Going, Going, Gone (An Elijah Mikaelson Love Story)

Chapter 6: Red

A groan leaves me, swiftly followed by a string of curses as the mascara wand leaves a huge blob on the side of my nose, ruining the carefully placed makeup already. Fuck.

Elijah, who is now... six minutes late, didn't prepare me for this. At all. Thousands of questions were rushing in my head as I bustled my way home from the end of my shift and through my front door. What would I do with my hair? What would I wear as a bra? What did this promised dress even look like?

I could have easily just asked Elijah, by texting or calling, if I even had a phone number to text or call; but I don't, so that leaves me to my chances of throwing something on and praying for the best. It's dumb that I don't have this man's phone number, but already I've trusted him to walk me home after a night of drinking and already accepted an invite to some elaborate ball of his.

I reach over, grabbing a wad of toilet paper on my sink and smearing off the blob of mascara until it's only a faint mark on my nose. I'm beginning to reapply the makeup to my face and place final touches when I hear a faint knock at the front door. My heart skips and I frantically scramble out of my bathroom and freeze as I'm two beats away from the door. I am in a bra and underwear. I am in a bra and underwear and that's it.

I feel heat creep up my neck at the thought of Elijah seeing me in this set of underwear for all the wrong reasons. The lacey white set is one of the only sets I grabbed when packing up my things at my old house, a set I bought solely for pleasing Liam. To say it's quite....showy... is understatement of the year.

I scramble back in the bathroom, heart thumping as I hear another soft knock. "Just a minute!" I yell, cursing under my breath, grabbing a bath towel and wrapping it around my body before flying back out towards the door.

I twist the door open and immediately regret my choices. Elijah, standing there fully clothed and clearly having his shit together, can't help but glance down at the towel wrapped around my body, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly open in shock.

We stand there and stare at one another, and it's only with a slightly clearing of his throat do I realize how dumb I look, with a towel wrapped around me and the door wide open.

"Were you taking a shower?"

"No, I just had underwear on when you knocked and didn't want you to see it." Oh my god, Grace, shut up. "J-just come in." I stutter, moving aside so he can enter and the door can be shut and my dignity helped.

Elijah smiles and steps through the door, peering down at me as he passes by and steps into my apartment, holding the garment bag out to his side. He peers around and I can't help but want to shrink away, away from his prying eyes on me and my place. Dishes pile up in my sink which is surrounded by piles of takeout food and Starbucks coffee cups, the attached living room doesn't look any better with its blankets thrown on the floor and dishes stacked high on the coffee table.

I clear my throat and his eyes flash to me and I swear they flash down to my legs and back up to my eyes before he tilts his head at me, smile still resting on his face and an amused, surprised expressions on it. "Oh yes, I do believe this dress should fit your needs for tonight." He says, passing me the dress while keeping his distance from me and my towel.

I make sure I have my towel secured before I reach out, grabbing it form him and throwing it over my shoulder. "Right. T-thank you, Elijah." I say, avoiding his eyes on my face and I turn my body, facing my room. "Just give me a minute and I'll be right out and ready to l-leave."

I scurry towards my door and throw myself and the dress into the room before awkwardly shutting the door, making sure I don't slam it in his face. My heart is racing a thousand miles per hour and my face, thankfully covered by a sheet of makeup, feels like it's burning into flames.