Chapter 9
For the past few weeks, Millie and Ethan have avoided each other. They did see each other at the restaurant she worked at but they never had an actual interaction. She got out of her apartment and saw the boys leaving Ethan's.
"Millie! What happened to you? It's like we never see you anymore," Henry said and Millie looked at them. She tried not making an eye contact with Ethan and he was doing the same, she noticed.
"Nothing. I've just been busy," she says and they believe her.
"Come on in for some coffee," she says opening her apartment for them and they enter. They all sit down and Millie pours coffee for all of them in their cups that she had kept for them.
"So, anything new and exciting?" she asked sitting on the couch next to Alex as the boys look at each other.
"Ethan has been selected for a program where they test a new experiment to help the students get their PhD which is going to take place in Greece," Daniel says and Millie looks at Ethan immediately.
"How long will you be gone for?" she asked surprised as he looked at her.
"3 months or more," he said and Millie was shocked. 3 months?
"When will you leave?" she asked.
"In about 3 days," he said and her eyes grow wide. He would be gone for more than 3 months?
"Oh," she said blankly and the boys knew she was upset about it. She got up to wash her cup in which her coffee had gone cold. She rests her hand on the kitchen platform and sighs.
"Millie, thank you for coffee. We should get going. Have a good day," Henry says and she turns to look at them and she nods.
"You too," she says as they walk out of her apartment and she sat down on a chair nearby. Not seeing Ethan for 3 months, Millie was sad about it especially because she liked his company and she liked him.
She eventually got up and went to work. She was distracted today but no one noticed it because her voice sounded amazing. She went to the restaurant where she started waitressing.
"Millie? Can I talk to you?" Ethan asked coming closer to her as they enter the restaurant and she nods as she leads him to the locker room and the boys settle down.
"Are you upset?" he asked and she looks at him and gives him a small smile.
"I am happy for you," she says but he shakes his head.
"You didn't answer my question Millie," he asks again and she sighs.
"I'm sad that you will be gone for 3 months but it's alright. You will be back soon," she says and he nods. He smiles as he sits in his seat and she gets them food. She was awfully quite the whole time.
"Good night guys," Millie says hugging everyone as she got into her apartment and closed her door. Call her selfish, but she kind of hoped he wouldn't leave for Greece because she wanted him to stay back.
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Millie asked the cab driver to drive as fast as he could to the airport because she was supposed to say good bye to Ethan before he left to Greece for 3 months. She could've gone with the boys when they left earlier but she had work, so she couldn't and now she was late.
"Thank you," she says giving the driver a $20 bill when the price was only $14 and ran into the lobby. She saw the boys all standing together and talking when she ran up to them, panting.
"Millie, why are you panting?" they asked looking at her.
"I-I thought I would be late so I came here so fast in a cab and ran here that I can't breathe," she says struggling to breathe and they laugh.
"I'm glad you're here Millie," Ethan says as she gets back to normal.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she says looking at him.
"Um- We will sit in that café," Daniel says and the boys leave, giving Millie and Ethan some private space so that they can talk.
"It's going to be weird without seeing you when I come out of my apartment," Millie says and Ethan laughs.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," he says and she nods.
"Oh! I almost forgot," she says searching her bag for something as Ethan looked at her. She gave him a storm predicting keychain and something in a wrapped box.
"I know that this is stupid but it's cool. This pendant can predict when the weather changes," she says as he looks at it. He opened the box and he found a gömböc sitting in it and he was happy because he always wanted one of these.
"Millie, you didn't have to do this," he says and she smiles.
"Of course I had to. You will be gone for god knows how long," she says and he hugs her really tight, so tight that he could touch his elbows and Millie almost disappeared into him.
"I love it. Thank you," he says and let's her go.
"Ethan, I have to say something," Millie says and Ethan nods but he was distracted with looking at something on his phone.
"It might be weird," she says and he nods distractedly so she lets it go.
"You know what, never mind," she says and he still gave no reply so she sighed.
"I'm sorry Millie, there's some professor of the university contacting me. Tell me what you wanted to say," he says putting his phone away and gave her his full attention and she got nervous.
"It's nothing important. I want you to be safe and happy," she says and he hugs her. The boys come back and give him a hug since his boarding time had started.
Ethan hugged Millie one last time before he left and he breathed in her sweet scent. This brought tears to his face because he wouldn't be here for a few months and he knew that Millie would find a guy in the mean time.
"Bye Ethan," Millie says giving him a kiss on the cheek and he waves as he leaves. They all turn to leave after he goes out of sight and sit in Alex's car, the car they brought here. He gave Millie the coffee he had purchased for her while they sat in the cafe.
"Did you tell him Millie?" Daniel asked and the others were pretty confused not knowing what Millie told whom.
"Wait, what is happening?" Henry asked and Millie sighs.
"Millie and Ethan kissed during her costume party," Daniel says and the boys all hoot.
"But I got scared because my feelings were too real and it was first time I have ever felt that way. And Ethan, was such a sweet guy, so much more different than all the guys I've been with so I ran away and kissed Zach to distract myself," she says and the boys stop.
"That was the reason we didn't talk until you told me that Ethan was leaving to go to Greece," she says and pauses to sip her coffee.
"So today, I made my mind to tell Ethan the way I feel about him and I did decide to do so but I got nervous so I didn't say anything," she says and everyone was disappointed.
"Millie, you know you like Ethan and we know that he likes you too," Alex says and Millie looks at him.
"He likes me?" she asked and Alex nods.
"Of course he does. He always seems to be happy around you, you make him smile, and he throws some hints that he likes you. Don't worry Millie. When he comes back, you can tell him and you both can be together," Alex says and the boys agree so Millie smiles.
"Thank you guys," she says and they get back home. It was already weird not coming up the elevator and it was weird not saying good bye to him as she entered her apartment.
She couldn't help but wonder if Ethan and she could become a couple when he comes back and whether or not they will stay together. She hoped she would get her happy ending with Ethan because he was one of a kind.
YOU ARE READING
Falling for you
General FictionEthan Carter and Millie Preston had their initial encounter when she took up residence in the apartment adjacent to his. Millie, a warm-hearted, outgoing, and free-spirited small-time singer, stood in stark contrast to Ethan, a composed and introver...
