Page 100 of Enchanted

Ethan was still humming softly when I got to his door. I smiled as I recognised it as one of Caffeine Daydreams’ new songs. I rapped lightly on the wood. “Eth? Can I come in?”

“Rami?” The excited pitch of his voice had me wanting to break into song myself.

“Yep,” I said. “Expecting someone else?”

The door flew open to reveal Ethan, his cheeks flushed from exertion, his eyes bright. “No, but I wasn’t expecting you either.”

“Oh.” His words caught me off guard. “Sorry, I thought you might be hungry so I brought dinner…but I can go if now isn’t good?”

He rolled his eyes before grabbing the front of my shirt and using it to tow me into his room. “Absolutely not, you plonker. I just meant this is a surprise. A nice one.”

“Phew.” I pulled him into a hug, breathing a little easier now he was in my arms. “Because I probably wouldn’t have left. Just gone downstairs and pouted until you took pity on me.”

“I can well believe it,” Ethan said wryly. “Thanks for bringing food though. You didn’t need to do that.”

“I know. I wanted to.”

He stepped backwards and ran a sheepish hand over the back of his neck as he gestured at his room. “Sorry about the mess. I’m in the middle of unpacking.”

“How was the move?”

“Fine.” Ethan shrugged. “No sign of Dave. He’d already boxed up most of my stuff, which made it quicker.”

My fingers twitched as though they were wrapped around Dave’s neck. “I’m sorry, Ethan.”

“It’s fine,” he replied quickly. “Honestly, I didn’t care.”

“Are you sure? You were together a long time.”

“We were, but…” He exhaled and shook his head. “I feel like we’ve been over for a long time. If it weren’t for my diagnosis, I suspect Dave would’ve ended it months ago.”

“I can’t decide whether it makes it better or worse that he didn’t, even with your diagnosis.”

“Me either,” Ethan said, sliding his arms around my waist. “But you want to know what I am certain about?”

“What?”

“This,” he said shyly, smiling up at me. “You. Us. Whatever this is. It’s making me happier than I’ve been in…well, ever. I don’t want to scare you or anything, I just…I don’t know. You make me happy.”

“Hearing that will never scare me,” I croaked, holding him tight. “You make me happy too, Eth. Happier than I’ve ever been.”

“Good.” He stepped back with a cheeky grin hopping up onto his desk. “I need a break from unpacking. What do you think about helping me christen this room?”

I cleared my throat, raising my voice just a little. “I think your housemates better make themselves scarce or put noise-cancelling headphones on, because I can’t promise to be quiet.”

I heard two sighs, then the front door opened, and Darius and Dahlia stepped outside the wards. In the room a couple of doors away, Quill chuckled. “Headphones going on, my man. Enjoy.”

Ethan smirked up at me, completely unaware of the privacy I’d just guaranteed us. “They had better, because I don’t think I can be either.”

Those were the last words spoken between us for a while.

But, as promised, there was a lot of noise.

Chapter 27

Ethan

Much later, Rami snuck downstairs to snag us some pizza. The fact that it was stone cold only made it better in my eyes.