survivors ↠ e.d.

TEN

We all gather together around the fire. It's already dark... Grayson sits me down on a seat, while Ethan sits himself next to me. At least he can walk with the orthosis....

That god damn panther...

As I stare at the flames I feel a hand sliding along my back and grabbing my waist. I turn around to face Ethan and I can already feel my cheeks heating up. He gives me an obvious smirk.

What is he doing?

He tightens his grip around me and pulls me towards him, connecting our bodies together by the side. My cheeks are definitely red. The color of the flames on my face can't even hide my blush at this point.

He keeps looking at me with that smirk.
I wish I could feel my legs go weak right now.

"What?" I chuckle.

He leans in and brings his soft lips next to my ear. "You're cute when you're blushing..." he tenderly whispers as tingles are trailing down my spine. I grab my thighs and squeeze them in my hands, as I'm trying to conceal my excitement.

What the hell is going on? He's been so distant ever since we met... Maybe he's just thirsty.

Grayson quickly falls asleep on the ground, on the other of the fire. There's not a chance he can see us.

I look back at Ethan, whose face was lit up and more alive than usual. His hand slowly goes down to my hip, and to the side of my ass.

Oh god...

His smirk slowly fades away.

"Did I ever tell you that you're beautiful, Nessa?" he almost whispers.
I stare at him with wide eyes and parted lips.
That's the first time he ever said something nice to me...

His gaze moves down to my lips, as mine moves down to his.
He has god damn kissable lips.
He brings his hand to my jawline and cups it lightly, as he runs his thumb on my cheek.
His skin is rough but his touch is so gentle...
He partially closes his eyes and leans in.

"What are you guys doing?" we hear Grayson say from the other side of the fire.

Wow. Real nice Gray. Thanks a lot.

Ethan removes his hand from my face and awkwardly stays there with his jaw slightly opened.

"You're dreaming Grayson. It's aaall in your mind..." I say as I wave my hands in circles.

They both burst out laughing.
Oh well, maybe Grayson broke the moment, but at least the bond is still there.

I look up at Ethan and he whispers something to me. "We'll catch up later." I read on his lips, as he winks at me. Again, my cheeks flush in redness and burn in heat.

I hide my face in my hands and snuggle on his chest to quickly fall asleep.

-----------------------------------------------------

Kade and I run in the playground, giggling and holding hands. That boy makes me so happy...

He leads me behind a big oak tree and we hide behind it. I giggle and he puts a finger on his mouth as a sign to tell me to be quiet.

We didn't want anyone to find us.

He brings his hands to my round cheeks and gently cups them. He leans in and gives me a light peck on the edge of my lips. My cheeks slowly become red.

As I was about to kiss him back, a little boy comes behind Kade and pulls his arm, making him fall backwards.

"The poor kids are kissing! The poor kids are kissing!" him and his crew yell. The tears were stinging my eyes, but I promise myself not to cry. I'm stronger than that. We are stronger than that.

Kade weakly stands up and holds my hand as he glares at the other kids. They all run away, not because they're scared, but because they're about to break the love we share together.

They are going to stool us.

And the teacher is going to separate us.

---------------------------------------------------

"Kade!" I scream as I wake up on Ethan's chest. He jumps lightly and gently grabs my arms.

"Nessa are you alright?" he asks with worry.

My heart is beating out of my chest and sweat is bedding on my forehead.

Why?

Why do I have these flashbacks now?

I lean back in my seat and slow down my breathing. I weakly nod and hold his hands.

"Who is Kade?" Ethan asks. Grayson walks towards us with the water bottles and nods at me to ask me if I was okay with revealing my past to Ethan as well. He hands Ethan and I two bottles. I open it and chug all the water left in it. I wipe my mouth and sigh.

"Kade was my best friend when I was younger."

Grayson glances down at me and frown his eyebrows.

"Well... my uhh... boyfriend actually..."

I feel Ethan's stare on me.
He lays a hand on my thigh and when I look up at him he has that same warm smile just like he always does.

For some reason, I'm more excited to tell my story to someone now. I guess Ethan brings out the best in me. We don't even fully know each other yet, but I can already feel a connection between us. Maybe it's the way he smiles at me, the way he grabs my thigh, or simply the way he takes the time to listen to me.

This might get somewhere...

I take a deep breath and start all over again.

"It all started when baby Nessa was a few years old..." I say as I stare at the dead fire...