Page 71 of Taking Care of You
Clicking the light on to full brightness, I look around for my pants and shirt. I slide on socks, and he takes my hand and leads me to the front of the house. I turn to go to the front door to slide on my shoes, but he says, “We don’t need shoes. Come on.”
I frown in confusion, but before I can ask what he means, he leads me to the back of the house. It’s crisp when we stepoutside and I tuck in close to Ethan. He leads me over to the fire pit, which is already lit. On the same chair we sat on during Thanksgiving, I see a blanket and pillow.
Ethan pulls me in front of him and tips my chin up. “You wanna look at the stars with me, creep?”
My heart almost explodes. If I didn’t already know it, now I’m sure. I am hopelessly in love with him.
“Yes, of course.”
He sits back against the pillow and spreads his arms and legs so I can sit between them. I recline onto him, my back to his chest, his warm arms enveloping me. He pulls the blanket over us and leans back.
After we look at the stars for a few minutes, he raises his hand. “There’s the Big Dipper,” he says gleefully, pointing to the sky.
It’s so adorable.
And so wrong.
Laughing, I grab his arm and swing it over to the right, where the constellation actually is. "No,that’sthe Big Dipper.”
He tilts his head to the side, leaning more heavily into me and sighs good-naturedly. “You’re right. My boyfriend, the brainiac.” He kisses my cheek with a loud smack.
I laugh again, feeling lighter than I have in days. “It’s not about being smart, you weirdo. I just remember what they look like. And you’re smart too, so don’t make it seem like this relationship is one-sided with the brains.”
“True,” he murmurs.
“Ethan?”
“Yeah?”
“I got you something for Christmas. And since it’s after midnight, I can give it to you now.”
He turns my body so I can meet his eyes. My face is hot and my heart is beating a mile a minute, but I think now isthe best time, since we’ll probably be around his parents all day tomorrow. “Okay, where is it?”
I turn back around and lay against his chest. “Just listen, ‘kay?”
“Sure.”
I take a deep breath and start to sing. I wrote Ethan a song. About us. How we met, how we became friends, how he tried to protect me and make my life easier. Interwoven in the words is my love for him, but I don’t say it outright. I haven’t told him that just yet, but if he listens closely to what I’m singing to him, he’ll know.
The song came to me when I could only think about Ethan when I was sitting alone one day. When I let my mind wander, it went to Ethan time and time again. He consumes my thoughts.
I don’t have money to get him any fancy gifts, but he’s told me before that he likes my voice. I figured it’s about time I start singing more often, not only when I’m sad. I want to sing about the good things. And Ethan is a good thing.
When I finish, it’s quiet for a beat before Ethan turns me around and hugs me to his chest. He squeezes me to him, holding me tight enough that I can barely breathe, but I don’t want him to let go. Ever.
“That was beautiful, creep. Thank you.” He pulls me away from him and kisses me lightly. “When did you write me a song?”
The smile that stretches across my face almost hurts, but I can’t stop it. I’m really glad he liked it. I was nervous that it was lame and he would think it was a stupid gift.
“Last week. When you left me here and went to track practice.”
He cups my cheek and rubs his thumb over it. “You’re amazing,” he says on an awed breath. My cheeks warm and I turn back around in his arms.
We sit outside for a little while longer, Ethan rocking me gently. Then, like the weirdo he is, he points to the sky again and exclaims, “Orion’s Belt!”
The laugh I bark out is loud, but I cover it. “Are you just pointing at random stars and naming them?” I grab his hand again and point it slightly higher than where he’s pointing. “There, babe.”
He chuckles, then drops his hand, wrapping his arm back around me. “Umm…babe. I still love that.” He drops his head to my neck and kisses me there. I shiver against him and he does it again. And again, and again, until I’m leaning my head to the side and giving him all the access he needs to continue kissing me there.
