Quote of the Chapter:

"A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment."
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Chapter Fifteen: Did you know that (I care) about you?

By the time the bus rolled away from Elizabeth's stop and she had waved goodbye to Diane, the anxiety had settled in. Thickly. Hot, squirming anxiety - a familiar feeling and yet one that set unease within Elizabeth's soul as she turned away from the bus stop and made her way home.

Anxiety was something that she had learned to associate with incoming danger. Anxiety often came intertwined with its favourite friend: dread. And when the two did combine, it never meant much good for anybody - not a single somebody. Not once did it seem to settle. Even when she'd spotted the lady who lived downstairs, Ms Gerheade, who constantly brought her fresh bouquets and dried resin flowers, none of the unease settled. At all.

Exiting the elevator had only been an even bigger scare, placing Elizabeth even more on edge when she got to her floor, met by a rather smug-looking Meliodas as he held up a blindfold.

Instantly Elizabeth felt her heart pick up speed.

Surprises from Meliodas were nothing new. After living with him for so long, Elizabeth had grown used to coming home to more and more unexpected surprises. Whether it be the chaotic scheme of saving a box of abandoned kittens or the more outrageous purchase of a gigantic flat-screen TV, Elizabeth had learned to just roll with the punches and not ask questions. Questions only led to more questions.

However, today, she couldn't help but feel anxious. This was new - it felt new. Usually, Meliodas would throw her head-first into his crazy schemes. Today he was walking her blindly into it - expecting her to trust him. This was bound to end terribly.

Trying to calm herself, Elizabeth placed a hand over her racing heartbeat as she asked, "What's that for?"

"It's part of the surprise," Meliodas shrugged, nonchalant as ever. As he would be. Usually, whenever it came to whacky schemes and ideas that would definitely result in a trip to A&E, Meliodas never saw much danger. If anything he actively encouraged the art of trying anything and everything at once - always being the much freer spirit of the pair.

Naturally, as the more cautious and reserved one, Elizabeth took much more precaution. Especially when Meliodas was the main mastermind behind a new activity or idea. Pair her trepidation with the mix of anxiety and dread in her system, and Elizabeth's heart rate just picked up ten extra beats per minute. At this rate, she was going to be in hospital for cardiac arrest.

"Is it optional?" Elizabeth blinked, trying to keep track of how fast she was breathing. If she didn't keep track then she would lose count. If she lost count then she was out for the count - literally. "Because I really don't like the idea of letting you blindfold me."

"But the blindfold is half the fun," Meliodas insisted, still seeming eager as ever. However, she noticed, he had toned it down, noticing the spike in her panic levels and the shakiness to her voice. Nevertheless, he was still willing to play dirty - by playing the guilt game. "Don't tell me you don't trust me, Elizabeth?"

Ah, there it was. The damned guilt game paired with the dejected voice and impossibly pouty face. Too many times they had done this, back and forth, exploiting each other to get exactly what they wanted. By using the right words, the right look and the right amount of luck, Elizabeth and Meliodas could weasel anything out of each other. Phones, cash, once even a botched hair-dye job had been shared because of the guilt game.

Would today add another item to the list?

Elizabeth sucked in a sharp breath. No. Today wouldn't. For once she would put her foot down and establish that she would not give in. Today was her turn to have power; if Meliodas didn't like it then he could always go and sulk about it in his room.

"So?" Elizabeth raised a brow, pulling out her keys. She went to open the door to their floor, only to frown as it remained stuck. Damn this fob system; it was buying him time. "It's not integral."

"It is," Meliodas chimed in, easily pulling open the door. She could tell he wanted to say something - that something disappeared as quickly as a speeding tennis ball. "The blindfold sets the atmosphere."

"I still don't trust it," Elizabeth stated plainly, passing through the open door. A fresh burst of cool autumn breeze hit her face, brushing back her hair. Frowning, she glanced at her roommate. "I feel like it's gonna be a weird sex thing."

"I promise it's not a weird sex thing," Meliodas assured her, placing an earnest hand over his heart.

"Promise?" Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks, staring him down. Serious - she was deathly serious about this. If Meliodas wanted her to trust him with this, to let him blindfold her, then she needed to be sure that he wouldn't take liberties. The only way to do that was the back him into a corner; staring him down was her only way to get a solid, unbreakable promise.

"Yep," Meliodas nodded, his unwavering determination unbroken by her probing stare. As a result, Elizabeth let out a sigh as she held back her hair, allowing him to tie the blindfold over her eyes. Once it was done, he grabbed her hand and whispered conspiratorially, "The weird stuff comes later."

"Oh god..." Elizabeth breathed, already regretting her decision. But it was too late now. Blindfold on, hand gripping onto his for dear life, she could only wait to see what would happen next.

Placing what was essentially her entire life in his hands, Elizabeth could only go with the flow as Meliodas led the longer-feeling-than-usual way to their apartment. Honestly, Elizabeth knew that she could trust him. Within her mind, within all her memories and thoughts, she knew that Meliodas wouldn't do anything reckless or silly in this precise moment. In the past, he had never compromised on her safety - at all.

Nevertheless, the anxiety and dread still coagulated at the base of her stomach - like forming jelly - and refused to break down or shift. Instead it only built to hatch jittery butterflies in her stomach, unsettling Elizabeth's nerves as she bit her lip and anticipated what would come next. What next event will predetermine her day?

The first clue came in the gentle scent of her favourite vanilla candles - reserved specifically for her days off. Usually, Elizabeth would light the entire apartment up with them, scattering them in very innocuous yet also rather perilous locations in her attempt to relax and unwind after a hectic week at the Britannia Mail. The only other time she lit them was when her unhealthy movie-binging consumed her whole.

On those days, Meliodas would be the one dragging Elizabeth from her room, declaring that even a billion vanilla candles wouldn't hide the mark of hermit Elizabeth from the world. Moaning all the way, Elizabeth would endure Meliodas carrying her out of her room - blanket cocoon and all - before being dumped on the living room floor. In the end they would both end up cocooned together, three seasons into a new show and a whole month's worth of snacks burned in a couple of hours.

Diane always had to come to bring them back to reality - searing their retinas as she opened the blinds and shrieking as she uncovered the countless empty packets of Oreos and Walkers.

Abruptly, Elizabeth came to a stop, bumping into something incredibly cushioned and plush. Sticking a hand out, she felt in front of her and was greeted by a handful of fluff. Her secret stash of pillow fort pillows!

"No guessing!" Meliodas' voice, joined by a swat at her hand made Elizabeth yelp. She had forgotten that he was guiding her.

"Can I take this off then?" Elizabeth raised a brow, just about done with being left out. She had never liked surprises; even as a child, surprises had always left a sour feeling curdling at the base of her guts.

"Hmmm," A low hum. No doubt Meliodas was planning to draw this out - well aware of Elizabeth's frustration toward being left in the dark. This had happened before, around five years ago, when he'd kept avoiding the subject of her surprise birthday party.

"I'm being serious Meliodas," Elizabeth warned, folding her arms. "Otherwise I'll just rip it off myself."

Laughter filled the air before Elizabeth felt the blindfold loosen, cracks of light slipping past the material. Then it was consumed by the mountain of fluffiness and softness stacked right in front of her, ranging from her favourite pillows and blankets to a giant bear that could easily engulf her within a gigantic bear-hug. Countless Disney classics were set out for her to pick from, sorted into the Elizabeth-approved rankings of 'most Disney' to 'modern, cash-grabbing trash'. Then, of course, front of centre was the golden prize: her favourite cake.

Meliodas grinned, "Tada!"

"You really..." Elizabeth sniffled, taken aback. This was a lot of effort, a lot of... care. Did Meliodas really go out of his way to do this for her? Brow raised, she turned to him. "You really made me own custom movie night?"

There was so much attention to detail, so many things that most people wouldn't even remember about her. Sure, most people knew about Elizabeth's die-hard obsession with cinema, but only Meliodas knew how much Disney resonated with her soul; most people knew about Elizabeth's need for fluffiness in her life, but only Meliodas would know that she truly intends to construct a pillow fort and start a pillow war with it. There was even a plastic crown on top of the cake!

"Well I did promise it to you earlier," Meliodas shrugged in response, scratching at the back of his head. Faint embarrassment, perhaps even timidness, crept into him, softening his voice as he continues. "And I really wanted to say sorry - about last night. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's ok, I know you're an emotional idiot," Elizabeth laughed, wrapping him into one of the biggest hugs she'd probably ever given him over the past ten years of their on-going friendship. A genuine, soft smile broke onto her face, crinkling the edges of her eyes. "Thank you Meliodas."

"You deserve it," Was all he mumbled in response, his words muffled in the cosy material of her jacket.

Meliodas wasn't wrong. Elizabeth did deserve it. But even with all this, all this grandeur and surprise and over-the-top gestures, did Meliodas truly know that she cared about him? Did Meliodas truly know how much, just how enormous, the feelings she held equated to? Or was this all just something to maintain the status-quo, to keep the eternal platonic ship going?

As Elizabeth looked at him now - oblivious as always, blind to the torture and anguish she placed herself within continually - she didn't think so. Meliodas couldn't be further away from the truth.

He was so far off it, that he might as well have not known: Elizabeth was madly in love with him.