32
Our cars are packed. The apartment has been cleared out. The trash can is full of the half-eaten grocery items we couldn’t quite finish. It was hard for me to throw away food like that. I still remember back in college and medical school when I was broke and alone, surviving on ramen and water.
Ethan searches through the apartment once more to make sure we haven’t left anything behind. Waiting next to my car, I watch him lock the apartment door for the last time. He jogs easily down the stairs to me. I drop my set of keys into his outstretched hand. He’ll return both sets to the apartment manager before he leaves for Columbus.
An awkward silence settles.
“Well, thanks for being a good housemate.” He hesitates, seemingly at a loss.
“You too.” I grip my car keys tight in my hand and shift on my feet.
A wave of sadness drifts over me. I hate to admit it, but I’ll miss seeing Ethan every day. I’d grown used to sharing that small space with him. We’d developed our own rituals and routines within those walls. Every morning when we’d leave for work, I’d duck under his arm as he held the front door open. Every evening, he’d turn on the bathroom light, a nightlight for me, before going to bed.
Over this last month, Ethan has protected me from loneliness. And during those nights that I slept next to him, the ones we never speak of, he’s protected me from the sharp teeth of my nightmares.
This reminds me of another time Ethan protected me. Something I’ve been wanting to ask about for a long time. “You know when you were interviewing?”
He blinks, confused at my sudden change of topic. “Yeah. I remember everything about that day.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you about Patrick. Melanie said he called me an ice queen, and you defended me. Why’d you do that? I can take care of myself.”
Stepping closer, invading my personal space, Ethan looks serious. His voice drops low and husky. “I know you can, Tiffy. You’re a savage when you want to be. You’re mistaken. I wasn’t defending you. I was merely correcting Patrick.”
He picks up a single lock of hair from my shoulder. It blazes scarlet in the late morning light. Running it through his fingers, Ethan bends his head so I’m staring straight into his smoky eyes.
He says softly, “You’re no ice queen. You’re pure fire.”
With that, he drops my hair and leans in close, bringing his face right up to mine. His breath ghosts over my mouth. His amber eyes are all I can see. My lungs, my heart, my entire body freezes as his lips hover over mine. Is he going to kiss me?Is this really happening?
At the last possible second, he veers to the side and places a feather-light kiss on my cheek. Then he stands and walks away, calling over his shoulder as he goes, “See you back in Columbus. Drive safely in that death trap you call a car.”
He leaves me there in the parking lot.
Speechless.