“Would it be okay if I posted it? You can say no.”
“Go for it.”
“Really? I know you are choosey about what’s on social media and all.”
I waved a hand to signal that it was no big deal, even as Ethan’s eyebrows crept up in surprise. “My mom is not following you, so I’m less concerned about it.”
“Okay.” Ethan shrugged, a lopsided smile working its way across his face as we started walking again.
By the time we’d reached the outlook railing, the fence was crowded with other sunset watchers. We managed to find a spot that probably would have fit one adult comfortably, but the two of us squeezed into it, our bodies pressed next to each other like we were standing at a concert. This wasn’t the first time I’d stood this close to him, but that didn’t stop my brain from noticing every detail, from the feel of his arm pressed into mine to the steady rhythm of his breathing, the smell of his soap mixing with the desert air.
A comfortable silence settled between us as we watched the horizon. Slowly, the sky changed again, the oranges and pinks replaced by blues and purples as the sun sank behind the mountains. I shivered and tucked myself a little closer to Ethan, hoping to siphon off a bit of his body heat. He pulled his attention away from the sunset to study me.
“Cold?” he asked.
“I should have brought BamBam’s sweater from the back seat.”
“Here.” Ethan rotated slightly, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me to his side. I leaned my head against his shoulder, letting the warmth of him wash over me.
There are moments when the world seems too beautiful to be real. It’s a feeling so intense that the joy of being alive becomesoverwhelming. Where the best option is simply to breathe and soak in the idea that every single star had to align for this moment to happen. This place, with this sunset, felt like that. Like all the beauty in the world was wrapped into this sunset and tucked into my soul. I could carry the memory of it with me, but no camera could ever re-create it.
Ethan rested his head on top of mine, and it felt like we could have stayed with that sunset and been happy forever. In a way, I wished we could. I didn’t want to go home in two days. This was a moment my parents would consider a diversion. I was off track, off task, and out in the middle of nowhere with a boy. Yet it was exactly the kind of imperfect that I wanted to last a lifetime.
Eventually, the sun disappeared entirely, and groups of people began to peel off and return to their cars. Ethan sighed, and my heart sank. I desperately did not want this night to end. “We should probably go. Don’t want to be late.”
“There’s more?” I asked, lifting my head off his shoulder. Even though he’d said we should go, he hadn’t let go of me yet, and I wasn’t about to make him. I smiled up at him and tried not to notice how close we were. Close enough that I could reach up on my toes and kiss him if he’d let me.
“Can you stay out later?” Ethan asked, his hand sliding lightly down my arm to rest on my waist. The feel of his touch there sent my pulse racing and made my mind fuzzy.
“Uh-huh.” I forced myself to keep my eyes fixed on him and my hands to myself, then held my breath, convinced he could feel the tension pulsing through me.
He bit down on his bottom lip and watched me for a moment, then nodded. “Good. You’ll like this next place.”
Ethan gently pressed on my hip, using his arm to guide us back to the car. My mind staggered even as my body started to move. If this was how the rest of the night went, I’d probably die from anticipation before he kissed me.
A little voice reminded me that while I couldn’t have forever with Ethan, I could have right now. And if that was all I could have, then I should enjoy every second of it before the night wasover.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The rest of the scenicdrive passed in a blur of grandpa music that Ethan seemed to know every word of, and that I could begrudgingly accept were old-school bops. I even planned to add some of them to a playlist once we got back within cell range. Not that I was going to admit that to Ethan just yet. A girl had to have some pride.
“So, what about your family?” Ethan asked over a particularly catchy song about being just what someone needed.
“What about them?” I asked, feeling my shoulders tense up. Unlike Ethan, I wasn’t about to hang out with my mom all day at her office or start listening to my dad’s music while driving my dream car.
“I mean, what are they like?” Ethan peeked over at me for a split second before returning his eyes to the road. “Brothers, sisters? Are your parents accountants who wear leopard print like BamBam, or…”
“Absolutely not.” I laughed. “They’d never admit it, but my parents care a lot about appearances and what other people think. I’m pretty sure they believe BamBam is a bad influence on me.”
“Really?” Ethan’s eyebrows crept toward his hairline.
“Yup. BamBam was the one who got me interested in film. They don’t get her beauty ‘hobby,’ but it’s helping put my sister through college, so they can’t really comment.” I put air quotes around the wordhobbyto be clear that it was their word for BamBam’s business, not mine. “My dad even helps manage her bookkeeping, can see how successful she is, and he still doesn’t take it seriously because the internet is not ‘a real job.’ He thinks it’s a fad that will go away.”
“Wow.” Ethan’s voice was low, like he was genuinely taken aback. “So, what do they think of you helping her?”
“They think it’s fine for me to have a creative outlet as long as it doesn’t interfere with school or embarrass them in any public way.”
“How could you embarrass them?”
