Shocked. Perplexed. Bewildered.
These emotions went beyond what Devon felt as of the moment when he learned that the owner of those baby blues... the person that took his breath away... the innocent and adorable boy that sent electric sparks to his system... was none other than Elijah Thompson-- the person Devon's grandparents told him to babysit.
This is one of the times where Devon regretted not reading the file given to him by his grandmother. The other time would be going to the airport for his flight, not checking that his schedule was for tomorrow's. Yes, he takes the commercial flight just like any normal person.
Devon narrowed his eyes. Yes. He is observing Elijah, like a lion does to its prey. Devon wants to know what Elijah did to make his grandparents fawn over Elijah. Bitter memories of Devon's ex flashed in his mind, Jamie's innocent but deadly face overlapping with Elijah. That made Devon scowl as he stared hard at the boy, as he sat in the dimmed corner of the bar.
Elijah was busy helping Mina wipe the glasses and arranged the bottles of alcohol when the girl nudged Elijah's shoulders. Elijah placed the glass back to its place before glancing at Mina with a smile.
"Yes?"
"Eli, did you know that guy? The one you bumped into?" Mina asked in a whisper and Elijah shook his head.
Elijah knitted his brows and faced Mina, confused as to why she was whispering. Both of them were new recruits, so Stefan put them in the same shift.
"Why are you whispering? Does your throat hurt? And no, I don't know that mister. He looks kind though," Elijah swooned for a moment before remembering that Mina might have a sore throat because she was not talking very loud. "Do you want some ginger, or turmeric? I have read that it helps with sore throats," Elijah offered and Mina stared at him in confusion.
"Your throat hurts, Eli?" Mina asked and Elijah shook his head.
"No. Your throat hurts." Elijah pressed and narrowed his eyes on the girl taller than him.
Mina's crescent-shaped eyes and black hair spoke so much about the girl's Asian ancestry and descent, but she is very fluent in English. She looks kind too, from Elijah's perspective. Mina still assisted Elijah when the latter was changing the bulb earlier. Mina held the step ladder for Elijah, so Elijah is very grateful.
Mina's black set of eyes sparkled in amusement. She folded her arms and raised her brow. "Okay, before this conversation goes round and round. Why do you think I have a sore throat?"
"You were whispering. I just assumed that you were saving your voice." Elijah shrugged, and he became even more confused when Mina burst into laughter.
Mina waved her hands dismissively and the girl heaved a deep breath after a wheeze. Elijah just stared at Mina quizzically, still unable to comprehend what made his colleague laugh.
Mina grinned and gestured to Elijah to come closer, which the latter obliged. On the other hand, Devon almost crushed the glass he was holding when he noticed that the girl leaned over Elijah's ear for a whisper. Of course, Devon was pissed.
He doesn't understand why, but his jaw ticked when that girl invaded Elijah's personal space. A part of him rebelled at the sight, while the majority of him was convinced that he was just annoyed because Elijah is not that innocent after all. Psh. Flirting during work?
Unacceptable.
Moreover, the two are giggling, while stealing glances at Devon's direction. When Elijah locked gazes with Devon, the latter raised his brow, his expression empty and his stares blank.
"Uh-oh. He's glaring at you so hard, Eli. What did you do? Are you sure you don't know him?" Mina asked in a whisper and Elijah suddenly felt nervous. His stomach twisted into uncomfortable knots and turned his back towards the handsome stranger, but Elijah can still feel the hard stare burning his back.
"I really don't know him, Mina. Why is he mad? Maybe I hurt him when I bumped into him. Should I make him some coffee and cookies? Cookies make me feel better, though I prefer milk over coffee," Elijah suggested and glanced at Mina.
"That sounds good, Eli. I think Georgie has some cookies in the kitchen. But be careful, okay? If he turns out to be a bad guy, use this," Mina reached for her tote bag in the bottom of the counter and handed him a spray. It was a Mace spray.
Elijah accepted the canister and stared at it curiously. "A perfume, Mina?"
Mina widened her eyes in horror and shook her head furiously that Elijah had to cup her cheeks to stop Mina from breaking her neck. Mina blinked several times and gave Elijah a thankful smile.
"You don't know what that is, Eli?" Elijah shook his head. "That's what we call a pepper spray. We use that against bad people. Spray it in their eyes and then run away. It's very helpful. It will give you time to escape," Mina explained and Elijah nodded.
Elijah checked the canister and gave Mina a worried gaze. "Wait. If you give this to me, what about you?"
Mina smirked. "No worries, Eli. I have a stun gun with me. An awesome girl like me is always prepared, boo." Mina reached for the stun gun inside her tote bag and gave Elijah a crash course, which the latter listened to attentively.
Elijah saw Mina in a new light. He was extremely amazed by his new colleague that he almost hugged her, if not for the loud slam where the stranger was sitting. The stranger was glaring at Elijah, and the latter immediately stayed away from Mina.
It was subtle, but Elijah caught how the stranger's expression softened when he was about two meters away from his colleague. "Um, thank you for this, Mina. I think I have to give mister a cookie. He's getting grumpy," Elijah informed Mina with a pout and Mina nodded. For Elijah, eating cookies will definitely lift your mood, and he hopes that the stranger feels the same way.
"Go on, Eli. Georgie texted me that a new batch of coffee cookies were just out of the oven."
Elijah's eyes lit up and he nodded cheerfully. "Alright! I'll get it. I hope mister will cheer up soon," Elijah added and headed to the kitchen with a bounce on his toes.
When Elijah was out of sight, Mina heaved a deep sigh and went to the grumpy man. She sat in front of him and rolled her eyes. "Boss, you look like a serial killer who came out of a Halloween movie. Why are you so pissed?"
"Shut up, Agent M. Why are you here anyway?" Devon spat and glared at the woman. Mina Yukimoto is one of the agents of The Phantom. She was actually out for a mission, so it surprised Devon to see one of his best agents here in the club.
"Duh. Stefan told me to guard Elijah because apparently, someone is acting like an asshole brat. I just finished my mission in Vietnam, and it was supposed to be my vacation, if not for you, jerk." Mina angrily added and it was Devon's turn to roll his eyes. If not for the fact that Mina was one of their friends, Devon would already put the woman in her place.
"Don't meddle in my business, Agent M. And, do you really have to flirt with him during work?" Devon clenched his jaw and his irritated expression and furrowed brows intrigued Mina.
Mina arched her brow and leaned against her seat, giving Devon a scrutinizing gaze. Something's fishy, Mina thought. Someone is getting consumed by the green monster, albeit in denial.
"What?" Devon coldly spat. There's something about the way Mina looks at him that gets Devon in a bad mood. There's something Mina knows and Devon has a feeling that it has something to do with him. "Spit it out. It's getting annoying."
Mina smirked and shook her head slightly. "Well, because you're an ass, figure it out yourself. I still need to find my baby Grayson. Treat Eli well, Devon. Even if you are my boss, I won't hesitate to bash your head," Mina threatened and when she caught a glimpse of Elijah bringing a tray of cookies and a cup of coffee, Mina stood up and stealthily went back to her station.
Elijah was all-smiles because Georgie gave him a plate of coffee cookies for mister, and the cook was also kind enough to give Elijah a tupperware full of choco chip cookies. Elijah feels like he's floating on air because he's so happy. He has a delicious treat he can eat after his shift.
Devon was surprised when he noticed that Elijah was heading towards his table with a tray of food. Devon's first instinct was to keep his guards up and sport a poker face. He won't let Elijah trick him or manipulate him into doing whatever it is Elijah did to make Devon's grandparents like the blue-eyed boy.
Elijah breathed a sigh of relief when he got the tray safely into the mister's table without tripping. That was an achievement for him, considering that he is clumsy, at times. Elijah placed the tray carefully on the table and slid the plate of cookies and the cup of coffee to the mister's side.
"Here you go, sir. This is my thanks for saving me earlier. Don't worry, I'll pay for it." Elijah said with a smile but his upturned lips went downward when he saw the man's cold expression.
The man just stared at the cookies with a blank face, so Elijah assumed that the man was not fond of cookies. Well, it was worth a try.
Devon creased his forehead and grabbed Elijah's wrist when the boy was about to place the plate back to the tray. "What are you doing?" Devon asked in a neutral tone, but deep inside, he was panicking slightly. It was his favorite coffee cookie, and Elijah was going to take it back right away.
Is this the boy's form of torture? Does Elijah know that Devon likes cookies? After that, will Elijah ask to be friends with Devon just so Elijah can take advantage of Devon? Devon clucked his tongue. He knew it. Elijah must have asked Devon's grandparents for his weakness, so Elijah can manipulate Devon. Typical manipulative acts.
"Do you want to eat the cookies sir? If not, you can just tell me what you want, and I'll check back at the kitchen if it is available. However, can you limit your orders to fifty bucks? I'm saving money," Elijah stated, which snapped Devon from his swirling and exaggerated thoughts.
Elijah blinked at Devon who just stared at the plate of cookies. "Okay mister, I won't take away the cookies. Enjoy," Elijah let the plate go and retrieved his wrist from Devon but the latter had other plans.
"Join me," Devon ordered in a cold voice. Elijah stared at him in confusion and Devon was already cursing himself internally. What the fuck are you doing? Inviting an enemy to sit with you? What if you get caught up with his manipulative wiles?
Elijah was surprised. Yes, the stranger was poker-faced, intimidating, and slightly scary with his scowl, but he invited Elijah for a snack. Elijah was about to accept the man's offer when he remembered his job.
"I'm sorry, mister. I would love to, but I have work. Thank you anyways," Elijah smiled apologetically at the stranger and before Devon could protest, Elijah was back at the bar counter helping Mina.
Devon's frown deepened and something sharp poked his chest. Was it because of Elijah's rejection? Of course not. Who does he think he is anyway? It's not my loss if he rejected my offer, Devon grumpily thought and turned his attention to the plate of cookies.
With a grumble, Devon picked a cookie and brought it to his lips, Devon's favorite treat helping his irritation and bad mood to dissipate. He was actually not like this. Devon is an expert at handling his emotions, but Elijah managed to get under his skin. Devon stared at the boy who was now wiping the counter and listening to Mina's instructions.
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