Undying Echo {1}

29 | Memory Lane

Ethan's cup of green tea sat discarded in the cup holder of his pick-up truck, me glancing at it longingly every few minutes before casting my eyes down to my coffee.

Turning my head to look at Ethan, I found a small smile playing on his lips. I poked him with a smile of my own, signing when he looked at me. "What are you smiling about?"

Holding his cup of tea, he offered it to me, a knowing look on his face, and I immediately felt my face reddening. He cut me off before I could move a muscle to object, jutting the cup in my face.

Keeping my eyes down, I took the cup without a second attempt of objecting. Why would I, anyway? He was reuniting besties, you can't possibly object to something like that. Twice.

Taking a sip, I closed my eyes, appreciating the taste of mint in my mouth, before hearing a chuckle and my eyes fluttered open to look at Ethan, who was holding my cup of coffee and taking a sip himself.

That's when I realized that he just drank from the same cup as me. Blood rushed into my cheeks, and I felt them heat up as I looked down at the cup in my hands. Specifically, at the place I just drank from.

Finding myself on Ethan's porch a few minutes later, I smile when I see Shelly opening the front door. I hadn't seen a lot of her lately, and although we don't talk much, I had still missed her like she's my own sister.

"Hi, Shelly. How have you been?"

"Good." She smiles back shyly, "and you?"

"Never been better." I beam at her, swinging my and Ethan's intertwined hands between us a little, probably looking like a first grader who just made her first friend.

Ethan led me by the hand to his room, his thumb caressing the back of my hand softly, making my body go all tingly inside.

He ushered me to his bed, kissing my hand, my forehead, and planting a soft but meaningful kiss on my lips once I was sitting with my legs dangling from the end. Squeezing my hand, he let go and knelt down at the side of his bed, stretching his hands to retrieve something from under.

I said nothing. Waiting him out. His actions showed he was nervous, and I had the feeling he had something to tell–or show– me. Something that has to do with the past. I didn't want to push him, I wanted to give him all the time he needed until he came out with it at his own pace.

Pulling out a dusty carton box, he got up and placed it on his desk chair, rolling it until it was beside the bed, before going back and grabbing his laptop and something that holds the memories of our first meeting.

His black headphones.

Pulling my legs up, I sat Indian style further up on the bed to make room, and he sat in front of me, before opening the lids of the box.

And I was suddenly met with lots and lots of stacked CDs.

My hand moved on its own accord, having its own mind as it touched the only one facing up, causing disruption to the rest which were stacked sideways with the spines in view. Holding the CD up, my fingers ran over the title written in red marker as I read it, and I immediately recognized Ethan's handwriting. It read:

Prom 2015.

My eyebrows furrowed with confusion. Did he want to show me last year's prom?

Glancing up at him, I saw longing in his grey eyes, and I felt a part of me break for him. He longed for the memories.

Taking the CD from me, he opened the case and pulled the CD out, inserting it into his laptop. Plugging his headphones in, he put the headphones on my ears after pushing locks of my hair behind my ears gently, his feathery touch sending electricity down my spine.