I sobbed into Madison's arms as she held me tightly, rubbing my back with support.
"It's okay," she assured me, pulling away.
"What you did was right," she nodded, smiling.
"Take this time to figure out stuff," she shrugged, "making you really do like him and you'll figure it out. And if it's meant to be, it's meant to be." She smiled.
I nodded slightly, wiping my eyes with tissues. She gives the best advice.
Madison had taken me to my house so we could hang out for a bit, while my parents were at work and siblings were at school. I notified my mom saying I wasn't feeling well and she rang the school.
"Now, go get changed and we'll have ourselves some fun!" She cheered, standing up and shaking her hips, continuing to dance as she walked over to the kitchen and began cooking.
I giggled at her actions and ran upstairs to quickly change.
I chucked on an oversized t-shirt and put on some spandex shorts with some black, fluffy socks.
I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, pulling out random strings of hair so I didn't look like a bald man.
I ran back downstairs again and helped Madison cook whatever she was.
***
"How can they leave us at that!" I whined, throwing popcorn at the TV.
"I need the next episode of Riverdale, now!" Madison sulked, banging the couch with her fists multiple times.
We both laughed and checked the time.
It had turned dark out and it was 6:54 in the afternoon.
"Time flew, huh?" She said, getting up off the couch.
Then I remembered.
"Time flies when you're having such a good time."
I have to stop thinking about him...
"I'll clean up, you just go upstairs and get ready for bed, then maybe we can paint our nails and stuff" She laughed, "and if you're quick I'll read you a bedtime story."
I laughed at her slight mock of me being a child, and went on upstairs to wash my face and do my hair. I cleansed off my makeup and let my hair fall out. I didn't feel like pampering myself tonight, I just wasn't in the mood.
As I was about to go downstairs, I heard slight knocks at my window. I decided to ignore the first one, as it could've been the tree hitting the window.
But then I heard a second one.
And a third.
Then a fourth.
I went over to my window reluctantly and grabbed the baseball bat from under my bed.
Safety first, right?
I peaked down from the window and saw a silhouette standing at the bottom. I opened my window to see clearer who it was.
"Elena," his voice called, almost as a whisper.
"What're you doing here?" I asked in disbelief.
"You need to come with me," he said, louder than before.
"I-," I stuttered, "I can't."
"Please, Elena, trust me." He begged, taking a step back.
"But its cold," I whined.
Next thing I know, he tossed up a familiar sweatshirt. It was the same Adidas sweatshirt he gave me that night I slept at his house.
"Please," he said, softly.
I reluctantly agreed, putting on the sweatshirt.
"How the hell am I gonna get down?" I whisper-shouted.
"...I'll catch you." He said, fear evident in his voice.
And that's when I started to freak out.
"Are you kidding me?!" I whisper-shouted, "are you insane? I'm not jumping to my death!"
"Please, Elena, you have to trust me," he said, rubbing his forehead slightly frustrated.
I stood there for a minute, contemplating what the hell I was doing. And then, because of my stupidness, I decided to jump.
"On 3." I said, louder so he could hear me. I quickly put on some warm uggs.
He looked up, and shot me toothy smile, his bright white teeth shining in the darkness.
"1," I said, taking a deep breath and throwing the baseball bat I still had in my hand. I switched off the light.
"2," I said, climbing out of the window, closing my eyes,
"3," I said doing a quick prayer.
Then.
I jumped.
And it was terrifying.
The wind hit my face, giving me a cold shiver. I shut my eyes tightly as I waited for him to catch me.
And then I felt it.
A pair of strong, muscular arms cradle me tightly, as I lay there, bridal style, with my eyes sealed shut, wishing this was all such a dream.
"I told you." He said, just before I opened my eyes.
I huffed and motioned for him to put me down, and he hesitantly did. As I landed down, the wind breeze suddenly hit me, taking me into a fit of shivers.
"It's freezing!" I whined, crossing my arms to keep myself warm.
Then, he handed me a pair of leggings and a beanie.
"Put these on." He said, as he turned around.
I looked at the clothing and thought it was better than spandex shorts and so I put them on. I felt much warmer.
"Thanks," I whispered, with a half smile.
I can't believe I'm doing this, I can't believe I just jumped out of a window for this damn boy. I have no control over myself I swear.
As we snuck beside the house, I remembered Madison. I checked my phone and realised she had texted me.
-
Madison👸🏽:
i see ur light off so im guessing ur sleeping lol
have a good night, ill see u tomorrow :)
take care
-
I smiled at her text and realised the downstairs light go off, and the front door open. I see Madison walk out and she's very close.
"I-" Ethan began, but I quickly wrapped my hand on his mouth making him shut up and pulled him against the wall so Madison didn't see us. God knows what she'd do if he saw me sneaking out with him.
I waited for her to go to her car, but she was taking forever. I hadn't realised I still had my hand plastered against his mouth and that we were pressed up against each other in this little gap.
I removed my hand and he gave me a slight smirk with a raised brow. I looked him in the eye, for what seemed like forever, and it was different. The feeling towards him was different.
It wasn't the soft and sweet feeling, it was like, nothing.
It was such a foreign feeling.
I saw him as just a friend.
There was no more connection. At least, for me.
He still looked at me like I was the greatest thing he'd ever seen, which broke my heart even more knowing I can't return the feeling.
But then again, did he even feel it? He's a player. Everyone knows it. He was probably a pro at making girls believe he loves them, only to get in their pants.
I put my finger over my lip, signalling him to be quiet as I peaked my head around the corner to see if she'd gone yet. She was sitting in her car and about to turn the engine on.
Thank god, because being stuck here with Ethan is definitely was not on my list of things to do tonight. The sooner we get this over with the better.
Finally, she had driven out of the driveway and I lead Ethan out of that gap.
"She's gone," I said, taking one final check.
"Lets go, then," Ethan said, half smiling.
I nodded as we walked silently out of my backyard and out into the driveway. I noticed a motorbike sitting behind a bush, unseen.
We stopped in front of it and I stood there, arms crossed, "oh, hell no." I shook my head.
"Okay, if you want to walk and get chased by weird animals-" he said, holding up his hands in defeat.
That didn't sound any better. But, I didn't want to go on his bike! I'm too scared.
"I promise, nothing will happen to you," he said, lowering down a bit so he was sort of at my level. He held out the helmet.
I slowly nodded, taking his helmet in my hands and walking closer to the bike. He helped me put on the helmet and then sat me down on the back of the bike. He sat in front, holding onto the handles.
"What about your helmet?" I asked, fear in my voice.
"Your safety before mine, babe," he said, with a slight chuckle.
He started the engine and faster than I could comprehend, he zoomed off into the road, causing me to latch onto his strong, muscular back tightly. My hair was tucked beneath the sweater Ethan gave me, so it wouldn't fly in our faces.
Every time he sped up, I would hold on tighter, which he seemed to enjoy.
Asshole.
After 10 minutes, I got tired of holding my head up behind his shoulder, so I rested it on the back of his back, making him get a little bit tense.
"Are we there yet?" I said, loudly so he could hear.
"Almost, babe, hang in there," he replied.
Again, with the 'babe'. Every time he says it, I get more and more attracted to him. Doesn't he know I don't want that? Doesn't he know, that if this ends badly, it's going to stuff me up horribly?
After a while of thinking, the bike started slowing down and came to a sudden stop. I lifted up my head to see where we were at. It seemed to be a park.
But a beautiful one.
There were fountains, carved bushes, colorful trees. It was stunning.
"We're here," he sounded satisfied.
I got off the bike and he got off with me. I stood there still looking at the park.
"Do you want to take the helmet off?" He said, amused, watching me.
I nodded and he reached out his hands to take off the helmet. Once it was off, the park looked even more magical.
"It's beautiful," I whispered, not meaning to speak aloud.
"It's even more beautiful inside, come," he said, taking my hand and leading the way.
I didn't bother to release my hand as I was too mesmerised by the trees.
We snuck through bushes, walked off from the trail and walked to why seemed like the middle of no where.
I started noticing a light in the distance. Well, many lights. He kept walking and I could see him smile to himself.
We came to a stop and he told me to close my eyes. I gave him a funny look and reluctantly closed them.
"You're not going to kill me, are you?" I gulped, sounding half-true.
"Maybe." He said, with a low chuckle.
I tensed and started to panic, he must've noticed by my hand.
"Relax, Elena, I'm joking," he laughed and released my hand, but slithered his arm around my waist.
He stopped, and I stopped. "We're here," he said, removing my hands from my eyes.
I looked down and gasped loudly, totally shocked at what I was looking at. He actually did this?
"You didn't," I said, smiling widely with a hint of a laugh.
I looked down at the several scented candles scattered around a fuzzy picnic blanket that held all sorts of midnight snacks.
"Sit down," he instructed as he made his way over.
I sat down, across from him, feeling tears well up in my eyes.
"You did this?" I said, covering my mouth in shock.
"You said you hardly knew me," he shrugged, "I thought this would be a good way to start," he smiled, taking my hand.
I quickly wiped my eyes before any tears could fall as I looked around me. It was so beautiful. He reached into a bag he had beside him and pulled out a rose and handed it to me.
"It's beautiful, thank you," I said, smiling widely.
He looked at me sweetly, eyes flickering from one eye to the other.
"So, what would you like to know?" He said, getting himself comfortable.
He reached into the same bag again, and pulled out a big blanket and passed it over to me. I wrapped myself in it, covering my head and only exposing my face.
"So, you know a bit about my family issues," he slightly laughed awkwardly, "shall I continue on with that?" he raised his eyebrows.
I slowly nodded, hoping I wasn't pushing it.
"Well, when Casey, my sister, left Grayson and I, we began to get extremely curious. She left us as a time when we needed her and she just vanished. After some research, we found out she was dating someone." He frowned, pulling his head down.
I nodded slowly, allowing him to continue.
"He was the son of one of my parents best friends. They were rich and 'classy', but it was all an act. He hated Gray and I, so much that he had managed to persuade Cameron to leave us." I noticed his eyes were getting glossy, "she didn't want to, but he was paying for her in Canada while she's in college, and he told her if she leaves him, he'll leave her on the street." He exhaled, sadly. "He's gotten in trouble with the law so many times, but because of the wealth of his family, they have always managed to bribe him out of situations."
"Being so young, and having barely any contact with your family, well that can mess up a kid. And it did. Gray and I started illegally drinking, I started to sleep around, my grades were falling. I fought for no reason." He said, shaking his head as if he was trying to forget.
"You don't have to keep going, I understand," I finally spoke up.
"No, I have to, you need to know," he said, looking at me intensely.
I nodded, allowing him to continue.
"It all stopped when I met you," he said, slowly smiling.
My eyes widened, completely shocked.
"That day, I saw you, and I saw how innocent you looked. I wanted to know you. And I wanted you to know me, but not that me. The real me. The one that cares, and has a heart, and sets up picnics in the middle of parks just to get one special girl back." He said, taking my hand.
I felt a lump form in the middle of my throat, and I struggled to swallow it. These words hit me hard, but in a beautiful way. My heart was fluttering.
"Ethan," I began, not knowing what words to say, "you can't get me back."
His face fell, and his smile turned into a frown.
"Because," I began, "how can you get something back when you've had it all this time?" I smiled sweetly, taking his hand in both of mine and rubbing it with my thumb.
His frown instantly turned into a toothy smile as he grabbed my hand and pulled me into him, embracing me tighter than ever.
And that's when it all came back.
The memories.
The smiles.
The laughter.
The connection.
The connection I thought I'd lost, but it was there the whole time. That special feeling, it was always there. It never left.
"Elena, you mean more to me than anyone ever has." He admitted, still holding me.
"Hearing that means the world to me, Ethan," I replied, kissing his shoulder.
And then, it all stopped.
The doubt I had in him, the sadness I felt.
Poof. Vanished. Leaving me feel like it was never there.
This was so complicated. I still don't truly know if I liked him, I guess I'll just have to sit back and enjoy the time I have with him, because,
You never know which goodbye is your last.
***
"Why don't you sleep over?" Ethan asks, turning to look at me as he gripped the wheel.
"My parents," I reminded him, with a 'duh' tone.
He shrugged his shoulders as he continued to drive. Soon enough, we arrived at my house. I stayed in the car, not yet getting out.
"Everything alright?" He asked, concern evident in his tone.
"Thank you for tonight," I said almost as whisper as I shoot him a smile.
I take off his sweater and the pants he'd given me, and placed them neatly in the back.
"Thank you for coming with me," he smiled, "and for jumping out the window too." He winked. I totally had forgotten I'd done that.
"I guess you could say you 'fell for me'," he chuckled, winking at me.
"Maybe," I muttered as I fiddled with my fingers.
"I'll see you," I said, before I got out of the car.
I quickly went to his side of the car and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, before I speed up the stairs and up to my door. I watched him watch me with amusement in his eyes, and gave him a quick wave before I shut my door.
I snuck into my room, and finally collapsed on the bed, falling asleep with Ethan's scent dancing around my nose.
-