Maybe

Chapter 44 Good neighbour

I rubbed my eyes, still feeling the remnants of last night’s haze. As I stepped into the living room, I froze when I saw Ethan sitting on the couch, casually typing away on his laptop. The awkwardness of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks. 

Wait.. This Isn't my apartment, is it? I look around as I try to comprehend my situation.

“Good morning,” he said, not looking up from his screen, as if he hadn’t noticed the small panic brewing inside me. 

I cleared my throat, trying to sound normal. “Uh... good morning,” I replied, my voice a little more hesitant than I intended. 

He finally glanced over at me, raising an eyebrow. “You’re awake early. Slept well?” 

I shifted on my feet, unsure whether to admit how weird the whole situation felt. “I... I don’t really remember much from last night,” I said, my words coming out in a rush. 

His lips twitched into a knowing smirk. “I figured as much. You were pretty out of it.” He leaned back, arms crossed. “Don’t worry, though. You didn’t do anything... embarrassing.” 

I couldn’t decide if I felt relieved or mortified. “Right,” I muttered, feeling my face flush. “Thanks for... taking care of me, I guess.” 

Ethan’s expression softened for a moment before he returned to his laptop. “It’s no big deal. Just don’t make a habit of getting that drunk again?” 

I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything more.

What's up with him? Why's he so distant suddenly. Then, I remembered we were in a game of playing the roles of ‘strangers’. Right... I neatly roll my eyes.

Here I was standing half awake Nd half sleep. Yey, his fingers lightly tapping on the keyboard like I wasn’t even there. 

It stung a little, though I didn’t know why. 

I cleared my throat. “So... uh... I’ll just... go back to my apartment now,” I said, pointing over my shoulder toward the door. 

“Suit yourself,” he said casually, not bothering to look up. 

I blinked, a little taken aback. Suit yourself? That’s all he had to say? 

“Right,” I muttered, feeling a strange mix of irritation and embarrassment. “Thanks again.” 

He nodded, still not looking at me. “Sure.” 

I turned to leave, but something made me hesitate. Maybe it was the way he was deliberately not reacting, or maybe it was just my own annoyance bubbling over. Either way, I couldn’t stop myself from speaking again. 

“Oh wait, How'd I end up here in the forst place?” I said, spinning back around to face him. 

Finally, he looked up, one eyebrow raised in mild interest. “Found you outside half passed out. Couldn't leave a cat in need. But your door lock is jammed again.” 

He replied all in half complete sentences as if I'm the least important matter at the hand right now.

“Right, so why didn’t you leave me all by myself?” I ask, my voice tinged with sarcasm.

He tilted his head, a small smirk forming on his lips, “I’m just trying to be a good neighbor, that’s all.” 

“Good neighbor,” I repeated, narrowing my eyes. “You’ve never been a ‘good neighbor’ before.” 

Ethan shrugged, the corners of his mouth twitching like he was holding back a bigger smile. “Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf.” 

I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or just messing with me, but either way, I did like it. It felt too... What like? I must be drunk still.