I didn't know what to make of that.

He was being so sweet all night and then he laid that statement on me. But, I realized I had trouble worrying around Elijah. Something about him made me feel totally safe and protected. I felt wanted, for not the services I can provide, but for my personality. For who I am as a person.

We sat and admired the beautifully lit courtyard for only a little while longer. It was getting really chilly and I was beginning to sniffle, even with Elijah's suit jacket wrapped around my shoulders.

"I think I should bring you home before you catch a cold." He looked down at me with genuine concern. I sniffled again and nodded my head in response.

"Yeah, I think you're right. Plus, you no longer have a jacket, so I'm more worried about you getting sick."

"Don't worry about me. I'm a big boy." The amused smirk returned to his face as we both stood up and began to walk back to my dorm.

As we strolled casually through the campus, I was thinking back on the whole evening we spent together. I was wondering why his arm felt so comfortable, even natural, wrapped around my waist when I thought it should have felt so new and awkward.

But, yet again, my curiosity took control and I had to ruin the moment by asking another intrusive question. Of course. I couldn't have expected anything else from myself in a moment like this.

"How come you don't go by your real last name?"

I looked up to watch Elijah as he thought about his answer. Once again, there was a glint of worry in his eyes. I had a feeling this would be a sore subject, but I wanted him to be able to tell me anything. I wanted him to feel as safe with me as I did with him.

"I want to be as inconspicuous as possible. I figured my mother's maiden name was the way to go. I've been using it ever since middle school. When kids began to grow up and become more aware of status, things really began to change. At that point in my life, I just wanted to fit in. I wanted to be treated like Elijah, rather than the great-grandson of William Fox." I was saddened by his response. Who knew that someone like Elijah could feel so left out? "I also liked how it sounded. 'Elijah Hudson.' It has a certain ring to it, don't you think?"

Leave it to Elijah to lighten the mood with a witty remark, even though I could tell it was a defense mechanism. I am a psychology major, remember? Analyzing people's thoughts and actions is kind of my area of expertise. Well, not quite yet. I still have four years to go, but I pride myself on my perceptive nature.

I know, I know. You probably don't think its true, but I am actually very good at analyzing people. I just have to learn to not overthink and second guess myself all the time. I'm most accurate when I'm not stressed and when I'm around people I feel at ease with. You've seen how I can get when I am nervous! I either turn into a mouse or a babbling fool. Either way, it's not pretty!

I shake my head and smirk at Elijah's quick wit.

"Yes, it does, but I have a feeling your name will sound perfect no matter what follows behind it." I just said that out loud. Did I just flirt? I don't know, but it didn't feel as awkward as I had anticipated.

I glanced to my side to see Elijah's face. He was actually blushing! Oh my gosh, I made a guy blush! I made Elijah blush! No matter how I think about it, it still doesn't sound right. I've never made anyone blush before. Ooh! This feels really good! I guess this feeling is why Elijah likes doing it to me as much as possible...

I couldn't wipe the smug smirk off of my face. Elijah noticed and nudged me, in the process unwrapping his arm from around my shoulder.

Instead of returning to his previous position, he took this opportunity to grab my hand and intertwine his fingers with my own. For one moment, I was breathless. Thank goodness his arm wasn't wrapped around me anymore, because if he were to feel my pulse right now, he would probably think I have a heart condition.

Oh no! Is my hand sweating? Stop it, Sara! This is not the right time to start freaking out over normal displays of affection. How does simple physical contact have this type of effect on me? Is it normally this intense? I have nothing to compare this to. Elijah is the only one to ever hold my hand other than my mother.

He was being very nonchalant about the whole situation. Isn't this his first time holding a girl's hand? He's never been on a date before, so I don't think he was used to being in this situation either. Why is this all coming so naturally to him? I just flirted for the first time a couple of minutes ago and internally freaked out! He has been so openly flirtatious and playful since we first met, and he seems perfectly fine. It was as if he didn't even realize his fingers were interlaced with mine. If anything, it seemed like holding my hand gave him a boost of confidence.

"Well, here we are." We were standing right outside my building. "I would walk you inside, but I have a feeling you will be met by the brigade as soon as you open the door. They'll probably have a lot of questions for you and I bet they don't want me to keep you from their interrogation any longer."

He was right. I knew the girls wouldn't wait when it came to learning each and every detail of my first date. I was thankful that they couldn't see in front of the building from our suite windows, otherwise, they would already be sleuthing.

"Wow, you're very perceptive." I responded with a pleasantly surprised smirk. He pretty much predicted the rest of my night, although it couldn't be too hard after witnessing the girls' sendoff earlier.

"I'm majoring in psychology. Perception comes with the territory." I gave a sly smile and a nod but became bashful as he looked into my eyes. "I had a really amazing time tonight. Thank you so much for letting me take you out."

"Thank you for asking me, Elijah. I couldn't have imagined a better date." Elijah gave a somewhat cocky half-grin.

"Well, that was an amazing first date, but I expect to top it many times over in the future."

I looked away from his eyes and blushed. He wants to go on another date with me. To many, this might have been expected, but I'm still kind of surprised he wasn't just being nice by asking me out in the first place. Although something inside me did anticipate the possibility of going on more dates with Elijah in the future.

Elijah gently lifted my chin with his index finger and thumb. "Trust me, you're not getting off the hook that easily."

I was trying to steady my breathing, but there was no turning back once he began to lean in to plant a soft, light kiss on my cheek.

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I don't really remember what happened after that. I was in a daze as I entered the building and was met with five frantic teenagers. They didn't hesitate to drag me into the suite and push me onto my bed as they asked their first round of questions.

As I relayed the course of the night in extreme detail, everything became that much more real. I barely heard the squeals, oohs, and awws of the girls in the background.

I decided to leave out some of the more personal information Elijah entrusted me with. It wasn't mine to share and I didn't want to betray his trust.

"...and I think he just asked me out on another date."

This time, their shrill squeals penetrated my thoughts and knocked me back into reality.

"I don't remember much else after he kissed me."

"He kissed you? On the first date?" Mariana sounded shocked, almost as if she thought Elijah did something wrong.

"It was on my cheek. It was sweet." I looked down and smiled as I brought my hand up to my face and lightly touched my cheek. The memory gave me the chills. Sure, it could've been because I was still cold from walking outside, but I don't think so. The girls just stared at me suggestively and silently for the first time that day. They were waiting for an explanation of why I was acting like I was in a trance. "Elijah has been having this sort of effect on me all night."

That made the girls giggle. To be honest, I was feeling giddy myself.

"I still can't believe he took you to the Union League Cafe. It's so ritzy!" Charlotte was catching on, even without me mentioning his family name. "My parents and I ate there when we visited the campus before I applied. It was really fancy. Not the kind of place most students can afford."

I smiled and nodded my head. "I kind of felt out of place in the beginning, but after a little while, it felt like we were the only ones in the restaurant."

I wanted to distract from the subject of money by making the girls fawn over Elijah. It wasn't ideal, but it did the trick. I listened to the girls' chatter about Elijah and my date until I feigned a yawn and said I was going to get ready for bed. I was basically daydreaming through my routine until I laid down under the covers.

Why do I feel so different? Why am I so weak in the knees over a guy I just met? I'm walking around like a lovestruck zombie. I'll have to remember to look through all of my textbooks tomorrow and gather all of the research I can find on the psychology of dating and romantic relationships. This is an area I obviously don't know much about.

All I know is that, although I only met Elijah yesterday, I've never felt closer to another person. Yes, I was always closest to my mother, but this was on a completely different level. There must be some studies I can look into that will give me some insight into what's going on inside my head.

As I tried to relax my thoughts by planning my reading for tomorrow, I realized I still smelled his cologne on my hair from his jacket. I must've given it back to him before I went inside, but his musk was definitely lingering.

The last thing I remember was pulling a tuft of my hair under my nose before I drifted off to sleep.

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I know you all wanted to see some more flirtation between Elijah and Sara, so here you go! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Please remember to vote and comment if you enjoyed reading. I always love to hear what you guys think!

What do you think of Elijah so far? How do you feel about the end of their "perfect first date?" What do you think is going to happen next? 

I can't wait to see what you think of this chapter!

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Well...