In a small Arizona town, average teen Ethan Chen is just trying to survive another day of hell, er, high school with his best friend, Tweed, at his side. However, his world is turned upside-down when he learns that their favorite hang-out spot is cl...
"As if that counts! He started as a character in adult comics!" he argued, and Ethan's lips quirked up.
"Sounds like you know comics pretty well," Ethan observed with a grin as Oliver's face flushed. He looked down at his empty plate.
"No, my, uh- friend! My childhood friend liked comics!" he tried to explain, but Ethan tutted.
"Reading comics is nothing you should be ashamed of. Comics are better than real life," he said, and Tweed groaned across the table.
"Now I have to deal with twice the comic-book talk. Why did you give him a partner-in-crime to torture me?" Tweed cried to the sky emphatically.
Mara stretched out her legs, her eyelids fluttering as she shifted in her seat. She had long chucked off her shoes, and her legs were propped on the seat, curved like a mermaid on a rock. She turned her body to face Tweed, and her head slumped on his shoulder.
His eyes widened, and his body stiffened as her sudden presence on his body jolted him completely awake. Oliver and Ethan stifled their laughter.
"Torture, us? Your cheesiness could give someone high enough cholesterol to kill them," Oliver teased and high-fived Ethan as Karen stood from the table, beginning to clean up the back. Ethan got up as well to help her, but she waved him off, ordering him to sit back down.
"My mother would rise from the grave and kill me if she learned that I set you to do any work," she said, and Ethan smiled as he sat back down, yawning.
"I think we should head home before you fall asleep," Oliver noted, regarding Ethan with his head cocked to the side.
Ethan agreed and got back out of the booth, stretching languidly and looking to Tweed, who was now holding Mara and scooting out of the booth, his jacket over her bare legs.
"She's knocked out," he said, and they all laughed.
"She's such a lightweight, even at sleepovers," Oliver said, and suddenly, Tweed stopped, his eyes narrowed at Oliver, who held his hands up in a surrender-like motion.
"Don't mistake her for Ethan at a sleepover," Tweed mocked in faux-seriousness, and Oliver crossed his fingers over his chest. Satisfied, Tweed continued carrying Mara to her car. They watched as Tweed woke her up to ask her where her keys were, and she grumbled, going back to sleep.
Ethan snorted at this as he and Oliver made their way to Tweed's car. Once they were inside, silence settled on them like a blanket of snow.
"Just for the record, this was the best not-first-date I've ever been on," Oliver murmured. Ethan smiled, his teeth glinting under the lights of the bakery that spilled from the sun-shaped windows.
"I'm glad that you weren't disappointed," he said, and the moment seemed to carry on as Oliver's calm, amber eyes admired his own dark eyes. He saw those beautiful eyes get closer and closer until their lips met.
Oliver's lips were warm and sweet as he cupped Ethan's cheek. Their breaths mingled together as their kiss deepened.
When they broke away, they were panting slightly, and Ethan bit his lip, his nerves feeling like electricity were running through them.
"Was that a good first kiss?" Oliver asked, tilting his head, regarding Ethan's elated look. He tried to straighten his face into seriousness as he turned back to Oliver.
"How do you know that was my first kiss?" he gambled loftily. Oliver shook his head, smacking Ethan's arm as he turned the radio on and leaned his head against the headrest. Ethan spent a few more moments trying to collect his emotions, which were all over the place, as the soft melodies of lo-fi beats drifted to his ears.
When he managed to stop his hands from shaking, he put the car in reverse, making sure no one was behind them. Before Ethan pulled out of the parking lot, the visions of the sun-shaped windows illuminated his sight. He grinned to himself, feeling a flare of safety as he headed to drop Oliver home.
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*takes moment of silence to gather words*
Wow... I can't believe this is it—the end! This is the last official chapter of The Donut Shop, so I have to ask... What did you guys think? Who was your favorite character and what was your favorite moment? Any moments that made you cry or laugh till you cried?
Let me know down in the comments! I want to thank you all for hanging on this rocky rollercoaster of a ride with me. It's been a long journey with a lot of (positive and negative) feedback given, but I didn't feel discouraged because of y'all's comments.
Like the ending of Alphabet, I have something special in store for you guys in the next few chapters, so stick around for some behind-the-scenes action. Until next time, I'll catch you all later! Signing out, Reena
Word Count: TBA
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