Chapter 11
Nelly
That Saturday afternoon, we attend my friend Josie’s brother’s wedding and Ethan’s my date. He excuses himself and goes off to talk to a blonde woman after we greet the bride and groom at the after-party.
He looks glamorous in his black tux and bow tie. His hair’s swept back in a perfect turf on his head and seeing him engage in a light laugh and conversation with a blonde woman makes my insides tighten.
“I still can’t believe you snagged that man,” Josie comments in a hushed tone and giggles beside me. Her blue eyes gleam as she continues. “He’s every woman’s dream, and the pictures in the blogs don’t do him justice. How did you do it?”
I chuckle, then shrug. “You know what they say about love … It happens when you least expect it.” We both laugh before I spot Ethan approaching us.
Josie and I have only been friends for a few years, but I enjoy her company because she’s always full of life.
After my parent’s death, she barely left my side, and always found a humorous way to make me relax even under the weight of the pressure that I felt back then.
She’s a good friend, I conclude, but it is a bit annoying how she fawns over Ethan.
“Ladies,” Ethan greets, takes Josie’s extended hand and presses a kiss to the back of her hand. His eyes sweep over my face even as he kisses her.
Josie blushes furiously as she withdraws her hand, then she turns to me. “I’ll let you two lovebirds talk while I go get something to drink.”
We watch her sashay away from us before Ethan comments with a light chuckle. “She seems like she’s fun to hang with.”
“Yeah, we’ve known each other a while,” I answer dryly, sucking in a deep breath as a familiar pressure appears in my lungs and threatens to overcome every other feeling.
My gaze wanders across the room to the blonde Ethan was with a few moments ago, and the suffocating cloak of jealousy blankets me again.
“Who’s the blonde?” There are a lot of watchful eyes here today waiting to snag on the tiniest bit of juicy info to spark a rumor, and the blonde looks perfect.
She is just like the kind of woman Ethan loves to hang out with.
She has long, wavy blonde hair that tumbles all the way to her lower back, long toned legs exposed by the high slit of her red dress, and the sweet view of her cleavage is accentuated by the simple dainty jewelry sitting on her neckline.
Ethan’s laugh shocks me. The riotous sound bounces between us two, and his eyes dance with mirth when they pin on mine again.
“You’re jealous? Of Mandy?” Another chuckle leaves his lips before he moves towards me and strokes my cheek tenderly with a hand.
“I’m not jealous,” I huff, feeling my face start to warm up. “I don’t care who you hang out with. We don’t meddle with each other’s lives, remember?”
“Liar,” he interrupts, making me gasp from his audacity.
“What?”
“If you weren’t jealous, Nelly, you wouldn’t ask about Mandy. I’ve known you for a long time, love. You’re flushed right now because you know I’m right.”
The slow stroke of his eyes over the full length of my body made me shiver, and then he smiles and I nearly forget to breathe.
I lower my gaze to my feet. Slow music buzzes around us a second later, and I glance up to find Ethan’s hand outstretched towards me.
His eyes challenge me. His brows stay arched and I inhale deeply, steadying my insides before placing my hand in his. He easily swoops me to the dancefloor, and our bodies glide rhythmically, matching every beat of the song.
“Mandy is a distant cousin,” he whispers to me, his eyes never leaving mine. His arms around my waist pull me closer to him, and his touch imprints on my skin.
“It’s not my business.” My words are a mere whisper, and he dips his head closer, moves back to twirl me around, then draws me close again.
“I know it’s not,” he whispers in my ear. “But I’m telling you, anyway.”
My world tilts, and everything else evaporates as I stare deep into his eyes. I’m swept away by the tides of my growing feelings for him. The warning bells in my head remind me of everything that could go wrong if I let myself fall for him again.
My head is clear, but my heart betrays me and longs for something else.
The dance with Ethan lasts a few minutes before he moves on to dance with Mandy. While they glide around the dance floor, I find myself another partner and try to enjoy the dance, but each time I look up from my dance partner’s shoulder, I find Ethan’s eyes on me.
Watching and gauging, like he’s trying to figure me out.
The pressure in my chest builds, and I know I need to get away from him, so after the dance ends, I hurry out of the reception hall to get some fresh air.
The breeze outside helps me relax, but my pulse still thunders.
I’m still struggling for control when Ethan calls from behind me and makes my pulse jump again.
“Are you alright?” he asks, his forehead furrowing with a frown when I turn back to look at him.
“You,” I mutter, shaking my head as I try to put some distance between us.
“Me?”
“Just … Stay back,” I order, raising a palm up to stop him from coming closer to me. When I’m near him, I can’t think straight. When he touches me, I melt, and every feeling I’ve tucked away for the past five years comes rushing back.
I lick my lips nervously, then ease out a deep breath.
“You’re pale,” Ethan says, ignoring my raised hand. He moves to me, takes my waist, and pulls me close.
“And flushed,” he adds as he plasters the front of his palm to my forehead. “You don’t feel well?”
“I’m fine … I just need a minute,” I stutter before pulling away from him.
I need a minute away from you.
“Come with me,” he says, pulling me with him before I can object.
“Where are we going?” I ask when a valet hands over the keys to his Mercedes. Ethan holds the door open for me to get in, walks briskly around the car, gets inside, rolls open the car’s rooftop, and clicks the start button to bring the engine alive.
“You’ll see,” he says with a smile before zooming down the road.
The speed heightens the breeze coming at us inside the car. It ruffles my hair, fills my lungs, and makes me cry out in excitement.
Ethan’s laugh mingles with mine, and he takes a turn and drives further for a few minutes before he pulls to a halt at the parking area in front of the Griffith Observatory Trail.
“No way … You’re kidding,” I say with a laugh, instantly knowing what his intentions are as I look up the busy path. “This is insane!” I thunder with another laugh, recalling the last time I came up this hill with him and my brother.
Ethan had dared me to hike up the hill in a race with them to see who would return to the starting point first, and I ended up on the evening local news after a rescue team came to rescue me.
“You quit up there because your legs wouldn’t move.”
I punch his arm, quaking with the throes of more laughter. “I was so exhausted … I couldn’t risk injuring myself. If that happened, and I got hurt or worse, you would have blamed yourself. Admit it. You would miss me the most.”
His grin widened as she stared at me, and I fell quiet for a moment as I met his gaze.
“I missed you,” he whispers after a moment passes. “Every day I was away from L.A. … I missed hanging out with you the most.”
His words warms my heart and makes me sigh. I sense the tension sizzling in the air between us, and I know I can’t let it spiral out of hand here, so I push the passenger’s door open and jump out of the car.
“I’ll race you,” I announce, laughing as I pick up the hem of my ankle-length dress to allow me to run freely.
Ethan gets out of his car and races behind me, reaching out to grab me by the waist before I can make it far from him. His hands circle around my waist and he lifts me off the ground with ease, turning me in a circle till I giggle hard and struggle to break free from him.
He lowers me to the ground, and I instinctively lean into him. My entire body shudders and I notice his eyes gain a spark as I stare at him.
My blood hums with the trickle of my excitement, and we both reach to brush off the strands of hair falling to the sides of my face at the same time.
“Ethan,” I murmur in a strained voice, unable to hold back the urge to move closer to him. I arch my face away from him when he starts leaning closer to me.
The jolt of my pulse makes me put some distance between us. “It only complicates things,” I whisper in a shaky voice. “You don’t want that.”
“Right,” he answers after a moment.
Ethan turns his back to me, and I take the moment to suck in a deep breath. After a brief pause, he glances over his shoulder. “One moment.” He hurries back to his car and returns with a pair of sneakers for me.
“You carry these around?” I question, holding onto his shoulder when he bends into a squat to assist me in putting them on.
“Yup,” he replies while helping with the lace. “I am always prepared.”
Thankfully, my silk dress has a snug fit bodice while the skirts flow freely down my legs, allowing for easy movement. Once Ethan gets on his feet again, I lift my dress and dash into a race, not giving him a second to catch up even.
Ethan calls for me and follows me towards the Griffith Observatory hiking path leading to the sign. I love the sound of his laughter trailing behind me. It warms my heart and makes me enjoy his company far too much for my own good.