[b]To Ellanor's surprise, the feeling of Marken's arms wrapped around her was oddly therapeutic and calming. And when he told her it would be "fine," she felt her stress easing away, like ice melting. Soon, Ellanor felt less overwhelmed and looked up at Marken, not fully comprehending how vulnerable she looked yet, simply because she really was vulnerable at the moment. She had to at least know that the man who would kiss her first didn't detest her very existence.

"You don't hate me, do you?" Ellanor asked softly, her voice more pleading than she intended it to be. As Ellanor awaited Marken's answer, her hands clung tighter to his coat and she leaned in hesitantly and closed the distance between them. She held in her breath and brought her face closer to his as she rose to the tip of her toes, her weight pressing on him a bit more.

Ellanor could feel herself getting dizzy as her heartbeat began to speed up, hearing it pounding away in her ears now. Was this a normal reaction to being close to someone else?[/b]