Elijah slipped into the Grill for an early dinner before he was due to chaperone the dance. Looking around he spotted his companion for the evening sitting at the bar with her back to him.
After meeting Caroline the month before Elijah and Elena had continued with their flirtation. They danced around each other and finally started dating three weeks later. That had been three weeks ago.
Tonight was meant to be their third official date. They had been set to meet up for dinner, when an influx of the flu hit the staff and they were forced to step in to chaperone the decade dance. They had decided to have an early dinner instead. They had left work to change before meeting for food.
"Hi," Elijah placed a hand on the small of her back and kissed her cheek causing her to jump. "I thought you were getting ready." He chuckled motioning to her light blue dress and cardigan. "I don't know that this would have fit in during the 1920's."
She turned to look at him with a frown and moved away from the hand on her back. Her eyes were weary when she took him in.
"Is something wrong?" Elijah frowned following her movement with his eyes. Did I do something to upset her? He couldn't think of anything.
"Yeah," she gulped. "Some random guy just came up and kissed me in a bar."
"Very funny," Elijah chuckled before he remembered something that Elena had told him. Elena had a sister. His eyes widened comically when he realized his mistake. "Oh, you're not Elena."
She shook her head. "No. I'm not Elena."
"You're her sister," Elijah rubbed a hand across his cheek. "I just kissed my girlfriends sister." He stared at her for a beat before apologizing.
"I'm sorry. I saw you from the door and just assumed. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Partially my fault," she admitted standing up. "I recently started straightening my hair, and I'm fairly certain this is a dress she left at my apartment. I'm Katherine by the way," she picked up her hand bag and babbled. "Usually people can tell us apart by our hair." She glanced over his shoulder to see Damon exiting the restroom; he stopped to watch her.
Katherine started to walk away towards Damon; she made it precisely three steps before she stopped and gazed back at him.
"Is she alright?" Katherine asked fiddling with the clasp on her bag. "Is my sister alright?"
Elijah nodded.
"Good," Katherine whispered. "Good," she repeated staring at him. She snapped out of her reverie when she saw Damon still staring at her. Katherine reached into her clutch and pulled out a small red package the size of an envelope. "I-I have to go. Can you give this to Elena for me?"
"Sure," Katherine shoved the package into his hand.
"It was nice meeting you," she muttered rushing past him to the door.
Elijah returned the sentiment gazing down at the package before tucking it in his suit pocket. He didn't see Damon. He didn't see the way Damon grabbed Katherine's arm, he didn't see the way Katherine flinched away. By the time he looked back up Katherine had been steered out into a blue car parked on the side of the street.
Music bounced along the walls of the gymnasium. The decorating committee had done an excellent job transforming the space into a speakeasy that would have put the actual '20s to shame. At least that's what the teachers told them when they asked.
Couples were streaming across the dance floor attempting to dance the Charleston. Elijah watched Elena through the sea of students on the other side of the room. She was pouring a cup of punch and listening to something that one of the junior students was saying. Elijah watched as Marcus Greene motioned towards the centre of the gym; it was clear to Elijah what Marcus was asking. He watched as Elena said something before turning her head and walked away towards the bleachers. Marcus was frowning at her retreating back as Elijah moved to join her.
He took a seat beside her and surveyed the crowded room. He settled his gaze on Marcus who had returned to his friends. "What was Mr. Greene talking to you about?"
"He asked me to dance," Elena admitted sneaking a glance at him through the corner of her eyes. "The kid has some nerve, don't you think?"
"He's hot for teacher," Elijah mumbled through his smirk. "You can hardly blame the boy for having a crush."
"What?" Elena asked in an incredulous whisper. "He is not!" She blushed when Elijah chuckled.
"Yes," he stated again, "he is."
"He is not," she whispered hotly. She tried to stop the middle school comeback on the tip of her tongue, but found herself powerless to do it. "You're hot for teacher."
"Just the one," he teased and patted her back when she started choking on her punch.
"I uh, I met your sister earlier," Elijah whispered when she regained her breath. He pulled the small package from his pocket and handed it to her. "I ran into her at the Grill before you got there. She asked me to give you that."
"Thank you. How was she?" Elena asked peering at the package in her hand before tucking it inside her bag.
"Quiet," he admitted looking into her dark eyes. Remembering the history she had told him he considered remaining quiet before he thought better of it and confessed. "Although that may have been my fault, I saw her from behind. I walked up and kissed her cheek."
"Hmm," Elena mumbled smoothing the beaded hem of her flapper dress, "a complete stranger coming up and kissing her in a bar. That would keep her quiet. Usually you can't get Katherine to shut-up. She has a tendency to flirt with anything that moves." Something else was nagging her, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it.
"Try not to kiss my sister again," Elena said looking him in the eyes.
"Cross my heart," he nodded peering into her eyes. Elena watched him for a moment before nodding. Nothing more needed to be said. Elijah stood up and offered her a hand. "Shall we disperse with the crowd?"
"It is that time," Elena chuckled looking at her watch.
After the dance Elijah and Elena had retired to her living room for a cup of coffee.
"There's one thing bothering me," Elena admitted as she leaned against Elijah and sipped from her mug. It had finally hit her; the thing that had bothered her about Elijah's recount.
"What's that?" Elijah asked looking down to meet her gaze.
"Katherine," Elena slid her finger around the rim of her coffee cup. She looked up at him through confused eyes. "She has a completely different style. Even if she straightened her hair her clothes would have given her away. What was she wearing?"
"A blue dress," Elijah answered leaning forward to place his mug on the coffee table. "She said she thought you left it at her apartment. It kind of looked like the green dress you wore the first time we went out."
"Maybe she's changing her style," Elena mused putting down her own mug. "That or she ran out of clean clothes."
"What does she usually wear?" Elijah questioned leaning back to lay his arm across her shoulders.
"Typically Katherine wears short skirts, and tight blouses with low necklines," Elena trailed her finger down along the neck of her beaded dress to show just how low Katherine necklines were.
"And curly hair," Elijah finished tugging the band from Elena's head to run his fingers through the silky strands.
"She doesn't like to leave much to the imagination," Elena breathed. "Most guys liked that." She tilted her head to look up into his eyes with a wry smile. "What do you think? Since Katherine's dressing like me should I start dressing like her?"
"No," Elijah gazed down at her smoothing her hair over her shoulder. He brought one hand up to stroke her cheek. "You are amazing just the way you are."
"Really," Elena began running his tie through her fingers drawing him in closer. "You wouldn't like to see more?"
"Oh, I'd love to see more," he followed the motion of her hands and slid his hand from her hair to her back. His hand left a trail of fire down her back. "But there is something to be said for mystery."
"Good answer," Elena's lips reached across the distance to meet his in a gentle kiss.
It didn't take long for him run his tongue along her lower lip. Elena gasped pulling back momentarily to catch her breath before kissing him again sliding her tongue into his mouth. Her hands ran up his chest to loosen his tie. She had to break away again to pull the tie over his head; when the tie was gone she began laying a trail of open mouthed kisses along his jaw line.
"Care to see more now?" Elena breathed against his ear while her hands began unbuttoning his shirt.
"Whatever you're ready to show," Elijah chuckled pulling her back for another kiss.
