Ellie’s hair was pulled into the low side ponytail she favored, the ends curling on the front of her left shoulder, the dark strands standing out against the deep blue of her jacket. It covered her top, but she was wearing jeans which snugly fit her curves in a way that would give him fantasies about peeling them off of her. She stared at him, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket, as if doing so might hide how nervous she was.

When she didn’t immediately turn tail and run, Michael silently gestured at the other side of the booth he had taken over. The table was covered with paperwork - not to mention his laptop - but he could push it aside.

His heart pounded in his chest when she obviously gathered up her courage and started walking towards the booth, her shoulders and head slightly hunched protectively. Last night he hadn’t totally believed Olivia when she’d said she was pretty sure Ellie was going to reach out to him soon. Today he was just relieved and grateful the Domme was right.

Apparently his friends were also right that she didn’t blame him for anything. The expression on her face was full of guilt and wariness; there was no accusation or fear or reproach. She nibbled on her lower lip as she slid into the booth, giving herself barely an inch between her bottom and the edge of the booth. Still ready to flee apparently.

Michael closed his laptop and set it to the side, still watching her closely. There was a little wrinkle in the center of her brow, like she was concentrating on something.

“Hello, Ellie,” he said quietly, folding his hands in front of him on top of the table. “What can I do for you?”

“I-“ Her head dropped down for a moment and then she took a deep breath before peeking up at him again. There was remorse in her eyes. Unhappiness. Her creamy skin had a pallor he didn’t like, noticeable only now that she was so close and he was studying her so intently. A bit of redness around her eyes said she’d been crying. “I wrote out what I wanted to say to you, so I couldn’t forget, but now that I’m here it seems so... I mean, I made some assumptions based off what other people told me, but... we haven’t really talked and...” Her shoulders slumped again as she seemed to run out of the will to speak, her teeth sinking back into her lower lip.

Keeping his hands still rather than reaching for her was an effort. “Anything our friends told you about me is probably true,” he said gently. “I’ve been pretty open with them, hoping they could help me figure out where I went wrong with you and what I could do to fix it.”