The Eye Of The Ankh #Wattys2016

Chapter Twenty

I was surprised not to have a major headache when I woke up the next morning. Ethan was gone and the water in the shower from his bathroom was running. I shut my eyes and slept some more.

When I woke again, Ethan was still gone, but the water was turned off. I got up and walked into Ethan's bathroom. I took a shower and dried off with a towel. I put back on my clothes from yesterday, excluding the jeans and t-shirt. Instead, I put on one of Ethan's shirts.

When I went upstairs, I saw Ethan in the kitchen, pouring eggs onto a skillet. He looked up. "Morning, beautiful."

I smiled. "Morning. What'cha making?" I leaned over his shoulder to get a better view of the food.

"An omelet." He smiled. "Sleep well?"

"Your bed is incredibly comfortable. I almost didn't want to get up."

Ethan laughed, light and happy. "Well I'm glad you did." Ethan took a block of cream cheese and sliced thick pieces onto the egg. He added some spinach and a seasoning. He closed the omelet and continued to cook it. "Sorry I didn't buy you anything. I thought last night would make up for it."

"It's fine." I said, debating whether to add the fact that I had flowers and chocolates waiting for me at home. I decided against it. "I'll just buy something once all the candy goes on sale." I smiled and Ethan smiled back.

He grabbed an orange plate from a cabinet and slid the omelet on it. He grabbed a fork from the dishwasher and set it on the plate. "Bon appetite."

Ethan turned around, reaching into the fridge for a different set of ingredients. I took a bite of the egg. The cream cheese was finely melted, mixed together with the spinach. It was heavenly, to say the least.

Ethan poured more egg onto the skillet, the cold liquid hissing with contact to the hot pan. He smiled. "Do you have to go anytime soon?" He asked, watching the eggs.

"Yeah, I've got a therapy appointment at one. I'll probably head home around noon."

Ethan smiled. "Good. I've still got plenty of time with you."

"Anna told me you spent the night with Jude. Did you have fun?"

I laughed and smiled. "Right. I was with Jude." I said it sarcastically, then laughed more, thinking about how I spent my morning with Ethan.

"Who were you really with?"

"Ethan, my boyfriend. It was great."

"I assume you two...?"

I nodded. "We used protection, and it's too late now, so please don't lecture me. It was great sex, too. I don't see why everyone tells teens to wait. Last night was so great!"

"We tell you to wait for many reasons. He might just be using you. He might not really love you. He's slept around and has diseases. You might feel disgusted with yourself. It wasn't love." She trailed off. "Those are just a few."

"If he's using me, I'm using him back. He loves me for now, doesn't that count? We used a condom, so I highly doubt I contracted any diseases. I don't feel disgusted with myself. And it was so much better than just love."

Amanda shrugged. "Does he feel the same way?"

I sighed. "Listen, Amanda, there's so much I haven't told you that I really should. I mean, what all is going on in my life is way too much for just one person to go through. Anna doesn't know, Ethan doesn't know, Jude doesn't know. Hugo knows. And that's only because he's involved. I'd love to tell you, but that'd cause so much trouble."

"Why don't you try to tell me?"

"Because." I said. "Everything I'm doing right now won't matter in a month when he's dead."

Hugo sat on a stool slightly behind the canvas. I had mixed my paint and was ready to actually start painting. Hugo wasn't smiling, I didn't want him to. The lighting wasn't right.

I stood up and adjusted the lamp so the shadows caused Hugo's already sharp features to seem even sharper. More dramatic.

I decided to paint him in black and white and got to work.

After an hour we took a break. I thanked him for the chocolates and flowers—already starting to wilt—before we got back to painting.

Another hour and I finished. I let it set for a few minutes so the paint would mostly dry, then showed Hugo.

He stared at it for a bit, examining it. He smiled at me. "I love it. It's oddly abstract. Which is strange considering it's realistic art."

I smiled. "I know. It's because of your facial structure and the lighting. I think it'd be less abstract in color."

"No, I like it in black and white. Makes it eerie."

I smiled. "You like it, though?"

Hugo nodded. "I love it."