Delicate: Ethan Laundry

Eight.

As soon as the car door shuts, Sam locks it with a click. Tara was already at the apartment complex door, unlocking it with her key and holding it open for us. Lakyn looks up at me with pleading eyes, ones that begged me to go faster without her even having to say anything.

"Hold on!" I chuckle, scooping her up into my arms bridal-style again, and taking off into a run as the chilly breeze kisses my face. Lakyn tightens her grip around me, giggling as my feet pound against the pavement as I swiftly approach the entrance. I hear Sam laugh behind me, the pounding of her feet indicating that she was tailing me as I beat her into the apartment. Once both of us were inside, Tara shut the door, laughing with Sam about the exchange as I place Lakyn delicately down on her feet.

"See?" I smile, cupping her face with my hands, "all safe, and now we can go relax upstairs together, wind down and such."

"You are so perfect, Ethan." She smiles up at me through her lashes, and I notice a faint blush kissing her cheeks and I move my hands down to grip her waist, "I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"And I don't know what I did to deserve you," I pull her closer to me by her waist gently, "but I sure am glad we found each other."

Lakyn stands on her tip-toes, wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing her soft lips to mine. I pull her body closer to me, feeling her front side press up against mine as I hold her in a tight embrace, moving my lips against hers, tasting her. I could never get sick of this, the way she giggles in between kisses, the way she reacts to my touch and how I react to hers, the floral scent to her body and the vanilla taste of her lips as I kiss her, running my hands through her soft brown hair.

This girl is my home now, and I'll stop at nothing to keep her safe, to make her happy. I am going to love the absolute shit out of Lakyn Carpenter; and she is going to love the shit out of me.

"Stop sucking face and get in the elevator!" Samantha calls for us, holding the door open as Tara stands inside the elevator looking at her phone.

Lakyn pulls away and rolls her eyes, I interlace my fingers with hers as we walk the few steps to the elevator, stepping inside as it's doors close before it takes us up to our floor, which was only floor two so it wasn't long before we made our way into the apartment.

"Come here Lay," Tara grabs her hand, pulling her from me, "I'll help you get some of your pills down."

I squint my eyes in confusion, looking between the girls, "aren't the pills in her hospital bag? The ones the doctor prescribed?"

Lakyn shares a giggle with Tara, before stepping closer to me and tapping my nose cutely with her finger, "she means my birth control, and my prozac, allergy meds, and so on."

I bring my finger to tap her nose, retaliating what she had just done to me, she giggles at this, walking to the kitchen with Tara.

I turn my attention to Sam, who is locking all of the six locks on the door to ensure our safety; I take a few steps in her direction, examining what she was doing and if I could do anything to help. I have a feeling even the top security grade alarm system couldn't keep this ghost face out, if he really wants to get in.

"Dude, do you see how your girlfriend was attacked?" Sam turns to look at me, "do not judge me for having six locks on my door."

"I'm not." I walk behind the sofa-chair in the living room, using both my hands to push it tightly up against the door, kicking it a few times with my foot to keep it in place.

"I'll be fucking damned if someone makes it into this apartment," I pause, mumbling under my breath, "...if someone gets to her again."

Sam pats me on the shoulder, looking into my eyes with an expression laced with sympathy, "she's going to be alright Ethan, especially since she has all of us, and you, to protect her."