I feel in love when i first kissed you [tag; eleanor]

“Ugh.”

His sandwich hit the plate with a dull pop as he reached for a napkin to wipe the sauce from his otherwise white shirt. Loren had, had, a long day. So long that as it neared closer to four in the afternoon he would just be sitting down for lunch. He knew he should have taken the proffered pasta from his wife, but he’d been late and there was no time. There was, he just couldn't walk in late for his meeting that morning. Eleanor’s was doing wonderful with Madeline Fletcher running the kitchen, far better then he would ever have expected. Devereaux’s was opening a second location and his morning had soley been about that. Location, location, location. Loren knew it meant everything but he didn't want this new establishment to less than it's original copy. Not to say he wanted a replica, he simply wanted the atmosphere to remain the same even if everything else changed.

Change was good. He had to adjust to all sorts of change in his life, some better than others. The napkin hit the table, landing right next to his plate, as he leaned back in his chair. A strong hand adjusted his tie as he thought of home and the state it was in. Eleanor and he’d spoke of decorations and changes that turned the space more into a family place. He could never deny her the small luxury even if it meant he couldn't walk in his kitchen and all the carpet was missing from the living room. If there was one thing he knew, it was that his wife knew what she was doing. Loren would have thrown up some curtains and brought a few rugs and decorations would have been done. No islands in the kitchen or new carpeting  and hardwood floors throughout, just a nice subtle change from what he saw everyday. Women were different they wanted to see the change not just know it was there.

Brown eyes dropped to look at his watch as he shuffled things on his desk. He was late, fifteen minutes, and he wasn’t sure Eleanor would be happy about it. Loren stood tossing his food away as he adjusted his tie once more, he hated to be late though he always was. His hand rose to his hair as he moved to the door of his office, leaning out, to yell off towards the other side of the closed establishment. “Tell Marco to just leave the paperwork on my desk. I'm late for a paint sampling appointment with my wife.” He didn't wait for an answer before he vanished with a loud crack! reappearing just outside his front door. Once more his hands rose to his hair, combing it through, hoping to calm himself before he walked inside. Brown eyes looked around and he didn't see or hear his wife and son. Maybe she was late? Not likely, but he could still hope. Or at the very least she could be running behind and his tardiness would be all forgiven. Maybe.

“El?” The door closed with a soft click and he turned to look at it. All of the furniture had been moved to the guest house for safe keeping and everything else had been properly covered. There were supplies everywhere left by the crew, he stepped over a few things as he moved into the living room. When she'd said decorate he thought paint but what she’d meant was remodel. The house hadn't been changed since they’d moved in right after William's birth. It was time that the house became a home. He didn't mind the noise or the crowded space when the men were working, not as long as Eleanor was happy. His tie was removed and tossed on a table as he took the stairs quickly, calling out once more. “El?” A quick change of his shirt and he would be all set. The fabric slipped from his body as he stepped into the bedroom, moving to the closet as his cufflinks were tossed on the bed. Long fingers grabbed a blue shirt to pull on as he heard shuffling in the hall.

“I know I'm late, sorry! Just two minutes while…” he paused as he focused on getting his cufflinks back on properly “change my shirt, spilled sauce on it.” He had to explain his elongated tardiness. “Sorry…again for being a bit behind” As always.


@Eleanor Devereaux let me know if it needs more to work with or any changes

"It's not quite right."

The voice came from a tall blonde woman who was offering a rather tired looking gentleman an apologetic smile. She wanted white but not white white, a fact that made no sense to anyone other than her. Plain white was too aggressive, too bright and too strong. Cream was wrong, too, as it looked like soured milk when the sun hit it. "But it's fine," she gushed, squeezing the man's arm affectionately. "I can mix my own." This seemed to appease him as he packed his bag and left, leaving Eleanor staring at the wall with her hands on her hips. She had a painter's eye, which was why nothing was fitting as it should.

An hour later, she'd mixed what she wanted by herself and she began painting. She was efficient at what she did so most of the painting was done swiftly. The colour chosen was a pale ecru, soft and warm and clean and inviting. It looked modern, classy, more to both of their tastes. Eleanor loved the smell of paint and of turpentine. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before she smiled; home felt great.

She wanted to hang some art, of both hers and of Loren's, on the wall. She'd already framed some of William's rather…impressionistic offerings. They consisted of splatters of bright colours, messily drawn but no less beautiful. The large apartment had been a good fit for both of them. In a plush and leafy suburb of Paris, it was close enough for work and it still had access to greenery for their child. It wasn't that raising a baby in inner city Paris was difficult, she just didn't want to.

Eleanor had had a busy day. She'd done a full day's work, collected her son and then spent hours painting. It was slowly starting to look more how she liked it. The bedrooms were fine. Those had been the first things they'd decorated when they'd moved in. But the place needed improvement. The windows were too small and the doors were flimsy but the balcony was beautiful. It was mainly cosmetic. It wasn't a drastic change but one that the home so clearly needed.

"Mm?" Eleanor asked, snapping out of it as she heard her name being called. "Oh don't worry," she called down cheerily as she blew at a lock of her platinum blonde hair. It had been long since Will was born but now she'd sheared it back off, reverting to the pixie cut she'd had in Beauxbatons. It felt nice, good, like she was back to how she should be. With her hair chopped to the chin, her bright green eyes seemed brighter, her complexion smoother as though she'd been lit from within.

"Boo," Eleanor said with a grin as she poked her head around the door as she surprised him. As always, she gave him a quick once-over. The fine fabric of his shirt did nothing to hide his muscles. She was very much in love with her husband but she also thought he was the sexiest man alive and her mind was wandering, causing her to bite on her lower lip swiftly.

"No, you're right on time," she said gaily as she took his hand and lead him back down the stairs. "What do you think?" She asked, sounding anxious. The room was taking shape. She twisted a lock of her hair nervously as she watched Loren's face. The sofa was the same, just reupholstered like the cushions. The book cases were painted and she'd hung new photos; of them at school, on their wedding day, Will, their parents and pets, all together. "…please say something, I'm scared."

Her voice drew his gaze and Loren couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, his chocolate brown eyes lifting towards the door. "Still, I have to work on being more on time. Nothing worse than waiting when I should have been here before you."  He gave a chuckle as she poked her head around the table, "Hello beautiful." He paused at the buttons of his shirt as he took her in. She had always been beautiful but as he stared at her it looked as if she was a younger version of herself and he felt like the nervous teen he had once been. Telling Eleanor how he had felt seemed so impossible back then, back when he worried about grades and career choices. He had never thought he would see her again after school, let alone marry her and start a family. Loren felt lucky to be loved by her. Her patience and her kindness always put him in a state of awe.

He followed her with a curious expression, lifting his brows as he took in the room. He was calm and he could say it was the way the walls seemed to absorb the lights around them. The couch seemed the same only different and the pictures that hung on the walls took him on a walk through their love story. "I'm sorry...it's perfect." He relaxed as he stepped more into the room. "I never saw this shade at the store, is it a different blend? Because it's not quite white..." He walked over to the wall, leaning a bit to have a closer look at the actual color. He didn't have the same eye as Eleanor but he could spot a few things with his trained eye. He turned to look at her, "It looks amazing, truly. I feel even worse that I was late getting home. There was a problem with one of the suppliers and then paperwork took over, but, no excuse." He walked towards her smoothing out his shirt along the way.

His hand lifted to touch a lock of her hair, "I think sometime in the sun somewhere with one of those long named drinks in your hand would do nicely." His gaze flickered to the green of her eyes as he gave a smile, "If you want, somewhere Will can enjoy himself as well." He felt like they were missing out on valuable time as a family, that he was missing those moments - precious moments. The man took a deep breath, "We've come so far, El. Back in school, I was." He paused as the back of his hand ran along her cheek, "afraid to tell you how I felt. I skating around it with my flirting and constant denial." He had never been happier, never more at peace, then with her by his side. She had always been someone he could talk to about anything and everything. Even before she had become his wife she had been a part of making him a better man.

"I think back to those days and then remember how seeing you on the beach that day tilted my world. I had always said if I saw you I would ask you out. I assumed when we reconnected that you would be married and I have waited too long." He looked around the room, "My life changed the moment I met you and every day I find myself," His gaze dropped back to hers, "I fall more in love with you." He didn't say it enough, it felt as if he needed to show her how much he truly cared. He had work and at times he forgot that he needed balance. "How I got this lucky, I will never know." He grinned and leaned in to kiss her softly.

"This place will be more like a home soon. It's coming together nicely." He slid his arms around her waist, "What do you have in mind for dinner, i'm cooking."

"Hiya," Eleanor replied brightly and with a dimpled smile as she was greeted. She nodded to the shirt that he was unbuttoning. "You can carry on," she replied cheekily before she laughed. Casually, she leaned against the doorframe and gave a wistful smile. He was right, though; he was working too hard. It wasn't either of their faults. They were both successful and days off were few and far between but he had a restaurant to run and that took up a lot of time. Coming home late a few times wasn't a massive deal.

Swiftly, she blushed and then winced. "I mixed it myself," she said shyly, embarrassed. "The guys are great," she gushed, her eyes wide as she meant the men working in the house. "But they just weren't spot on," she admitted. "It's my fault," she added as she held up her paint-splattered hands with a grin. It was part and parcel of the trade. Eleanor couldn't stand aside, not when she knew she could do it better.

"Yeah?" The artist asked brightly as her husband said he liked it and she lit up, bouncing on the spot excitedly. "I charmed the walls so that if Will decides to scribble on it, it'll come right off." Their son was just about walking now and causing chaos in his wake. They should think about some sort of charmed baby gate pretty soon.

"That's okay," Eleanor told Loren softly with a smile. As he touched her hair, she turned her head quickly and kissed his palm. Amused, she snorted. "Yes please," she added quickly, her cat-like eyes bright. "A holiday sounds great," she admitted to Loren hastily. Things had happened pretty quickly. They'd gotten married, had a baby, bought a house and he'd taken over the family business. They hadn't really had time to catch their breath, let alone relaxing. "Where'd you want to go?" She asked with a head tilt. Spain seemed like a sensible option for now.

"A bit of a dick?" Eleanor added sweetly and unhelpfully as she grinned, filling in his pause for him as she placed her hands on his hips gently. She wasn't lying; he was a bit of a dick in school. He dated all of her friends but not her. He complained to her constantly about the girls in his life. He became irrationally moody and jealous of her own boyfriends. Had they stopped to make sense of things, they might have gotten together sooner. It was her fault, too. Eleanor could have eased the pressure but she'd been cowardly.

"Oh?" The tall blonde asked, her eyebrow raised as she smiled slowly. Tilted his world he'd said, so casually, like she'd blown his mind. She smiled at him again. "Well," she said gently as she rubbed her hands up and down his arms softly as he embraced her. "I did have a proposal in the time you were getting your act together." Of course she'd turned it down and Loren was the reason why. Even though they hadn't seen each other in years since graduating, it didn't mean that she didn't still love him. "You nearly were too late," she chastised him gently as she gave his chest a gentle shove. Lucky, indeed.

She grinned back as she leaned up onto her tiptoes to kiss him back soundly. "I love you, too," she whispered. Eleanor had played the long game. In school, things wouldn't have worked out. She was still trying to discover herself and Loren's homelife was a mess; he didn't need her making things worse but now? Now was good.

"It's looking really good," she said proudly as she rested her hands on his forearms, looking around the room. It was bright but very them; it was filled with trinkets and photos and children's toys. Little mementos of their life so far, just snippets that made her feel warm. He was cooking? Yay! "Ooh, Italian?" She asked. "I'd love some spaghetti. I'll make the salad." With that, she took his hand and gave him a gentle tug towards the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she rummaged through it. "Do you need help with the paperwork?" She asked casually. Poking her head around the fridge door, she tossed Loren a lettuce and a red pepper as she kept looking.