I hadn't realized how much of my wardrobe consisted of only oversized t-shirts and hoodies until about an hour into my search for something to wear. My phone was eaten by a pile of generic t-shirts I collected while touring colleges a few years ago.

Can't go wrong with school spirit, right?

I knocked on Elijah's door at around 9:30. Only dorks show up early, and I needed to show him that I was not a dork. "Oh, look who's on time." Elijah held the doorframe as he looked me up and down. "Well, more like early because no one is here yet." Damn.

His arms put me in a trance. His veins connected and branched off in such a tantalizing way. I barely reacted when he pulled me inside. "Where is everyone?" My eyes blinked rapidly in an attempt to bring me back to reality.

Scratching the back of his head, Eli looked around. "If I know my friends, they're probably still washing their asses." We stared at each for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

"Running on BPT?" I snickered.

"I want my people to be better." Elijah sighed with mock angst.

Our energy was natural. Finding someone that I was able to speak to without overthinking was such a rarity, I had almost given up on it.

Eli's eyes roamed my body as I hung up my coat. "I'm sorry, I have to talk about whatever this is." He hesitated as his hands vaguely gestured in my direction.

His frown wouldn't put a damper on my mood. I scrunched my nose, "I think I look great." I felt that my large graphic t-shirt tucked into denim jeans conveyed Elijah's request of "dressing cute" without coming across as trying too hard.

"Why don't you come with me to Target? We can still salvage your fit."

My nostrils flared as I balled my fists. "My fit is perfectly fine."

Chuckling, Eli backed off. "I gotta get some stuff for the party anyway, so..." Trailing off, he grabbed his coat and keys.

Thus began our journey to Target. The ride was filled with tunes, Eli and I gave the quiet suburban streets the encore they had been begging for.

Once inside the large store, I followed Eli as he grabbed a basket. "Okay, can you grab some Oreos and some paper towels?" I nodded and turned to complete the quest.

Elijah called after me, "Meet me in aisle 16 when you're done." Flashing a thumbs up, I trotted away.

Thankfully, the two items weren't far from each other.

Imagine doing this when you live together.

My cheek stung as my hand slapped my skin to cover the tint.

He already rejected you. Don't embarrass yourself.

Shaking my head, I went over to aisle 16. However, Elijah was nowhere to be seen. Where could my curly-haired friend have gone?

I waited around for a few minutes before I felt a buzz in my coat pocket. "Womenswear" was all the text read from my missing friend.

Groaning softly, I stomped over to the center of the store where the clothing section resided. Elijah would be easy to pick out in a crowd, but even in the near-abandoned store, he was nowhere to be found.

Looking around, my eyes landed on a clothing rack of graphic t-shirts on clearance. Like a moth to a flame, my body moved on its own. At least, until I was grabbed by the collar like a dog. "Uh-uh." Eli tutted from behind.

I craned my neck to give him a death glare. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I found you some clothes." Eli beamed innocently as he shook some crop tops in my face.

Once he released my collar, I scanned the clothes before realizing that something was missing. "Where's your basket?"

Eli brushed off my question like water on a duck's back. "Who cares? Let's get you to the fitting room."

"What? No!" I squinted while crossing my arms.

"Verona," Eli murmured suggestively. "I know you like me or whatever, but I don't think it's appropriate to undress in front of everyone—"

The audacity of the man to use my drunken confession against me was enough to get the reaction he sought out. I snatched the clothes out of his hands as he chuckled. "Shut up." Bemoaning their prices, I didn't even want to bother putting them on. "Dude, I'm broke." My shoulders slumped.

"Consider it a gift," Eli said without missing a beat. Gently taking the cookies and paper towels from my hand. "Lead the way."

Frowning deeply, I trudged over to the fitting rooms with Eli hot on my tail. I closed the door in his face, furiously blushing at his sudden forwardness.

Crop tops. Tight crop tops. V-necks and camis.

"You couldn't get any regular t-shirts?" I pressed my forehead against the door. These clothes were out of my comfort zone. I always chose clothes that helped me blend into the background, but I was afraid these clothes might put certain assets on display.

What assets?

"No, now hurry up."

I begrudgingly tried on the most inoffensive of the bunch: a brown sweater crop top with a slight scoop around my cleavage. As uncomfortable as I was, I couldn't deny that I looked decent.

Arms crossed over my chest, I walked out of the fitting room to see Eli sitting on a bench nearby. He was on his phone so I cleared my throat to catch his attention.

He looked up and a grin grew on his face. "Put your arms down?" He walked over to me to get a closer look.

I looked around only to see one retail worker focused on a pile of clothes. Sighing, I dropped my arms to my side. I blushed violently as Eli's eyes raked over me repeatedly. "I knew it." He mumbled to himself.

"What exactly did you know?" I asked incredulously.

"That you'd look so much better if you stopped dressing like a nun." He pushed me back into the changing room.

The next thing I tried on was a simple black cami crop top. Once again, covering my cleavage I stepped outside. Eli smirked, "This is cute." He pulled my arms away from my body, much to my dismay. "You have such a nice physique." He murmured, more to himself than to me.

Regardless, the blood rushed to my cheeks as I sputtered. "W-what did you say?"

"It means, you're not deaf and I'm not blind." He said, still looking down at the shirt. "Get these two and leave the rest, we gotta go." Eli departed for the checkout aisle before I could protest.

Once I had my regular shirt back on, I ran to meet him. Getting the chance to take a gander at the price tag left me feeling hopeful. I could pay on my own without being a burden. Still my hopes were dashed once Eli snatched the clothes from me.

He managed to keep me at an arm's length as the cashier scanned our items. Deciding I couldn't use brute force, I grabbed my debit card and ducked under him to get to the payment terminal.

Just as I was able to stick my card in, Elijah hauled me backward. He trapped me in a playful standing choke. Rocking us side to side, he whispered into my ear as I clutched his arm for support. "I told you I got it."

I bit my lip because I shouldn't be so happy. There's nothing sexy about being manhandled in public, but my resolve was weak. My thighs kept clenching as I felt myself get aroused. Eli pulled the card out of the terminal and slowly slid it into my back pocket.

He deftly grabbed his phone from his pocket without loosening his grip. His phone chimed once the payment went through. The cashier was staring at us with a raised eyebrow and a small smile.

"What do you say?" I could feel his seductive smirk growing as he slinked his hand on my waist and guided me to the bagged items.

"Thank you," I murmured into his arm, radiating heat.

"Good girl." His lips grazed my ear. My nipples felt like flowers blooming in those sped-up videos. He released me and pushed me away slightly. "Now, be a doll and hold these while I answer the phone."

I bit the inside of my cheek and kept my gaze down. I let Eli lead the way. I don't think I could take another second under his gaze.

"It's cool me and Rona are heading back now." My head snapped up at the sound of my familiar nickname. Only my dad called me that. "Shut the fuck up." He chuckled as he ended the call.

Eli opened the car door for me, "Thank you, Rona." He cheesed.

As much as I craved Eli's attention, I was no fool. He had rejected me only a week prior. Now he was buying me clothes, commenting on my body, and giving me nicknames. That public display at checkout would drive me crazy for weeks.

Did he like me after all? Was he playing me because he knew how I felt? Maybe I was blowing things out of proportion. He could be a naturally flirtatious person. Or he could have just really wanted to stop me from paying.

The ride was silent as I drowned in my thoughts. "What, no karaoke?" Eli glanced at me.

"No, thanks." I slumped in my seat as my overthinking got the better of me.

"Uh-oh," Eli frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Wha—nothing." I twiddled my thumbs, trying to keep from making any eye contact.

"You're more quiet than usual." He commented.

"I'm just thinking..." I trailed off, hoping he would leave it at that.

Just as I was about to sink back into my anxious thoughts, Eli groaned loudly. I gripped the bags tightly in my hand as he put a hand to his lower back.

"Are you okay?" My previous concerns took a backseat as Eli's face contorted in pain.

"Yeah I'll be fine," He rasped, grasping the wheel. "My back just hurts from carrying this conversation." He kept his eyes forward as his grin grew wider.

"I fucking hate you," I growled. Dropping the bags, I pouted in my seat and leaned back.

Eli took a sharp intake of breath as he held his chest, feigning indignation. "Verona," His exaggerated astonishment was almost enough to crack my annoyed exterior. "Such a potty mouth."

I pursed my lips to avoid smiling. Eli got off on pressing my buttons no matter the consequences. "I'm gonna have to do something about that mouth of yours." He narrowed his eyes at me briefly before turning back to the road.

The rest of the ride was left in a comfortable silence as my walls slowly came up. I wasn't sure what exactly had gotten into Elijah tonight, but I had to be on the defensive, for both our sakes.