Heat raced through my body and yet I shivered. I didn’t doubt that kissing Ethan got better than what it had been. There were a lot of things I had felt in that one kiss and if this was just the beginning…I sighed.
I didn’t want to admit it but I wanted to know more. And I wanted the guy who taught me everything to be Ethan.
Too bad it would never happen again.
Me:I’ll keep that in mind for all of your future girlfriends.
I hoped that was all I needed to say to squelch his assumption that there would be a next time.
Ethan:Good night, friend Collette
I smiled. I felt victorious in our conversation.
Me:Good night, friend Ethan.
I waited for a minute or two to see if Ethan would text me back, but he never did so I rolled off my bed and plugged in my phone. After I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I returned to my room feeling a million times better.
I walked over to my phone, regret settled in my stomach. I hated how I’d left things with Olivia. So I turned on my phone.
Me:Sorry I was a dud tonight. I’lltell you tomorrow, ’kay? Movies?
Olivia:You don’t need to apologize and yes, the movies. Noon?
I sent her a thumbs up and then left my phone to crawl onto my bed and curl up under my covers. I sighed as I closed my eyes.
Now, if I could only convince my heart and head that Ethan and I were only friends, then I’d be golden. But I doubted that was possible. Especially since right now, all I could think about was Ethan’s hands on my body and his lips pressed against mine.
I had a feeling once I entered dream land, he was going to be the main star of my dreams and when I was unconscious, I wasn’t able to tell myself to get a grip.
And even though I knew it should be a problem, if I were really honest, it wasn’t.
Because in my dreams, I could have what I really wanted.
Ethan.
I wokeup in the middle of the night, dying of thirst. My throat felt like sandpaper as I flung the covers from my body and slipped my feet to the cold floor. I winced as my feet took a few seconds to adjust.
I wrapped my blanket around my shoulders and stood. I tiptoed out of my room, making a point to avoid thecreaky floorboards. I winced as I stepped on one. My entire body tensed as I waited for Mom’s door to open.
It never did.
After a few seconds, I blew out my breath, tucked my hair behind my ear, and made a beeline toward the kitchen. As soon as I was in front of the fridge, I pulled open the door and grabbed a water bottle.
“Couldn’t sleep either?”
Mom’s voice made me scream and drop to the floor. Once reality set it that we weren’t getting robbed, embarrassment coursed through me. I scrambled to stand and shut the fridge door.
“You scared me,” I mumbled as I turned to face her. She was sitting at the table with stacks of papers around her and a coffee mug in the middle of it all. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun and her glasses were perched on the tip of her nose.
She looked tired…and stressed.
Not wanting our status quo to be our future relationship, I fought the urge to run back to my room and walked over to the table and sat down. I cracked the lid on my water bottle and took a sip.
Mom was watching me with raised eyebrows and parted lips. Like she wasn’t sure what to make of what I was doing.
“Light reading?” I asked as I scanned the top paper. There were a lotof numbers all over it.
Mom sighed as she leaned her elbows on the tabletop and rubbed her temples. “I couldn’t sleep.”
