broad shoulders; the action would've been effortless had it not been for the imperceptible twitch that followed suit. There was an odd air about him, seemingly skittish in a sense. Nicholas watched him carefully, his diamond gray gaze hawk-like in his silent assessment.
"Everything's fine now, he just needed someone to talk to. You know, unload his domestic issues and all that.” He chuckled. Raising a hand to the back of his head, he gave another shrug, putting on display his varying degree of discomfort. "I should head to my room. Uh…I'll go see if Sophie’s up and let her know I'm alright."
"I'm sure it can wait till morning." This from Nicholas, his tone a few degrees shy of glacial, his affections for the man sliding now from tolerance to sheer loathing.
"Uh…yeah, sure, thanks. Uh…goodnight."
"Goodnight." Knowing that was all he would get, Andrew made haste, practically fleeing from their sight, Ellie’s bid of ‘goodnight’ echoing after him as he disappeared down the hall.
Once gone, Ellie turned around in Nicholas’s arms. "I'm going to pretend , for your sake, that you know what you're doing and not badger you about this until you're ready to tell me what's going on. But you had better tell me soon, Nicholas, or you, the couch and your left hand are going to get reacquainted." Her smile was far from reaching her usually vibrant eyes, her irritation evident by the gleam skating across their narrowed depths.
"Ellie…" Nicholas reached for her but came away with air as she eluded his grasp.
“I’m tired, I going up to bed.” She walked away then, her ascent up the stairs punctuated by angry footfalls. Nicholas was after her like a shot, his pleas falling on deaf ears. Loathed to wake the occupants of the house, he kept his voice relatively calm, low even, until finally they came to their bedroom door.
Ellie stepped inside ; Nicholas only a foot or so behind. Once within the confines of their bedroom, he closed and locked the door behind him. Now free to speak at a reasonable volume he made his way to where she put to order the mess on their vanity. Setting gentle but firm hands on her arms, Nicholas turned her around, cajoling her to sit. He won his battle but received as prize a muted glare from her fiery hazel eyes.
"You know that nothing or no one else will ever do in my bed but you. I sleep better, every night , knowing that I get to wake up every day and see your face. Ellie, I love you, and I would no more keep secrets from you than I would lie to your face. You know you mean the world to me. I do what I do so that I can keep you safe. I need to do this to keep you safe, for the sake of everyone involved. You are the glue that holds me together; if anything were to happen to you I couldn't even began to tell you what I would do. So please, I'm begging you to trust me."
The intensity of the moment seemed almost palpable, the ardor in his gray gaze felt almost too real, scorching and intrusive, licking raw at Ellie’s skin. It left her too vulnerable for words, too enraptured to speak. How could one hope to remain irate and impassive in the face of such passion and truth , especially when it was as though the very idea of your existence seemed paramount in keeping such a man from spiraling out of control? What was one to do? How was one expected to react? Ellie hadn't the slightest. Suspended momentarily between rapture and reverence, none could fault her for her lack of words.
"I trust you," she finally breathed, more a sigh than anything else. She reached out, finding the silken bed of his dark mane she raked gentle fingers through it, elation and some other indefinable emotion making her heart light. "I trust you with all that I am, Nicholas." He lowered his head onto her lap, his arms coming round to encircle her waist. "Just don’t shut me out.” She smiled wanly, her feather light touch achingly tender upon his cheek. "We’ve come too far to revert back to that."
Indeed they had.
"Everything's fine now, he just needed someone to talk to. You know, unload his domestic issues and all that.” He chuckled. Raising a hand to the back of his head, he gave another shrug, putting on display his varying degree of discomfort. "I should head to my room. Uh…I'll go see if Sophie’s up and let her know I'm alright."
"I'm sure it can wait till morning." This from Nicholas, his tone a few degrees shy of glacial, his affections for the man sliding now from tolerance to sheer loathing.
"Uh…yeah, sure, thanks. Uh…goodnight."
"Goodnight." Knowing that was all he would get, Andrew made haste, practically fleeing from their sight, Ellie’s bid of ‘goodnight’ echoing after him as he disappeared down the hall.
Once gone, Ellie turned around in Nicholas’s arms. "I'm going to pretend , for your sake, that you know what you're doing and not badger you about this until you're ready to tell me what's going on. But you had better tell me soon, Nicholas, or you, the couch and your left hand are going to get reacquainted." Her smile was far from reaching her usually vibrant eyes, her irritation evident by the gleam skating across their narrowed depths.
"Ellie…" Nicholas reached for her but came away with air as she eluded his grasp.
“I’m tired, I going up to bed.” She walked away then, her ascent up the stairs punctuated by angry footfalls. Nicholas was after her like a shot, his pleas falling on deaf ears. Loathed to wake the occupants of the house, he kept his voice relatively calm, low even, until finally they came to their bedroom door.
Ellie stepped inside ; Nicholas only a foot or so behind. Once within the confines of their bedroom, he closed and locked the door behind him. Now free to speak at a reasonable volume he made his way to where she put to order the mess on their vanity. Setting gentle but firm hands on her arms, Nicholas turned her around, cajoling her to sit. He won his battle but received as prize a muted glare from her fiery hazel eyes.
"You know that nothing or no one else will ever do in my bed but you. I sleep better, every night , knowing that I get to wake up every day and see your face. Ellie, I love you, and I would no more keep secrets from you than I would lie to your face. You know you mean the world to me. I do what I do so that I can keep you safe. I need to do this to keep you safe, for the sake of everyone involved. You are the glue that holds me together; if anything were to happen to you I couldn't even began to tell you what I would do. So please, I'm begging you to trust me."
The intensity of the moment seemed almost palpable, the ardor in his gray gaze felt almost too real, scorching and intrusive, licking raw at Ellie’s skin. It left her too vulnerable for words, too enraptured to speak. How could one hope to remain irate and impassive in the face of such passion and truth , especially when it was as though the very idea of your existence seemed paramount in keeping such a man from spiraling out of control? What was one to do? How was one expected to react? Ellie hadn't the slightest. Suspended momentarily between rapture and reverence, none could fault her for her lack of words.
"I trust you," she finally breathed, more a sigh than anything else. She reached out, finding the silken bed of his dark mane she raked gentle fingers through it, elation and some other indefinable emotion making her heart light. "I trust you with all that I am, Nicholas." He lowered his head onto her lap, his arms coming round to encircle her waist. "Just don’t shut me out.” She smiled wanly, her feather light touch achingly tender upon his cheek. "We’ve come too far to revert back to that."
Indeed they had.
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