drunk voicemails ➟ ethma

2.8

twenty-eight | don't let alcohol be your downfall

ETHAN
FRIDAY | ZERO DRINKS

The key in ignoring withdrawal symptoms—or at least try to through its demanding urge to be heard—is to keep busy. Ethan has learned that laying around in bed all day clouds his mind with urgent and forceful requests to drown his sorrows with alcohol. It also intensifies all of the side effects because its the only thing his mind and body can focus on.

Ethan has been afraid that he'll be left alone in his struggle to sobriety. He is very much against the idea of attending support meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous. He doesn't care to hear about the tragic sob stories of others because he knows without a doubt that none of them will be similar to his. The only commonality they share is the fact that they find it difficult to set an alcoholic beverage down for good. The main conflict that Ethan is facing is the emotional trauma he took with him from the incident.

With Emma's promise fresh in his mind, he can only pray that she'll keep it. Ethan has made a personal vow to himself and to Emma that he'll stop drinking because it's the only thing at this point that could tear them apart. They've faced a large roadblock in their friendship for the span of two years and Ethan knows that he can't allow that to occur again.

It's the day after they shared their first kiss together and Emma told Ethan that she'd be back again today to go over the strategy in keeping him sober. Or as Emma called it: Don't Let Alcohol be Your Downfall. She wanted to discuss the ramifications of his previous behaviors and how to overcome them together. Emma hasn't really spoken about their kiss, but after it happened there wasn't any awkward tension like he expected there to be.

Ethan was watching a movie on Netflix to distract himself when there's a knock at the door. He searches for the remote and when he finds it, he turns the television off and gets up to answer the door. Ethan twists the doorknob and pulls the door back to reveal Emma.

She's wearing an oversized hoodie that reaches to her mid-thigh and her hair is in a messy bun as usual. In her arms is a brown paper grocery bag that looks like it's about to burst. She scrambles inside his apartment to set the bag down on the kitchen counter.

"What's all this for?" Ethan asks as she removes the items from the bag.

"I did some research on what you should eat for your alcohol detox and wanted to bring you some things. I found out that alcohol dehydrates the body so you have to drink a lot of water to make up for it. It also suggests that you have soup instead of heavy meals since the side effects can cause a loss of appetite. So of course I brought you various soups—because we both know I can't cook—and then some vitamins that should help," Emma answers.

Ethan looks at her in amazement because he can't believe that she took the time to research all of this and go out of her way to buy him food.

"Emma, I can't thank you enough," Ethan says.

She simply smiles in response and begins to go over the plan she came up with.

"So I figured I'd come over once a day to check in on you and if you need something to keep you occupied then we can go out and do something. I also thought it'd be a good idea to call you in the morning and before bed to make sure you're doing alright. Oh—and if you want to hang out, I'll drive because I don't want you to lose control of your actions and go to a bar instead."

"You really don't mind coming over every day? What if you have plans?" Ethan questions.

"No I don't mind, E. I made a promise that I'd help
you through this. And if I have plans, you can just come with me if you want. I'm sure anything is fine if it keeps you busy, right?" Emma replies.

"At least it'll give us time to make up for the last two years," He says.

She nods, "Are you alright telling me your triggers? Like the things that make you feel uncomfortable when you think about it or see it? We're going to have to work on those to help lessen your negative feelings toward them."

Ethan thinks back to the day that haunts him and the few that follow it. Ever since it's happened, there have been a few things that set him off when he comes across them.

"Well, Ryan would be the main one. It's hard to get his face to go away during my nightmares. Whenever I pass that convenience store I always get upset and um... that day I went to talk to you and you slammed the door on me. I think that's about it," Ethan lists.

Emma reaches out to hold his hand, "So what we have to do is turn those negative feelings into something positive so when you think of them, you replace it with a different, more positive thought."

"How would we do that?" He asks.

"Okay, so for starters, we can go to my house and re-enact that scene, but with different context. We could come up with a humorous, made-up back story and from that point on, you think of that instead of what you initially associated it with."

"I think that makes sense. So I could pretend that I accidentally killed your favorite, nonexistent pet gold fish and you're super devastated about it and then you slam the door on me?" Ethan questions.

"Exactly! It didn't actually happen and that's super funny, right? I could even scream about how the fish cured my depression and that it was the only one that made me coffee," Emma laughs.

Ethan is already smiling at the thought of their fake theatrics. It sounded much better than the actual origin of the event. The past won't ever truly let him forget what happened, but he can at least try to replace it. The fact that Emma is being so kind and supportive to him is already helping him recover, even if it's just the tiniest improvement.

"Come here," Ethan says, holding out his arms.

Emma takes a step to remove the gap between the them and places her arms around his neck. He pulls her in tight and places his chin on top of her head.

"I'd be lost without you," He states.

She looks up him and grins, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Ethan lays his head on her shoulder and rocks them back and forth. Although his head is pounding and his heart is beating at an abnormally fast pace, her touch can momentarily cease his pain.

"I thought your feelings went away for me?" Ethan asks.

"They did, but that was before I knew the truth. Being around you again brought something back that I thought went away, but I guess it never truly left." Emma explained.

"I hope I can fix what I put you through for the last two years," He admits.

"You already have."

—

Hey guys! I'm sorry I vanished for the last three months but I'm determined to finish this story. Also the holy trinity videos have blessed us and now ethma will hopefully rise again. Let me know what you thought of the chapter!