Cinderfella

Chapter Twenty Seven

Ethan smiled proudly at himself in the mirror. Nicole had taken him shopping Friday night for something to wear, and he thought he looked good. Kyle had called Thursday to tell him to dress nice, but not too nice. Not black tie, but nice enough to get into a country club.

Ethan smiled again as he looked over his new clothes. Black dress pants and a pale blue turtleneck, complete with new dress shoes and socks, and a haircut from Karie. And a new binder, one that didn't hurt to wear for long and made his chest look flat and defined. He looked like Chris Evans, and he liked it.

"Ethan," Nicole said as she knocked on the door lightly. "Come out, I want to get pictures."

Ethan took one last look at himself and smiled. He was ready for this. He had new clothes, a new fresh, haircut, and most importantly, support.

He unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out. Nicole was waiting with her phone, her smile so wide Ethan could see her cheeks twitching. Karie stood next to her, her hand over her mouth in shock. Even Alice was excited, clapping as he gave them a twirl.

"How do I look?" Ethan asked, knowing he looked incredible.

"Like a confident young man," Nicole responded. "You look amazing."

"Yes, very handsome," Karie added, patting him on the shoulder.

Ethan tried to keep the smile off of his face. "Thank you, so much."

Karie and Nicole crushed him in a hug between them. They had yet to tell Alice their plan to adopt Ethan, but knowing she would approve, they decided to wait until it was finalized, to avoid the disappointment if Ethan couldn't join their family.

He pushed aside his worry. He would get here whether his parents approved or not. Mikey had helped him make a list.

Nicole and Karie separated so Alice could join the hug. "You're going to have so much fun, I promise," she said.

Ethan smiled as their hug broke apart. "Is it because of your dinner with Liam?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Geez, I'm not looking forward to that."

Ethan smiled at Alice. She had planned to go the next day, once Liam got done hosting Mikey at his house. And as much as he liked Liam, he couldn't wait to see how Alice shot him down.

He sat still and posed for pictures, smiling every time as the flash on Nicole's phone went off. He hadn't had someone so excited to take pictures of him in months. The doorbell rang a moment later, and Ethan's breath caught in his throat. He'd been waiting for this moment for days, and now that it was here, th butterflies in his stomach multiplied so fast that he felt as if he would throw up.

He ran to the door and opened it with a smile. Thankfully, rather than some cruel joke like a mailman or his parents standing there, Kyle smiled back at him. His hair was brushed back and smoothed with a bit of gel, but a few loose hairs bounced against his forehead in the wind. He was dressed in a nice pair of khakis and converse, with a dark blue polo to match his hair.

And in his hands, a bouquet of flowers.

"Hey Kyle."

Kyle smiled so wide that Ethan could see the pearly white teeth in the back of his mouth. "Hey Ethan," he said sweetly. "You look amazing."

Ethan tried to hide his blush by looking at the flowers. Red roses, orange pansies and yellow flowers that looked like daisies. The whole bouquet looked like a fire.

"These are very beautiful," Nicole offered when the silence grew deafening. "Should I take these and put them in a vase?"

"Please," Kyle and Ethan said at the same time. Their faces both grew red as Nicole walked away.