Elijah was sitting on the pavement on the outside of the telephone box waiting for about forty minutes before Detective Maxwell arrived to get him. He had had to try and explain everything he could see; street signs, buildings, trees, whatever, just so the detective knew where he might’ve been. Luckily it was a fairly small town, and both of them were currently in the residential area, but it was still a bit of a game of hide-and-seek. Elijah begins to hear some fast-paced, anxious footsteps echoing against the rows of houses and quickly scrambles to his feet, straightening his shirt. Maxwell’s silhouette appears from around a corner and he can’t stop the small smile that spreads across his face. The street lights are illuminating him, giving him an ethereal aura of light that entrances Elijah, and he stares, unapologetically. Amidst his enchantment, though, he can’t help but notice the detective looks different. Less shy, more irritated. Still anxious, but now also conflicted. Not on high-alert, just tired, as if he’d just woken up. He was no longer in his police uniform, instead he wore a grey t-shirt, blue jeans and beat-up trainers, nothing special, and yet, to Elijah he was stunning.

“Hi.” His charming British accent made Elijah’s heart do a somersault.

“You found me.” A grin spreads across the smitten Irish-man’s face that remains unreflected on the detective. Maxwell puts his hands in his pockets and shrugs his shoulders, rocking on his feet. 

“Come on then, we should get you somewhere safer.”

“Lead the way, Detective Maxwell.” Elijah’s ever-enthusiastic mood gave the detective pause. 

“Just… call me Arlo.” He spins around on his heel and begins walking back the way he came before he can see the look on Elijah’s face. Under his breath, he mutters, “This shit’s about to be so incredibly off-the-record anyway.” He hears Elijah’s footsteps behind him quicken to match his pace, and his anxiety spikes momentarily when he falls in step beside him. 

“Can I ask where we’re going, Arlo?” He could feel Elijah’s eyes boring into the side of his head. Arlo hesitates, then makes a small throat-clearing type sound and lifts his head. 

“My place.”