His eyes turn down.
"Or your coat."
He says nothing.
"I know you always drink coffee first thing, but we have coffee here. Athena is into dark roast. She taught me how to make a pour over. I can get that for you."
"Vi—"
There must be some reason why he isn't settling in. I have to figure it out before I start to panic. "Don't tell me your rich people gym chain is nearby."
But I know there's no chance of that. No one who lives this far out in Brooklyn could possibly afford Ethan's gym.
Why does it look like he's leaving?
He promised he'd stay all weekend.
He promised and he's…
"Ethan…"
His voice is low, apologetic. "Dangerous Noise got invited to perform on a late night show. Their guest canceled. Rehearsal starts in an hour and a half."
"And you're leaving to go to rehearsal?"
"Yeah."
"You're leaving now?"
He swallows hard. "That's the plan."
My words are hollow, an echo. "That's the plan… right. Because you're Ethan Strong, the Dangerous Noise guitarist, and music is everything to you. I get it. Yeah. Right."
"Vi-"
"You promised."
"This is a great opportunity."
It is. I know it is. And I want that for Ethan. But he fucking promised.
I want that to be enough for him. I can't compete with the millions of people who will watch that show. I can't compete with thousands of fans screaming his name.
I don't want to.
I want him promising me he'll be here to be enough to convince him to do it.
I want to matter that much to him.
I blink back a tear. I feel dizzy. I'm not sure if it's the head cold or if it's all the feelings stirring in my stomach.
I take a step towards the couch, but I trip on my blanket.
Ethan catches me. He pulls me into a tight hug. God, I want to absorb all the comfort of his arms.
But I can't.
"You're going to be late," I whisper.