Slipping away from a child curled around her like a koala, had been a challenge in and of itself. Once certain that Cammie was tucked in without the blanket being too tight, she moved down the hall to check on Bryce. He was sprawled on his side with his limbs stretched out, mouth open and snoring quietly. Humming softly she descended down to the main floor, checking the front door before moving through the living room and into the kitchen. 

The space was large compared to her own, with a round table on one side, as island stood in the center with the actual cooking area taking up the rest of the space. Glancing down at Delta who had followed her down, Ellie rolls her shoulders before reaching down to unclasp her collar. Something white fluttered to the ground, a confused frown pulled her lips down as she lifted the oddity from the floor.

[i]If you’re not sick of my face yet, give me a call sometime. I’d love to see more of yours. 555-1234.[/i]

Her mind flashed back to the lunch she had with Calvin, fingers tightening fractionally along the edges of the napkin before relaxing. "Who'd think he'd use you to pass a message along." Ellie dryly replies, shaking her head once before setting the napkin down on the marble countertop. The sky outside had slowly shifted to evening, orange-crimson sunlight filtered in from the window as she pondered what to cook. 

Exhaling a breath she moves first to the pantry where she selects ingredients, setting them beside the stove before returning to grab a set of steel dog bowls  Lydia had bought for Delta on the rare occasion she stayed over during the night. Once both were filled with food and water respectively, she sets them on a mat on the opposite side of the island, heading back to the sink to wash her hands thoroughly before focusing on the meal prep. She looses herself in the rhythm of chopping and measuring, pausing to pull out a rice cooker and pot to add to the mix. 

Once the rice has been set to cook, the pot full and slowly heating with ingredients for a hearty broth Ellie let's her elbows land on the counter. A glance at her screen shows a text from Lydia and Dimitri, her social media messages are swiped away. Her eyes shift to the napkin before flicking away, nose scrunching up as she let's herself ponder.

Though he came on strong, he'd seemed genuine when they'd spoken earlier. She knows better then to let herself be swayed by anyone, the fact that she's even contemplating anything is slightly out of character for her. Locking her phone she sets it facedown on the island, turning on her heel and heading out to the living room where she'd left her bag earlier. A small journal is pulled from inside, leather bound and brown in color where she keeps her recipes safe and stored.

Lowering the heat to the pot when she re-enters the kitchen, Ellie checks on thr rice cooker before moving to peek into the laundry room. A modest sized room with space for an island to fold the clothes on the opposite wall, Ellie finds two baskets mostly filled in front of the machines. It's easy to get lost in sorting the items out into separate piles, the evening lightly slowly fading into darkness. Closing the door to the washing machine once it's filled with clothes and adding detergent, she closes the door behind her as the machine chimes. 

The pot she's cooking homemade Ramen in is boiling away, she adds in the last ingredients before lowering the heat and checking on the rice. Okayu is made with rice and water, something easy to eat when one isn't feeling well. Checking her recipe notebook Ellie turns off the cooker and removes the lid, before doing the same to the pot of Ramen as well. Flicking on lights as she opens a cupboard to pull down bowls, she tugs a wooden spoon from another cupboard and beings filling each bowl. One is left uncovered to cool while the others are covered with plates to keep them warm, air rich with the smell of food. 

Her fingers itch at her sides as she collects her phone, teeth digging into her lip as she moves towards the stairs. Pausing halfway up she unlocks her screen, blank message thread filling her screen in an almost tantalizing way. Stomach swooping oddly as she let's her fingers settle along the keyboard, Ellie exhales before letting herself type. 

[i]Me: I wanted to thank you for lunch. And to apologize for running out on you.[/i]

She hits send before she can consciously convince herself why this is the craziest thing she's recently done. Her message pops up in a gray bubble and mockingly glares back at her, clicking her tongue she exits the Message app and locks her phone. Shaking her head and shoving her phone her in back pocket, she continues up the stairs after flicking on the light. 

Resolutely ignoring why her heart is hammering slightly in her chest.

Mentally and adamantly telling herself she won't make a habit of texting a random rich guy she'd met while undercover.