"Ah, so it seems the Stripper still has a lot to teach me." He paused, then added, "And if any future changes are half as good as that hair, I guess I've got a lot to look forward to." Elliot took a sip of his soda, giving himself a moment to process her previous reaction.
Had she been specifically awaiting his reaction to her chosen costume? He couldn't help but smile at the way she'd lit up when he complimented her. He'd heard a lot of people in the past call her things like "pretty" and "hot," but she'd never given much more than a smile or a polite word of acceptance. Just now, Rae had looked as if she'd hoped his reaction would be positive.
At least he hadn't disappointed her there. Nor, honestly, could he have said he was unaffected by her noticing how infrequently he'd been smiling lately. It meant a great deal to him that his good moods and easy smiles had been missed, especially considering how hard the past couple weeks had been for both of them. "It helps to have something to smile about." Giving the packets of Pop Rocks a shake and grinning like a boy, he added, "I feel like such a cheater for not having said trick-or-treat, though."
As if the decorations and the candy weren't enough, Rae spoke up about having more to show him, and Elliot couldn't hide his amazement at how much trouble she'd gone to, to make this party happen. "More? What else could you possibly..." Upon seeing the wig and bandana, Elliot let his words trail off a split second before he let go his laughter. "An air guitar solo, huh? I'm not so sure. Seems to me the Bret Michaels look wouldn't be complete without something else..."
Still grinning, Elliot rubbed his chin as if trying to think of what the costume was missing. Part of him was teasing her, not really believing she'd actually managed to nab the jacket that completed the look. That part of the conversation he remembered. He glanced up at her expectantly, fully prepared to give her the aforementioned air guitar solo with just the wig and bandana.