I tear my gaze from the window and open the familiar door, looking to Nate in confusion. Ellie’s head is resting on the hard—and probably sticky,fuck—bar surface, facing away from me at the far end of the room. I pull my cap low and make my way over to where she’s seated. There are a handful of people here, so I’m hoping I can go unnoticed.
Nate is standing behind the bar across from Ellie, hands braced on the counter. A look of relief passes over his face when he sees me. As he leans down near Ellie’s head, I watch his mouth move as he talks next to her ear. A little involuntary jealousy surfaces at the close contact. It’s justNate, I remind myself. I must still be keyed up from the game.
Nate’s barely had time to say anything when Ellie’s head shoots up off the bar and whips toward me.
A sense of calm washes over me as I scan her quickly and don’t find anything too amiss. Then I take in her appearance slowly and can’t help but smile. She’s slightly disheveled, her ponytail loose and a few pieces falling around her face. Her cheeks are their signature pink. She’s got a white long-sleeved shirt underneath her teal scrubs today and matching white sneakers.
And she’s got a line on her cheek from where it was resting on the bar.
Adorable.
Ellie hiccups and slides off her stool, stumbling a little as she takes a few steps in my direction. She keeps moving until her forehead touches the top of my chest. She inhales deeply, maintaining her position against me.
“Canwegohome?”
It comes out slurred together, half muffled by my sweatshirt. I hear Nate chuckle and look up in time to see him leaving his position behind the bar to walk to some customers at the other end.
“Yeah, baby, we can go home,” I tell her. I smile and kiss the top of her head, breathing in her comforting scent. Was that what she was doing to me before? Fuck, I definitely should’ve showered. “Do you want to walk or be carried?”
Carrying her will definitely draw more attention, but I’m also imagining the slow crawl we’ll be doing if she wants to walk herself—I think she’d freeze. I’m also not going to say no to having her snuggled close to me. And I’d offer to drive, but walking will probably end up being faster and there may not even be a closer parking spot.
Ellie tilts her head back, letting her chin rest against my chest. Her pretty brown eyes are glassy and half-lidded, but focused steadily on me. Definitely drunk, but not completely fucked up. That’s good.
“You’re offering t’carry me?” she asks.
“I’d do anything for you, pretty girl,” I tell her, swiping a thumb across her cheek.
Ellie drops her forehead back to my chest and exhales once more. I wrap my arms around her, holding her smaller frame against mine.
“Fudgenuts,” she mumbles.
I laugh at her Ellie-ism, as I’ve come to know them, and kiss her head one more time. I’ve noticed she has a distinctly less-PGvocabulary in bed. I shake my head at the direction my thoughts are going and focus on Miss Disheveled here. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Mhmmm,” she drags out.
Huh. I feel a small amount of unease at that, but I’m going to chalk it up to the liquor for now. “Let’s walk out together and then I’ll carry you when we’re outside, okay? That will draw less attention,” I tell her.
She picks her head up off my chest and nods. “Mmk.”
I take a step over to her chair and grab her parka from where it hangs on the back, quickly putting it on her and zipping it all the way up to her chin. I drop a chaste kiss on her lips because I can’t help myself. “Do you have a hat or earmuffs, baby?”
Ellie’s eyes shift along the bar and then around the floor, finally meeting mine as she shrugs her shoulders. I hold in my laugh and reach over to search her pockets, finding success in her right one. I pull the earmuffs out and settle them around her head, making sure her ears are covered.
I step back to inspect my handiwork and feel satisfied she’ll be warm enough for the short walk to her apartment. Clasping her hand in mine, I pull her through the small tables to the front of the bar. I turn and look for Nate, giving him a nod, both as a thanks and to let him know I’m leaving with Ellie. He gives a nod in return and starts putting some bottles away to begin closing the bar.
Ellie drags her feet as we step outside, the cold a striking contrast to where we’re coming from. I wonder if it’ll sober her up a bit or if she’s too drunk to notice much.
“Brrrrrr,” she says with a shiver.
I lean down to scoop her up, one arm going under her legs and the other behind her back. She puts her arms around my neck and somehow her fingers are already cool where they touch my skin. I hold her close to my chest and pay extra attention towhere I’m walking so I don’t slip on any ice. Precious cargo and all that.
“I like Nate,” she sighs. It comes out borderlinedreamyand I’m about to have some questions when she continues. “He gave me so many drinks. For freeeee,” she sings.
I chuckle at her reasoning. “You know, given that I own The Bar with Nate, I kind of gave you the drinks for free too. Does that mean you like me?”
“Oooh, that’s a good point. But isn’t that your job already?”
I smile. “What exactly is my job, Ellie?”
