The air outside was unbelievably cold and Ellie folded her arms to try and stay warm. She didn't realise how fast she was walking until Mark shouted, "wait up!"
"Oh, sorry," she mumbled, giving a half-smile. Mark sighed and put a hand on Ellie's shoulder.
"I won't ask what's upsetting you," Mark said as he looked straight into Ellie's eyes. "But in return, please let me look after you at least until you get home?"
The brunette nodded after a short pause and felt herself being pulled towards Mark's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and stood in silence, holding her tight. Ellie let the warmth wash over her, the evening air being blocked by Mark's looming figure.
After a few minutes passed, Mark removed his arms and smiled. "Let's get you home," he said, holding out a hand. Ellie took it and allowed herself to feel safe with his grip. The journey seemed shorter on the way back than it had walking to the Italian. All Ellie wanted to do was slow time down, just for an hour or two, and have the space to think.
Too soon, they arrived at the café's door. Ellie got the keys from her coat pockets and fiddled with them in her hands. Although she had no idea what to say or do, what she wanted to happen or what needed to happen, Mark seemed to read her mind. He placed his hands over hers and rubbed one of his thumbs gently on the back of her glove.
"Are you ok?" Mark said, his voice barely a whisper. He sounded nervous. What should she say to that? There were so many options going through Ellie's head that, for a moment, she thought she might explode.
Time must have travelled too fast yet again because Mark pulled her in for another hug. "I'm sorry," Ellie said into Mark's tweed coat. "I ruined your evening."
Mark pulled away suddenly. "Don't be ridiculous! What makes you think that?"
"It's my fault we left early. The whole evening has been ruined because of nothing."
"Nothing doesn't end up in leaving a restaurant. Whatever it is, you can talk to me," Mark smiled a little, tucking a stray hair behind Ellie's ear. "It's what I'm here for."
A/N: Hopefully this makes up for the lack of update last week XD Let me know what you think with a comment folks :3