"Nice to meet you both." He made sure to hold Flora's hand a beat longer than necessary.
Cynthia, oblivious to the simmering tension, launched into a story, but Elias barely heard her. He was too busy trying not to stare at Flora.
After some awkward chitchat, it was time for Elias to take Cynthia home.
"Okay, bye guys! Bye, weirdo brother!" Cynthia "Text me later! (Winks)*
We can plan our next anti-adulting adventure."
As Cynthia got in the car, Flora realized she needed to get home.
"I guess I'll go now," Flora said, feeling a little flustered under Elias's intense gaze.
"I can give you a ride home," Elias offered smoothly, trying to hide the tremor in his voice.
Flora hesitated. "Are you sure? I live kind of far."
"No problem at all. I insist." He opened the car door for her, a gesture so unexpectedly chivalrous that Flora almost tripped.
During the drive, Elias did his best to make conversation, asking about her job search, her hobbies (K-dramas, apparently), and her opinion on the latest social media trends. Flora found herself surprisingly at ease with him. He was charming, intelligent, and, let's be honest, incredibly good-looking.
When they arrived at her apartment building, Flora pointed to the curb. "Right here is fine. Thank you for the ride."
Elias stopped the car. "So... since you're always hanging out with my little sister, I imagine I'll be seeing you around." He kept his tone casual, as if the thought didn't make his heart do cartwheels.
Flora smiled. "Probably. Cynthia drags me everywhere. Not that I mind," she added quickly.
As he watched Flora climb out of the car, Elias felt like he was 16 again. He wanted to impress her, to make her laugh, to somehow convince her that he was worthy of her attention.