Page 78 of Unfolding Ethan

"We can use the towels."

Kiara snickered. "No, Ethan. As much as I love the sound of it, I am not comfortable with it."

I sighed and flopped beside her. "Whatever you say, Kia."

"Hey." I felt her lean toward me and her hand stroked my cheek, making me look at her. "I am sorry, but I am not in the mood to have period sex and turn your room into a crime scene."

My face softened and I pressed her body closer to me. "You don't have to apologize for anything. We will just cuddle. But"—my eyes lowered and unconsciously, my fingers tweaked her nipple, making her bite her lip—"you have to cover these girls. I can't keep my hands to myself."

She chuckled, kissing my nose, and wore the tee she was wearing before, without the bra. "I can't believe you just Selena Gomez’d me."

I grinned, loving the way I made this gorgeous woman smile. "Anything for you."

Nineteen

I Like Your Neon Ones Better

Kiara

“So how are things with Ethan?” my mother asked, looking through the dresses and flashing me a small smirk.

It was Sunday and Mom wanted to spend some time with me and my brother, but Karan was busy packing for his university where he was flying to London for his masters in Design. I didn’t have anything much to do except play the piano, cuddle with Ethan—or more—read a book and go through my AP English essay.

My cheeks heated up as soon as I thought about him and how we had gone out with friends for dinner and ended up in the backseat of his car before reaching home. My hand fleeted through the different flashy colors and materials as I shrugged.

“Things are good, Mama,” I said. “I like him.”

“Oh,” she tsked, walking over to me. “So, you just like him? Nothing else.”

I could never hide anything from her, could I?

I swallowed nervously. “You know I love him, Ma.” I looked around the dress section to check if he was here in the mall just to be sure. “But it’s complicated. We are best friends.”

“It’s always complicated, isn’t it?” she teased, showing me a hot red cocktail dress. I shook my head. “Kiara, love, I know that you love him. You have ever since you started speaking.”

I raised my brows and walked with her when she went to another section.

“You just realized it when he started dating that girl,” she said.

I thought about it for a while and the day when he stumbled in my room, his face flushed and a wide grin on his face. I wanted to know what had made him so happy and when he did, I remembered feeling a little sad before being happy for him and assuring him he looked handsome for his first date. With Ariana.Notme. My mom was right because I had complained about it to her and didn’t know how to feel about it.

“I know, Mama, but it doesn’t matter now,” I said with a heavy heart, my eyes flickering between the blue and peach dresses. “I love him, but he is my best friend and I don’t know if he feels the same for me.”

I didn’t know I was biting my lip until my mom gave me a scolding look. “Love is never complicated, it’s easy and simple. You love him?” I nodded. “Then tell him. If he loves you back, which I know he does, you’ll be together. If he doesn’t, well . . . it’s his loss, sweetheart.”

I giggled, shaking my head and wondering if it was really that easy as my mom put it. But if I confessed my feelings for him and he didn’t have any romantic feelings for me, he would despise me and we’d stop being best friends, even friends. I shuddered thinking about it. I couldn’t live without it knowing that I was the reason for the fallout of our friendship. I needed our friendship more than telling Ethan about how I felt.

But what if Mom was right? What if he loved me back and somehow we made it work and started dating each other and move past the we-were-sleeping-together-but-we-were-still-best friends stage. I was feeling heady just thinking about dating him and stop pretending that I didn’t love him or that he didn’t make me feel like one of the most beautiful girls on this planet when he gazed at me with a small smile.

“How about this? I love the lacework on this.” Mom gushed, a dimple forming in her cheek as her warm brown eyes riveted over the white dress.

When I snapped out of my haze, I walked toward her and felt the dress material between my fingers. It was satin with lace details. The back was open, and lace etched together to the lower back and flowed down beautifully with a small cinch in the waist. The neck was a little deep with gorgeous detailing in the dress material.

“I love it,” I said without checking the price and mentally winced when my mom said we were buying it. I followed her to the dressing room and crossed my fingers that it would fit me because this was a stunning dress. I was grinning by the time we left the store with a bag in my hand and thanking my mom for buying me the dress.

“Listen to me,” she said, her voice soft when she looked at me with her chocolatey eyes. “Don’t think too much about what would happen if he doesn’t love you, okay? He loves you, sweetheart. Ethan is like a second son to me and I know he makes you happy. So, you shouldn’t overthink for going after what makes you happy.”

I processed her words and by the time we reached home, I hugged her. “Thank you, Mama. I will talk to him about it.”

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