"Wow."
I rolled my eyes at Ethan's fake awe and looked at myself in the mirror, straightening out my short, floral summer dress that flowed out at the bottom.
"Give me a break, Lisa picked it out," I sighed. I turned around and raised an eyebrow at him. "You wear glasses?"
"Nope," He chuckled. "They're fake. They make me look smart, though, don't you think?"
"Why would you need to look smart?"
"To impress the family, of course," He brushed off his short-sleeve, button-up shirt before flashing me a grin. "How do I look?"
I stared at him, refusing to admit that the shirt he was wearing fit him very well.
I shrugged. "Good enough, I guess."
He rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Your eyes said something else."
"You're imagining things."
"Am I?"
"Yes, you are."
He chuckled. "Whatever you say. Oh, by the way, what would you say to some drinks after dinner? I overheard that Jackson guy talking about a bar about a block away."
I raised an eyebrow. "Like a date?"
"What is it with you and thinking everything's a date?" He scratched his beard and looked away from me, taking off his round, wire glasses that were apparently fake. "I still know nothing about you, and I figure if I get you drunk you might decide to share."
"I'm not going to get drunk."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm a mess when I'm drunk, and you really shouldn't have to deal with that," I shrugged. "I'll go, but I won't drink a lot."
"We'll have to make sure your 'friend' doesn't follow us. We don't want him whisking you away to some romantic dinner, do we?"
"At least I'd be out of your hands, Coach," I brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear and turned away.
"Maybe," He made his way over to me and held out his hand. "But then you'd be complaining about it for the rest of the trip. Shall we?"
"I don't complain," I took his hand and let him lead me out of the room. "At least, not much."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," He teased. We walked down the stairs and met up with the group, which, now that everyone was together, seemed much larger than before. It consisted of my dad, Lisa, Meghan, Jackson and his mother, Chris (my dad's best man), and his wife. The rest of the group was staying at a nearby hotel.
"You look beautiful, Bec," Jackson said to me. He was out of earshot of the others, but Ethan squeezed my hand tighter at that. Jackson smirked when he looked at Ethan and back to me. "I figure someone should say it to you."
I blushed and looked down at my feet. I didn't expect Ethan to compliment me, because we weren't dating. Jackson knew that.
"Will you be quiet? Someone might hear you," I muttered.
Jackson shrugged and walked away, so I sighed.
"This is going to be a nightmare," I mumbled.
"You do, by the way," Ethan said quietly. "Look beautiful, I mean. Er, you know, better than you normally do. Uh, wait, I didn't mean—"
"Ethan, I don't care. Just ignore him," I turned away. "You don't have to feel bad."
He let out an annoyed breath and dropped it. Lisa came over and dragged me away from Ethan, a big smile on her face.
"I was telling your father all about our shopping trip earlier, and he's very excited that you're finally opening up to me," She giggled when I looked back at Ethan, who was standing with his arms folded as he spoke with Chris. "Did he like the dress I gave you?"
I tilted my head as we made our way out of the beach house, walking to the dinner place. "What?"
"Ethan. Did he like the dress? I'm sure he'll be all over you tonight, you look gorgeous."
I tried to control the blush spreading on my face and shrugged. "Yeah. Uh, yeah, he definitely liked it."
Her smile faded a little. "Uh oh. You guys aren't fighting, are you?"
"What? No," I cursed at how bad of an actress I was. "No, we're doing great. Yep, totally in love."
"Ethan!" Lisa called back as we walked and I widened my eyes, putting my head in my hands. She continued. "Come here for a second!"
I removed my hands and Ethan met my eyes, frowning and walking over. "Yeah?"
"Are you and Rebecca fighting?"
I shook my head at him, so he wrapped an arm around my waist and put on his fake smile. "No...why would you think that?"
"Because you guys don't seem that close," She tilted her head. "You've only kissed once since we've been here, and I know new couples like you would be all over each other."
"What, like this?" I dramatically wrapped my arms around Ethan's neck and crashed my lips onto his, making him hum in surprise but start kissing me back for the act.
I pulled away after a few seconds and looked back at Lisa. "We were trying to be polite and not be all 'lovey-dovey'."
I felt Ethan's eyes on me long after the kiss, but I shrugged it off when Lisa spoke with a smile.
"Well, you shouldn't have to worry around us. We're family," She grinned. "I'm glad to see you're getting along."
She walked away from us at that, and I quickly turned to Ethan.
"I am so, so sorry. She was getting suspicious and I didn't want her to—"
"Hey, it's fine," He shrugged, but I almost noticed a light blush on his face before he turned away from me. "I'm the one who started this whole thing."
I sighed in relief. "Okay. It won't happen again."
He shrugged again, and even though he didn't smile, his eyes were filled with amusement as he spoke again. "I don't mind. You taste like strawberries."
My eyes widened in embarrassment. "You're such a jerk."
He smirked and walked away, leaving me a blushing mess as he picked up his conversation with Chris and his wife.
*****
Ethan rested his hand on my leg when the topic of conversation changed, and it took everything in me not to glare at him. I understood that he was trying to comfort me, but I didn't like the fact that he felt that he could do whatever he wanted.
Instead, I let out a breath and put my hand on his, answering the question that Jackson's mother had asked me.
"Uh, yeah, I gave that up years ago," I shrugged.
"She's far too busy for art," My father added. "She's always been work-oriented."
"Just, out of curiosity," Ethan spoke up and my father turned his attention to him. "What would you have done if she did decide to become an artist?"
I turned my head to glare at him, but my dad answered.
"Well, I would be disappointed," He stated. "She has more potential than that."
I bit my tongue, but Ethan continued.
"Even if she was passionate about it? You wouldn't let her do what she loves?"
"Ethan," I gritted my teeth and squeezed his hand. "Stop."
"I wouldn't be able to stop her," My father said. "But I sure as hell know that her mother wouldn't approve. Isn't that right, Becca?"
It took everything in me not to yell, and instead I brought my hand away from Ethan's. "Yep."
I finished eating my food and chugged my drink before standing to my feet.
"I hope you don't mind, but Ethan and I have plans and should be going. Right, babe?"
I kicked his shin and he grunted, glaring at me but nodding. "Yes, we should. Thanks for dinner, Brian."
"Don't stay out too late," Lisa said happily. "Tomorrow is my bachelorette party!"
"I'll remember," I grabbed Ethan's hand and gave my best fake smile before dragging him out of the restaurant.
"What the hell was that for?" He rubbed his leg but jogged to keep up with me as I walked on the sidewalk.
"You're one to talk," I sighed, trying my best not to get angry and taking a deep breath in. "Were you trying to get me in trouble?"
"I was trying to help, Princess. Hey," He grabbed my arm and turned me so I was facing him. "You need to tell him the truth. You won't relax unless you get it off your chest."
I pulled my arm away from him. "What about you? You have secrets, too."
"Yeah, well I don't kill myself trying to keep them," He let go of me and sighed. "It's like watching a fucking train wreck."
I went quiet, staring into his greenish eyes. After a minute, I shrugged. "I think we need a drink.