In for the win

Chapter 23

AMARA

I hadn't talked to him during the whole way back. Dinner had been hard enough and I couldn't find the strength to open my mouth. I had told Ethan my mom and stepdad were something, but for him to whiteness it, was even harder. I tried taking my mind off things but it was complicated. When we got out of the Uber, it was snowing hard. The winter here was really cold, but I was used to it, having spent most of my childhood living here. It was getting darker, due to the time. We rushed to the motel, covering my hair with my fluffy scarf, hearing the sound of snow crushing at every step I took with my brown uggs. Ethan followed in my footsteps. I could feel his presence behind me with every step he took. Reaching the front door, I opened the front pocket of my small handbag, looking for the keys the receptionist had earlier in the day given me. We hadn't had time to stop at our room so we had just quickly stopped on our way from the airport to drop our bags and grab the key. After looking for a few minutes, I finally find them, and unlock the old motel door. I let Ethan go first, closing the door behind me. "Uhm. Amara? You might want to see this." He exclaims . "What- oh shit." I let out, eyeing the small room in front of me. The room was fine. There was a bathroom, a TV, blinds and a bed. A double bed that surely wasn't big for the both of us. "What the fuck. Is it a joke? I didn't order dwarf size beds?" "Beds plural?" I hear Ethan chuckle behind me. "Yeah, I must have forgotten to tell the motel I was coming with a grizzly-sized bear." I grin, playfully punching Ethan in the arm. "So I'm guessing we're sharing." "I guess so too." "I get left side though." I huff, walking further inside. "Uhm okay?". The motel room is a bit small, but I'll do, after all, we're leaving tomorrow afternoon. I'm exhausted, and let myself fall in the bed. I don't even bother taking off my clothes or getting ready, and just lay there. I hear Ethan take a shower, and get out. I hear him taking off his clothes, and getting into bed. I'm too lazy to move. I feel him laying down closer to me on the mattress, his strong arms covering my body. In normal times, I would try to push him back to gain back my bed territory, but tonight, I let myself go against his chest. I feel him breathing against my ear, softly tickling me. After a while, I fall asleep.

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Waking up, I stretch my arms, feeling nothing next to me. I turn to my side and check the time. It's 8am. And I'm alone in the room. It's still a little dark outside, a small fog surrounding the building. I check the bathroom but no Ethan. I hadn't heard him leave. Had he left? Without me? No. That wasn't him. But what if? I took my phone in my hands and wanted to call him, but I froze. Maybe he didn't want me to call him? What the fuck was happening to me? Ethan wasn't like that. He'd probably just gone out for a run or something and I was clearly overthinking. What my step-dad had told me definitely tipped me off. I knew he was jus angry and hadn't meant his words. I had wanted to talk to mom about his drinking problem, but hadn't had the heart to tell her. She would have been heartbroken, she would have-. I get interrupted in my thoughts by the sound of the door opening. "I'm back." Ethan exclaims, his hands full with something that smells amazing. "Oh and I come with pancakes." He winks at me, submitting the goodies on the bed. "Ethan you didn't have to." "Oh but I wanted to. They're blueberries." They were my favourite. How had he known? I certainly never told him that. Like he had read in my thoughts, he added. "I asked Candace before leaving what would help you with this trip, and she said that blueberry pancakes would certainly rejoice you." He was such a sweetheart, but I wasn't going to tell him that. I was still sticking with rule number 1, and was certainly not going to let him know that I was starting to fall for him hard. He was being my friends this weekend, and was absolutely nailing it, and I wasn't about to dick down his ego by telling him he was beginning to charm me. I took the bag in my hands and took a big whiff. It smelt really good and I couldn't wait to try the pancakes. A few minutes later, our stomachs were full and I had a big smile drawn on my face. "We should start packing." I say, lifting myself off the bed. "Nuh-uh." Ethan exclaims, sitting me back down. "I've got other plans for us." I look at him concerned, wondering what he possibly meant. "And I'm sure you're gonna love it."

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After a 35 minutes trip, we finally arrive. Ethan had told me to wear gloves, and a thick jacket. I don't have the slight idea where he's taking me, but I trust him. He leads me inside a white building, and when I'm inside, I realise where I am. There's a huge ice rink in front of us, and Ethan has a big smile drawn all the way to his ears. "Tada!" He exclaims proudly. "We're going skating." "Uhm, Ethan. I don't skate." "Well good job I'm here Preston. I'll be the eyes and head of this operation here." "We don't have skates." I say, trying anything to get out of this situation. It's not that I didn't like skating, it was just that I was terrible at it. "They rent some here Sherlock. I see what you're doing here. But you're not getting out of it. We're going skating. Together." Together. The two of us. "Okay, okay. Fine, you win." A few minutes later, skates on, I set off wobbly on the ice. I have terrible balance, but by miracle, I manage to skate towards Ethan. He of course is nailing it, swirling around me showing off. "You're such a show off." "I bet you can't even do a small spin." He says, with a challenging look in his eye. "I can do a spin." I say, my voice betraying my doubt. "Then show me." Gathering my courage, I launch myself wobbly onto the ice and start spinning. But, just as I'd predicted, I trip on my own feet and slip. I brace myself for impact but instead of hitting the hard ice, I feel warmth all around me. "I got you." I hear Ethan whisper into my hear, pulling me back up with no visible effort. "You're not exactly an ice queen." He chuckles. "Oh shut up." We spend another two hours at the rink, and not to boast, I made great progress. Afterwards, we head back to the changing rooms, to get ready to leave. My hands were frozen from the cold in the rink, so I was struggling to take my skates off. "You need help?" Ethan asks gently. "No, I'm good." I lie. He looks at me, lifting one eyebrow. "Your fingers are literally blue and you're trembling. Conclusion, I'm helping you." "Fine." Ethan places my right foot gently on his knee and easily undoes my skate, and does the same with my left foot. When my feet are back in my uggs I look back at him and mouth him a thank you. He smiles back. "Anytime."

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It's night when we arrive at the airport. Ethan had slept the whole flight, and I was proud he didn't stress too much. I was exhausted and only wanted one thing, my bed. Or maybe two, but that was personal. We find Ethan's car at the parking and he drives us home. I fall asleep during the car ride, but I wake up when I feel the car turning into my drive. Ethan parks the car in front of my apartment. I step out of his 4X4 and walk rapidly towards the door. I hear Ethan's footsteps behind me. "Wait for me!" "You didn't have to walk me back, I'm perfectly capable on my own." "Don't worry I know." He follows me up the stairs and inside. I take off my coat and hang it up. I turn back and look back at Ethan, standing in the doorway. He looks down at me, his eyes staring intensely into mine. "I-uhm. Thanks Ethan. Really. For everything. It was really-uhm-sweet." "Of course." He replies, never breaking eye contact. "Goodbye then." I awkwardly let out. "Yeah. Sleep tight Preston." I close the door and exhale heavily. My heart is beating very rapidly, and I could hear it thumping through my chest, resonating through the room even though I was alone in the apartment. What the hell was happening to me?