Connected To Him (ManxMan) ✔️

Part 2: Chapter 57

(A/N: Longer chapter ahead. Brace and pace yourself)

Chapter 57: Day 31

Day 31. It was the day before their month apart was over. Ethan realized it when he woke up and found the handy calendar notification, white and blue, at the top of his phone screen. For weeks, it felt like the days were crawling by, but now that it was here, Ethan felt that the end had come far too quickly. Even with the hours spent preparing himself for an official single status, he found the nearing reality scary.

Ethan thought of their late-night cuddle sessions and good morning/night texts. The sex was great and the kisses wonderful, but those two things seemed like the most daunting loss. Ethan tried to comfort himself in knowing that they may be able to be friends again. They had always cared about each other and he doubted that would fully go away, even if romance wasn't involved.

Ethan realized that the train of his thoughts had kept him glued to the mattress. With a laborious groan, he pulled himself up and off of the large mattress. Looking over to his left, Ethan found Meaghan fast asleep, her mouth breathing causing her hair to lift off of and fall back on her face.

It seemed that the drive to get here had wiped her out. Or maybe it was the drinking she and a few of the other legal drinkers in their party got involved in last night. Being in such a nostalgic place affected everyone in some way and the group was in high spirits last night. They found themselves in Aiden's room, drinking and laughing at the end of the night.

Today marked only the second day of their trip but they got off to an exhausting start.

Wanting to let Meaghan get more rest, Ethan walked with light steps over to their shared bathroom to get ready. As he brushed his teeth, Ethan tried to put a positive spin on his situation. Being single would give him more free time, he reminded himself. Time he could use to work on his new business. But, since he was now unemployed, he would still have time to pursue new hobbies! Ethan was always kind of interested in art but the skill eluded him. Now would be a great time to give it a try.

Half an hour later, with a small plate of eggs cooked and eaten, Ethan was out on the porch, scribbling into a notebook. He'd begun by writing some general reflections and it turned into a sketching session. He was getting a headstart on enjoying the perks of his singledom.

As Ethan worked on shading the wobbly-looking eye he'd created, Santiago slid open the glass door, stepping through. He had a phone in one hand and a coffee in another, his long curly hair falling messily over his shoulders.

The two exchanged quiet good mornings before turning back to their respective activities. Although Ethan tried to ignore it, he did note that single or not, he and Santiago were doing the exact same thing. He could have worked on his business or started drawing while he was with Chris, he just never tried. Maybe during one of those cuddle sessions, he could have created another badly drawn eye while his feet were massaged over Chris's lap.

Ethan shook his head to focus and get back to drawing.

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Ethan was not surprised in the least to find himself at the side of the pool a few hours later. Swimming was the quintessential vacation activity and the first thing that their group wanted to do that morning. The first words exchanged among the entire group that morning were: "hey, good morning. Want to go swimming?" And the bikinis and swim trunks were put on accordingly.

Ethan hadn't been swimming in a while and his slightly faded swim trunks reflected that much. Luckily, they still fit just fine and that was all he cared about as their group walked to the main building where they held the pool in the back.