Gentle hands lifted her up and the next thing Ellie knew, Andrew was sitting down in the chair and pulling her onto his lap. She immediately looked for Kate; the blonde was kneeling next to the chair, her hand on Andrew’s leg, concern on her face as she looked at Ellie. Kate had never been anything but generous with Andrew when it came to Ellie, something which caused Ellie no shortage of guilt. She hated feeling like a burden, and it was impossible not to when she was using someone else’s man for her own needs.

“Ellie, do you like Michael?” Andrew’s deep voice was firm but not stern, demanding an answer but not judging her.

“Of course I do!” She turned her face towards Andrew’s chest, not wanting to look at all the eyes on her. It wasn’t as good as cuddling with Michael. Andrew was broader. Harder. Didn’t smell right. “Michael’s amazing. He deserves... everything.”

Andrew’s familiar hand rubbed her shoulder. A softer, smaller hand came to rest on her knee. Comforting her. Warming her. Creeping through the defenses she’d spent the last few days trying to shore up again.

These people... it didn’t matter whether they were Doms or subs, this group of people didn’t leave a wall standing.

“You think Michael deserves everything he wants?” Andrew mused.

“Yes,” Ellie said, her voice breaking just a touch as her heart started to hurt again. Michael did deserve everything. Just thinking about him with someone else made her whole being ache, but she wanted it for him. Wanted him to have everything he deserved.

“So why aren’t you giving it to him?” Andrew’s voice had shifted to a hard demand for information, his Dom voice, insistent and unyielding.

“I- I’m not-“ Ellie stammered as her thoughts skittered. She hadn’t been expecting a questioning demand from Andrew. Was left scrambling for an answer to his question. “He deserves better than me.”

The truth shriveled her and she curled up tighter on Andrew’s lap as tears, never far away these days, threatened again.

“You-“

“Ell-“

Kate and Sharon’s voices overlapped each other as they both started to protest, both cut off abruptly at Olivia’s sharp “Hush.”

She curled up even more in Andrew’s hold, wishing she could just disappear. Even though he was warm, even though his arms were around her, she felt so small and insignificant. She knew what Kate and Sharon were going to say. That she was fine, she wasn’t undeserving, she was just as good as Michael... that was just the kind of people - the kind of friends - they were. But they didn’t know. They couldn’t see how broken she was inside.