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It seemed
There was the quiet hum of a hotel room dryer, punctuated by a groan of the floor as Ethan moved about. Alice was perched on the edge of the bed, a towel slung loosely about her hips, her wet hair spilling down over her shoulder like a waterfall of silk. Her legs still shook beneath her, her toes curling up minutely on the carpet as she struggled to steady herself.
He looked at her, holding her dress in both his hands. "Hey, look. Your clothes are dry," he said softly, walking towards her.
Lush green shoots sprouted through. And, as far as he could see, a small smile was pulling at her lips. It was a smile of recognition, of playfulness.
"This is all your fault," she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ethan raised an eyebrow, exhaling a chuckle of breath. "Not denying that."
She tried to get up, and her legs failed her once more. Almost stumbling, Ethan held onto her waist. Her cheeks flushed with a burning fire as she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.
"Thanks," she whispered, her voice sweet and flavored with exhaustion. "You liked that, didn't you?"
He looked at her for a second, then leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. "Yeah," he replied, his answer direct and truthful.
Ever composed, or at least appearing so, and now attired, they left their hotel room together. As they approached the front desk, a middle-aged woman at the desk looked up from her book and smiled knowingly at them.
"Did you two have fun last night?" she asked, her voice playful.
He rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous smile. "Uh, yeah."
On the other hand, the whole face of Alice turned red. She simply nodded with embarrassment and looked away from the receptionist. It made the receptionist laugh as if she were an auntie.
The periodical walk to the café was uneventful but comfortable. Alice held on to him, but despite the fact that her legs were still a little shaky, she made it a point not to let it show. However, Ethan offered to carry her at one stage, only for her to stubbornly refuse, mumbling something about "saving what's left of her dignity."
But as they entered the family café owned by Alice's family, they heard the cheerful ringing of the door bell above the entrance. Alice's parents were already there and readying the counter for the morning rush of customers.
Her mother looked up first, wiping her hands on a towel. Her eyes immediately landed on her daughter: messy hair, a slightly flushed complexion, and that characteristic stiffness in her gait.
"Alice," her mom called out, her voice stern and sharp. "Exactly what did you do last night, young lady?"
Alice's step halted in mid-air. She appealed desperately to Ethan with her silent plea: help me. But Ethan remembered a distinct childhood experience involving a lecture, a wooden spoon, and a black-eyed bully and immediately turned away his head. Nope. Not his problem.
"I told you," Alice grumbled, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. "I was staying with a friend."
"Oh?" her mother replied, one eyebrow raised. "And so 'the friend' conveniently showed up with you and legs that shake like a leaf?"
"H-How did you.?" Alice's mouth fell
Her mother gave her an unsympathetic look. "I am your mother, Alice. You think I do not recognize that you are walking as if you have just run a marathon?"
Determined to gain it back, Alice strained to stand up straight, but it only made her wobble worse.
Her mom let out a sigh and put her hand on her hip. "You're still too young to be keeping things like this under wraps. Just be careful, all right? I don't want to see you pregnant at such a young age."
"M-Mom!" Alice cried out in horror, her voice squeaking in
Ethan automatically took a step forward. "I'll take care of her," he said honestly, his voice calm despite the growing heat in his cheeks.
Alice just looked at him, her mouth wide open with shock. Her heart was racing inside of her; even if it was killing her with embarrassment, it made her happy.
It just made her happy that he could stand up right now, right here in front of her mom, and basically refer to her as his girlfriend.
It didn't make her
Her mother looked at Ethan for a long moment, then smiled sweetly. "I know you will. You've always been responsible, unlike my daughter, who puts her phone on silent mode and disappears."
"Hey!" said Alice,
"Take care of her," her mom went on, disregarding her daughter's protestations. "If something happens—"
"I will," Ethan said quickly, nodding. A drop of sweat rolled down his cheek. "You don't have to worry," he said.
"Good," said her mom, turning back to the counter as if nothing had just occurred.
Ethan exhaled a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Beside him, Alice smiled, her eyes growing tender.
"Yeah! You always took the heat for me when we were kids!" she whispered.
"Not this time," Ethan answered with a smirk. "I am still emotionally traumatized from the experience where your mom and my mom ambushed me in response to that fight I was in."
"Yeah, well… you gave that boy a black eye."
"He deserved it."
"Still, thanks for sticking up for me," Alice said, leaning into his arm, a smile on her lips. "Even just now," she added, and he
He looked at her and touched her lower back with his hand. "Always," he said.
Then, for an instant, the café, the world, all of existence melted back into a quiet warmth between them. There wasn't anything dramatic happening, nothing spectacular. Just very simple, very real. At times, that proved sufficient. Let me know if you want to continue with what goes on in the café maybe with the encounter between Alice's father and Ethan or if you want the plot to advance.
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