The Love Interest (Ethan Landry x female!Reader 18+)

Chapter 12: Die For You

The repeated beeping makes you groan, hating the sound of your alarm. As your eyes flutter open you notice the room was too bright to be your own, and the beeping too low and far apart to be your alarm. As you take in your surroundings the beeping becomes more frequent. A hospital bed, you noticed, as thin white sheets covered you.

You attempt to sit up but a burning pain takes over making you groan.

"Hey, it's okay..." the familiar voice whispered, your body seemed to calm just by hearing him.

"Ethan," your vision cleared to see two big brown eyes looking at you in concern. His thick eyebrows were curved with worry.

"It's okay, you're okay," he spoke. He stayed away, sitting in his chair but you could tell he was holding himself back.

Your heart rate starts to steady as you calm down, recounting the events that happened. The burning anger you felt towards him long since melted down to regret and sorrow.

"I'm sorry I stayed here, I just needed to make sure you were okay." His eyes were glossed over in mourning sorrow. "I'll go now-"

"No!" you turned too quickly to look into his eyes, wincing in pain "don't go," your voice was desperate "don't leave."

He seemed taken aback, a look of confusion washed over him but then relief "okay," he leaned over your bed, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear "I won't go until you tell me to."

"Listen," you groaned as you were reminded of the pain with every word but you needed to say this "I'm sorry I was mad at you. I mean," You stop to catch your breath "what you did before was not okay. But I thought about it and... if I was in your position, my entire family talking to me that way..." his eyes looked between yours.

He brushed his hand against your forehead, blinking back tears.

You thought back to Anika, the first notion would be she's dead and it's Ethans fault, even indirectly, so why wouldn't she be mad, but after your long talks with her about how her parent's treated her... You think she would forgive him. Family was anything but easy especially when spending a lifetime groomed to be a slave to their will. He was friends with her too, you knew. The look of pain in his face that horrible morning said it all.

"They were trying to force you to do it. I know maybe at first you did things for them you weren't proud of. But you didn't kill Anika, they did to get back at both of us." your lips were chapped as you realised how thirsty you were but you continued anyway. "When you tried to cut them off, they blackmailed you and tried to manipulate you into going back. You were close to holding the knife. But you stopped."

"It's not an excuse," he spoke to you with confidence, bringing his hand to the cup of water. He held the straw to your mouth and you drank, grateful for any hydration.

You paused before continuing "You're right. But you stopped, you told me the truth, you fought against them" You looked into his eyes then, how soft they were, how sorrowful. You didn't want to ask, but you could guess he was now an orphan. "You... lost your entire family because of me."

He ran his fingers through your hair, eyes glossy "they weren't a family. You taught me that. And I didn't choose you over them, I chose myself. If I have to live alone for the rest of my life as my lesson then... It's alright. It makes me fucking sick..." You move your hand slowly to his arm, looking for his, "it's not who I want to be," he spoke, grabbing your hand.

"These entire past two days, I wanted so badly to keep anyone from hurting you. But I was the one in the end that hurt you the most."

His eyes were large and inviting, glossy as he blinked back the tears. You heard somewhere that they were reflections of the soul and this Ethan... he has never been so genuine. He laid down his cardboard armour, his phantom mask long gone, so you could see all of him, all vulnerabilities.