Alps ✰ Ethma

THIRTY SEVEN

Emma

The Hallway of The Cruise

"Ethan! Put me down asshole!" I screamed as Ethan picked me up by my hips & threw me over his bare shoulder.

"Shh! You're gonna wake the whole boat up!" He shushed me, a small chuckle escaping his lips & sending vibrations through his chest as my cheek was pressed flush against the skin of his back. I groaned as my body swung back & forth slightly from being carried. Ethan's feet padded softly against the purple-carpeted floor of the hallway as he continued walking.

"Put me down Ethan!" I whisper shouted, "It was a joke, I know you're not fat okay?!" I pressed the palms of my hands flat against his muscular back & tried to push away from his body but failed.

"Oh yeah, it sure seems like it when you clearly said the only exercise I get is from 'running my mouth and jumping to conclusions'." He grumbled & I bit my lip, a small laugh escaping me as the joke I had made resurfaced from when Ethan was eating all of my snacks in my designated room earlier.

"Would you just put me down?" I asked, letting my arms & upper body hang limply against his back as I gave up.

"Nope." He responded, popping his lips together on the 'p'.

"Asshole." I muttered & he snorted, his shoulder blades twitching up slightly. The smell of chlorine then entered my nose & I breathed it in deeply, noticing how it smelt like both chemicals & the ocean mixed together. I could tell from my upside down view of the now closing door, that we had entered our destination of the room that had the boat's pool & hot tub in it.

"Call me an asshole again and I'm throwing you in the pool." Ethan threatened & my eyebrows narrowed at the wooden wall across the steamy room.

"That's not very nice, you're my boyfriend, you're supposed to be nice to me." I pointed out & he sighed, his upper body moving up & then down heavily.

"We finally get a peaceful night alone with each other and you just have to ruin it." He tisked & my mouth fell open in offended shock.

"You're the one man handling me over your shoulder after I made a simple joke!" I reminded him, raising my voice slightly. I could imagine the smirk forming on his face from my obvious annoyance & he twisted his body from side to side, making me sway greatly. I groaned.

"What's wrong?" He mused, not stopping his actions.

"Stop it, you're giving me a fucking headache you asshole!" I shouted, my hands flying to my temples & before I could process the words that left my mouth, my body collided with room temperature water as I sank into it. I gasped as my head went underwater & I quickly swam back up to the surface of the pool water. I grabbed onto the side of the pool & glared up at Ethan who was smiling down at me with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"What'd I tell you?" He asked & I flipped him off, looking away as I pressed my palms flat against the floor next to the pool in order to push myself up & out of the slightly cold water.

"Such a dickhead." I mumbled as I stood up, wrapping my arms around myself as I shivered slightly. I was wearing a pale-olive green bikini that contrasted well against my lightly tanned skin, but also exposed a few of the faint bruises scattered around my stomach & the dark, fingerprint-sized bruises on my hips bones. All from Cameron. They were a constant reminder of what had happened. A constant pain.

"Maybe, but I'm your dickhead." Ethan smoothed from behind me & I rolled my eyes, coming out of my thoughts as an unwanted smile formed on my lips.