“Yes, even rollercoasters.”
He gives me one last kiss, sweet and lingering, then we sneak out of the supply closet.
***
We have dinner at a fancy Japanese restaurant on Friday night, and it feels good being out together—just us, no work, no distractions. But the best part of the night is knowing we’ll end the night back at Ethan’s house.
We both eat a little faster than usual. When we’re finished with our meal, Ethan is quick to flag down the waiter and pay the bill.
As we navigate through the crowded restaurant towards the exit, a blonde at the bar zeroes in on us. More accurately, she zeroes in on Ethan.
When she stands up, she’s all legs and curves in her little black dress. She pulls her long, smooth hair over one shoulder and curls her glossy lips into a flirtatious smile as she moves in long, even steps towards us.
“Ethan.” His name rolls off her tongue like a purr.
She inserts herself directly in our path, forcing Ethan to finally notice her. Recognition flickers in Ethan’s eyes as we slow to a stop.
“Hi Juliette,” he says with a brisk nod. It’s polite but detached, much like the way he addresses people in a meeting at work.
It’s hard to look away from Juliette. Her beauty has an almost ethereal quality to it, like she floated here out of a dream or an expensive skincare commercial.
I run my hands over my skirt, suddenly feeling frumpy in my plain black top and knee-length maroon skirt. It doesn’thelp that Juliette hasn’t even noticed me standing right next to Ethan.
There’s an awkward pause, like she’s waiting for Ethan to—what? Ravish her right here on a table between a stranger’s bowl of miso soup and a plate of sea urchin?
When he fails to do so, she takes matters into her own hands and lunges forward to hug him. Ethan stiffens, giving her nothing in return as she presses her entire body against him and wraps her arms around his neck.
It’s the most awkward greeting I’ve ever seen. Instead of being ravished next to a plate of sea urchin, she has become the sea urchin; Ethan is the coral reef that she’s clinging to. Secondhand embarrassment kicks in hard, and suddenly I can’t look away fast enough.
Ethan clears his throat sharply, a clear indication that the hug is over. Juliette lets go and takes a step backwards.
“I haven’t heard from you in a while,” she says.
“I started seeing someone.” He laces his fingers in mine, gently tugging me a little closer.
Surprise flashes in Juliette’s eyes before they shift in my direction. I give her a polite smile, which she returns as her gaze wraps around me, examining me, trying to figure out what I have that she doesn’t.
The answer: Ethan North.
My heart swells a little at the thought, and my smile widens. When I glance up at Ethan, he’s already watching me with a fond smile and a twinkle in his eye.
“We were just on our way home,” he says, keeping his eyes on me. He gives Juliette a quick, polite nod. “Good to see you. Enjoy the rest of your night.” Then he gently steers me toward the door, weaving through the restaurant with ease.
The chill in the night air promises that fall is on its way. A crisp breath fills my lungs as we step out into the dark parking lot and make our way to Ethan’s car.
“Sorry about that,” Ethan says quietly, not looking my way.
“It’s okay,” I reply. And truthfully, it is. I always knew that Ethan has dated a lot of women. Running into one of them eventually was inevitable. I’m more amused than bothered by it.
My tone is light and teasing when I ask, “Ex of yours?”
“Ex is too strong of a word. We just went out a few times. It wasn’t serious.”
It’s news to me that Ethan ever saw the same woman more than once, and I can’t help but press a little harder. “Well, you must’ve liked her if you went out with her multiple times…”
We arrive at Ethan’s black SUV, and he opens the passenger door for me. I pause before getting in, awaiting Ethan’s reply.
He shrugs, “She was nice enough, but she wanted more than I was willing to give her.”