"Then what games do you play?" Elijah teases.
Eloise blinks up at Elijah, uncertain how to react to that question. Her mind wanders to all sorts of games she should not be thinking of right now. Eloise scolds herself internally for her dirty mind before shooting Elijah a small smile.
"I guess you will have to find out for yourself." Eloise felt like slapping herself for her response, afraid she would scare the man off with her terrible flirting, it couldn't even be called flirting, it was more or less a badly formed sentence, the product of her malfunctioning brain.
"It would be my absolute pleasure." Elijah grins at the woman before his eyes fall on her shopping basket. "Are you hurt?" Elijah looks pointedly at the various bandages, gauzes, and bandaids that laid scattered in Eloise's shopping basket.
"No, no I'm alright. Just doing some errands." Eloise replies hurriedly, quickly throwing some unnecessary hygiene items in as well to make her lie seem more convincing. She hated lying, especially after Elijah called her a truthful person, but she'd rather not involve someone in what had happened last night. Kol and Niklaus seemed like the type to murder all the witnesses and she liked Elijah too much for that.
Elijah notices her heart skip, indicating her untruthful words but decides to disregard it. Instead, he lightly snuffs, only now noticing the smallest hint of blood, her blood. Before, his smell had been overtaken by the strong perfume from another shopper. The blood worried him and Elijah lets his eyes go over Eloise, checking for any physical injuries.
Eloise's cheeks redden as she sees Elijah's eyes travel down her body. She quickly scampers off to the pet aisle and grabs a bag of dog biscuits. Eloise's salary didn't come until next week, but Bowie deserved some extra love with the long evenings she had been making recently.
"What are you doing this afternoon?" Elijah asks, following the woman while keeping an appropriate distance, hoping to elevate some of the tension.
"Probably walking my dog." Eloise replies, not taking her eyes off the wall with pet products. Looking at Elijah was difficult, especially when he wore that teasing grin from earlier. The thought of it alone was enough to get her flustered.
"Could I join you? We could get that coffee?" Elijah suggests, chest feeling uncomfortably tight while making his proposal. Although Eloise had told him she had intended to contact him, he was still somewhat wary of an eventual rejection. It had been quite some time since he had last allowed him to feel anything for a woman or had even bothered to ask one out. Then there was the issue with his family, especially Niklaus, who would surely provide him with an abundance of unnecessary critique. If Eloise liked him as much as he liked her, he would keep her away from his family for as long as he could. He would protect her even if that meant being dishonest with his siblings.
Eloise beams up at him, embarrassment forgotten and clearly delighted Elijah was still interested in getting to know her better. "Yes, of course. Let me just pay for this." Eloise strides towards the register, incredibly happy she had left her wallet at home yesterday.
• • •
Eloise unlocks her door with the spare key. She felt a bit nervous about bringing a guy to her place, but she had to get Bowie, besides that she did not think Elijah to be the kind of guy to have certain expectations upon the invite.
She lets out a giggle when she sees Bowie running towards her. Eloise bends down to pet the dog, but he seems more interested in the bag of biscuits Eloise was holding. Bowie had decidedly ignored Elijah so far.
"Yes, yes. You get a biscuit." Eloise chirps, petting Bowie fondly. She rips the bag open and feeds Bowie two treats, not able to resist the pleading look Bowie was giving her.
"This must be Bowie." Elijah comments, while shifting slightly on his footing. He hoped Eloise would invite him in soon otherwise this could become quite uncomfortable.
Eloise turns around to see Elijah, still standing on her doormat, looking a little awkward. She wonders briefly why he hadn't just followed in but then remembered Elijah was pretty much the definition of decency. "I'm sorry. Please, come in."
Elijah lets out a breath and happily steps over the threshold, looking interestedly at the woman's living room. It was not difficult to see the house needed some fixing but it seemed clean and somewhat organized, despite the slightly out-of-place objects that could be cleaned up in a matter of minutes.
"I hope you will not be traumatized by what you see." Eloise jokes as she sees Elijah's curious examination of her home. Her home was a bit of a mess, but it was a cozy mess. She could have of course cleaned the place up before allowing Elijah inside but thought it was best to not pretend to be better than she was.
Eloise gingerly takes the paper shopping bag from his grasp, he had been insistent on carrying it for her.
Elijah lets out a chuckle while plucking a piece of lint from his suit. "I can assure you, my dear Ellie. I have seen far worse than a cluttered living room."
"If you think this is cluttered, you don't want to see the bedroom." Eloise laughs, before realizing how that must have sounded. "I mean, you could. I mean- Please make yourself at home." Eloise stammers before scurrying off to her bathroom, the paper bag tucked against her.
Elijah's presence made her nervous. He was intimidating in the way he spoke, walked, and behaved, and yet so incredibly friendly. She was desperate to gather her thoughts and what better way to do that while also changing her bandage. The thought of having to walk any longer with the almost bled-through fabric made her feel sick to her stomach.
Eloise impatiently pulls the tight sweater off, throwing it in the hamper, and walks up to the washbasin, where she had dumped the contents of the bag in. She grimaces when she feels the gauze sticking to the wound. Uncertain how to proceed, she yanks at the fabric, letting out a soft groan at the stinging sensation. Great, it was bleeding again. She quickly dabs at the wound with some toilet paper, hoping to stop most of the bleeding, before taking a cotton ball, drenching it in alcohol, and pressing it to the wound. It might be a bit late to disinfect the wound, but better late than never.
Her hands rummage through the multitude of supplies. With a slightly trembling hand, Eloise rips a package open and pulls the gauze out. With a sigh of relief, Eloise presses the new gauze to her throat, glad the wound was covered again. She wasn't sure how she would explain the scar that would surely form, but that would be a worry for another day.
Realizing that she had been at it for a while now, Eloise takes a new bandage and tears the package open with her teeth. With one hand she clumsily unrolls the bandage, wrapping it around her neck while holding the gauze in place with the other. She was getting better at this, which was slightly upsetting in her opinion.
• • •
"Sorry I took a while." Eloise apologizes as she walks back into the living room, happily surprised to see Elijah seated on her couch with Bowie draped over his lap.
"It is no trouble, dear Ellie." Elijah gives her a reassuring smile before gently pushing Bowie off his lap. "Come on, Bowie. I think it is time for your walk." In an instant the dog jumps off the couch and speeds over to the door, eager to leave the house.
Elijah looks at Eloise for a moment. She had changed her sweater and looked a little flustered. He had heard multiple packages being opened as well as some pain-related noises from Eloise and had grown more and more inquisitive as to what injury the woman was tending to. He would prefer to heal her, to rid her of her pain, but he knew it would be difficult to explain, besides that, he had noticed that humans can be quite private when it comes to their pain and their wounds. Perhaps later she would tell him.
Eloise grins broadly at the man and her dog who seemed to get along great. "Alright, Bowie. Let's show Elijah you're favorite route in the park." She shoots a cheeky grin at Elijah, eyes lingering over his fancy shoes. "Through the bushes."
• • •
"You weren't kidding with the 'favorite route' thing." Elijah mutters as he almost trips over a rogue tree branch. He glares at it for a second, not having been able to use his Original speed to catch himself.
"I'm sorry." Eloise giggles at Elijah's disgruntled expression. She had seen how the man had tried his best to remain cheerful but it was clear Elijah wasn't exactly having the time of his life. "Next time I will be sure to warn you so you can dress more... appropriately."
"Next time I will take you to a lavish restaurant where tree branches are not allowed." Elijah grumbles good-naturedly, slightly adjusting Eloise's coat over his right arm. Eloise had gotten warm during the walk and Elijah, like the gentleman he is, had offered to carry it for her.
"Mr. Mikaelson how straightforward of you." Eloise puts on a baffled expression while swaying Bowie's leash a little. Bowie had of course ran off, which left Elijah and Eloise to be very aware of each other's presence.
"Apologies, my lady. Would you rather have me sent a formal invite to your humble abode?" Elijah smirks at Eloise's playfulness and thinks back fondly to the day where formal courting was the norm. He did not miss the ambitious mothers who almost threw their daughters at him and his brothers. He would of course not mind courting Eloise in an old-fashioned way. Elijah hums as he thinks of the flowers he could send her. She seemed like a bit of an old soul and would surely appreciate the gesture.
"That sounds more appropriate indeed, my lord, but I shall forgive you for your audaciousness." Eloise hums.
"Thank the heavens." Elijah pretends to wipe the sweat off his brow, grinning amusedly down at Eloise. "Would Thursday evening suit you?"
Eloise is about to nod when she remembers her appointment with Stefan's brother. "Sadly, no. I have an appointment, but I am free on Saturday?"
"I will pick you up. Is seven alright?"
"Yes, that'd be perfect."
