Coffee Beans

Mark.

"I've brought some cake for you to give in the food packs." She stepped back and picked up the carrier bag. Although visibly annoyed at the change in the situation, Mark nodded his approval of every cake she showed him. After the walnut sponge, he stopped looking at the cakes themselves and kept his eyes latched onto Ellie.

Feeling his stare, she avoided looking straight at him and instead focused on the cakes. She proceeded to babble on about which of the cakes were gluten-free or which were made using nuts. Of course, this was important information, but it was also all written down in the notepad that she used for this exact reason. Ellie took the risk of looking up at him and was disheartened to find him gazing only at her; Mark was blind to anything she was holding in her hands.

"Are you even paying attention?" she asked, feeling hurt. Some of the women in the office began to mutter among themselves, the tapping of keyboards slowly fading to silence. 

Mark shifted his weight from one foot to the other and clenched his jaw. "How about we go somewhere else?" He suggested, holding his hand out.

Ellie put the walnut sponge back into the carrier bag, gently resting it on top of the other cakes. "I don't have the time, unfortunately," she said slowly, glancing down at her watch. "The cafe has to open in an hour so I'd best be going. In this weather, it takes the hot water tank a little longer to warm up." She took her name badge off and put it into Mark's open hand. "Thanks for the offer though."

She zipped up her coat and handed the carrier bag to one of the women behind her. It didn't take her long to reach the front desk where she let out a sigh.

"Mark not there after all?" The guard asked, biting into a heavily iced doughnut.

Ellie laughed nervously and re-adjusted her woolly hat. "No, he was there, but not to worry; life goes on. 

The guard's face crumpled into a confused expression but Ellie was out of the building and out of sight before he could ask what she'd meant.