"You look perfect."

The words leaving George's lips caused her heart to skip a beat. How was it so incredibly easy for him to consume her every thought? She was convinced he had some sort of secret powers that allowed him to burrow his way into her brain and live there permanently. How unfair it was that he made it so easy for her to forget why she was there at all.

As they stood on the spiral staircase up to his flat all she could think about was George, how impossibly gorgeous he was and how impossible it would ever be for her to call him "mine".

The sound of a door opening brought Eloise crashing back down to Earth, she wasn't there for George, she was there for Dhani. A moment of guilt crossed her mind, poor Dhani had no idea his date would be so hung up on another man when he had agreed to go out with her.

"Thank you." she smiled down at George politely before quickly turning and reluctantly climbing the rest of the way up the stairs to the flat. If she stood there much longer she wasn't sure that she would be able to convince herself to leave George's side.

At the top she found Charlie and Verity waiting in the hall for her, though it looked like they were in the middle of their own personal conversation with how close they were standing. The sound of Eloise's footsteps seemed to startle Verity slightly, who instinctively pushed Charlie away, probably wanting to avoid Eloise thinking anything was going on between the two. But luckily for Verity, Eloise's mind was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she had no reason to care about what she and Charlie had been up to.

"Eloise! Oh, you are in for a treat. Dhani is a real looker." Verity teased as the nervous woman approached them.

"If he's a looker, what does that make me?" Charlie asked the petite witch with a raised eyebrow.

"Please Charlie, not everything is about you." Verity replied, rolling her eyes.

"I beg to differ, love." he said, leaning closer to her with a playfully flirty look in his eyes, knowing it would fluster her.

"Anyways!" Verity said suddenly, probably a little more loudly than she had intended, "We should get going and let you enjoy your night. Have fun!"

Verity quickly grabbed onto Charlie's arm to pull him towards the staircase, but before they were out of sight he turned back to Eloise, "Make good choices!" he called out, giving the girl a wink.

And then they were suddenly gone and she stood alone in the hallway outside of George's flat. The man she was completely infatuated with was just down stairs, and the man who could potentially make her forget everything was standing behind the door.

The choice seemed clear on paper, just open the door and enjoy your night, forget George and have fun. But in reality Eloise was conflicted, should she even be going on this date in the first place? Was it just one big mistake?

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, attempting let go of her racing thoughts as the air left her lungs. After what felt like an eternity, she finally reached for the handle on the door and opened it up slowly to see a tall man with unruly hair and a bright smile waiting for her.

Something about his smile calmed her nerves almost instantly, she wondered if he was aware of his ability to put people at ease with a simple grin, or if it just came naturally to him.

"Wow." the word escaped Dhani's lips before he could even stop himself.

A blush grew on Eloise's freckled cheeks at Dhani's comment. He wasn't looking her up and down when he said it, he was looking right into her eyes. She wasn't just some object he was gawking at like a statue in an art gallery, she was a kind face, a shy smile, and all was hidden behind curious ocean blue eyes - he wanted to know more.

"I'm Dhani." he smiled, that impossibly perfect smile, and reached out a hand to greet her.

"I'm Eloise, it's lovely to meet you." she responded softly, taking his hand.

The skin on his hand was rough but warm, he wasn't forceful when he shook her hand, instead he was surprisingly gentle. Dhani was a mystery, on the outside he looked exactly how you'd expect someone who worked with dragons on a daily basis would look, rough and rugged. But at the same time he had a nurturing demeanor that made Eloise feel safe in his presence. It was almost refreshing to her, she felt completely comfortable near him, unlike when she was around George who made her feel nervous and confused.

"Charlie told me you were beautiful, but he definitely didn't do you justice." he complimented, his deep brown eyes still locked on hers.

"Well, Charlie told me you were charming, and I'd say you're even more so than I expected as well." she teased.

A warm laugh left Dhani's lips as they stood there together. Eloise had been so nervous to be set up on a blind date, she was scared it would be awkward and uncomfortable but with Dhani it wasn't like that at all. Maybe Charlie was secretly and incredible matchmaker, or maybe Dhani was just different. Eloise had gotten so used to feeling shy around George, the fact that she felt so open and confident in front of Dhani was a welcome change.

"It's been a while since I last visited, I have a few ideas for what we can do, but I'm interested to see what you're in the mood for." he said.

"I'm craving ice cream, have been all week." Eloise blurted out immediately, earning her a smile from Dhani.

"That sounds perfect to me, shall we?" he asked, offering his elbow to her so they could interlock arms.

As the couple descended the spiral stairs, Eloise found herself glancing around this store to see if George was anywhere to be seen. She knew it was rude to try and catch the eye of someone else while she was on a date, and she honestly wasn't intending to make either of them jealous or cause any conflict. She just found herself wanting to be on George's mind at all times, just like he was for her.

Hoping to see his expression as she left the store with someone else and try to read his mind was a selfish thought to have, she knew that. Maybe deep down she really did want to make George jealous, but she knew that was wrong. It wasn't fair to him, but then again it wasn't fair that he was always so hot and cold with her either.

But all she saw was Charlie restocking shelves and Verity counting the till as they finished up work for the day, George was most likely hiding away in his office as usual.

"Have fun you two!" Charlie called over as they left, earning him a kind wave from Dhani and a shy smile from Eloise.

Stepping out onto the cobblestone path outside of the store, the late September air was much chillier than Eloise had anticipated, especially as the sun began to set. She was cursing herself for not bringing a cardigan, but before she could even say something Dhani was already pulling away from her and taking off his jacket to give it to her. He must have felt her shiver against his arm, or maybe he was just so chivalrous that he would have done it regardless of if she felt cold or not.

The brown leather jacket he laid over her shoulders consumed her petite frame, but she instantly felt more comfortable in it. The smell of smoke and pine entered her nostrils, she thought to herself that this must be the jacket he typically wore to work. The two of them walked arm in arm straight for Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, and made small talk along the way.

"Are you visiting for very long?" she asked him, wondering if it was too presumptuous of a question.

He smirked at her curiosity, "Just for the week. I'm staying with my sister and her husband, she's pregnant and I'm excited to be an uncle so I told them I'd visit as often as possible."

"That's so exciting! I love babies." Eloise smiled, she genuinely wanted to tell him that her best friend was pregnant as well and that she was equally as thrilled to be an "aunt" soon, but she and Bill were still the only people who knew. They were waiting for Molly's birthday to announce it to the whole family, she didn't think it was appropriate to share the news without their permission.

"Yeah, when she married her husband and moved all the way here I was a bit heartbroken, being twins made us inseparable growing up. But then I got the job in Romania a few years back and although it's a bit of a flight, it's much closer to her than where my parents live in the states, I try to see her as much as I can."

So Dhani was a twin just like George, but the difference between the two was obvious - Dhani still had his sister and talking about her brought a spark of joy to his eyes, whereas George lost his other half and any mention of Fred was a risk of triggering his downward spiral.

Eloise tried her best to stop comparing the two, she was really trying to give Dhani a fair shot and so far she was really enjoying her time with him. But it was inevitable since George lived in her head no matter what she did to try and get rid of him.

"And what about you?" he asked, bringing Eloise's full attention back to him, "Charlie says you've been staying with his brother Bill and his wife, plan on making the move permanent?"

"I haven't decided yet. Everything I worked for during school was leading me to working at the Ministry, but then the war happened and it all got put on hold. I don't really have anything to go back to in France other than my parents, but I don't have a reason to stay here yet either."

Dhani nodded, taking in everything she said, "Well, the way I see it there's no life without a little bit of risk is there? I think coming here at all was a big leap to make, even if it doesn't end up being forever."

"What made you choose to work in Romania? Or with dragons at all for that matter?"

Dhani chuckled, "Well when I was in school I had no real direction in life, I had no idea what I wanted to do. But in my sixth year I really bonded with my Care of Magical Creatures professor. I liked all of his lessons but dragons were by far my favorite, my mom wasn't thrilled with the idea of me working with them when I brought it up but I didn't really give her much of a choice. Anyway, my professor had some connections to a sanctuary in Oregon, so that's what I did for a little while. Then my sister moved away like I mentioned earlier, so I contacted my old professor and he helped set me up in Romania and I've been there ever since. But that's more than enough about me, you mentioned wanting to work in the Ministry? What do you want to do there?"

Dhani certainly had the ability to talk about himself, but Eloise didn't mind, she would much rather listen to him talk than have to speak about herself. Maybe she just wanted to listen to more of his gravely American accent that was so utterly attractive, or maybe she just really hated talking about herself. Probably a mixture of the two.

"It sounds boring but I wanted to work in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, it's what my father did. He traveled a lot and met lots of incredible people, it's something I thought I could do to make a difference. But I don't know if I should still try, it's been two years since I finished school now, I'm not sure that they'll be interested in me."

"Well, you won't know until you try." he assured her, "Jump first, think later. That's how I live my life, it's only gotten me into trouble a handful of times."

The couple eventually reached the ice cream parlour and Dhani released her arm to pull the door open for her. The sweet smell of vanilla and strawberries hit her immediately as they walked in. For a Saturday evening it wasn't very busy, but then again September isn't usually a popular time to get ice cream as the days got colder and colder with autumn quickly approaching.

"What flavor are you getting? And careful, I will judge your choice." Dhani teased as the two gazed at the chalkboard menu behind the counter.

"I know it's not popular but pistachio is my favorite. The earl grey & lavender flavor looks good as well, though."

"What a sophisticated palate you have. I'm a vanilla guy myself, hope you can accept that." he said with a laugh.

"There's nothing wrong with going for the safe choice." she smiled.

The safe choice. Dhani was the safe choice, he was vanilla - he was dependable and sweet. He didn't have any baggage that Eloise couldn't handle as far as she knew, he had a good relationship with his family and a stable job he loved. He was polite and charming, and so far he seemed to love being in Eloise's company and he hadn't avoided her gaze a single time since meeting. Vanilla wasn't bad, there was a reason it was such a popular flavor.

Her eyes browsed over all the flavors thinking to herself what George would be. Maybe he was firewhisky, warm and sweet at first but burned on the way down. An addicting flavor that lingered painfully for a moment but always left you wanting more and more until you regret it the next day. Yes, that sounded exactly like George. Maybe that's why it was his usual drink of choice, it just made sense.

"Decide on what you want?" he asked, placing a hand on the small of her back gently leading her to the counter.

"Yes, I think so."

"Welcome to Florean Fortescue's where our sweet treats can't be beat! What can I get for you today?" the chipper witch behind the counter greeted them.

"I'll have a scoop of vanilla in a bowl please, and whatever the beautiful lady next to me wants." Dhani replied.

"I'll have a firewhiksy cone please."

Dhani raised an eyebrow and looked down at her with a smirk, "Interesting choice."

"Coming right up, that'll be 14 Sickles please."

Dhani reached into the pockets of his jeans searching for his wallet before remembering it was in the pocket of the jacket Eloise was wearing. Rather than asking for her to retrieve it for him, he used the opportunity to lean into her closely and reach his hand in the pocket right next to her hip, intentionally brushing against her waist through the fabric.

"Don't mind if I take this do you?" he teased with a wink as he pulled the wallet from the pocket and held it up.

But Eloise didn't respond, her eyes were focused on the lips that came so close to hers causing the breath to be sucked out of her lungs in anticipation. That's when a slight chuckle came from Dhani and a smirk formed on his lips as he pulled away from her and began counting out the money for the girl behind the counter who was thankfully too focused on scooping their ice cream to have witnessed Dhani's unashamed flirting.

Eloise began thinking maybe Dhani wasn't as vanilla as she thought. Maybe he was chocolate chili, sweet and familiar at first but after a while he shows a new side, one that is daring and hot.

It had been a while since Eloise had been on a date, let alone been flirted with so openly, she didn't know how to react. All she knew was that she was completely attracted to Dhani and the thoughts of George became more foggy in her head the longer she was physically near him. At least until the girl behind the counter called out "Vanilla bowl and Firewhisky cone for the couple."

Firewhisky.

Dhani retrieved their ice cream and handed the cone to Eloise who quickly licked the side where it was already beginning to melt. The flavor was sweet and warm with none of the burn or bad decision making that came with real firewhisky.

The couple made their way to a table in the corner of the ice cream parlour, away from the family of four on the other side of the small shop. Rather than sitting across from one another they sat side by side, Eloise felt comfortable near him and appreciated the closeness.

"How is it?" Dhani asked, before bringing a spoonful of vanilla ice cream to his lips.

"Everything I could ever want and more." Eloise joked, looking up at him with a smile.

Dhani's brows furrowed for a moment as he studied her face, he brought a hand up to her cheek and brushed a thumb over her bottom lip softly, letting it linger for just a moment. The feeling caused Eloise to bite her lip as she looked into his eyes longingly, earning a smirk from Dhani in response.

"Sorry, you just had some ice cream on your lip." he spoke softly.

Eloise felt her heart race as Dhani's rough hand rested on her cheek and they continued to gaze at each other. His eyes were dark brown, nearly black, and they sparkled like a clear summer night sky. She desperately wanted to kiss him but was much too shy to be the one to make the first move, she could only hope that Dhani could somehow read her mind. Luckily for her, he too was longing to feel her lips on his, and he was much more confident and forward than she would ever be.

"Can I?" he asked as he leaned just a bit closer to her.

The moment left her speechless as she felt his breath on her skin, she couldn't form any words, she could only nod in response to his request. Dhani leaned forward and planted a soft, vanilla flavored kiss on her lips. His stubble prickled against her skin as he tangled his hand in her golden curls. It wasn't forceful or passionate, it was kind and sweet. But she didn't feel fireworks, or much of anything if she was being honest. It certainly wasn't a horrible kiss, it was rather nice but it wasn't spectacular - it was vanilla.

She felt slightly disappointed, there had been so much build up and it was just okay. The entire night she felt anticipation and excitement for this exact moment, and it lead to no where. But maybe she put too much pressure on it, that's why it seemed disappointing. She told herself the next time they kissed it would feel better - if there was a next time.

Dhani pulled away with a smile and brushed a stray curl behind her ear before returning to eating his ice cream, a permanent smirk plastered on his face. Clearly he had a much higher opinion of their intimate moment than she had.

Eloise's ice cream had begun melting rapidly while being neglected in favor of Dhani's kiss, so she quickly rushed to lick up the side of the cone before it made a complete mess. The taste of firewhisky was much more welcome on her tongue than vanilla.

"I'll be back in London some time next month." Dhani said, breaking the silence that had grown as the two enjoyed their treats.

Eloise knew what he was hinting at, and honestly she didn't have a good reason to not agree to a second date. Sure, there weren't fireworks when they kissed, but she felt comfortable and safe with him. There was nothing wrong with going with the safe choice, but maybe the biggest risk was taking no risk at all.

"We should definitely see each other again next time you visit." she replied politely.

A/N: I am absolutely in love with Dhani and want to marry him ASAP lol

I hope you liked this chapter!