“I don’t get paid to offer extra help in the morning,” I say, grabbing a piece of chicken and putting it in my mouth. Suddenly, I just want to leave and put a pizza in the oven at home. “But I do it anyway because if my students are successful and the class average is high, it shows that I’m doing my job.”
“Okay, don’t get your panties all in a twist,” he says to me, and I just shake my head.
I’m about to throw down my fork and walk out of the diner. But that would only get more people talking, so I swallow it down. “What do you say we swing by your house and you grab a bag for the weekend?”
“Um …” I look at him. “I have a couple of things to do at home.” I scramble to think of something in case he asks for specifics. “But how about I come over tomorrow night? We can cook together and then have a movie marathon.”
“Or you can just do whatever you need to do next week when I’m not here,” he tells me, finishing his meal.
“There is brunch at Billy and Charlotte’s house on Sunday,” I remind him. It’s a weekly thing, but I usually only go a couple of times a month. It’s not their fault that Ethan left; it has nothing to do with them.
“Why do we have to go there again?” he asks. “I mean, we went two weeks ago.”
I don’t tell him the truth because I don’t want to hurt him. I go because it’s the last piece that I have of Ethan. Being around his mother, his father, his sister, brothers, cousins, it’s a piece of him. “Well, if you don’t want to come, you don’t have to.” I grab the glass of water off the table and bring it to my mouth.
“Why don’t we just see how we feel on Sunday morning?” he says. “We could always go visit my parents,” he says, not giving me a chance to argue. “So are you packing a bag for tonight?” He reaches over the table and puts his hand on mine.
I’m about to break it to him that the only thing I’m doing tonight is going home and slipping into my pjs and maybe eating a pint of ice cream when the door opens. I hear the bell over the door, but nothing, and I mean nothing can prepare me for what comes next. It happens in slow motion, or maybe it’s just like that in my head.
The whispers start, and I think I hear a couple of forks clatter on the table. There are also gasps, and my eyes raise slowly, and my heart stops. After five years, I always imagined the moment he would come back. I also imagined I would be ready for it, but nothing could have prepared me for this moment. His name comes out in a whisper. “Ethan.”
Chapter Four
Ethan
I’ve been pushed to the brink of death. I’ve made it through all my military training. I’ve stared into the eyes of evil people. And I’ve done it without batting an eye or without my heart beating faster.
But this, standing here in the middle of the diner, in the middle of the town that I left five years ago scares the shit out of me. I listen to the whispers I know are going to come, and I even hear a couple of forks clatter. I’m ready for whatever is going to come my way, but what I’m not ready for is to see her this soon after getting to town. My body goes on alert right away when I feel her blue eyes on me. I turn her way, and it is so much worse than I thought it would be. My heart hurts, my stomach roils, and my whole body locks. I don’t hear her say my name, but I read her lips. She is just as shocked as everyone is. “Holy shit.” I hear and then look at my best friend, who’s sitting in front of Emily. “Fucking hell, look who rolled back into town.” He shakes his head, and I guess I deserve that. I deserve it all. I left five years ago, and I didn’t reach out to anyone. For me, this part of me died when I left.
I nod at him, and I’m about to take a step into the diner when the door opens behind me, and it’s my turn to be stunned. I knew coming back to town was going to shock everyone. I knew that by going to the diner, everyone in town would know. The daisy chain or phone calls would start, and it would get back to everyone that I was back in town. But sometimes, or most times, things never end up like you think they will. This is one of those times.