Normally, he wouldn't go this far. But she's the woman he likes. Isn't it better to stay here since she's being stubborn about not staying at the hospital? This is actually good. He will get a chance to get close to her. "Let me stay. I will do the cleaning, cooking, and anything else that you want me to do."
Eli Sanguine, the 632-year-old ghoul sorcerer turned doctor, is gladly offering himself for the position of a certain human's slave. However, he is the only one excited about it.
"You can't cook." She sighs, exhausted. "You don't even know how to make an omelette. I don't want to make you clean my humble abode with the same hands that save lives."
Eli regrets not learning how to crack an egg. Who knew that he would ever get the chance to show off his cooking skills to her? He did practice making the food in the recipe books. Alas! He was a tad bit overconfident. Making an omelette seemed too easy. Since he is a ghoul, focussing on dishes that included meat is his natural preference over omelettes and vegetarian dishes.
If he knew that his love life would depend on an omelette, he would have practised making them every day.
"Please." Eli bends down on his knees and presses his palms together. "I want to stay close to you. The bookstore is already closed. If I don't see you, I might not be able to do surgery properly. How many people might die because I might end up missing you during surgeries?"
He's being honest. He doesn't think that he can function properly without her. The life before he met her seems colourless. For the last two years, he's been planning every day how to start a conversation with her. Now, he's finally on the right track.
He also needs to interrogate a certain uninvited guest. Why did that creature appear in her house? What would have happened if he didn't come here today? Eli is smiling, but his fists are clenched. That creature could have harmed her or do something worse like dragging her to the Fae realm. No matter what, he's not going to let her stay here alone.
"Fine," Nell tells him after a long silence. "Call someone to fix the door. If you are starving, the kitchen is yours. I won't cook or clean for you. Clean your own mess. Also, I don't like loud noises."
She's going to let him stay?
"Don't expect me to entertain you in any way." She narrows her hazel eyes on him. "If you ever think of doing anything funny…"
"Funny?" Eli looks at her innocently, pretending to not understand the meaning of 'funny'.
"If you come to my room without my permission or do something inappropriate, I will--" She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. She knits her brows and punches her chest. She takes another deep breath. She stares at him with a promise in her eyes. "Kill you before I kill myself. Get it?"
She's threatening him. It… is so cute. Eli might have a solemn expression on his face, but his heart is dancing with joy. Of course, he will never hurt her. However, humans are scared easily. That's why he must act like a decent man. But his mouth doesn't cooperate with his decision. He blurts out, "So, I can do something inappropriate to you and wait for you to kill me?"
"I changed my mind." Nell replies with an expressionless face, "Get out of my house."
"I am sorry. I am sorry." He doesn't like it when she hides her emotions. It's hard to guess what's on her mind when she's like this. He should have learned the art of mindreading. "I promise that I won't do anything inappropriate to you against your wishes."
Does ghoul keep promises? He has never kept one so far. But he's not the type of man who forces himself on women. He plans to get closer to her, make her fall for him, and he wants to hug her a lot. He doesn't dare to imagine more. It's not good for his heart. He might pass out.
"We are good as long as you stay within your limits." Nell walks toward her bedroom. "I am going to take a nap. Don't bother me."
She shuts the door behind her. He hears her lock the door and then, lying on the bed. He presses his ear on the door to hear more. She isn't playing with blades again, is she?
"No, I am only letting him stay because I don't like owing someone like him." He hears her speak in a low voice. "You don't have to remind me. Something like that would never happen between us."
A short pause.
"No, I don't trust him. He's lying about something, but he did his best to save my life -- No, I am not defending him. No, I won't fall in love again. Why do you keep talking about that incident? He won't get the chance to betray me."
She continues with a weary voice, "I haven't changed my plans. Let me get the money after a few hours. I will leave the house to him and leave this city. I want to see the ocean again. I want to drown until I can't hear your voice anymore."
A sigh.
"Stop talking. I want to sleep."
He leans against the door, listening to the sound of her breathing as she falls deeper into sleep. He could keep her safe from the world, but how would he keep her safe from herself? Could he help her find a reason to live? It's hard to save someone who doesn't want to save herself.
He cleans the kitchen in silence. His phone is ringing, but he doesn't pick it up. He goes to the bathroom next. The dried blood on the floor reminds him of the scene that he saw when he came here yesterday. He pulls his sleeves up and gets to work. She shouldn't see this when she wakes up.