Diamond: The Promise

Chapter 13 "I'm not entirely here"

~Iria~

11/3/24

I have never liked to tell the story of how Ethan and I met, it wasn't nice, there weren't butterflies and things weren't pink, they were black, of a dark gray shade perhaps. However, I still remembered the day I kissed Elias Martin, he left but Ethan and I spent the whole night making a list about the place he had been at, to my request. He promised me he would take me to all of them.

I can't even remember if Cancun was in that list.

The strong and sudden sunlight annoyed my sleep until interrupting it, I grunted when I figured out someone moved the curtains away, allowing the light to hit my eyes until they opened.

"Come on, today we are going to the beach." Ethan's voice confused me, he was supposed to be sleeping beside me some hours ago.

I sat up, with my hair messy and a dead look on my face. The trophy was the first thing I saw when I looked forward, it was over the desk. The memories of that night invaded me, it was on Friday and today was Monday, we haven't talked about that kiss ever since, in fact last night was the longest conversation we had during the weekend. However, the kiss wasn't my favorite memory of that night, it was whispering the last verses of Baby Came Home 2 / Valentines.

It took me some more seconds to process Ethan's words.

"I don't feel like going to the beach."

I fell on bed again, ignoring the sigh Ethan let out though it was harder to ignore him when the bed sank next to me. The smell of his cologne pierced into my nose, I used to joke telling him he smelt like a man when he first started using adult cologne.

I wanted to laugh at how we haven't barely talked during the weekend but, suddenly, when we had a deep conversation last night, he started caring again.

"I said we are going to the beach." He moved the sheets away from my body, making me shrug when the goosebumps hit me.

"I don't want to go." I complained turning around to don't face him, just when he didn't see my face I opened my eyes.

I'm not entirely here, I wanted to scream so he would leave me alone. It was hard to explain, I was here, of course I was but... a part of me just wasn't.

The momentary silence brought some tension to the room that increased when I felt Ethan behind me. He had moved to lay on his side, right behind me so my back would meet his chest. Ethan brushed my hair away from my ear and got his mouth closer to it, speaking in whispers.

"What's your plan, Iria? Stay in bed every fucking day...?" The goosebumps in my neck made my skin hurt. "Annoying me every fucking second?"

I felt small with him taking over my space, I wanted to shrug more but instead I turned to lay my back on the mattress, I needed Ethan to get off me. He stayed laid beside me with his arms crossed over his chest.

I let the silence fill the room for some time while I hesitated in talking.

"If a tight dress didn't suit me... What makes you think a bikini will?" I turned my face to him, Ethan did the same but with a smile, I had gave in.

"You brought swimsuits." He offered, I leaned my head back when I chuckled.

I got ready to get out of bed with the intention of trying on those swimsuits until I noticed something odd in Ethan's outfit. Since when did Ethan wore a neoprene shirt with the swimsuit? The shirt was black, long sleeves and a zipper in the middle of the chest that reached the end of it, he wore it fully unzipped.