The Art of Loving

[44] Leader of the Sheep

This is a bit of a filler chapter, bear with me 😊 I'm going to try to be updating more frequently again, thank you all for your patience!

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Brian didn't say anything, which worried Ellie. She was about to ask if he was okay, but when she looked at him quickly she could see he had a big smile on his face. That was a relief. Not being used to sharing her thoughts and feelings, she always worried she said the wrong thing. But if that had been the case, Brian wouldn't be smiling like that. He looked adorable.

"Ellie," he said slowly. "That... that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. I-I promise I'll make it worth it." He reached for her hand and held it tightly. "Thank you for saying that and for-for sharing your thoughts and feelings. I know that's not easy for you."

Ellie couldn't help but smile widely. "It's getting easier around you actually, you know? It's strange, but I like it. I trust you. I'm comfortable around you. I think I said this before but normally not get any private time for days at a time drives me crazy, but think about how much time we've spent together, now we're driving around, sleeping in a van which is basically as much time as you can spend together and I'm actually enjoying this. Just you and me. Thinking about what you said earlier, I do think this is romantic, and I think it's a wonderful kind of romance.."

"Ellie, can you just stop the car for a minute?" He asked, letting go of her hand.

"Uhm.. Sure," she said, a little surprised but did as he asked her to. "Did you see something interesting?"

"Mh, no, not really. Hang on," he said and got out, walking over to the driver's side so he could open her door. He held out his hand, so Ellie got out as well, looking at him surprised.

"What is it?" She asked him with a smile.

"Not much... just... thank you for saying what you just said. It means a lot, you know?" He said, reaching for her hands. "I have to admit - it's getting less and less, but sometimes I question if this maybe is one-sided. But... then you say something like that and I know it's not. And it means a lot, Ellie," he said before he hugged her tightly.

Ellie was surprised by his words, but hugged him back tightly, a smile growing on her face. "It's not one-sided, Bri, I promise."

Brian pulled away, looking at her with a big smile. His hands on her arms, he leaned down to kiss her softly. Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him close and kissed him back. It was a slow, gentle kiss, but it meant something to both of them. It meant a lot.

Ellie pulled away, keeping her arms around him. "You know... you're getting better at those kisses.."

"I am?" He asked with a surprised smile. "Was I that bad?"

"No, not bad, but there's always room for improvement," she said and pecked his lips. "I like the way you kiss now."

"Do I still have to improve?" He asked, gently moving his hand over her back.

"You don't have to, Bri, don't worry," she assured him. "But I think it's normal that it keeps getting better the more you get to know each other. Not that I have much experience in that area though."

"No, I think you're right. But that's good, isn't it?"

"It is, yes. Very good," Ellie agreed with a smile. "Do you want to keep driving? I'm not really sure if we stopped in such a good spot."

Brian looked around and nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I'm sorry if you think it's weird that I made you stop..."

"I don't," Ellie told him with a smile. "I think that was very cute actually. Romantic."