Page 9 of Rhodes
The whole thing would have been comical if I wasn’t witnessing the whole thing bare ass naked. I turn and run into my room and slam the door shut. I grab a tank top and short out of my dresser and pull them on.
Ethan is pinching his bleeding nose and fan his shirt to help dry it as I step back out into the hallway.
“Are you okay?” I ask taking a step towards him.
“All good,” he lies.
Even from where I’m standing I can see there are drops of blood on his coffee stand shirt. I walk over to him and pick up the box of donuts before he steps on them.
“What are you still doing here?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” he asks, his voice sounding warped from him plugging his nose.
“I’m not sure. Was your intent to catch me naked or to break your nose?”
He glares at me and suddenly I can’t hold in the chuckle bubbling up inside me.
“I want to get you some breakfast.” He takes the paper towels I hand him and holds it to his nose. “I thought you’d still be asleep by the time I got back. I didn’t mean to—” He gestures at my body and waves his hands around.
I suddenly realize that even though a moment ago I didn’t have any clothes on, I still feel pretty naked standing here with just a tank top and sleep shorts on.
“I thought you’d left for good.”
“Why would you think that?”
“I just figured after last night I wasn’t going to see you for another fifteen years.”
He wipes the paper towel on his nose and turns to look at me. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about last night. You and me, standing where you are standing right now. I tried to kiss you and you turned away.”
“Is that how you remember it?”
“Am I wrong?”
“Judging from your tone, I think there are parts of that moment you may not be remembering clearly.”
“Like what?”
“Like how I said I wouldn’t kiss you when you’re drunk.” He steps around the kitchen island towards me. I step back and hit the counter. Ethan steps so close to me there is barely a breath of space between us. “Do you honestly think that I don’t want to kiss you?”
“It seemed that way to me,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you since eighth grade.”
RHODES
Her head jerks back in surprise. “So, you thought ending our friendship was the way to do that?”
“You don’t have the whole story.”
“Then why don’t you tell me.”
So, I do. I can’t hold onto this secret anymore. I don’twantto hold onto this secret anymore.
I tell her about the night I came to her house to talk to her about how I felt. How her grandfather heard me and told me that I’d never be good enough for her and that he didn’t want me hanging around her anymore.
“Why would he do that?”
