke break. He was trying to calm his nerves.
"Mind if I join you?" Chloe asked.
"Not at all, Detective." He moved over to the side, allowing her room to stand beside him. He tried to put his cigarette away, but Chloe stopped him.
"You can smoke if you want."
"You sure? I have no problem with putting it away. I know you don't appreciate the practice."
Chloe placed her hand on his forearm. "You're fine…" A smile formed across her lips. "I kinda enjoy the taste on your lips."
Lucifer watched as she bit her bottom lip. A heat flared inside him. He swallowed a lump of spit and showed the cigarette to her. Without answering, Chloe plucked the lighter out of his hand. Lucifer lowered his head and let her lit the stick for him. He watched her closely as she did the simple task for him. With a few puffs, he drew away to make sure the smell didn't cling to her.
"The urchin seems to be gung ho on making me want to pull my hair out" he chuckled. "I fear for Daniel when she gets older."
"Trixie?" Chloe waved her hand about dismissing the consent. "She's only messing with you. And it's not like you don't like pressing her buttons."
"True." He took another toke and blew it away from her.
"I was… I was uh…" Chloe ran her right hand along her left forearm.
She was nervous.
"I was kinda thinking of Trixie's words she said during dinner..."
"I see…" Lucifer looked at his cigarette. So much for blowing off steam. He walked over to the table to put his cigarette out. Just as he was about to put it out on the rusty table, he noticed the ashtray Trixie made him. He smiled as it still resides outside for him. His fingers grazed over the clay material she used.
"We… I mean…" She was finding it hard to talk. She could sense Lucifer nervousness. "I'm not pushing you, but I… I thought… I had hoped…" She stopped mid sentence and stared at the back of his head. Why is he looking away from me? "Lucifer, can you look at me?"
"Hmm?"
He turned around and looked at Chloe. There were tears forming in her eyes. His eyes slowly started to soften as he noticed she was getting emotional over his lack of concentration. He stepped forward, but then took a step back.
"I apologize. I… I had forgotten that the urchin had made me that ashtray." His back twisted as he turned around to point at the gift. "It took me by surprise."
"Oh…" Chloe let a smile pull at the corner of her lip. "Yeah. I vaguely remember you trying to smoke in the apartment and Trixie kicked you out. She later made you an ashtray so you'd remember to smoke outside."
"Ah," Lucifer replied. He smiled at the vague memory. The child's grubby little hands on his Prada pants. He chuckled to himself. "She kept it out here all this time?"
"Of course." Chloe stepped forward and sat at the table she had outside. The smell of tobacco filling her nostrils.
Lucifer felt rude standing while she sat so he pulled the chair across from Chloe and had himself a seat. The two looked at each other for a minute before opening their mouths. At the same time they began to talk.
"I'm sorry," she blurted out.
"No no… I uh… I believe you were trying to tell me something before I rudely ignored you. What did you want to discuss?"
Please don't press me about our relationship status. I'm not ready to lose you.
Chloe reached her hand out and grabbed onto Lucifer's. He watched as her small hand tried to cover his. The feel of her soft hands seeking comfort made his heart break even more. She took a deep breath.
"Where do we go from here? She asked. "When you come back… What are we to one another?"
.
.
Trixie sat on the floor grumbling under her breath about how Lucifer was being a big baby. Ella sat across from her trying to keep her smile under wraps. Michael sat patiently on the couch staring at the two. The living room was silent as two members of their game had just vacated the premises.
"Has he always been like this?" Trixie asked. She looked up from her card stacking and locked eyes with Michael.
"Like what?"
"You know… Anal about how certain thing are supposed to be done."
"Oh…" Michael let out a chuckle. "No. My brother has never been one for rules. You should know that."
"Then why was he so…" Trixie mimicked that she wanted to strangle someone, "you know."
"He's always a little cranky when he comes back from Hell. I wouldn't take it too personal, Trix."
Trixie nodded her head. She went back to stacking her cards as she knew the games were done for the night.
Ella tilted her head back, she met the underside of Michael's chin as he hovered over her.
"You really need to stop indulging in your brother's method acting."
Michael looked down at Ella with a raised eyebrow.
"My brother isn't an actor…"
"Oh, come on. You know you guys can tell me what tv show or movie he's getting ready for. I am a great secret holder."
"Mmm." Michael lowered his head, placing a kiss on Ella's forehead. "I'm sure you are a fantastic confider in secret, babe, but my brother is not an actor."
Trixie kept her giggles to herself as she watched yet another adult blow off a celestial truth discussion. She didn't understand how no one ever caught on. It's not like any of the adults ever spoke softly around the house. She knew Lucifer never lied. She connected the dots fairly early. She looked over to Ella and shook her head as this woman still failed to notice that she was dating an angel.
"Alright… Keep your secrets! But," her index finger was pointed up at Michael, "I better get front row tickets to this movie premiere or show Lucifer is a part of."
Michael withheld an eye roll. He instead placed a kiss on the side of Ella's face. Trixie smiles at the pair enjoying that at least one set of the couples in the room was getting along. Her eyes moved over to the back door where she knew her mother and Lucifer were at.
"Do you think Lucifer is finally going to ask my mom out?"
Ella and Michael pulled apart from one another and directed their attention back on the teenager.
"And I mean, like really ask her out. None of this, I like you, but I gotta deal-with-my-emotions stuff."
Ella looked back up at Michael, giving him a small indication if she should be the one to talk. Before she could get any sign from him, Michael opened his mouth.
"I believe so…"
"Why do I feel like there's a but attached to your words?"
Michael looked from Trixie to Ella. He always told Trixie the truth. He never found it hard to hide anything from her. She always seemed to be on the right track of celestial gossip. So he never withheld information from her, but now… Well now he had his oblivious girlfriend in front of him with no understanding of the drama going on outside.
Michael let out a sigh. He angled his eyes down to show Trixie there was obviously more, but he couldn't talk about it so openly. The child dropped her shoulders immediately.
"Relationships are confusing," Ella spoke up. "Your mother and Lucifer have been doing this dance for so long that sometimes it's second nature to want to pull away."
"But why? They obviously like each other. I just don't understand why they can't just be together and be happy." Trixie crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed.
"Well… Sometimes you need to work through your own stuff before you put yourself in a relationship," Ella explained. "Sometimes our past traumas prevent us from opening up to the people we love."
Michael looked down at Ella. She hit the hammer on the nail with that statement. He placed his hand on her shoulder and let her hand rest on top of his. He closed his eyes and tried to pour as much love as he could into their connection. He wasn't sure if she was talking about past experience or for his brother. Either way, he resonated with her words.
He had his own personal matters to work though. There was no question about that. In the last twenty-four hours, he realized how much he needed to sort through his shit. In fact, in the last five hours he had been told to sort through his problems personally, by the host, before doing anything.
Did that mean he had to break things off with Ella? No. He liked being with her. He wouldn't self-sabotage his relationship with her just to deal with his own personal issues. No. He was a better multitasker than his brother.
Michael brought Ella's hand up to his lips. He placed a kiss on the top of her hand. She gave Michael a quick glance and then directed her attention back to Trixie.
"Lucifer does have a lot of trauma, doesn't he?" Trixie asked. The question was directed to Michael.
"He does… But I know he has been working through it diligently while he's been away. Lucifer loves your mom, Trixie. That's not the problem."
"Then what's the problem?" She pressed. She dropped her arms and looked at Michael with sad eyes.
"Sometimes outside influences play a part in our lives and we have no way of controlling how they come back to us…"
"What does that even mean? Why can't you just tell me the truth, you've never sugar coated things before."
"I uh…"
Michael was at loss for words. He began stuttering until an argument could be heard from the patio. All three sets of heads snapped to the back door and listened to the mumbled words come from Chloe and Lucifer.
"I can explain," Lucifer expressed.
"Then explain because I am seriously confused at the moment!"
"I… Well…"
"You don't even know, do you!"
"Detective… It would be wise to keep your volume down."
"Oh, yes! I'm sorry! I just found out I'm a -"
"And the volume concern," Lucifer cut her off.
Michael picked himself off the couch. He clapped his hands together, grabbing the attention of the two ladies in the living room with him.
"How about we go get ourselves some ice cream. My treat."
"Yeah!" Ella added. "Let's give your mom and Lucifer a chance to talk…"
"Why are they yelling at one another?" Trixie picked herself up off the floor and began walking over to the back door. Before she could grab onto the door knob, Michael wrapped his arm around her wrist.
"We need to let them work through it. Your mom needs to work through it."
"What did Lucifer do?" Trixie's face twisted with anger.
"Nothing. It's just information that is finally coming to light for her. Remember sometimes the truth is hard to come to terms with," Michael explained.
"But my mom knows already. You told me she already knew…"
"There's more, Trix…"
"Like what? What else could Lucifer possibly be keeping from us?"
The two stared at each other. Michael wasn't sure it was his place to fill Trixie in, but the tears forming in her eyes were too hard to bear. The expression on his face softened and he began to crouch down to her level.
"Michael… What's going on?" Ella spoke up.
Michael looked from Trixie to Ella. He let out a sigh as he uttered his next words.
"May Trixie and I have the room, Ells. I have something to discuss in private with Trixie."
"Oh… I uh… Sure. I'll just…" She began back peddling to the front door. "I'll step outside and give you two some space."
Before she could close the door Michael made sure to voice his thanks.
Once the door closed, Michael stood back on his two feet. He pulled Trixie away from the back door and escorted her over to the couch. He politely asked her to have a seat and waited until she was seated.
Michael dropped down on one knee and looked Trixie in the eyes.
"What did Lucifer do?" There was a protective nature to how she spoke to him.
"Nothing."
"I can hear my mom yelling at him. She only raises her voice at him when he does something wrong."
"That's true… You're very observant."
"I'm not a little kid anymore."
"I know…" He let out a sigh.
"What did he keep from her?" Her arms crossed over her chest.
"I…" He looked over to the back door and thought about his next words he wanted to utter.
"Michael?"
He pulled his glare from the window and met Trixie's eyes. He placed his hand on the side of her shoulders and smiled at her.
"Your mother has always been special. She was really the first woman to really see my brother for who he truly was."
"Not the first," she corrected. She avoided eye contact as she thought of herself.
"No, you were," he chuckled. "It would seem you've inherited your parent's talents," Michael flashed her a smile. You're going to be one hell of a detective, kid.
"So my mom is special… How?"
"Well I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you." He dropped his hand and tapped her knee. "My brother just told your mother that she is a miracle."
"A miracle?" Trixie looked up from her lap and met Michael's eyes. One eyebrow raised with confusion. "How is she a miracle?"
"Your grandparents, mama and papa Decker, had a very hard time conceiving a child before your mother came along… With a prayer here and a whisper there, my father gave them a child. Your mother..."
"So... My mom is the next Jesus?"
Michael tried not to laugh as the teenager made the first joke he liked all night.
"No. Dad, no." Michael pulled apart Trixie's crossed arms and grabbed her hands. "It has been speculated that your mother was made for my brother. Since she's been impervious to his charm, we have come to the conclusion that your mother was placed on Earth to be a gift from our father."
"Oh…"
Trixie's glare was looking past Michael as he delivered the news. Once he was done talking, her view was directed over to the back door where her mother and Lucifer were located. The yelling had ceased, but she could still hear them talking to one another.
She didn't know what else to say. For the first time all day, Trixie had been utterly at loss for words. In the background she could hear Michael trying to talk about how things were probably hard to come to terms with, but she blocked his words out. All she could think about was her mom. How confused she might be. How much her life felt like a lie. All she wanted was to be by her side and be her mother's rock.
When Trixie tried to stand, Michael held her in place. The muffled nonsense that she was trying too hard to ignore finally made sense as she directed her attention back to him.
"Hey… I know this is all hard to process, but nothing changes the way Lucifer feels about your mother. His hesitence towards solidifying their relationship was on this last secret. It's why he was werry to give you define yes on things working out with your mother. It is afterall in Chloe's court after this mind changing information."
"So he drops this bomb on my mom and goes back to Hell?"
"Excuse me?" Michael was confused.
"He has to go back right? He's not finished with Hell. So he drops this news on my mom and gets to hide in Hell until everything is over."
"I… I suppose that is how it is going to play out, but he didn't want to tell her just yet," he informed Trixie, "he was going to -"
"You don't need to explain Lucifer's plan to me, because my mom and I are already familiar with what he does. He bails when things get tough."
"Now, young lady, this is far more complicated than -"
"No it's not," Trixie cut him off again. "I've been here for my mom every time Lucifer does something outlandish like run away to Las Vegas or refuse to acknowledge his love for her. Lucifer doesn't like to lie, but he keeps the truth to himself when it best suits him. And he only lets it out when he's backed into a corner. I love my mom, but recently she's had a really bad judge in character when it comes to Lucifer. She keeps forgiving him and personally," she ripped her hands out of Michael's gasp and stood up from the couch. "I can't stand this one. My mom sounded hurt. So if you'll excuse me."
Trixie moved away from Michael and left him on the floor. She marched over to the back door and pulled the door wide open.
Chloe was sitting on the patio chair with tears in her eyes. Lucifer was couching down trying to console her. As the door opened, the two looked up with tears in their eyes.
"I think it's time you leave, Lucifer," Trixie expressed.
"I beg your pardon…"
"Leave," Trixie demanded.
Chloe tried her best to wipe away the tears that continue to pour, but her tears just kept spewing liquid from her eyes.
"I think Trixie is right, Lucifer, I need time to process all of this. I'm sorry, but… Can you please just… I need some time alone."
"Detective…" He moved closer to her, but with every movement she backed away.
"It's time to go, brother." Michael stood in the middle of the door frame. He jerked his head at his brother, silently asking for him to stand.
"Detective… Chloe?" Lucifer tried to grab onto her hand, but she quickly pulled away. "I…"
And in that moment, he felt like she slapped him across the face.
"Of course..."
There was a sting to his pride on how quickly she drew away from him. It was as she had just found out he was the Devil, all over again.
Lucifer got back on his two feet and nodded his head.
"Alright... I guess we'll be heading out." He picked his lighter off the rusty table and shoved it back into his pocket. He didn't bother to acknowledge Chloe anymore. He simply stepped away from her and began walking over to his brother.
"Tell Ella I am sorry, Michael. I… I'll message her later, but can you just…"
"Yeah... I got you Chlo." Michael flashed her a quick smile and ushered his brother out of the back. "Ella is waiting outside if you -"
Lucifer pushed past his brother and beelined for the front door. He hadn't bothered to wait for him as he exited the apartment. Michael turned around and looked at Chloe.
"I am unaware how he went about telling you, but if I may…" He stepped out of the door frame and out into the patio. "He didn't take the news when he found out any better than you. I'm not excusing his silence, because he honestly should have told you the moment you found out about him, but if it helps in any way," Michael chose his next words carefully. "He's been terrified to tell you. Not just because he knows he kept something from you, but because he almost lost you when you found out he was the Devil. He loves you whether he knows it or not. Whether you feel it or not... My brother loves you, Chloe. He may do things that are way out of proportion and it blow up in his face, but I'm told we do stupid things when we don't want to lose the people we love… "
Michael watched as Trixie squeezed herself into her mother's embrace. Chloe quickly wrapped her arms around her daughter and used her as a security blanket.
Michael nodded his head.
He said what he had to say. He turned around and made his way back to the door that led back into the apartment. Before he walked through, Michael turned around and looked at Chloe and Trixie. Neither one of them paid him any mind as they were too busy trying to console the other. Michael hung his head and exited the patio for good. He walked past the living room and out the front door where Ella was standing concerned off to the side.
"Lucifer took off… What happened?"
"I uh… Chloe and Lucifer got into something." It was the closest to the truth he could give her. "Trixie is inside comforting Chloe."
"Should I go inside and -" Ella turned in her spot.
"No…" He grabbed onto Ella's hand, preventing her from going inside. "No," he voice softened. "I think it's best we call it a night."
"Really? I don't think we should just leave Chloe alone and -"
"She doesn't want to see anyone, Ells."
"Was it that bad?" Ella's eyes looked from Michael to the apartment. Her heart went out for Chloe, but she knew that sometimes people just needed to be left alone.
"Yeah…"
Michael motioned for them to move away from the apartment. The two walked out of the area into the parking lot. Ella's car waited for them in Chloe's spot.
Without warning Michael walked over to Ella and wrapped his arms around her. Ella was taken by surprise as Michael pulled her close to his chest. She reciprocated the affection and let her arms wrap around his waist.
"I want you to know that I have always told you the truth. And I will always tell you the truth. All you need to do is ask and I will tell you anything. You know that, right?"
Ella nodded her head, understanding the importance of the conversation. She lifted her cheek off his chest and looked up at Michael.
"I know that."
"I will tell you anything you want to know," he stressed.
"I know that," she repeated. Her hand ran up his chest and rested on his cheek. "But I also know that some things are too fresh for you." Your kids. Your past. "I trust you enough to tell me what I need to know. When I need to know." She brought his head down so she could kiss him.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Michael leaned his head down, placing a kiss on her forehead. He brought her head back against his chest and held her close. Ella immediately melted into his embrace.
They stayed in each other's arms until a cool breeze brushed against their skin. Ella shivered into his warmth.
"Cold?"
"Kinda… You're not cold?"
Michael shook his head. He moved his hands along her back trying to warm her up. She let out a chuckle as he did nothing but feel her up.
"Not helping, huh?"
"Only if you're trying to take off my bra."
"Ooo, was I close?" He tried moving his hands, but Ella wiggled out of his grasp. Their giggling echoed out into the parking lot.
"Nice try, but we should probably refrain from indecent exposure after your little stint today," Ella addressed. She playfully tapped her fists against his bicep trying to lighten the mood.
"You're probably right…" He turned on his side and held his palms out for Ella to use as punching bags. Her fists continued to tap his person as she threw her punches. "Mind if we cut our night short. I'm a little worn out from the day."
"Oh…" She dropped her fists onto her side. "Sure!" She wasn't entirely ready to say goodbye to him just yet, but she knew he needed some rest after a long day.
"I'm sorry…"
"No no, you're fine. I know today has been a long day for you."
"Just a little…" Michael reached for her hand, interlocking their fingers. He swung their hands side to side. "I was wondering if you could take me to Daniel's apartment. He should be home by now.
"Dan's?" She wasn't sure why he wanted to be taken to his place.
"Yeah… This way I'm still abiding by Lieutenant Herrera's order. I don't get anyone in trouble for not having an eye on me."
"No, yeah! I can totally do that." She had completely forgotten about his police surveillance watch. "Wanna make sure he's home first?"
"I should probably do that." Michael let out a chuckle. He let go of Ella's hands and reached for his phone in his pocket. "Give me a second?" Ella nodded her lead. Michael excused himself off to the side. He gave Dan a call and waited patiently for the man to answer.
"Hey, man. What's up?"
"Hi… I uh… I was wondering if you had finished up your stakeout."
"I just got to the precinct actually. We managed to apprehend some of the Los X members, thanks to you. I'm finishing up on the paperwork before I head in for the night. Why, what can I do for you?"
"I was… Well I was wondering if I could stay with you tonight? I thought I could give Chloe a break from me. I still need an officer to monitor me through the morning."
"That's right! Uh, yeah sure. I have a pull out couch, you can crash on. I should be done within the hour. Did you want to come by the precinct or -"
"I can wait at your apartment until you are done. Ella is going to drive me. You live across town, correct?"
"Yeah! You're at Chloe's?"
"I am…"
"Then yeah! We should get there around the same time. If not, the spare key is on top of the door frame. Feel free to make yourself at home. I'll get everything ready for you when I arrive."
"Thank you, Daniel."
"No, problem man... Hey I have to go, but I'll message you when I leave the precinct."
"Sounds good! I'll see you in a little bit. Thank you again."
"You're good, buddy. I gotta go."
"Okay…"
Michael ended the phone call. He turned towards Ella and shot her a smile.
"Dan said yes?"
"He did. He also instructed me that he was finishing things up at the precinct. So you shouldn't have to wait too long."
"Well that's good..." A small part of her still wanted to spend more time with him. Maybe if I drive slow, I can drag out our time. She shook the thought out of her head. Michael wanted to sleep. He's being polite and you are trying to drag more time out of him. He just wants to sleep. "Wanna head out? It's getting a bit chilly outside." Her arms were wrapped around her body trying to keep her body warm.
"Yeah, sorry."
Michael put his phone back into his pocket and walked over to the car. Ella wasted no time climbing into the car and starting the engine. She turned the heater on immediately as the car roared alive. Michael slid into the car soon after.
As he found her fingers up against the vents, he cupped his hand around hers. He brought her hand up to his mouth and let his warm breath be her warmer.
Ella smiled in his direction and enjoyed the small act of kindness.
To her, she couldn't believe she had found someone as kind as Michael. Someone who showed her love. Someone who was good to her.
As she looked in Michael's direction, she felt that twinge of something new spark inside her heart. She was falling for him.
Michael moved his mouth away from her hand. He shot her a smile.
Oh, yeah… Big feelings. Phew! Okay…
Ella bite the inside of her cheek, preventing herself from blushing at the sudden realization. She relinquished Michael's hand and used it to put the car into reverse. With mild difficulty, she kept her eyes forward with a tight smile on her lips.
.