You can't leave me behind [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 33 ~ Clearing the air

Thirty minutes later I was pacing back and forth in the main room in the clinic, nervously glancing towards the door now and then as if that would make it more likely to open. I was on pins and needles trying to calm down and not go running in the other direction. I knew that I had to talk to Ethan because we couldn't leave things as they were but that didn't make this any easier.

"Okay so I've sprayed the clinic with lemon-spray like you asked me and I've put the wolf in one of the back rooms. Now can you please tell me why I have to go through with these crazy requests of yours? I mean it's just Ethan coming? There's no need to clean up for him." Lionel said, walking into the room and putting the lemon-scented spray back where he took it from. When he turned to me I glanced back at him and waved my hand in the air.

"Yeah, yeah... the problem is that it is him.... just thank you... I'll explain some other time." I said, too distracted by the thought of my mate coming here to focus on what my brother was saying. A sudden noise over by the door had me flinching and I couldn't help but stare in the direction of the door. Oh my god this was a bad idea... I should just hide and wait for a while before I met him.

Just as the bell chimed over the door to the clinic, indicating that someone had opened it I turned on my heels ready to bolt up the stairs to my brother's apartment. I had time to take exactly three steps before arms were suddenly wrapped around me, keeping me from moving further.

Ethan hugged me from behind, leaning down to nuzzle my neck as he breathed in my scent and sighed. I didn't dare to say anything and for a moment we just stood there, him hugging me and me staring into nothing.

It's strange how something so easy to do can mean the world to you.

"I've missed you." Ethan whispered against me and that was all it took for me to break out of my frozen state. I slowly wiggled around in his arms and reached out to put my hands against his heaving chest. He had run here. I closed my eyes and touched my forehead against his chest.

"I'm sorry Ethan." I said, my voice suddenly thick with held back tears. I bunched his sweaty t-shirt in my hands and in that moment I felt like never letting go. I could feel Ethan gathering me closer to his chest and I couldn't help it as the tears started to fall.

"No Matt, I'm the one who should be sorry. I know that nothing about this has been easy on you. It's amazing that you even accepted me like you did and what have I ever done to deserve that? I don't regret the things I said, you have to understand that I was so very hurt by your constant need to pull away. But darling I just want you to know that I've thought a lot about us and I promise you that I'll try my best to accept you as you are just like you did with me." Ethan said, leaning down to gently lick the tears away from my cheeks. I didn't have any words to answer him with so I just buried my face against his chest again and hugged him tightly.

He said that he hadn't done anything to deserve my acceptance but he had. He really had done a lot for me. I was nothing but stubborn when we first met and even so he fought to make me fall in love with him and everything he did was always for my sake. The possessiveness he showed was a lot for me to handle but when you love someone you want them to be all yours don't you? Wasn't I the same?

Yes, Ethan had a lot to work on... but the same was true for me. If he can learn to hold back, to let me have some space, then I should learn to understand his worry and accept him as he was. A relationship isn't made up by only one persons thoughts and wishes. It's made up by two. Give and take, as cliche as it sounds.

"I love you." I could hear myself mumble and I knew Ethan could hear me because his arms squeezed me until I thought that maybe I wouldn't be able to breathe... and maybe that was okay.