He sent her a text

He smiled softly,

as he adjusted him mirror.

he pulled out a small shrug.

the drive to the vets was long and not very fun.

the kitten turned out to be fine.

The kitten had a small ear rash,but thats it.

“Only for you,” he texted back after a second, his lips pulling into a grin as he leaned against the counter in his kitchen.
“But if you want, I can start charging.”

He set his keys down, still smelling faintly like the vet’s office from dropping off his new cat earlier. As he waited for her to read the message, he absentmindedly rubbed the kitten’s head, the tiny thing purring against his palm.

Another message followed a moment later:
“Hope the danish is good. I remembered you said you liked those.”

He couldn’t help checking his phone again, pretending he wasn’t hoping for her reply.

Elias looked up from where he was crouched on the floor, the kitten batting at his shoelace. He straightened when he heard her voice, a slow smile pulling across his face.

“Yeah, I got it,” he said, wiping his hands on his jeans as he stepped toward her. “Didn’t think you meant immediately, though. Kinda impressive.”

He paused in front of her, eyes drifting over her like he was trying not to stare too obviously.

“And for the record,” he added, voice dipping playful, “you don’t have to text first to come over. Pretty sure you’ve got permanent access at this point.” He tapped the side of her shoulder lightly as he passed, moving toward the sink, filling his cup.

Elias watched her with a slow grin as she went straight for the mac n cheese, his eyes flickered down to her lips looking away then stepping in behind her just enough that she could feel his presence at her back.

“Mmhm… yeah, my dad’s recipe,” he said, voice low and teasing. “Figured you’d remember. You used to practically clean out the whole pan when you were stressed as a kid.”

He let his eyes drag over her for a second before meeting her gaze again, a crooked smile forming.

“Not that I ever minded you hiding out here. Kind of liked having you around… made the place feel less boring.”

He nodded at the container in her hand, leaning a little closer with a playful raise of his brows.

"Maybe then I’ll tell you what else my dad taught me to cook. Y’know… if you ask nicely.”

Elias huffed a soft laugh, shaking his head as he stayed right in front of her, close enough that she could feel the warmth coming off him. His hand tapped the counter beside her hip with a lazy rhythm, like he was settling into the moment on purpose.

“How so?” he repeated, tilting his head at her with that stupid little half-smile that always messed her up.

“You kidding?”
He leaned in just a bit—barely enough to be obvious, but enough that she felt it.
“You walk in here like you own the place. Drop your bag, steal my leftovers…” His eyes flicked to the tub of mac and cheese she’d grabbed, “…and then act offended when I call you out on it.”

He smirked, but there was something softer behind it.

“And you boss me around without even realizing you’re doing it. ‘Move,’ ‘grab that,’ ‘sit down,’” he mimicked her lightly, his tone low and teasing. “You do all that and somehow make it look cute.”

His gaze dipped again—slowly this time—to her lips, and lingered just long enough to make her heart jump before he pulled his eyes back to hers.

“Keeps me entertained,” he murmured, his voice dropping a shade lower.
“Actually…” He leaned one palm flat on the counter beside her, boxing her in without touching her.
“You keep a lot of things from getting boring around here.”

There was a beat—heavy, warm, charged.

“Especially right now.”