step daddy 2 - e.d

EIGHTEEN

the bathroom floor is sticky and wet, i'm guessing somebody had a shower right before ethan and i got here since it hasn't dried up yet. i'm not doing myself any favours by pacing up and down in it. my eyes are fixated on the text that i came in here to open up. i start to bite my nails and prop myself up on the bathroom counter, thinking of what to reply with.

rose:
who is this

is the best thing i can think of; just to make sure it's actually him. after carter told me he liked me we pretty much slipped out of contact, so i don't know about any new friends or girlfriends he may have been with in the time we've been apart and i don't want to upset anyone or look like an idiot if this is a prank. either way, it's most likely him and i'm freaking out but i'm not too sure why.

carter:
it's carter

  that's not the best evidence. i don't know what comes over me but i swipe onto his contact and click the facetime option.

there's the familiar ringing for a while before i hear the connecting audio. my stomach flutters and i quickly move the camera away from my face, only showing the wall of the bathroom. unexpectedly, carter actually is the one on the screen. i end the call as quickly as i started it and instantly turn my phone off to avoid him calling or texting back.

the mirror in here is slightly dirty but clear enough for me to see myself. from what i can see i'm luckily not looking hideous.

  all of a sudden there are three harsh knocks quickly followed by ethan's voice, telling me he's concerned since i've been in here for a while.

  i unlock the door and give him a brief smile.

  "i'm good. when are we leaving?"

  "you don't wanna be here anymore?"

  he ushers me back downstairs, placing his hand at the bottom of my back to guide me.

  "i do. just tired."

  "maybe another hour or two."

  we walk into the living room where they're all sat around the table and playing an intense round of uno, with grayson cursing and cameron tightly clutching her cards close to her chest. i'm not surprised that lisa is the only one with a smile on her face, looking happy to be playing the game and spending time with her children while they look as if they're planning to destroy her.

  ethan and i sit and spectate until cameron wins — which she is extremely cocky about. we both join in and play a few games which makes the time go quicker and i find it strange when i'm sad that we have to leave since before i couldn't wait to get home.

  as i slide on my shoes and ethan hugs out his goodbyes with his family, i start to wonder why he called them dysfunctional. they seem pretty normal to me, and they're extremely kind — apart from cameron, who admittedly did eventually start to act as if she didn't loathe me which was a nice feeling.

i guess i shouldn't think too much on it, there's probably a lot i don't know.

  "rose, it was wonderful to meet you! we'll definitely come and visit a few times before the baby is born."

  lisa then proceeds to coo at my stomach which i honestly don't mind although it'll probably become annoying once enough people do it. even cameron hugs me goodbye, and i'm not surprised when grayson starts to have a full blown conversation with the baby which delays our departure.

it feels like ages before we're in the taxi going back to the airport and i'm completely exhausted. whatever weird mood ethan was in earlier today has clearly faded now, maybe he was nervous or just needed to see his family. either way, i'm glad. we rest our heads on each other until we're at the airport. it's a hassle to be so tired and have to fly back home. i know we'll end up falling asleep on the plane which will definitely be inconvenient for when we're home because of jet lag; however we're too tired to care.