Page 41 of Taking Care of You
“What?” Ethan asks, hurrying over to where I’m spying. He sees what’s going on and smiles. “Did you set that up, creep?”
“No. I promise. It was actually Elle’s idea to ask Mitch. It’s about time they talked. The staring and swooning was getting ridiculous,” I answer quietly, still in shock that they’re talking.
I look up at Ethan with a smile, and he has that intense look on his face again. Like he has a question he’s dying to ask me.
“What?” I whisper.
He opens his mouth, but before he can speak, his phone rings. Fumbling in his pocket, he grabs it and curses. “Fucking Ryder,” he mutters, then walks away to talk to him.
I turn back to the window and watch Mitch and Elle pull off, happy that they finally got it together. Now all I have to do is tell one of my best friends that I think I’m falling for him and my world will be complete.
Right.
14
After a few weeks and a few more practices of our play, we’ve pretty much got everything down. Like Elle suggested, we found costumes to fit the late 1920s England. They both look pretty good, perfectly matching what I would envision our characters to look like if they were real.
Mitch has on a clean—but somewhat rumpled—suit that he said the drama class used to depict down-on-my-luck leads in the school plays. His dark hair is brushed and gelled off his face, with a deep part on the side. It fits the aesthetic of being a poor servant, trying to clean himself up to get his employer’s daughter’s attention.
Elle looks radiant in a beautiful red floral dress that hangs to her ankles, with delicate heels and cute gloves she picked up from a thrift store. I know that because she called me and raved about the find after she purchased them. I have to say, they look really good.
We’ve rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed some more, but the thing that Mitch and Elle have always been hesitant about is the kiss. I let both of them know that it would be a part of the play, but they always stop right before it’s supposed tohappen, probably too nervous to actually do it. From what Elle told me, they’ve been texting back and forth, getting to know each other, but she doesn’t know if he wants her like that, and not just as a friend.
Any person with eyes can see how he looks at her; like she’s the only person in the room when she speaks. When she leaves the room, he searches for her and isn’t at ease until she comes back. Like the sound of her voice alone makes him happy.
Pretty much how I look at Ethan.
Since there has been a bit of a lull in sports, we’ve been able to be together more often. Their football season ended the week before Halloween, and track season doesn’t start until the first week of December. One more week before he has to go back to staying after school, and I have to go home when he’s at practice.
For the past four weeks, I’ve pretty much been staying at Ethan’s. I go home a few times a week, but for the most part, I’m at his house.
His parents don’t seem to mind. In fact, they seem happy that I’m there. Always greeting me warmly, asking how my day was when they’re home, inviting me to different functions that me and Ethan always decline, since we don’t want to be around adulty adults. They seem genuinely interested in what I have to say, and it’s always nice to feel like they want me around.
Pulling myself from my random thoughts, I look Mitch and Elle over once more. They both look great.
We’re in the auditorium for this portion of class, so we can use the stage. We’re standing behind the curtain with our actors, and Mitch looks very relaxed and at ease. He’s been in pretty much every play there’s been since he got to high school, so the stage is like his second home. Elle looks like she’s going to throw up.
Gently, I take her arm and pull her to the side. “What’s wrong? Nervous?”
She looks behind her at Mitch and Ethan, her eyes landing on her co-star. “We should have practiced the kiss. What if I’m bad at it?”
An involuntary laugh bubbles up from my throat and she gives me a death glare.
I get myself under control, then throw my arm over her shoulder. “I’m sorry for laughing,” I apologize sincerely. “Look, if you want, we can skip that part. Or have him kiss your cheek?”
I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable. She volunteered to do this for us, so I’ll do whatever I can to make sure she’s accommodated.
“No.” She shakes her head quickly. “It’s not that. What if…he…” She twists her hands in front of her, worrying the lace of the gloves. Her voice drops and I have to lean in close to hear her. “What if he doesn’t like kissing me?”
I smile at her and grasp her hands. “I’m almost one hundred percent sure that won’t be an issue. We can practice now if it will help?” I’m not sure Mitch wants to try, but hell, it’s worth a shot.
Elle looks over at Mitch, who decides to look over at that moment, and the smile he sends her tells me all I need to know. She has nothing to worry about.
Taking her hand, we walk back over to Mitch and Ethan, and he throws an arm over my shoulder and pulls me close to him.
“Everything good?” he asks in a low voice. I nod and he smiles down at me, kissing my forehead lightly. I’ll never get tired of feeling his lips on me.
Mr. Redding gets comfortable in one of the chairs, our English class seated behind him and calls for attention. “Okay, today is the last day of your screenplay. Up next are Ethan and Jakoby with ‘Love at a Time of Despair’, a retelling ofRomeo and Juliet.”
