Halfway to Doug's, Cam stopped walking with a thoughtful and confused look on his face before turning bright red and pulling his hat down to hide. Elli watched him with concern, gently touching his arm and trying to see his blushing face. When he shivered and started to shake, her concern only grew.
"Cam?" she asked, voice gentle but laced with her professional nurse tone. He gasped out a breathy laugh and threw his head back as he started to laugh harder, eyes twinkling in the starlight. Elli was completely confused and could only watch with a half smile as he chuckled, holding his sides and finally wiping away his tears of humor.
"We already had dinner, didn't we?" he said, giving Elli a lopsided grin and looking more open than she had ever seen him. She grinned up at him and nodded.
"Yeah, we did. But you know, Doug also does desserts," she said, a shy smile curling her lips at her suggestion. Cam's blush faded and he brushed his lips against Elli's forehead gently. She warmed considerably at the small amount of affection and they continued walking in companionable silence. They passed Claire's farm, the owner likely inside the lit-up house. Elli enjoyed the idyllic scene, leaning her head on Cam's shoulder as she looked at the snow-covered farm. Cam looked at her from under his lashes and gently smiled.
"It's very pretty," Elli commented, getting a noise of agreement from Cam. Truthfully, he found the entire town to be beautiful, particularly with the light amount of snow covering everything. With the dim light of the moon and stars, it looked like a wonderful painting. The streetlights lining the path from farm to town weren't overbearing like they were in the city, either. He found it to be a perfect mix of country and town, only slightly more populated than his own.
Doug's Inn came into view, and Elli laced her fingers with Cam's. She was nervous about the move, as she knew anyone in Doug's would see it and bombard her with questions the next day. And yet, Elli didn't really care what they would say about it. One look up at Cam and she knew she liked the quiet florist enough to put up with the gossip.
Doug greeted them with a wide smile and a wave, and Cam helped Elli out of her coat and hung it by the door, joining his own, before they went up to the bar.
"Evening, Elli! What can I do for you?" the older man asked as he wiped down a glass. Elli could see Ann back in the kitchen, whipping up some cheesecake. Duke and Basil sat at a table near the bar, laughing among themselves. Cam tensed as he took a seat next to Elli, who was smiling brightly at the bar owner. He felt like all eyes were on him, particularly his hand still holding Elli's. But then the pretty nurse looked at him with sweet brown eyes and he relaxed, gently smiling as her thumb brushed over his.
"How about some pie?" Elli asked, and Doug grinned.
"Coming right up," he promised, slipping to the back while Elli grinned at Cam. He returned the smile softly.
"I don't know if you like apple pie, but all the apples came from Claire's farm. He preps them to use as pie filling all Winter without it spoiling. And the pie crust is super flaky too!" Elli explained, getting hungry just thinking about it. Doug was second only to her Grandmother in being the best baker in town, and since Ellen didn't bake anymore, the title was practically his. Even though Cam wasn't super fond of sweets, pie was something he didn't quite mind, and seeing how happy it made Elli made him curious about the pie. She had never steered him wrong about food before, so he didn't see any reason to start then.
Doug returned with two slices of apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream, telling them to eat up quick before it melted. Cam took a bite of the warm pie and found that he really liked the cinnamon and tart flavors to the filling. He glanced at Elli and was confused to see her spreading her ice cream all over the top of her slice. She noticed his look and turned red, shyly tucking her hair behind her ear.
"I like to have a bite of ice cream in every bite," she explained before taking a small bite, moaning a little as she did. The apple pie was her favorite thing Doug made, and his house-made ice cream was also fantastic. She missed the flash of red over Cam's cheeks as his eyes widened the sound, but she did look up when he choked on his pie. He coughed and hit his chest, clearing the bit of food and looking embarrassed.
"Are you okay?" Elli asked, concern apparent as she gently rubbed Cam's back. He nodded, still coughing, and Doug sat a glass of water in front of him. Cam gratefully accepted and took a long drink, finally clearing his breathing.
"Careful there, son!" Doug laughed, glad the florist was okay. Elli gave Cam an appraising look, and he just nodded again.
"Yeah, it just went down the wrong pipe," Cam rasped, ignoring the small hand still rubbing circles on his back. He was once again realizing how incredibly attractive the nurse was, and felt terrible about his reaction to an innocent sound.
"Okay, if you're sure," she said, eyeing him some more before going back to her pie. They ate in silence, with Cam feeling incredibly awkward about his choking ordeal and Elli feeling odd about his sudden tension. They finished their pie, feeling quieter than ever.
"Are you sure you're okay? You've gotten really quiet," Elli finally spilled, worry and insecurity evident in her eyes. Cam couldn't help but give her a reassuring smile, feeling an intense need to make her feel more sure.
"Yes. I'm just a bit embarrassed," he explained, still a little red. He pulled on his hat, his nervous habit, and Elli brightened. She gently took his hand.
"No need to be," she said with a kind smile, finding it sweetly returned by Cam. He held her hand lightly, as if she were just a vision and not truly there. Doug silently watched the exchange out of the corner of his eye, holding back an amused chuckle. He wondered from the night of their "just friends" dinner when they would admit their adorable crush on each other. He was glad to see Elli so happy, having watched the girl grow up with his own daughter.
"It's getting late. Want to walk me home?" Elli offered, feeling a little bit more bold. Cam nodded, and offered to pay Doug for the pie, but the barman just smiled and shook his head. He was just proud to be their first date. With a small nod of thanks, Cam walked with Elli to the door, helping her into her coat and opening the door. She was amused at how gentlemanly he was being, but hid her smile in the collar of her coat.
He took her hand this time, enjoying the feel of her slender fingers around his. He noticed her constant looks up at his face, and couldn't stop the faint grin that it caused. Her nose and cheeks turned red in the cold, but thankfully the walk was short, and she stopped outside the clinic.
"Thank you for walking me home, Cam," Elli said, shyly looking at her shoes. Since their kiss, she wasn't quite sure where to stand with the florist. She had never dated anyone before, and didn't know the right way to go about things.
"Thank you for inviting me out here. I'm very happy I came," he admitted, watching her face as she seemed to wrestle with something. He was incredibly surprised when she suddenly leaned up, pressing her lips against the corner of his mouth before pulling away quickly, an odd smile on her face. Cam touched the spot with timid fingers, and Elli laughed.
"I like when you do that," Cam blurted out, and Elli raised her brows.
"Do what?" she asked, playing innocent. Cam just smiled lovingly.
"Everything," he said freely, and Elli felt her heart leap in her chest and pound quickly at the openly loving words. Cam returned the corner of the mouth kiss, lingering just a moment before pulling away with a look Elli had never seen before. His eyes were hooded and he stood close, and Elli felt something stir in her that she hadn't felt in her life.
"Sleep well, Elli. I'll see you in the morning?" Cam asked, and Elli mirrored his movement from earlier, gently touching the place he kissed before nodding slowly, lost in a haze of confusing new feelings.
"I'll meet you at the Inn. Sweet dreams, Cam," she said with a small smile. Cam gave her that mysterious look again and smiled in return.
"Of course," he said before walking away, and Elli watched him leave with a racing heart, wondering what in the world she was feeling for the enigmatic but affectionate florist. She shivered when the wind increased and she stepped into the clinic, not knowing that a dark haired doctor had seen the private exchange of the new lovers.