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“You realize it’s really not that big of a deal, right?” Nick checked with her for the fifth time.
“It IS a big deal, Nick! It’s a HUGE deal!” Ellie retorted with a frantic wave of her hands. “They can’t just- they can’t just change that! Who approved it??”
“Ellie, it’ll be fine, really.” Nick tried to soothe her, “We will all still survive, we might get to try new things, it’ll be fine. Change is annoyingly difficult. Trust me, I know. But I think we can manage this one, together.”
She crossed her arms forcefully and hung her head as she stood in the corner behind the stairs. She knew she was pouting like a child, but she didn’t care. They couldn’t just change that, people relied on it. She relied on it.
Nick reached out and gently placed a hand on her upper arm, tugging her a bit closer to him. If she wasn’t so upset with the situation she likely would’ve started to melt. He didn’t touch her much, but when he did—she treasured those touches. Nick said he wasn’t the touchy-feely type, but she knew deep down he was. He just didn’t quite know how. That’s what happens when you spend your formative years in a broken household, and your adult years undercover, alone. You don’t know how to reach out, how to comfort and be comforted.
He didn’t speak, just held her arm, waiting.
“But—“ Ellie started as she looked up to him while sticking out her bottom lip. She stopped there when his free index finger pressed on her pouty lip and gave a gentle push.
He accompanied the motion with a soft smile and reassured her, “Put that lip away, El. It’ll be okay, I promise. And if the new vending machine doesn’t have your favorites, I will make it my mission to find them for you. Okay?” His smile grew in time with hers. She didn’t hear his unspoken words: I’d find anything for you. But she didn’t need to.
“Promise?” And they both knew she meant more than just the snacks.
“Always Ellie, always.” Backing his words with a quick kiss that promised so much more than just vending machine snacks.
Her mood instantly lifted after his kiss, arms fell to her sides and she sighed a happy sigh as she looked into the eyes of her amazing boyfriend.
“Now. Let’s go see what this new machine has to offer—who knows you could like its snacks better than the old one!” He said cheerfully while extending an elbow for her to loop her arm through.
“Whoa now, buddy. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. No need to get out of snack duty already,” she said with a wink.
Nick might be right about this change, but you definitely didn’t know Ellie if you thought she’d ever admit that to him out loud.