Today was a half day at work due to scheduling conflicts. Even Sosie was taking time off. Meredith was bored after completing her work for the day – she'd already made some calls and submitted her weekly report to Mitch ahead of schedule. She was in her room, trying to think of how she wanted to spend her valuable free time. Pacing back and forth, she was trying to decide between the gym or going out shopping.

She stopped in her tracks when there was a knock on her door, a smile escaping her lips. She was not expecting anyone other than Elijah.

“Hi,” he whispered, smiling when she opened the door, making her grin in return.

“Hi,” she greeted back with an idea popping in her head. “Wait there,” she spoke, shutting the door.

Meredith quickly grabbed her purse, phone and sunglasses before exiting her room. Eli was standing by the elevator when she searched the hallway. It would be questionable if others saw him standing outside her room, wouldn't it?

She walked toward him while putting on her sunglasses, feeling excited more than ever. She had decided to spend the entire afternoon with him – have fun and create memories – something normal couples would do.

Pressing the button for the elevator, Elijah looked at her, clearly confused. She just nodded at him, indicating that he had to take the elevator with her.

“What are you planning?” he asked the moment the doors closed.

“Nothing,” she responded with a shrug, trying to play it cool.

She was sure Elijah would never agree to her plan if she told him. She would make sure he wouldn’t get a chance to turn her down. He was going with her whether he liked it or not.

When the elevator stopped at the ground floor, Meredith walked toward the exit. And Elijah followed her quietly, nodding and smiling at people who acknowledged him.She called for a taxi while searching online for the nearest arcade. She would take Elijah out to release some stress and have some fun. Not like sex wasn't good for both those things. It's just that she wanted some quality time with him without having sex for a change.

She felt her pussy clench when she thought about the other day, how he'd made her cum with just his fingers. It was the wildest and naughtiest thing she'd done so far, getting fucked inside a moving car. She never thought she'd be daring enough to do such a thing.

But she had – and with Elijah Scott.

With the man who rendered her defenseless each time he touched her.

When Elijah got in the cab, she told the driver the address for the arcade. She was excited as her eyes wandered over the busy streets.

“Where are we going?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“An arcade,” she answered.

“For what?” he questioned, his forehead creased.

“To have a little fun.”

“Am I not enough?” he said playfully, giving her left leg a squeeze.

“I meant outdoors,” she said, rolling her eyes. She was hoping he wouldn't fight her on this when he left out a soft chuckle.

“Alright,” he agreed, much to her surprise. “My time is yours.”

“Thank you,” she murmured when she felt his fingers intertwine with hers. His touch was warm and reassuring, making her feel more relaxed as they traveled in silence.

After a good fifteen minutes, they arrived at the crowded arcade. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the go-karts. She went to the booth to buy tickets immediately. That was the first thing she wanted to do together.

She could see Elijah shaking his head, but she didn’t mind. They were there to have some fun.

“No wonder Ellie likes you,” she heard him commenting as they got in their own karts. They raced, and she laughed heartily when Elijah was having a hard time maneuvering his ride. He looked awkward because of his tall frame.

For the first time, she saw him genuinely laughing and enjoying himself. She watched him smile, wishing he would smile more often like that.

“I’m tired,” he shouted, finally giving up the cramped space of his kart.

“Let’s have a match, then,” she urged, looking at the air hockey table.

“Game,” he spoke, accepting the challenge as they got off the go-karts.

After buying tickets, they went straight to their assigned table and started a fierce competition. The game was getting intense, so she thought she’d talk about something to lift the competitive air between them.

She pursed her lips, stealing a glance at him.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked, biting her lower lip.

“Ask away,” he answered with a smile on his lips, not sparing her a glance as he focused on the puck.

Meredith swallowed as she mustered all her courage.

“Do you have plans to get married?” she inquired, looking away when he shot up straight in surprise, missing the puck that was whizzing by.

“What makes you ask?”

“I’m just curious,” she spoke innocently, shrugging.

“What about you?” he shot back instead.

“No. Not yet. But I still have plenty of time to figure that out,” she answered.

She was only interested in getting married to Elijah, of course.

But she didn't want to scare him away by saying that.

He smirked. “Gotcha,” he muttered.

Finally getting bored of the game, they went to the batting cages. The competitiveness between them just a couple of minutes ago completely vanished as the conversation turned into something deeper and serious.

Meredith lined up behind the plate, waiting for the pitch.

“Is not getting married a dealbreaker for you?” he asked just as she was about to swing.

It had been ages since she'd gone to the batting cages, but she thought she'd try her best to hit at least one or two. When the whizzing ball flew from the machine, she swallowed hard and swung her body, hitting it with her metal bat.

She still had it.

“Long-term?” she asked, glancing up at him. “Yeah, that would be a dealbreaker.”

“What about short-term?” he probed.

She shrugged, waiting for another ball.

“I don’t know. Maybe if I knew there was a ring waiting for me in the future,” she answered, chuckling softly at the hilarity of her statement.

“Would you… would you consider keeping a relationship low-key if you knew that it would be rewarding eventually?” he asked hesitantly, making her stand up straight.

Meredith's turned to look at him, completely missing the ball.

“Is that your way of asking if I'm willing to be your secret girlfriend, Elijah?”

He fell silent for a moment and averted his gaze.

“Maybe.”

Feeling insulted, she let go of the bat and pulled the helmet off her head. She had never dreamed of getting involved into a secret love affair. She had always been patient when it came to relationships, and she knew what she deserved.

She knew her worth. And being Elijah’s little secret was not something she would gladly accept. She deserved better than that.

She looked at him with a blank expression on her face. But deep inside she could feel an invisible hand squeezing her heart. She was hurt. And the pain was just too extreme for her to even cry.

She felt like she was going to vomit any moment now because of the burning sensation in her chest. It was getting harder to breathe with each second that passed, and she wasn't leaving without giving him a piece of her mind. How dare he ask her to be his dirty little secret?

But just when she was about to open her mouth and tell him off, a group of people recognized Elijah excitedly and he was pulled away to talk about the campaign, leaving her behind with a heavy heart.

Swallowing her tears, Meredith slipped out of the arcade. She was in so much pain, and she just wanted to be alone.

Expecting something good from him had been her biggest mistake. Thinking he'd be willing to go public with their relationship was nothing more than a stupid fantasy. She was an idiot for thinking her love life was some kind of fairy tale come true.

Trusting Elijah Scott with her heart had been her second mistake.

She should have known better.

Of course he'd never give up his political ambitions for her. They barely knew each other, after all.

She never should have gotten herself mixed up with him!