There was an odd flash of feeling as she walked back over and took his arm again. Some fleeting sense of domesticity, perhaps – an alternate reality – as if they were an old married couple, growing old and settled down together, the sort who sat on porches and took walks on Sunday afternoons and knew each other through and through.
Elias couldn’t say why the notion had struck him, standing outside her house on a day like this, but he shook it off sensibly and laughed at her remark. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to a butterbeer either, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous,” he joked, as if inviting himself in when she was in such a state wasn’t presumptuous enough. But he wanted the excuse to keep an eye on her for a little while longer – the walk had not been long enough to settle her nerves, he was sure of it – so he was relieved when she didn’t make her excuses to keep him out.
And he was prepared for the place to be an artistic mess – he was a little less prepared for how hastily she tried to tidy it all up. You don’t need to clean up on my account – Elias opened his mouth to say, but it was already done, and whatever she’d been in the midst of working on had flown across to the fireplace with the rest.
“Really, don’t worry about the tea,” Elias added as Irene hurried towards the kitchen counter, whether she was joking about the lavender leaves or not. “Is there anything I can do for you?” he pressed instead, peering about the place to try and offer her – any kind of useful service besides being a nuisance in her way. He turned the bowl of fruit about on the table aimlessly, glancing at the apron hanging there with the streaks of black and red in some surprise. “You’ve still been painting, then?”
Elias couldn’t say why the notion had struck him, standing outside her house on a day like this, but he shook it off sensibly and laughed at her remark. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to a butterbeer either, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous,” he joked, as if inviting himself in when she was in such a state wasn’t presumptuous enough. But he wanted the excuse to keep an eye on her for a little while longer – the walk had not been long enough to settle her nerves, he was sure of it – so he was relieved when she didn’t make her excuses to keep him out.
And he was prepared for the place to be an artistic mess – he was a little less prepared for how hastily she tried to tidy it all up. You don’t need to clean up on my account – Elias opened his mouth to say, but it was already done, and whatever she’d been in the midst of working on had flown across to the fireplace with the rest.
“Really, don’t worry about the tea,” Elias added as Irene hurried towards the kitchen counter, whether she was joking about the lavender leaves or not. “Is there anything I can do for you?” he pressed instead, peering about the place to try and offer her – any kind of useful service besides being a nuisance in her way. He turned the bowl of fruit about on the table aimlessly, glancing at the apron hanging there with the streaks of black and red in some surprise. “You’ve still been painting, then?”
look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3