Page 60 of Pick Me Up On Tuesdays

Ethan was loud, obnoxious, and had the emotional depth of a toaster oven. He never talked about serious things. Ever.

And yet, here was something he obviously didn’t want to talk about.

Which meant it was important.

I sighed, shutting my laptop halfway. “Look, I know I’m probably the last person you’d take advice from, but whatever’s going on with you… avoiding it won’t make it go away.”

Ethan didn’t respond.

Didn’t roll his eyes. Didn’t snap back.

He just sat there, staring at his laptop screen, fingers unmoving over the keys.

I had no idea if he was actually listening, but I kept going anyway.

“I get it. Some things are… complicated. But if you keep running from them, they just—” I gestured vaguely. “—keep chasing you.”

A long silence stretched between us.

Then, to my surprise, Ethan exhaled and leaned back against the headboard, rubbing his face tiredly.

“…Yeah,” he muttered. “I know.”

That was it.

That was all he said.

I didn’t push further.

Ethan wasn’t the kind of person you could pry open. If he wanted to talk, he would. And if he didn’t… well.

I went back to my laptop.

A few minutes later, Ethan suddenly said, “hey.”

I looked up.

He didn’t meet my gaze, still focused on his screen, but his voice was a little softer than usual.

“…Thanks, by the way.”

I blinked. “For what?”

“For the car thing.” He snorted. “I mean, yeah, you were part of the reason it got wrecked, but you are also helping me get the money to fix it. So… yeah.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

Ethan? Expressing gratitude? What timeline was this?

So, I just nodded and went back to typing, letting the moment settle.

Ethan never brought up his father again.

Chapter 19: Clark vs. The Demon Roommate

I couldn't tell when I nodded off, but here I was. I woke up to silence. Not the kind that came with sleep, not the peaceful quiet of a hotel room at night—but the kind that observed. The quiet that pressed against my chest, immobile and weighty, as if the room itself was holding its breath.

The air was colder than it should have been.

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