𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐄 | 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴

28: Possessiveness

"It looks like you've been doing a great job taking care of the flowers."

Elliot smiles, gently brushing his fingers along the purple lilacs. You're relieved to hear that they're doing well, because you've never kept flowers in your home before, and you keep worrying you'll accidentally kill them.

"Is there anything at all I can improve on?" you fret. "I mean, um, do they look sad or something? Should I be reading them poetry?"

"I'm sure you can, but you probably don't need to," he chuckles. He stops to place a hand on your shoulder and smile encouragingly. "They look great, [Name]. Don't worry. Everything seems perfect to me, and I'm supposed to be the expert, right?"

You exhale. "True. If you say it's all good, then it must be. Sorry. It was just a really thoughtful gift, so I want to make sure I don't ruin it."

"Thoughtful gift... right." Elliot does his best to hold his smile, but for just a second, it slips. "Yeah. It was nice of Caleb to get that for you. Completely out of the blue, too. He seems like a good... friend."

"He is a good friend, but you're the one who picked out the flowers, so I wouldn't want to disappoint either of you. Anyways, I guess I've been worried for nothing. Like you said, they've been pretty easy to take care of. Hopefully I don't find a way to screw it up."

Elliot's smile returns the moment you acknowledge he contributed to the gift. Someone as ignorant as Caleb wouldn't have known what to get you. He probably would've picked the first pretty thing he saw. Besides, the flowers are more than just flowers-they're a symbol of his feelings for you.

He hopes you'll continue to keep them close, and he hopes they remind you of him. That way, even when he's not around, he'll be on your mind. Just like you're always on his.

Elliot clears his throat, a blush rising to his cheeks. "U-Um. So, should we get started? I know you said you have to leave for work soon."

"Yeah, we can get started now," you nod.

The reason Elliot stopped by your apartment is to finally carry out what you'd agreed on long ago. It's been a while since you first told him about your debt and he expressed interest in buying your blood, but so far, he's only done it once. You feel a bit guilty for keeping him waiting this long. You'll have to be better at accommodating him from now on.

Xavier drank your blood recently, and Felix also drank your blood, so even though you still have some trauma from the night you were attacked, you're starting to get used to things again. Besides, Elliot is your friend. He protected you from Johnny without a second thought, and you know you can trust him.

You'll always be able to trust him.

"I'm ready," you say, brushing your hair aside and lowering your shirt just below your shoulder. Elliot instinctively gulps at the sight, and it certainly doesn't help his blush die down. Setting aside how delicious your blood tastes... this picture is far too provocative. It's making his heart twist in knots.

"O-Okay."

Elliot slowly sits down next to you, face completely and utterly on fire. He remembers the first time he had your blood, and how he swore it would make him lose his mind. He knows he'll probably experience similar emotions this time around, but he needs to get a hold of himself, otherwise you won't let him keep doing this.

He remembers then that he's not the only vampire who drinks your blood, and that brief, bitter thought is enough to melt his inhibitions away.

"Thank you for letting me do this," Elliot mumbles, and not two seconds later, his fangs pierce your neck.