Ethan’s room smells like lemongrass when we enter, telling me that housekeeping has just cleaned it. There was no mess last time I was here, so everything looks exactly the same, neatly organized and pristine. The curtains have been pulled, so the snowy scenery outside is visible from the floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s idyllic, even if it’s caused more than a fewinconveniences, but then again, it’s due to those inconveniences that I met this amazing man.
Plopping onto the couch, I accept the cup of chamomile and peppermint tea that’s handed to me and get comfortable. I rewind the recording from last night halfway, then press play. Ethan disappears into the bedroom, carrying a book when he returns. It’s a black hardcover with red and gold foil. Dark fantasy, if I had to guess, though I don’t recognize the title.
Ethan sits on the other side of the couch and takes a sip from his cup. After throwing me a cute little smile and tipping his chin at the TV, he begins to read. I shift my attention back to my show, but it’s kind of hard to focus when half of my brain is still wondering about Ethan’s book.
“So, what is it about?” I toss when the holo girl and her dog slip into one of those comedy gold exchanges every modern show has.
“Hm?”
I hug one of the cushions to my chest and point my chin at his book. “The book. What is it about?”
He blanks, blinking at me. I narrow my eyes, suddenly suspicious. Licking his lips, he swallows, bookmarks his page, and closes the book.
“Oh. You know. It’s a little… obscure.”
I swivel around and face him, more than a little intrigued now. I must find out what the book is at all costs. “I’m very open-minded. Do tell.”
“Are you enjoying your show? Would you like more tea?”
Shaking my head, I grin.Why is he hedging?“You’re being weird. It’s just a book.”
He seems to consider that. “It’s not exactly mainstream.”
“I love non-mainstream.”
“You are being way too nosy,” he accuses, placing the book on the low table in front of us.
“I want to know about the things you like,” I counter, eyeing the book. If I act quickly enough, I think I can snatch it before he can react.
He blushes. It’s adorable and I forget about the book for a few moments as I lean in and kiss him. He opens for me, his tongue welcoming me with greed. I come alive, every fiber of me buzzing. I’ll never get tired of kissing him. He tastes like the tea we just had, but his own sweet undertone is there, too. I’m already addicted to it, chasing it as I devour his mouth.
“Nice try,” I praise him when we pull apart, grabbing the book.
He shakes his head, fighting off a shy smile. “Okay, but don’t laugh. It’s a vampire romance. The author is a friend of Charlie’s.” He pauses, bunching his eyebrows. “Charlie is my little brother.”
Noted. Ethan has a little brother. And he likes to read romance and seems to think I’d find it funny. I wonder if someone has made fun of that in the past, or if it’s one of those cases where it’s the stereotypes society holds that has made him see it this way.
Either way, I couldn’t be more stoked. It’s been hard to find book friends when people’s attention spans are too short for anything other than flashy graphics.
“So, you like to read romance? And you thought I’d laugh at you about it?”
He just shrugs.
I pull out my phone and search online for the synopsis of the books the show I’m watching is based on. “Considering I’m an avid reader of it myself, I’m more likely to hug you than laugh at you, I’d say.”
His smile blooms, still a little shy, but also utterly charming with how openly joyous it is. “I… I honestly didn’t think you’d be into reading. Or at least not romance.”
I cross my arms. “I’m curious now. What genres would you give me?”
His brilliant blue eyes scan me. “Adventure, thriller. Sci-fi. Mysteries.”
I whistle. “Okay. This is awfully accurate. But, as long as romance is part of the book, too.”
Ethan seems to turn my words over in his head. Angling his chin at the book I’m still holding, he says, “I think you might like that one. I’m almost done with it, so I’ll be happy to lend it to you. Now, can I have it back? I just got to the good part.”
“Deal.”
I rewind the portion of the show that I missed, grinning as the action part begins. I just can’t help it. Ethan offered to lend me his book. I eye the object in question. It’s thick, at least 800 pages. Unless I was off work, there is no way I can read it in an evening or two. I know it and he knows it. Yet he still offered.
