#snowynightsofwinter

Nick stood so close to her that she could feel the heat of his body along hers, a distinct contrast from the cold air of the night around them. The dim porch light cast a warm glow across his face as he leaned forward slowly, as if he was worried she’d pull away, as if he didn’t know how badly she wanted this too. His breath broke hot across her lips where his mouth hovered over hers. If either of them moved, they’d touch. Ellie couldn’t take it anymore, pushing up on her toes to brush her lips across his. The sigh he breathed at that whisper of contact spurred her on, the heat of desire flaming her cheeks and spreading out through her entire body making her want more. Her hands came up to steady herself on his shoulders as she pressed her lips softly to his as he started to respond with more confidence.

It wasn’t long and still as she lowered back down flat on her feet, their chests were heaving, breaths coming quick and uneven. A grin stretched across his lips, kicking up those butterflies in her stomach and she couldn’t help it when her face mirrored his. She laughed, grin shifting into a soft smile when he caught her hands again linking just their pinkies, not moving to put any more distance between them wanting to keep her close.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asked, voice low and rough in a way she wanted more of.

“Definitely.” Ellie murmured, pressing one more quick peck to his lips before regretfully stepping away. She felt his eyes on her as she unlocked the front door to her building stepping just inside and turning to him. “Goodnight, Nick.”

“Goodnight, Ellie.”

...as a promise

This was one of the hardest things she’d had to do. She didn’t know why it was so difficult. Ellie wasn’t one for displays of emotion, especially not in public and still she stood on that dock, face buried against Nick’s chest as she hid her tears there from prying eyes. This wasn’t fair of her. It wasn’t fair of her to have cried a few days ago when he told her he took the spot as agent afloat that she should have been taking. It wasn’t fair of her to have been openly upset he was leaving no matter how hard she’d been trying to keep a lid on it. She’d done this before. When she was sent overseas for the NSA, and every single time Jake had had to travel with undetermined return dates. She should have been well practiced and prepared for time apart from him.

But this was Nick.

This was her Nick.

They’d rarely spent more than a week apart in years, even before they had gotten close. Even less time was spent apart since they started dating.

“It won’t be that long, Ellie.” Nick murmured in her ear, arms tightening around her and she sucked in a shaky breath.

“It could be an entire year.” She argued, voice thick and hoarse from crying. She felt his sigh, another pang of regret shot through her. But it was true. And their team members rarely served that long afloat, but it was still a possibility. More than likely he would be back within a few months. She couldn’t let herself get her hopes too high for that.

“I’ll be back before you know it, babe. I’ll write you letters. I’ll call every single chance I get.” Nick assured her for the hundredth time, the same list he’d given her when it first came up, when they were sitting on her couch wrapped around each other, when she buried her tear streaked face against him in their bed each night since just like she was doing now. Ellie pulled back, let Nick’s hands slide down to her hips, and looked up at him trying to commit his face to memory. She knew she looked awful, face swollen and red, it didn’t stop him from looking at her with the same amount of love and adoration he always did.

“Promise?” Ellie requested, the same way she’d made him assure her multiple times before. Nick leaned down to her, pressing his lips softly to hers. His eyes fluttered shut and she followed suit, taking in the feeling of his mouth against hers, the taste of him even though it was mixed with the salt of her own tears. Ellie lifted a shaky hand up to cup his cheek and a whimper worked its way out of her throat again which only made him kiss her harder. When he pulled away, it was too soon.

“I’ll see you soon, Ellie. I promise.” He breathed, gathering her back against his chest. She shut her eyes tight and willed the tears away. If there was one thing Nick never did, it was break his promises.

...out of love

She called his name from their bedroom and Nick didn’t hesitate to go to her. He’d been waiting a while, not that he minded, for her to be ready for the annual holiday party and he wasn’t really itching to go anyways. His feet stuttered to a stop in the doorway, breath catching in his throat. The moment he saw her, his mouth went dry. He wasn’t used to seeing her dressed up, certainly wasn’t used to the expanse of skin exposed to him in the dress she was wearing. Bared shoulders, dip so deep along her back that she couldn’t have been wearing a bra, long legs only made longer by the heels she stood in. Her hand was holding the dress closed at her back and he figured she wanted help with the zipper. Couldn’t get his feet to move just yet. Ellie turned and he was sure he’d never be able to pull in another breath properly again.

She shot him a shy smile that only served to make it worse, that fluttering in his stomach and hammering in his chest. She always got him like this, his adoration for this girl nearly always present. It was a wonder to him still, after so many years, that he got to have her. That he could tell her any time he wanted how much he loved her. “Help me?”

Nick nodded, finally, and moved across the room to her side, his hands replacing hers and sliding the zipper up, trailing his finger along the skin as he covered it making her shiver. She looked at him over her shoulder as he shifted his hands down to her hips. He pressed a kiss to her temple and her eyes closed at the contact. He smiled against her skin as he spoke. “I love you, you know that?”