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Nick had decided it was now or never. That scare with Terry was the last straw, he couldn’t let Ellie slip from his grasp again. Driving straight from the Now completely empty Navy Yard parking lot, Nick headed for her apartment. Given the late hour he has to circle the block a few times before finding a space, but finally he threw the car in park and bounded up to her front step. A slightly frantic knock preceded his shout, “Ellie! You home?”
Nothing.
Nick tried again, knocking a touch harder and yelling a bit louder, “Ellie! Ellie! ” He didn’t care if he sounded desperate at this point. He needed to tell her or he’d explode; he’d kept it bottled up far too long.
Still nothing, he could practically hear a pin drop from this side of the door.
Turning around with a sigh, Nick pressed his back to her door and slid down the length until plopping onto the stoop in defeat. He pulled out his phone to check the time—it read a quarter past ten, late, but not Ellie’s bedtime late. Roughly dragging his free hand down his face, Nick feared the worst, she was either ignoring him or with another guy. Neither option sounded appealing and his stomach twisted.
Ellie had driven aimlessly for hours after talking to Terry over coffee. His question still ringing poignantly in her ears, “does he not know he has your heart?”
When asked so simply, it was hard to argue. Why hadn’t she told him?
Which is how Ellie found herself sitting on the front steps leading to Nick’s apartment. She’d buzzed up and got not response. She’d tried again five minutes later and still nothing. Where the hell was he this late?
Her stomach dropped at some of the less pleasant scenarios running through her mind. There was no way he was with another girl though... right?
As if he could read her mind, seconds after that thought a text from Nick vibrated her phone. A simple, “ you up? ” was all it read.
Firing back a quick confirmation that she was indeed awake, she waited on pins and needles for his response.
Three dots in a bubble were quickly replaced with his reply, “ then come to the door. ”
Ellie was confused, could he see her? She bent forward and craned her neck around to see a few floors up—as if she’d actually make out Nick’s figure in a far away window from where she was sitting.
Her fingers flew across the screen, “ i tried to earlier...you didn’t buzz me in ”
Ellie sat there staring at the typing bubble appear and disappear a good five times before it just stopped. Frustrated, she sighed loudly as her phone dropped to her lap and she hung her head in her hands.
“¡Ay Dios mío!” Nick shouted to no one in particular. Ellie was at his place and he at hers. Good lord they made quite the pair , he thought wryly.
He considered texting back a couple of times but gave up when nothing that didn’t sound stupid came to mind. Shoving his phone in his pocket, he ran to his car mentally kicking himself for not putting two and two together earlier when he hadn’t seen her truck around the block. He sped off as he sent a quick prayer up for Ellie to stay- put.
Ellie had sat there wallowing for another shameful fifteen minutes. Finally getting the motivation to go home—because who the hell knew where Nick was—Ellie pulled herself up to standing and walked down the short flight of stairs with heavy feet. As she turned the corner at the end of the walkup to find her car head still hung, she barreled straight into a rock-hard chest, or- the chest barreled into her.
Flung backwards from the momentum transferred to her from this mystery man, Ellie was inches from hitting the pavement- hard- before she was suddenly grasped by the upper arms and expertly twisted to land on top of the man. A rough grunt as his back took the brunt of the landing for both of them was all Ellie heard as she was stunned silent. Her hair was everywhere, her shirt askew, cheeks flushed from the embarrassment. Suddenly realizing she had no clue who this man was Ellie tried to scramble to her feet, accidentally kneeing the man in the groin eliciting another loud groan.
Before she could get any further off of him, a strained voice she recognized came from below her, “Ellie, Ellie- just, sit still, please. For a second.”
A mix of a squeak and a gasp escaped her lips, “Nick?!” Ellie whisper-yelled. “What are you doing here??” which she quickly realized was a dumb question since she was at his apartment.
He shifted uncomfortably as he replied, “Well I was on my way to see you before I got assaulted with a knee...”
Her minor mishap moments ago came rushing back, “Oh god, I’m so sorry!” Ellie’s hands flew to where her knee landed, as if assessing the damage. The second her fingertips brushed his belt buckle they both froze.
Through clenched teeth, Nick rasped out, “Ellie, as much as I’m dying for that—“ her eyes snapped up to his and his confession, “I need to tell you something first.”
Her hands slowly backed off of their original descent and came to rest lightly on his muscular chest. Straddling a leg of Nick’s with his hands still holding her arms—just with less pressure now—on the cold sidewalk outside his place was definitely not how she pictured this conversation going down. Her heart was caught in her throat, would he finally own up to his feelings? Would she finally own up to hers?
One hand of Nick’s left her arm to tuck a piece of wayward hair behind her ear as he addressed her softly, “Ellie I- I’m not sure how to say this. I’ve never done it before. And honestly- it scares me. Scares me more than snakes.” She let out a light chuckle at the memory of Kasie’s story a few months back. Nick continued, “But I need to say it. I can’t keep being a damn wuss about it. Ellie I—“
She cut Nick off with a searing kiss. Yes, she wanted to hear him say it and there’d be time for that. But right now- right here—on a cracked, dirty DC sidewalk—Ellie was ready to just kiss the man already. So kiss him, she did. And honestly- Nick didn’t seem to mind.