Hope Unguarded

More Than a Feeling

More Than a Feeling - boston

Ethan

As he woke up, the anticipation hit Ethan full force. Today was the day, Hope was moving to Morro Bay. Finally.

The last six months had been some of the best times of his life. Well, as good as they could be without Will. Even though it had been more than a year since he died, Ethan would occasionally have the passing desire to call him up and tell him about something Hope had said, or a particularly good set after surfing.
He was still working through the grief, but it was getting easier.

Ethan had even reconnected with Will's family. It continued to surprise him that Will's mom had accepted him with open arms, never once giving him the feeling that she blamed him for what happened. The family treated him as they always had, like one of them.

His time with Hope had been like a healing salve for his soul. She understood him, what he needed when he was quiet, when to push him and when to give him space. She had started to look at him with adoration in her eyes, and he couldn't have been happier about that.

He most certainly adored her, more than he had thought possible. Even after waiting for her for five long years. And now she would be close to him all of the time.

The past six months had strengthened their relationship, allowing them to get to know one another deeply. Ethan was grateful for the time they spent speaking over long distances. Although he ached for her to be close by, he knew that if she had been, the distraction of her physical presence would have gotten in the way of their intense conversations.

It was those long, late night talks that showed him Hope's true heart and soul. He learned about her struggles and fears, about her dreams for her future. He told her about his regrets and his plans, the things that no one but Will had ever known. It had drawn them so close that it made the distance between them so much harder.

That would all change today. Finally.

Ethan moved around his apartment quickly, doing the daily morning tasks that suddenly seemed insignificant. Josh had just gotten up, whereas Ethan had been up with the sun, anticipation so strong he couldn't sleep a minute longer.

"Dude, you look frantic. You better calm down before your girl arrives or she's going to have second thoughts about dating a basket case." Josh teased.

Little did he know how the phrase "your girl" drove Ethan even crazier. She was his girl and he'd gone much too long without her by his side. The hours until her arrival may have well been days or months, he could hardly stand still. Finding some kind of distraction became Ethan's first priority. He didn't want to be a nervous mess when Hope finally arrived.

"Very funny. I just need to get my mind off of things for a while. Then I'll be all good." Ethan responded to Josh's observation.

"Sure. That should do it. Well, I've got to get to campus and get to work. See ya later." Josh waved as he departed. His job in the engineering department was a year round gig so even time off of class didn't give him a break from the school. Ethan would have hated that.

Resolve washed over him as he pulled the vacuum out and started cleaning. Hope wouldn't even be at his place that day. She was driving straight to Morro, moving in with his mom on the campground. Ethan would meet her there and help with unloading her things. And then, just be with her. That's all he really wanted. That's all he had ever wanted.

An hour later, the apartment was spotless. For two college students, Josh and Ethan were relatively neat, so there really wasn't much to clean up. A bit of dusting, drying some dishes and passing the vacuum was all that really needed to be done. He'd tackle the bathroom another day. Ethan had passed as much time as he could stand. Now all he wanted to do was jump in his truck and drive.