Twenty-nine.

Elijah looked at himself in the mirror of the small shower room, deciding if he was presentable enough. Colt had set out towels and a wash cloth for him, and he had managed to clean himself up to where he felt he was at least, clean again. He gathered up his soiled shirt and used towels and headed back to join her downstairs again. When Elijah came back down the stairs, he found her in the kitchen slicing tomatoes.

"Oh, hey the utility room is just through there," she said pointing past the dining table, to a door at the other side. "You can pop the towels in there and your t-shirt too. I'll get it cleaned and back to you as soon as possible."

"Oh, okay. Thanks." he replied dropping off the laundry and returning to kitchen. "Can I help with anything?" he offered, longing for a reason to be closer to her.

"Can you grab some orange juice from the fridge please? Oh, and help yourself to something to drink if you'd prefer anything else." she said smiling over her shoulder.

"Orange juice, would be great thanks." he answer, collecting the carton from the fridge. "Glasses?" he asked, unsure of where he should go next.

"Over here, the top cabinet on my right." Colt answered, moving to put her knife in the sink, out of Elijah's way.

Elijah collected the glasses, putting them down on the counter to fill with juice as requested, glad to be of use. Unfortunately, at that point Colt also happened to bend over to check the burgers on the grill, which was located under the burner top. Her loose shorts were reaching higher up her thighs as she was working, and Elijah quickly became completely mesmerized.

"Elijah! The juice!" called Colt suddenly, when she stood back up.

"Shit." Cursed Elijah as he looked down to discover two empty glasses sitting in a large puddle of orange juice, that was gradually making it's way towards the edge of the counter. He had missed his target altogether. "Crap, I'm sorry. I don't have a clue what I was thinking." he responded sheepishly, while rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed at the thought of what she must be thinking of him.

Colt quickly grabbed a wad of kitchen roll from the dispenser, and started mopping up the mess, before it could begin to drip onto the floor, laughing at Elijah's sudden awkwardness. "It's fine, it's only juice. Now, if it were milk...." she winked, followed by shaking her head at his confused expression.

"Really? Is that like a cat thing?" he asked curiously while grabbing the wash cloth from the sink to help clean up.

Colt laughed again, her hair bouncing as her head moved to face him. "No, it's more like a joke kind of thing. You know? 'No point crying over spilled milk'?" she clarified. "And for the record my genetics are that of a wildcat. Milk is very much a domesticated cat's game." she said elbowing him in the ribs playfully, before continuing to cook lunch.

Elijah couldn't seem to stop smiling. This new change in Colt's demeanor was unexplained, but it was not something he disliked. Quite the opposite, in fact, he was finding himself happier than he had ever been in his entire adult life. The relaxed back and forth between them was pleasant and comfortable, even if he found his eyes drifting to her bare thighs at every opportunity as she moved around her kitchen, light of foot with an obvious practiced elegance. He could definitely get used to this.

"It's ready." Colt said, handing him a plate and motioning for them to go and sit at the table as she collected her own.

On his plate was a steaming hot cheese burger, with a fresh salad on the side. He grimaced at the thought of all that lettuce but couldn't hold back his suprised groan of delight when he had his first bite. He looked up after a couple more, to see Colt had half ravaged her burger and was trying to lick a massive dollop of coleslaw off of her thumb, in a display of not only the most ungainly manner he had ever seen, but also strangely enough, the hottest.

"What?" she slurped.

Elijah smiled, biting his tongue slightly to prevent himself from laughing, before saying, "I didn't realise, just how hungry you were. Thats all."

Colt smiled, nodding her head and continued to devour her meal, both of them eating in companionable silence. When the meal was over, Elijah was quick to help in the hopes of giving a good impression, and he swiftly picked up the plates to wash up, which did make Colt smile.

"You don't have to do that you know." she said coming to join him by the sink.

"I figure it's the least I can do. Normally, I hate salad if I'm honest, but that was delicious. Which alone is deserving of me cleaning up. What did you do to it?" he asked curiously.

"Washed it?" was all she responded with a confused laugh. "I just threw it together Balto, you watched me. Then again, I suppose you were watching the wrong part of me right? When you poured juice all over the counter?" she raised an eyebrow mocking him, enjoying the view of his face going the kind of red, which can only be described as a shade of boiled lobster.

Elijah could feel the heat of his own blush creep up his face. He really had thought he had gotten away with that one, but Colt's smirking face clearly said otherwise. "I, erm. I. I." he stuttered, failing to form a response.

"Relax, Elijah. It's fine." Colt interrupted, "You can stop moving your mouth too, you look like a goldfish." she laughed with him.

"Typical cat, my perfect face reminds you of a fish huh?" Elijah joked back. "Are you sure you're part wolf, Little Bird?"

"Plenty, believe me." she laughed along, dipping her hand into the bubbly water to splash him.

"Oi, pack that in" he complained, though he was unable to hide his smile. "And, if you're going be here I believe you were the one who told me, the towels are in that drawer over there." he pointed over to the left where Colt had shown him the other night.

"Oooh, fair enough" she laughed hands raised as she walked backwards to the drawer, "You only had to ask. No need to get your panties in a twist."

Elijah shook his head, not even sure of where to start on a reply, but still smiling from ear to ear all the same.

Their laughter could be heard throughout the house, as they cleaned the kitchen amicably together. But, soon they had finished and they moved through to the lounge area where Colt began to light the room's wood burning stove, as an autumnal chill was beginning to settle on the house.

"I'd have done that for you if you had asked" Elijah said as he returned from the washroom.

Colt was in the process of standing back up as she responded, "Ah, but I know where I keep the wood to light it, you Wolfy do not." She moved to sit on the couch with her legs curled underneath her, and pulling the wool blanket her Mom had sent her home with around her.

"Are you that cold?" Elijah asked sitting beside her, but for once feeling relaxed enough to not need actual physical contact with her.

"No, and yes. I get it from Mom. So I think it's a throwback to my wildcat highlander heritage. I naturally seek to be cosy and away from drafts. Even, when there isn't one." she smiled reaching for the fruit tea she had brought through with her.

Elijah nodded in acknowledgment of what she had said. He was working up to asking another question, but he was nervous of the answer, and the chance he might inadvertently kill the mood for the second time today. He really didn't want the afternoon to go south. All he had ever wanted was sat curled up in a blanket beside him, in a room filled with heat that somehow still smelled of the outdoors. Fresh and inviting to his wolf half as well as his human side, and he would gladly never leave this spot again, if she would only stay here beside him.

"What are you not saying Elijah?" Colt asked expectantly, enjoying the taste of raspberries on her tongue, as she put her finished cup down on the coffee table.

Her voice pulled him from his reverie, "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You have a look on your face, like you are pre chewing whatever it is you want to say, and its leaving a bad taste in your mouth." she said, smiling knowingly.

"That's is, scarily accurate. How did you work all that out?" he asked impressed at her intuitiveness.

"I have five brothers, Elijah" she laughed. "Between them and my father, I know a male face with verbal constipation when I see one. Now don't change the subject. What is it?"

"That is not a pleasant image." he shuddered.

"Elijah," Colt warned.

"Okay, okay," he answered, holding his hands up as he finally sank back into the couch. "I am curious about something, and I just don't want to be offensive. It seems I have a natural talent for that and I'm trying my best to avoid it."

"Right, well just spit it out, Elijah. This is getting boring. Get on with it, and I will try and temper my natural talent for being offended." Colt sighed in frustration, but gave him a friendly nudge with her foot.

She only meant to uncurl it from beneath her momentarily, but Elijah quickly snatched her bare foot up and started massaging it, beginning with her heel and working towards the toes. This finally silenced her enough, for Elijah to talk.

"Colt?" he began.

"Hmmm?" she replied, her eyes closed as she was lost to the sensations his strong hands were providing on her feet.

Normally, she hated them being touched, but whether he was just really skilled with his hands, or it was their bond at play, this right here felt better than any sex she had ever had, and Colt was struggling to now form coherent sentences.

"What exactly brought about this change in attitude of yours?" he finally asked, after another ten minutes. "I just don't understand why? Don't get me wrong I am grateful, and if I knew a broken nose is all it would have taken, I would have offered you mine on my first night here." he smiled at her, hoping she would take it as light heartedly as he meant it.

*Author's Note: So as previously mentioned, Colt and Rebecca are having a girl's night. Tell me your favourite girl's night (or boy's night) song, and you might find it's included in their playlist. No pressure, just a bit of fun. That chapter will be within the next three that I write, somewhere I imagine. Anyway thank you for reading, for news on when the next chapter is up, check out @bethanyriverwrites on facebook. Stay safe xx*