Abrasion (Mikaelson)

Chapter 31: The First Time

Evangeline POV:

"How have you been holding up at the hotel?" Elijah asked me, we had left the compound and gotten lunch but he hadn't asked many questions about me. I figured it was a courtesy. Now as we made our way back to the compound in Elijah's car, he finally began asking the questions I know he's been waiting to ask. "Is everything going well?"

I nodded my head with a smile. "Everything is great Elijah, thank you for letting me have some time away."

"Of course." Elijah responded and for a moment the car was enveloped in comfortable silence. Then Elijah spoke up again. "Have you given any thought to returning back to the compound?"

I was a bit taken aback by the question even though I had been expecting it. Of course Elijah would want me to move back there. "I haven't really thought about it."

"You're afraid of Klaus." Elijah pointed out and I quickly shook my head, despite knowing that he was right. "You have nothing to be afraid of Evangeline, I won't let you be mistreated again. You have my word."

I looked at him for a while, his left hand was gripping the steering wheel while his right hand rested on the middle console. His eyes were trained carefully on the road. "I trust you, Elijah. I know you won't allow any harm to come to me, but I can't go about my life under the same roof as him. I just can't bring myself to do that."

"What if you got an apartment nearby?" Elijah suggested and I found myself thinking about it. "You would be close enough that I wouldn't constantly be worried but far enough that you don't have to worry about Klaus."

I thought about his suggestion for a moment, going over the pros and cons of such an arrangement. "I'll accept that." I agreed. "I can start looking at apartments tomorrow."

"No need." Elijah spoke up. "I already selected one. You didn't think I'd let you move into a strange new building without surveying the premises beforehand, did you?"

"Elijah?" I placed my hand over his which was resting on the console.

"Hm?" Elijah hummed in response, eyes leaving the road for the first time to glance down at my hand. "What is it?"

I let out a breath. "Why don't you move in with me? Then you won't have to worry."

"You want me to move in with you?" He questioned and I could tell he hadn't expected the question. "What made you decide that?"

"Well I've been living alone for a month and it's kinda boring, plus I trust you and I know you won't let anything happen to me. I'd feel safer with you around."

Elijah nodded his head. "Alright, it's decided then."

-

I looked at myself in the mirror, stood in the center of Elijah's room. "Should I take this as you moving back in?" I tensed at the sound of the accented voice, not daring to turn around. "Ah right, you aren't talking to me."

There were footsteps from behind me and the sound of the door closing. "I suppose I'll just have to carry both sides of this conversation." He chuckled and my jaw clenched. "The party started downstairs, yet you're still shut up in this stuffy old room. You should come down."

"I'm on vervain." Those were the only words I allowed to escape my mouth as Klaus continued to get closer. "I won't let you have your way again."

Klaus came into my view through the mirror, a smirk on his face. "I could smell it as soon as I entered the room." He pointed out. "I'm not here to compel you."