Ellie sighed and tucked a loose hair behind her ear. She gave a quick glance to the cafe door as if Robin would burst in soaking wet again. It was completely illogical to think like that; Robin was simply a neighbour who was interested in coffee. And who had a kind heart. And who had brilliant eyes.
"Don't leave me hanging, Ellie. A guy needs an answer," Mark said, laughing a little. It was unusual to see him nervous.
"Sorry," she muttered, flashing him a small smile. "What do you have in mind?"
Mark stood up tall and didn't bother to hide his joy. "Ok, so I was thinking that we could get something to eat from the high-street at one of those little restaurants and then maybe we could take a walk around the park. Or something like that."
Ellie nodded slowly, going through potential evening situations in her mind. Would it be like friends on a night out? Like a first date? Her thoughts froze suddenly. Would he expect a kiss at the end?
"Look, seriously," he mumbled. "If you're not up for it, then that's fine. I just need a yes or no really."
The brunette thought some more. Robin would tell her to go for it. So would Jason for that matter. After all, what would be the harm? Robin had assumed that Mark was her boyfriend anyway, so would it really be that different? Ellie paused her thoughts once again as the image played in her mind – a kiss from Mark.
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yeah, it sounds like fun."
Mark jumped into the air, pumping his fists up at the same time. Ellie raised her eyebrows but said nothing; he was quite funny to watch.
"If you give me a few minutes, I'll close the shop and then we can go?"
"Sure, that sounds great. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help though, ok?"
Ellie grinned mischievously and threw another cloth at Mark's face. "There's a spray bottle under the sink. You can clean the tables and chairs if you like."
Mark looked slightly dazed, but got the bottle and began spraying the tables as asked. "Why do you clean the chairs as well? They never get dirty."
"They're clean because I make sure they are. The same way I clean all of the tables, sweep the floor and polish the coffee machine. I bake a cake or two over the course of the evening and make sure that the cakes uneaten from today are kept properly to donate to you guys at the homeless shelter."
"Crikey," Mark whispered. "I never thought a small place like this would need that much work."
"It doesn't, but I want my customers to feel welcome and I like a clean environment. Plus I enjoy it, so it's not so much work, but more like a hobby I do every day."
A/N: Here's a bonus chapter for this week :) Or last week..? :s Either way, here's an extra bit of story on top of tomorrow's update :3 Let me know what you think in the comments as always, and I hope you enjoy XD