Page 87 of Unfolding Ethan

Liam nodded at me when Kiara held my arm, taking me upstairs. I watched Ariana cup his face and kiss him and soon they were making out against the wall.

“Hey.” I turned to see Kiara, who looked worried. “You okay?”

I nodded, following her and trying not to stare at the pictures as we went upstairs. I and Kiara were in most of them with Liam, grinning at the camera, Kiara standing between us. And in the next frame, Liam and Kiara were fighting about something, so I stepped between them so they wouldn’t try to hurt each other.

“Where are you taking me, Bella?” I asked once we were away from the loud music and in the darkened hallway. We were alone.

“Remember the view of the sky from Liam’s room?” she asked with a small grin. “The roof?”

I nodded, thinking about the times when all three of us would scramble out of his bedroom window to the roof and stargaze or just fall asleep with blankets. It had a small brick wall at the edge so we wouldn’t roll off in our sleep. It was one of our safe havens.

Walking inside Liam’s room made memories flood in my head. The bean bags where we would sit and play video games while Kiara would sit outside on the roof, reading and writing. Or the time when he told me he’d kissed a girl when we were ten. And when we binge-watched Superman movies this summer and he didn’t tell me he was hooking up with Ariana.

“Come on, Ethan.” She squeezed my hand and, opening the window, she stepped outside, her T-shirt sliding up and a swathe of golden skin appearing in between the hem of her jeans and T-shirt.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and followed her outside, the cool breeze brushing up our bare skin. We both sat down on the floor and gazed at the endless night sky. No words were needed, hearing the wind lap over the leaves of the tree as they whispered to the night and feeling Kiara’s warm breath brush over my arm.

Soon, we were snuggling with each other, my jacket blanketing us from the cold breeze. I ran my hand through her hair, adoring the way her eyelashes made shadows on her cheeks when she blinked or the small dimple above her lips when she smiled and the way a warm red hue splashed onto her cheeks and neck when she found me staring at her.

“Do you think Mom is looking down at me right now?” she asked, her gaze fixed on a shining star. “If so, that would be her.”

I was proud of her that she could talk about her mom without crying even though the pain of losing her mother would always stay deep-rooted in her heart.

“Your mom will always be with you, Kiara. She would be so proud of you that you are taking steps to follow your own dreams.”

She smiled at me, her golden-brown eyes swirling with unknown emotions. After a few moments of silence, she asked, “Ethan?”

“Hm?”

She turned toward me, her body pressing against mine, but her dark brown eyes were serious. “Will you be there with me if I followed my dreams?”

“Of course, Bella.” I frowned. “Why’d you ask?”

She closed her eyes and laid her head back on my shoulder. “Nothing. I just wanted to know if you will support me or not.”

I smiled and squeezed her, kissing her hair. “I will always support you, my Kiara. I promise.”

She snickered and started tickling me. We laughed and kissed and laughed more to the endless starry night and wished her mom would be proud of her daughter dating me.

PART FOUR

“I love you.”

Twenty Two

Potty mouth

Kiara

The sun hid behind the grayish clouds, warning us about the upcoming water shower as humidity hovered heavily around us in the thick, musky wind. Today's atmosphere was a bit on the gloomy side and the streets looked dull. Everyone walked with an umbrella just in case it started to shower.

"I hate studying!" I grumbled, stomping toward the Brian Library, named after the late owner of the land, whose will was to build this library just beside a café. Brian Library was very famous among the students and everyone came here to study for the upcoming exams.

Ethan raised his eyebrow, not surprised by my moodiness. "That bad?"

I huffed, "You don't say."

When I say that Brian library is famous among students, I mean almost every student residing in Lakewood. And that means, my ex-crush and annoying piano classmate, Paul Corey would be here.

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