Undying Echo {1}

38 | Together

The first thing Ethan sees when he wakes up is Corey's ass planted in his desk chair and tapping away on his phone.

"The hell you're doing here?" He mumbles sleepily and proceeds to prop himself up when he winces in pain. Corey takes something off Ethan's desk and throws it to him. Ethan looks down and finds a pill bottle. A water bottle follows. Corey then holds up an open notebook to him, and in the middle of the page is written: To help with the pain. Take 2.

Ethan pops two pills in and takes a gulp of water, swallows, then turns to Corey. "Why are you here?"

Corey turns the page. Moral support. "We have a guest room," Ethan says flatly.

Someone had to watch your sleeping ass to make sure nothing goes wrong, Ethan read when Corey turned to the next page without glancing up, continuing to tap on his phone.

Ethan takes a look at the phone in Corey's hand. And upon closer inspection, he discovers that it's his phone that Corey's been playing with this whole time.

He jumps up, snatching his phone out of Corey's hands. "I thought you're supposed to watch me, not my phone." Scowling, he takes a look down at his phone and sees it's open to a text from Camilla.

Camilla: hey. I hope you're feeling okay. Text me when you're up.
Ethan: who is this?
Camilla: um... what?
Ethan: this is Cora. If you're looking for E, he's asleep right now. He's really tired from last night's playing. Do you want me to deliver a message when he wakes up?
Camilla: sure, 'Cora', but it's for your inner male self. Tell him I didn't know he had a thing for my boyfriend and if I'd known I'd have made sure he went back home instead of going home with him yesterday. I guess I'll have to up my competition, huh, Corey?
Ethan: damn. I thought I was doing such a good job. What tipped you off? The name?
Camilla: the name might have been a tip-off. But admit it, I finally caught you on having a thing for Ethan, didn't I? Don't think I haven't noticed your longing looks and impending actions of stealing him away from me.
Ethan: yeah. And especially after watching him sleep, consider me done for. I'm gonna confess when he wakes up. Be prepared, you're gonna be officially sans-boyfriend before tomorrow's dawn. He's gonna fall head over heels for my charms that he'd forget your name, I'm charming like that.
Camilla: good luck with that, because last time I checked, the last thing Ethan gave you was a few bruises. I wonder if it's gonna be a black eye this time. Or two.
Camilla: anyway, stop playing with his phone. And stop molesting my boyfriend while he sleeps.

Ethan smiled. She'd called him her boyfriend, twice. And even if he hadn't thought that much about labels or the state of their relationship before, he was surprised that a simple word can make him feel that lightheaded. Or maybe that was the painkillers. And how she'd handled the situation with Corey, he was proud to call her his girlfriend. Not that Corey wouldn't have received those two black eyes she was talking about if he'd freaked her out.

Ethan: hey. It's Ethan.
Camilla: ...how can I believe you?
Camilla: tell me something only Ethan knows.

Ethan thinks for a while before a slow smirk grows on his face as he types back.

Ethan: you gave me a little striptease on our first date :)
Camilla: it was not a striptease! And from all the things, you had to choose that.
Ethan: it's engraved in my brain. And my brain says it was a striptease.
Camilla: a striptease requires music.
Ethan: there was music in my head.
Camilla: when we switched drinks. When we danced in your room. When we went to the coast for the first time. All things you could've picked.
Ethan: all things firsts. What I said was a first, too.
Camilla: ...
Ethan: okay, I'll behave now.
Camilla: thanks.
Ethan: morning, beautiful.
Camilla: morning. How are you feeling?
Ethan: my ears are a little itchy. I took some painkillers. But otherwise, everything's peachy.
Camilla: I'm glad.
Ethan: am I gonna see you today?
Camilla: get rid of Cora and you just might ;)
Camilla: oh, and please put a password on your phone after this. If Corey finds out about the 'striptease', I might as well die.
Ethan: done and done.