Outside they were met by a cold gush of wind and she gave an involuntarily shudder as her teeth started to chatter.
''Come here, I'll keep you warm.'' He told her as he opened his arms for her.
Surprisingly she walked into his arms and as he wrapped his arms around her he couldn't help but feel that there was something really special about her.
She was possibly the shiest person that he had ever met, but he knew that there was someone else hidden underneath her shyness and he couldn't wait to uncover that person.
5☕
❝When you smile I melt inside❞
The two teenagers had been walking for about fifteen minutes in the cold Winter air as they shared a word or joke here and there when some cafes and small shops came in sight after walking through endless roads with ginormous houses on both sides.
Elliot quickly led Desiree to one of the many cafes in the wide street, because he was afraid that if they stayed outside for another five minutes she would freeze to death. He didn't take long to spot an empty table next to the fireplace which he led Desiree to in hope that her purple lips would turn to their normal pink colour.
Desiree didn't say anything as Elliot opened the door for her to get inside Old theatre Cafe, which coincidentally was her favourite cafe in town.
When she was a little girl she used to go there with her grandmother Holly every Sunday after mass, where she bought her a chocolate muffin and her usual cup of tea as they filled each other in on what had happened in their week. Sadly she hadn't been to that cafe in about a year and a half since Holly couldn't get out of her house that often because of her condition.
As Elliot led her to the table next to the fireplace she looked around and was glad to see that nothing had changed in the cafe's theatre theme. The gold candelabras where still on the counter and on the several window sills and the single red rose on every single table was still there.
They sat opposite each other as they enjoyed the warmth coming from the fireplace not far from them.
Just as Elliot was about to speak, a waiter in his early twenties with blonde hair gelled back and a million dollar smile came to take their order. Desiree smiled politely at him and ordered the same food that she used to have with her grandma and Elliot ordered a plain black coffee while death glaring at the smart looking waiter.
''What was that all about?'' She asked him when she was sure that the waiter was out of ear shot.
''It's nothing don't worry, I'm just really cold'' He told her as he gave her a reassuring smile which she didn't believe but let it go.
A few minutes had passed when the same waiter returned with their order, but this time Elliot avoided eye contact and played with his cutlery until he left them alone and took a sip out of his steaming black coffee.
''Can I ask you something?'' Desiree asked him as she looked up at him with puppy dog eyes, he couldn't tell her no even if he wanted to.
''Anything'' He told her with a smile, expecting one of those typical twenty questions like what he did for a living, his hobbies, favourite colour and other pointless things. But instead she asked him something that he wasn't expecting.
''Why did those guys beat you up?'' She asked him cautiously as she looked at the butterfly stitches on his cheek and the bandage on his knuckles.
Elliot stood there without saying anything for a while, thinking of a way that he could answer the question without scaring her off. ''It was just a misunderstanding, everything's fine now.''
''But-''
''Just drop it ok, it was just a misunderstanding, I promise.'' He told her as he looked into her dark brown eyes to try and make her understand. To his surprise she nodded in agreement and asked him one of the typical question to get off from that particular subject.
''How old are you?''
Elliot had never been that thankful before to be asked a simple question. ''I'm nineteen, and you?''
''I'm seventeen years old, I thought that you were older.'' She told him surprised that he was just two years older than her as he gave a small laugh and told her that he got that all the time.
Desiree couldn't help but think that there was something about him that made him appear older, more experienced than an average boy his age, maybe it was all of the tattoos that decorated his skin or the dark look in his eyes.
It was Elliot's turn now to ask her a question.
''Are you a virgin?'' He asked her loud and clear.
Desiree spat out her tea and quickly reached for a napkin to wipe her mouth as she blushed at Elliot's question while he threw back his head in laughter at the mess that she had just created and at her embarrassment, he knew her answer just by her reaction.
''That's none of your business!'' She told him as she took a bite of her muffin instead, afraid to repeat the incident again.
''Fine, I won't ask again. Will you forgive me?'' He told her as he tried to stop from laughing.
''I will only forgive you if you buy me a muffin.'' She told him a completely serious voice.
''But you already have one.'' He told her as he looked at the empty plate where he was sure that a chocolate muffin had been sitting on seconds ago. ''Fine, I'll go and buy you one, but don't go anywhere!'' He told her with a smile as he got up from his chair.
''I won't go anywhere I promise.''
6☕
❝I don't know if you feel the same way as I do❞
Desiree let out a sigh of relief when she saw Elliot coming back with two chocolate muffins in his hand and his cute crooked smile was painted on his face as his eyes met hers.
''Sorry, I took so long, there were a lot of people in the queue.'' He told her with a smile as he handed her one of the muffins and took the other for himself.
''That's okay, in fact while you were gone I managed to beat my high score in Bubble Shooter!'' Desiree told him with a smug smile as she held up her phone to show him the proof.
''I can't believe that your high-score is higher than mine! What do you say if we make a little bet on who can get the highest score?'' He told her with a mischievous gleam in his brilliant emerald green eyes.
''Challange accepted! But what will be the prize?''
''The person who loses, which will obviously be you, will have to pay for an object which the winning person, which will be me, has selected. Deal?'' He told her in a business like voice.
''Deal!'' She told him as she took a big bit of her muffin and looked up at him with determination in her brown eyes as he got out his phone from his from jean pocket.
''1...2...3!'' Elliot yelled to signal that they start shooting the bubbles.
They were five minutes into the game and they weren't backing down as they threw at each other snide remarks to try an lose the concentration of the other.
After another five minutes Desiree let out an angry No! as Game over appeared on the tiny screen of her phone.
''I can't believe I lost, I never lose!'' She pouted as she looked at the triumphant laughing boy in front of her.
''Everyone loses once in a while, but don't worry I won't chose something that you can't afford.'' He told her with a smile as they both got up from their chairs and made their way towards the door.
When they opened the door they were greeted by the cold air and to their dismay saw that it was raining.
''Do you by any chance have an umbrella?'' Elliot asked Desiree as he wrapped his arm around her to try and stop her from shivering so much.
''No, I don't'' She told him between shiver as she huddled closer to his warm body.
''Fuck, I'll guess we'll just have to RUN!'' He told her as he ran out from the entrance of the cafe pulling her with him as she squealed.
Elliot took Desiree to the nearest warmest place he could think of which was the local bookshop. When they entered they were both dripping wet and shivering but he couldn't help and notice that her eyes looked brighter than ever before.
''That was so much fun! Let's do it again!'' She told him with excitement as she p
ulled his arm towards the front door.
''I don't want you to get a cold or anything so I won't let you do it again.'' He told her, he was certainly amused at her happiness in a such a simple thing.
''Fine'' She told him as she pouted and crossed her arms and disappeared into one of the many rows filled with books waiting to be read.
Desiree was sitting on the floor with an open book in her hand when Elliot went next to her.
''Did you find anything that you'd like me to buy for you since you won?'' Desiree told him as she got up from the carpeted floor, which now had a large wet spot on it, with the book in hand.
''I did actually'' He told her as he held up the object which he was holding in his hand.
''Cigarettes? You want me to buy you cigarettes? I'm not buying them!'' She told him as she walked past him and made her way towards the cashier to pay for her book.
''Why not?'' It was his turn now to pout and cross his arms.
''Because smoking is bad for your health, it can give you lung cancer and I read somewhere that for every pack that you smoke you lose four hours of your life!'' She practically yelled at him as she payed the cashier who was looking back and forth between them as if she was watching a tennis match.
Desiree was surprised that Elliot placed the packet of cigarettes back on the shelf and after she mumbled a thank you to the cashier she made her way towards the door, where he was waiting for her with his head bowed down.
''Look I'm sorry that I yelled at you back there, but my grandpa died because of lung cancer which was caused by him smoking so much and I don't want anyone else to die because of a stupid packet of cigarettes!'' She told him as she looked down at the floor and remember her grandpa looking sick in bed and his funeral, and she was sure that she didn't want Elliot to go through the same thing.
After a brief second passed, she felt warm arms wrapping around her waist in an embrace, which she returned as she let out a little sob.
''How long has it been since your grandpa left this world?'' Elliot asked her as he rested his chin on her soaking wet hair.
''Six months'' She told him in a small voice as she looked up at him.
''I am so sorry, I'll promise you that I will try and quit smoking for you, okay?'' He told her in a gentle voice as he removed a lock of damp hair from her face.
''Okay'' She told him with a smile as she took hold of his hand and got out of the bookshop as the cashier awed and they started to make their way back to her house.
☯
During their way back to her house the heavy rain had stopped and they were still holding hands, when they arrived at her house.
Desiree was surprised when she saw that her sister was waiting on the doorstep and she quickly glanced at the time on her phone, 5:00. Her sister had been waiting for her for an hour! She immediately let go of Elliot's hand and ran up the stairs to her house.
''Where have you been? I have been waiting here all alone in this freezing weather soaking wet for an hour! A bloody hour!'' Alice yelled at her older sister.
''I'm sorry Al, it's just that I lost track of time!'' She told her as she inserted her house key in the key hole and opened the door for her sister. ''Go take a warm shower and I'll prepare something warm for you to eat.'' She yelled after her as she stomped her way towards her bedroom.
''I can't believe that you let your little sister wait here all alone for an hour, you are such a bad sister.'' Elliot mocked her from the front gate of her house.
''It's your fault that I lost track of time!'' She fired back at him as she pulled her tongue at him.
''Don't blame your mistakes on me!'' He told her with his crooked smile on his face.
''Are you going to come in or?'' Desiree asked him as she noticed that he hadn't moved from the house gate.
''Are you sure that okay with your parents? Letting a boy into their house while they're at work?'' He asked her with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
''I'm sure that they're okay with it, in fact you are going to have dinner with them so they get to know you and check if your cuts and bruises are healing.'' She told him as he walked up the stairs to the front door and got inside.
''But-''
''No buts my dad already planned everything, I hope you like roast chicken.'' She told him with a grin on her face.
''Oh I do like chicken, I guess I'm staying then.'' He told her with a smile as he followed her down the hall as she made her way into the kitchen to prepare something warm for them and her sister.
7☕
❝So many words to say and no ways to say them❞
As Desiree entered into the kitchen she started getting out the utensils and ingredients to prepare dinner for that evening and also a warm snack for them. She loved cooking and when she had some free time she sometimes invented some recipes.
''Is there anything I can do to help?'' Elliot asked her after a while that he had been watching her rush from one cabinet to another.
''You can chop the vegetables, if you like'' She told him as she pointed to several different vegetables sitting on a plate next to the chopping board and started to stuff the chicken on the opposite side of the kitchen table.
''Sure'' Elliot told her as he washed his hands and got to work.
They had been working in silence for about ten minutes when Desiree's favourite song came on in the radio and she started singing to it softly and dancing slightly as she placed the chicken and the not so neatly chopped vegetables into the oven.
Elliot looked up from the recipe book that Desiree had given him when he heard her singing along to his favourite song as it played on the radio. He immediately closed the boring recipe book and went to stand behind her as he grabbed hold of her hand after she had closed the oven door.She immediately turned around with a confused expression on her face as she looked into his brilliant green eyes.
''May I have this dance?'' He asked her as he bowed slightly with that dimpled smile on his face.
''Em, sure'' Desiree told him as she looked down at the floor and bit her lip, a habit of hers that she did when she was nervous.
Elliot wrapped his other arm around her waist as they started to move slowly but in sync to their favourite song. She immediately felt the air around them start to thicken and her heartbeat started to beat faster than ever before, as the small space between them started to close slowly. Just as their lips were about to touch Alice entered into the kitchen and disturbed their moment.
''What the heck is going on in here?'' Alice asked loudly. Elliot and Desiree immediately jumped apart from each other feeling embarrassed, Desiree was instantly filled with guilt.
''Nothing is going on, would you like some tea and a muffin maybe?'' Desiree asked her as she tried to avoid the questions that her sister was surely going to ask.
''It didn't look like nothing to me, and I would love some tea and a muffin please.'' She told her as she sat down where Elliot had been sitting a minute ago.
''Coming right up!'' She told her as she immediately rushed to the kettle and filled it with water before putting it on a burner. They were instantly surrounded with with silence as none of them dared to say a word, but that silence was soon broken by the screaming of the kettle.
''Would you like some coffee, Elliot?'' Desiree asked him without meeting his eyes as she poured the boiling water into two mugs for her and her sister.
Tea and Tattoos Page 2