hopelessly devoted // e.d.

Chapter 14

"Should we wake them up?"

"I think so. The doctor wants them to be woken up every few hours anyways. Plus Sky hates waking up in skinny jeans and socks. Says that she loses blood circulation from it."

I shift at the sound of my best friends' voices. My eyes peel open, burning from the fluorescent hospital lights.

I turn slightly in Ethan's tight grip and see his sleeping face with Grayson and Lauren in the background.

"Good she's awake. We don't have to deal with waking her up. That would be a nightmare," Lauren lets out a sigh of relief.

"Wow thanks, Laur. I appreciate the love," I say with my groggy morning voice, "What time is it?"

"It's almost 11. We brought you and E some clothes to sleep in and change in for the morning," Grayson holds out two overnight bags.

I try to get up but can't in Ethan's death grip. I turn onto my side and face him.

"Ethan. Ethan wake up," I say whilst rubbing the pads of my thumbs on his face.

He stirs, furrowing his eyebrows, and holds me tighter. He buries his face in my neck, as usual and mumbles an almost incoherent "5 more minutes".

His vibration of his voice on my neck raises the hairs on the back of my neck. I look up at Gray for help but he just smirks gesturing me to keep trying. Sly bitch knows about my feelings. Shit.

I tangle my fingers in Ethan's hair and start massaging his scalp. He lets out a sigh and begins to fall limp.

"C'mon Ethan. If you want me to play with your hair until you fall asleep, you have to get up and change first."

He groans and his eyes crack open. His thick eyelashes blink as his eyes adjust to the light of the room.

"I'm up. Thanks for the clothes guys."

Ethan sits up on the edge of the bed and rubs his face. Grayson gives him his bag and the two travel to Ethan's side of the room. Grayson pulls the curtain between the two beds so we could both change.

Lauren holds out my gray bag. I thank her and get off of the bed to change. She reclines on the bed that I was just in.

As I go to change, I see Ethan's silhouette stripping through the curtain. I look away, blushing, and my best friend laughs at my perversion. I lightly push her leg and start to chang into what she brought me.

"You decent over there?" Grayson asks through the fabric between us.

"Almost!" I say pulling the red crewneck sweatshirt over my bra.

"Okay I'm decent."

Grayons had pops up from the side of the white fabric and pulls it all the way to the wall.

He comes over and offers his hand to Lauren who's dozing off. He ends up just putting her on his back.

"I'd better get her home. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Grayson says.

"Aight see you tomorrow man," Ethan gives him a broshake.

They leave and close the door. I get up and go to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. Ethan enters after me and does the same thing.

I walk over to my side of the room and plug in my phone charger. I laid down on the bed and connected it to my phone.

My phone is suddenly taken away from me. I look up see Ethan placing it on the chair next to the bed.

"Hey what the hell Ethan?"

"You said you'd play with my hair till I fell asleep," he said and lied down on my lap.

I sighed and wound my fingers into his hair. He closed his eyes and let out a breath of content.

"Ethan?"

"Yeah?"

"I have something to tell you. And please don't get mad," I quickly add.

He opens his eyes and says, "Sure. I promised your dad I'd control my temper, didn't I?"

I took in a deep breath and said, "Look are you sure about Julie?"

Ethan was about to intervene but I cut him off.

"Just...hear me out okay? I never told you this because I didn't want you to feel even more hurt, but the night she left LBI, the night she broke things off, we were talking at my house. I mentioned how deep in love you were--are? with her. Her voice changed. I asked her about it..."

His jaw clenched, "Don't stop now."

"She said she loves you too, but just not how you love her. Maybe not as much even. She said she wanted to break things off. She never mentioned when she would. When I found out I was just as shocked as anyone. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But now that you know, I want you to please be careful. I know you still love her but she doesn't feel the same way."

Ethan was quiet. He just stared up at the illuminated ceiling. 

"Ethan?"

He turned his head and finally looked at me with teary eyes, "She really said that?"

I nodded my head sadly. All he did was nod as well and assume his previous position.

"Thank you for telling me."

He gets up and closes the lights to the room. Instead of returning to my bed he goes to his own. 

"Goodnight Sky," he says with his back turned away from me. A quiet sniffle follows.

I hold back my own tears as I tell him goodnight. I turn so that my back is facing his own as I bury my face into a pillow. I know this hurt him, but he had to know.

I didn't tell him just so he wouldn't get back with Julie. I didn't tell him to raise my chances with him. I told him because I love him and want him to be careful with his heart. My heart.

When he hurts, I hurt. 

I close by blurred eyes and let the tears escape. 

From all the crying and today's events, I felt the exhaustion glaze my body from head to toe. My mind fades into the darkness. 

Tomorrow's a new day. Hopefully it'll be better than today was.

----

Happy New Year!

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