Page 54 of Unfolding Ethan

Fourteen

Hello, Mate

Kiara

My mom and dad were staring at Ethan, his hand pausing mid-air when realization crossed his features. His breath hitched and his eyes widened. I could feel the tension in the air and easily poke it with the butter knife.

It wasn't like I called Ethan daddy anyway, it reminded me of my dad. No, Ethan loved to tease me with it and see me cringe every time he said it. I should've never opened my mouth and told him about how Laura and Carmella thought he was daddy goals.

Hai Bhagwan.

Ethan quickly took the pepper shaker beside the salt, coughing nervously. "Pepper."

Phew. But should I tell him that the lid was broken?No, he deserves it.

He didn't see the lid was broken and shook its contents in the glass of lassi. My parents were still staring at him when he took the sip of lassi filled with pepper.

Don't drink it! Gross.

I winced mentally when he grimaced, scrunching his face at the taste of the sweet drink filled with pepper and coughedvigorously.

I held in my breath when I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed the drink. I mentally counted from one to ten and on the seventh count—

Ethan smiled and choked out, his face red. "It'sgreat!"

I knew he was lying because I could feel the smoke coming out of his ears. His mouth must be dead, and his tongue would be burning because of the intake of so much pepper with lassi.

"Yeah," I drawled.

"Honey, give it back. It's fine, drink this. I forgot that its lid was broken," my mom said, pouring him a fresh glass of lassi, taking the pepper one away.

Thanks, Mama.

He thanked my mom and choked when I kicked him underneath the table, accepting the salt shaker from Dad. Ethan grimaced slightly at the pain, cradling his cold glass of lassi to his chest. When my parents weren’t looking, I glared at him and did the universal sign of slicing a throat with my thumb, making him gulp nervously.

After lunch, Ethan and I helped Mom with the dishes while Dad helped cleaning the table. They were going to visit a nearby Hindu temple, leaving us alone. I had imagined what we would have done if we were both home alone, but now, I was angry at him. And he knew because I was ignoring him.

"Okay, stop it, Bella,” he said, following me to my room. “I’m sorry. I promise I will never say the word 'daddy' again.”

I slammed the door shut and he got hit in his nose. Ethan angrily opened it and stepped inside my room, grumbling about his red nose.

I must have been furious because for once in eighteen years of my life, I sat on my bed and started doing my math homework without someone scolding me to finish it.

Ethan stepped closer, his delicious cologne wafting in my nose as he loomed over the edge of the bed. "You're doing it wrong, Kia,” he pointed out. “Because I’m sure the answer to that question is 420. Here, let me show you—”

I shifted my body so my back was facing him and he couldn’t see my notes. Clenching my jaw, I tried the equation again and realized that my previous answer, 669, was indeed wrong and Ethan was right.

Ethan sighed and sat across me. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, I am,” I deadpanned. “Should I remind you of what you did during lunch?”

“Sure. You wanted the salt and then—ow, woman!”

Again, I smacked his arm with a pillow. “Weak,” I said, squinting my eyes at him.

He gasped. He actuallyfuckinggasped. “Take that back!”

“No. You deserve that, you asswipe! You should've seen the look on my parents' faces.”

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