Chapter 4; I want to make a baby with you

Coraline's POV

"I should go speak with Mei, is she in the kitchen? I have a premonition that she will be interested in hearing this tale."Elijah adjusted his coat and began to depart, but I reached across the counter and grasped his hand.

"Don't you fucking dare?"I snarled. Mei would be devastated if she found out that I had lied. Elijah observed my grip on his hand, smirked, then flicked it away.

"Louise," I beckoned to my junior barista, "can you cover for me for just five minutes? There's some trash that needs taking care of."

"Of course, only five minutes though," She replied. It pained me to leave her as we were currently experiencing our busiest period. With my cup of coffee in hand, I escorted Elijah over to a table facing the entrance of the kitchen; in case Mei emerged unexpectedly, I wanted to be able to spot her before she saw us. We seated ourselves and leaned forward on the table.

I took a swig of my drink before talking, "So what do you want from me now Eli? Do you want me to confess? Do you want me on my knees begging for mercy? Tell me your demands."Elijah audaciously chuckled prior to leaning forward and placing his hands atop mine.

"What can you offer me? Is there anything of value that could persuade me not to reveal your secret?"

"You are without doubt one of the most despicable individuals I know - masquerading as an angelic being when in reality you're nothing more than a demon. Beneath this facade lies someone truly revolting." I spat out.

His upper lip curled while rolling his eyes simultaneously. "I prefer thinking of myself as personable; understanding people's desires and providing them with exactly what they desire. In regards to yourself however, it does not matter what opinion or thoughts cross your mind regarding me because only ten people out of a million would believe any allegations made against my character – so ultimately it comes down to your word against mine."

" You know, something I don't understand is why you were so bothered about where I was staying. You live nowhere near The Deluxe so you must have been very intentional to go out of your way to check up on me." I crossed my legs and gave him my best smile.

Eli's lip remained curled but there was a little crack in his cool facade. " I don't give a flying fuck about your well-being, I happen to own The Deluxe and I know how much a night will cost so I was surprised when Mei mentioned you were staying there and I just had to see it with my eyes."

I tilted my head and gave him an incredulous look, " I don't believe that for one second. Just say, you're obsessed with me, and everything will be fine. I am gorgeous, so I understand why you fell head over heels in love with me."

Elijah closed his eyes and rubbed his fingers over his forehead, " I am not obsessed with you. I knew you were lying and I just wanted to confirm it. It had nothing to do with you being gorgeous."

I grinned, exposing my teeth while wiggling my eyebrows, " So you think I'm gorgeous?"

Elijah smacked his palm on the table, " Look, Coraline, if you have nothing else to say, I think I'll just walk into the kitchen and tell Mei all about your cozy night at The Deluxe." I groaned, fuck, I almost had him and he managed to slip away.

"Listen carefully Eli: The Deluxe was beyond my budget so instead Becca and I are staying at an unsavory roadside motel which reeks unpleasantly while its bathroom facilities lie in disarray – yet we shall make do until we locate affordable housing options elsewhere. My motives behind hiding this information from Mei stemmed solely from concern towards her well-being; therefore revealing such details would cause unnecessary distress upon her part."

"Let us disregard this conversation ever took place," I declared,

Elijah sat upright and leaned his back against the chair. "I cannot oblige to that request. As you mentioned earlier, I am an unpleasant person. Why should I assist you? Why should I keep your secret?"

Exasperated, I rubbed my temples and sighed deeply."Elijah, what do you want from me? Please be straightforward."

A wide grin spread across his face as he replied, "Nothing at all. I was simply curious about what had happened to you. However, I have a solution for all of your problems: retrieve your belongings from the motel room and come with me to The Deluxe where we will check in together. You can stay there for as long as necessary until you find a suitable house; furthermore, not only will I cover the expenses of said residence but also provide some funds for future use."

Stunned by his offer, my jaw nearly hit the floor while choking on my saliva; patting my chest vigorously in order to recover.

" Oh please be serious. Cut that crap out. How dare you make jokes like that when I'm at my lowest?"

His smile dropped and his face was stoic, " Am I laughing? I'm dead serious, I'm going to do all this for you. Don't insult my generosity."

I eyed his with skepticism, " What's the catch?"

He kissed his teeth and shrugged, " No catch,"

I reached over and smacked his arm, " Don't fucking lie to me, what's the goddamn catch? Do you want sex? Are you planning on selling my organs?"

Elijah yelped and rubbed the spot where I hit him, " You're quite violent but no, I don't want anything like that. What I want from you is something small, very small, miniscule."

I crossed my arms over my chest and tipped my chin, " What is this small thing I have to do for you?"

I lifted my cup and took the last swig of the coffee, " A baby, I want to make a baby with you." He said, running his finger over the intricate design on the table.

I spat out my coffee in his face and over the table, " You said what!"