Matt had known Ellie since she was small enough to sit on the kitchen counter and swing her legs like they didn’t quite belong to her yet.

Back then, she followed him and her older brother, Nate, everywhere. Always a few steps behind. Always trusting.

“Matt, look.” “Matt, help me.” “Matt, watch this.”

And the nickname stuck.

“Careful, angel.” “Easy, angel.” “C’mon, angel.”

It never went away.

Even now.

Because Ellie still looked at the world like it hadn’t given her a reason not to.

And Matt noticed everything.

So when Nate dragged him to the hockey banquet, loud and crowded, Matt wasn’t expecting Ellie to be there.

But she was.

Sitting quietly at a table, hands folded, eyes scanning the room like she didn’t quite know what to do with it.

Too unsure.

Matt’s chest tightened.

“What’s she doing here?” he muttered.

Nate shrugged. “Mom made me bring her.”

Matt didn’t like that.

Not here.

Not around them.

Ellie spotted them then, her face softening. “Hi, Matt.”

“Hey, angel.” His voice shifted instantly. “You okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just loud.”

“Yeah,” he muttered.

Nate got pulled away, leaving Ellie alone.

With them.

Matt stayed.

At first, it was fine. Easy conversation. Ellie asking questions about hockey, genuinely interested.

Then—

A few of Matt’s teammates wandered over.

“Who’s this?” one asked.

“Nate’s sister,” Matt said.

Ellie smiled politely. “Hi.”

“Didn’t know Nate had a sister like you,” another said, looking her over.

Matt’s jaw tightened.

Ellie just blinked. “Thanks?”

“You got a boyfriend?” someone asked.

“No—” Matt cut in.

Ellie looked at him, confused.

“I was asking her,” the guy laughed.

Ellie tilted her head. “Why?”

They paused.

“Why does it matter?” she added, genuinely asking.

Matt exhaled sharply.

“She really doesn’t know,” one of them smirked. “Maybe I could change that.”

Ellie frowned. “Change what?”

Matt stepped forward.

“Alright,” he said low. “That’s enough.”

“Relax, man—”

“You’re done talking.”

Something in his tone made them back off, laughing as they walked away.

Ellie watched them, then looked at him. “What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she said softly. “Why were they acting like that?”

Matt hesitated. “Ellie… you don’t have to talk to guys like that.”

“I was just being nice.”

“I know.”

She studied him. “Were they flirting with me?”

Matt’s shoulders tensed. “Yeah.”

“Oh.”

Not embarrassed.

Just… processing.

“Is that bad?” she asked.

“No,” he said quietly. “It’s not bad.”

“Then why did you get mad?”

He hesitated.

Because the real answer wasn’t simple.

Matt reached out, gently tilting her chin up so she’d look at him.

“Because,” he said softly, “you don’t even know what they meant.”

Ellie held his gaze. “And you do?”

“Yeah.”

A pause.

Then, quieter—

“Stay close to me tonight, angel. Okay?”

Ellie nodded. “Okay.”

And she did.

The whole night.

Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Like she trusted him to keep her safe.

Like she always had.

And Matt?

He didn’t let her out of his sight once.