Ethan's POV (Bonus Book)

Chapter Thirty-two - Ethan's POV

Staring mindlessly at the plain surface of my closed bedroom door, I shifted impatiently from foot to foot as I waited for Mia to finally finish getting changed.

It felt like something close to torture to sit outside and wait while I knew Mia was getting undressed only a wall away from where I stood. What made it worse was that there wasn't a lock on my door, so I had to keep mentally fighting myself not to open it. I never would of course, without her permission, but that fact still didn't make controlling myself any less painful.

For the fourth time since I'd been standing here, my stomach twisted over in anxiety as I thought over my plan for this afternoon. My plan to finally test her. I'd had enough of guessing, hoping, and trying to read her mind – I needed to know if she liked me. So, I was going to figure it out through whatever means necessary. But as eager as I was to discover the truth, it didn't make things any less terrifying.

Finally, after what must have been two minutes, the door to my room cracked open and Mia appeared from round the corner. The second I took her in, I immediately started laughing.

Mia's hot brown eyes latched on to me and she glared. "Shut up," she snapped in embarrassment.

Laughing only harder, I continued to stare. She was wearing my t-shirt, and joggers and they were absolutely drowning her. The ends of the legs had been rolled up about five times or so, and she'd arranged the t-shirt in a great big knot at her side.

My eyes then naturally decided to lock onto the slip of exposed skin now visible along her stomach. God, she had such a nice body.

I stared for a little longer than I should have, and soon I was thinking about the awful things I would do just for the chance to see more. Do more.

No, Ethan, fucking focus, don't be a perv.

Bringing myself back to focus, I chuckled again. "You look so cute," I teased as I reached out to squish her face between my palms. It was a poor excuse to touch her, but what could I say, I was desperate.

Her face burned red, and she pushed me away with playful anger. "I feel like you found the biggest clothes you could find, just to piss me off," she accused.

My smile twitched up, realizing she'd caught me red-handed. "Absolutely," I laughed.

Mia gave me a dirty look before sliding past me and starting to make her way down the corridor.

I furrowed my brows. "Chubs, where are you going?" I called out after her, assuming we were going to stay in my room.

That was the usual place we hung out whenever Mia came over to study. And in all shameful honesty, I wanted her in my room, in the selfish hopes that what happened last time we were in a bedroom alone together, would happen again.

Mia turned back to face me with a confused smile. "Obviously, to get a snack. It's like you don't even know me," she said as she looked me up and down with playful judgment.

I looked her up and down. Are you sure you don't want to hang out a little longer in my room?" I stepped forward. "Alone..."

I let my words hang heavily in the air, and kept eye contact with her as I did. Mia's eyes widened slightly, and I saw her throat sink in as she swallowed. There was now a noticeable tension between us that both of us were painfully aware of. I was testing her. If she said yes, the more chance she liked me. The more chance she wanted things to happen the way they did before.

Mia hesitated on her answer for quite some time – painfully long. I'd never seen her eyes look so wide in all my life. Her eyes flickered back and forth between mine, then dashed briefly low on my face then sharply back up again. My stomach swirled in anticipation.