Alice

I actually said yes. Wow.

Well, it's just lunch, Alice. Don't worry. Just lunch.

Dean and I step inside the elevator, and just as we turn to face the door I see Elijah making his way over to us, looking less than impressed when he approaches the elevator.

God, please close the door...

And they actually move, but before they meet right in the middle Elijah somehow manages to slip inside, almost stumbling into me but catching himself just in time. He dusts himself off, patting his jeans before he walks to the back of the elevator, his eyes intently trained on mine until he stands right behind me.

I can't help but turn once more, narrowing my eyes at him, but he doesn't react at all, just looks straight at me with his steely grey-blue orbits. I avoid my gaze and look straight ahead again, not wanting to let him win this competition.

Dean seems to notice, too. He turns around and shoots Elijah a quick but slightly confused smile before looking straight ahead, just in time for the doors to open again, sending more people in with every floor that stops. The amount of people in here force me to step backward, and I almost gasp when I hear that faint growl the second my ass collides with something hard right behind me.

Something hard that definitely is not the wall right behind me, but probably belongs to the man pressed against my body now.

I can feel his breath on my neck when he closes the distance between us, his body now flush mine. For some god forsaken reason my heart thunders in my chest, and I feel every single atom of air he breathes down my neck, inhale every molecule of his delicious aftershave...

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Goosebumps break out all over my body, and I have to actually press my legs together when he increases the pressure on my behind, the feeling sending multiple shivers down my spine and right into my panties.

Good god...

The Ding! of the elevator almost makes me jump, and I quickly turn, seeing Elijah looking at me with hooded, dark eyes, sending me all sorts of mixed messages with his behavior.

"Alice?" Dean's voice makes me turn around, just now do I realize he's holding the door open for me to step out. He stretches his hand out to me, and I can't help but sigh, knowing I need to get out of this situation, sooner rather than later.

"Yeah, coming..." I grab his hand and follow him out of the elevator, throwing Elijah one last glance on my way out, and he almost looks pissed by Dean's hand in my own.

Well, let him... It's not like he's showing me kindness in any way.

Give him a taste of his own medicine...

Lunch goes by rather uneventfully, Dean is absolutely oblivious to the amount of women trying to flirt with him all the time, but other than that we have a rather enjoyable time. He tells me about his parents, why he chose that specialty, and how long he intends to work for Mr. Howell...

And he seems like a gentleman, too, paying the check although I insist on paying my part... I just don't want him to think this is a date. I can pay for my own food and he needs to know that, too.

I let it go for today though, thinking I don't want to cause a scene, and soon enough we're back in the elevator, the memory of Elijah pressed against me in here sending instant shivers down my spine.

God, why does he have to have this effect on me?

He doesn't even like me... Does he?

God, I feel like a high-schooler...

"I um.. I enjoyed lunch today."

Dean's voice sends me out of my thoughts and I tilt my head, looking up at the blonde giant in front of me with a smile.

"Yeah, me, too."

He studies me with interest, and I think I know what he wants to say, or ask, but I don't really know what to answer. That's why I'm actually rather thankful when the elevator doors open, and I dash forward, wanting to get back to my office, only to be held back by a hand on my wrist.

Dean pulls me back into the elevator and presses the button for the top floor, raking a hand through his hair when I narrow my eyes, asking, "What do you need on the top floor?"

"Nothing. Just buying time."

His honesty makes me laugh, and I shake my head when I lean against the wall, watching him with curiosity until he speaks again. "I'm serious, though. I really enjoyed my lunch today."

"I did, too." I repeat my words from earlier, cocking my head while looking at him with curiosity.

His eyes flick from my face to the numbers on the screen to his left, showing him he's running out of time. "Um, I would like to take you out on a date, if you let me..."

Now I'm the one looking at the screen, figuring out how much time I have left before he needs an answer.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

"So? What do you say?"

I hear some noises in the kitchen when I kick the front door open, carrying two bags full of groceries and a basket full of fruits in my hands. Elijah's head pops out of the kitchen and he rushes toward me, relieving me of the basket and one of the bags.

We both don't say a word as I follow him back into the kitchen, noticing the spilled water and coffee beans everywhere. I internally cringe, the thought of someone breaking my coffee machine gives me anxiety, honestly.

Elijah packs everything into the fridge while I grab spices and the likes to fill our cupboards, being more than content at the result when I see different spices and oils now in our possession.

Cooking will be a lot more fun now...

Something drips on my feet, and just now do I realize that the water I just saw even drips down the counter now, and I can't help but smirk when I realize his mistake.

"You do know you need to grind the beans before you can make coffee out of them, right?"

I turn to look at him, and he looks even kind of embarrassed for a moment, running a hand through his way too beautiful hair when he nods. "Yeah... Well, no. Sorry. I have absolutely no idea how that thing works."

A laugh escapes my throat when I notice how desperate he looks, and I quickly wipe up the mess before I wave him over, shooting him a smile when I start to explain, "Okay, listen closely, because I will kill when you hurt her, alright?"

"It's a she?"

"Yes. This is Cecile." I rub the top of my porta filter machine, knowing how goddamn expensive it was and that her name is more than deserving.

"Okay then..." He laughs, and I completely disregard him when I pull the grinder in front of me, starting to explain how to use this machine.

"Okay, first you grind the beans here..." I pour the beans into the grinder, pushing the button that turns it on, the noise immediately filling the kitchen. After a few seconds I stop it, pouring the ground coffee into the filter before I look back at him. "Then you put it in the filter and then place it in the machine. Like this."

I show him just how much coffee he needs before I place the filter in the slot of the machine, "Then you press this button..." I press the button at the side of the machine, letting the humming start while the machine does its magic. I watch how the coffee pours into the cup beneath it, studying every inch of porcelain the brown liquid claims as its own.

"And now you need to know how strong you like it," I whisper while watching the coffee flow, "because you have to be the one to stop it. Otherwise it keeps flowing, and you not only end up with a mess similar to yours earlier, but also waste amazing coffee..." I stop the machine and grab the cup when it's half-full, turning around to place it on the counter in front of Elijah, who just looks at me with this look on his face.

He looks almost speechless, somehow, his eyes studying me with curiosity before he shakes his head, averting his gaze to evaluate the cup in front of him.

"This is how I would drink it. I like it rather strong," I explain, and he just nods his head, shooting me one more glance before sipping the coffee, a smile breaking out on his face that makes me mirror just that, pride filling my senses when he licks his lips.

"Wow. This is really good. Thanks."

And I can't help but grin, nodding my head before I turn back around, needing some proper coffee for myself now. This day was a rollercoaster and a half, and I definitely crave some of my brown magic here...

"So, how was your day?" His question makes me widen my eyes, but luckily I have my back turned to him, giving me a minute to actually think about his question before I give him an answer.

"Your father's business feels like a cloning factory for blonde women, but other than that it was pretty good."

He laughs, and I turn around just to enjoy how good he looks when he does that before I redirect my attention to the coffee machine in front of me.

"Yeah, my parents have a weird... arrangement. Not that it excuses my father's behavior..." he mumbles the last words, and I can tell the relationship to his parents, or at least to his father, must be strained. The way he talks about him is less than joyful.

"I suspected something like that..." I say as I turn around with my fresh coffee in my hands. "Is that why you wanted to move out?"

I know I'm challenging him with that question. I don't expect him to answer, I know he doesn't want to talk about anything personal. But I'm sick of tiptoeing around, sick of caving when he doesn't want to talk...

And so I hold his gaze when he just stares at me, probably trying to read my intentions. "No," he suddenly says, "I wanted to leave because they made me feel like I was a wounded little boy that didn't know what's good for him, and that's not who I am."

His answer surprises me, honestly. It's more than I expected to get, and I know I probably shouldn't push him, if I wanted this roommate thing to go anywhere resembling a friendship. "I understand that."

I shoot him a smile, hoping he knows that I really do understand. Being forced into a position you don't want to be in is never pleasant, especially not when it's your parents forcing your hand.

We just look at each other for a moment, and the smile on my lips slowly fades when I see that fire in his eyes again, see how his irises darken, how his Adam's apple bobs up and down as he takes me in.

Our gaze is almost electric, and I see the question in his eyes as he studies me, asking about Dean and me. He doesn't speak though, he just looks at me, challenging me in his very own way.

Well, game on...

"So... Dean asked me out today," I say, holding his gaze with determination.

"Who is Dean?"

"You know how Dean is..." I roll my eyes.

"The guy that asked you to lunch?" he asks for clarification, and I nod my head.

"Yeah. After that he asked me out on a date."

I don't miss how he leans against the counter now, for whatever reason, but he almost looks like he's in pain when he takes a deep breath, his steely gaze meeting mine again when he asks, "And what did you say?"

And I don't know what it is, but the way he looks at me is so predatory, so dangerous, that I suddenly feel very glad about my decision. Elijah is danger - He is pure fire. And I can't afford to burn myself right now...

"I said yes."

"You said yes?" he asks with wide eyes.

"Yeah. Why not?"

The question is valid. It's not like he gave me any sort of signal, really.

I mean, hell, I have known him for less than a week now. What did he expect?

He's the one treating me like shit, there's no way he thinks he has a right to be angry at me. It's obvious that he's furious because he places the empty cup of coffee in the sink next to me without saying a word. Shooting me one last angry glare, he retreats into his bedroom, leaving me alone in the kitchen.

Fucking hell.

I didn't say yes to spite Elijah, because I mean it's not like he's very welcoming to me. I said yes because Dean seems like a really good guy, and I deserve someone who's good to me. Raising my brother and being best friends with a man as handsome as Felix has turned a lot of men off, meaning I haven't been on a date for a while.

Dean seems like the kind of guy that's perfect for dipping my toes back into the dating pool. I don't want to lead him on so I only agreed to a date to give him a chance to show me if there's more to this than physical attraction. Because yeah, he's hot. And I like him.

But it does feel like something is missing...