City Lights | Ethan Nestor x Reader

Records

The next morning, I woke up late, like most days. I changed out of my pajamas, showered, and walked into the kitchen to have breakfast. 

"Hey, Y/N! What's up? You want a pancake?" Aunt Lindsay is always so energetic, I don't know how she does it.  

"Haha, sure."

"What are you up to today? Do you know anyone here?"

"Lindsay, calm down." Muttered my uncle from the bedroom. "She just got here, no need to bombard her with questions."

Lindsay made a face at him and I laughed.

"It's fine, I don't mind. I actually met someone just yesterday while I was off the road."

"Well, that  sounds sketchy," Lindsay remarked. "Is he your age?"

"Yeah, he uh--he actually runs a YouTube channel here in LA. He liked some of the photos I have on my Twitter and wanted me to help him with his photography."

"Wow, dating a superstar, huh? Look at Ms. Millionaire over here!" Lindsay winked at me jokingly. 

I laughed. "Lindsay, when I die rich and famous, you'll be the first person on my will."

"Oh, I know." She smiled at me and handed me a plate with a stack of fluffy pancakes. "By the way, I'm going to the record store in a bit, do you want to come?"

"Is that even a question?" She knows how much I love that store. Every time I visit them, I have to get something there. It's kind of become a tradition at this point. I finish my breakfast and put my plate in the dishwasher. 

"I just need to fix my hair, I'll be up in a sec!" Lindsay shouts from downstairs.

I slid across the hardwood floor in my socks, almost tripping over their dog. I sat on the ground and laced up my high-top Vans. My phone vibrated on the floor, making a loud noise. I pulled it out of my pocket and stood up.

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Messages

Mom

Hi honey! How's your first day in Los Angeles???

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I texted her while I waited for my aunt, mostly just reassuring her that yes, the drive was fine, and no, I'm not going to walk around in dark alleyways at night. Lindsay ran up the stairs. 

"You wanna drive?"

"Yeah, sure. I don't mind."

The drive over to the store was nice, with warm, humid air blowing through my short hair, and the exact station that I listen to at home playing on the radio. I chatted with Lindsay for a bit, and after a 15 minute drive, we pulled up at Twist and Shout, which had a familiar scent of dust and pine needles. I didn't have a record player, but I've always liked them anyway. Looking through all those albums to find the one you wanted always felt like something special for me.

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I looked at my phone. 12:52pm. We've been out for almost 3 hours. I was so impatient to see Ethan. After coming home, I tried to take a nap to pass the time, but mostly just ended up browsing my Reddit and Twitter feeds for 2 hours. I called my mom, but didn't tell her about Ethan. I had a feeling she just wouldn't understand. I glanced at the time at the top of my phone screen. 3:28pm. Crap. I had spent all day waiting, and I was already late. I changed into a pair of ripped jeans and a big t-shirt. I checked my camera to make sure it was charged, brushed my teeth and my hair, and rushed out the door. 

Stepping out of the car, I saw Ethan wearing his signature red jeans and a grey t-shirt. His camera (which was way nicer than mine) hung around his neck. He saw me and waved excitedly. I blushed and waved back. I loved him so much. I knew he had Mika, though, and I didn't want to ruin his relationship with her. 

"Hey, Y/N!" He tucked his phone back into his pocket. "What are you doing here?"

I smiled. 

"Making you extra-super-famous, probably."

"Totally," he grinned. 

"Okay, I guess we should get started. How much do you know about photography?"

Ten minutes of fixing settings and a couple practice shots later, we were finally ready to actually start. I told him about where to point the camera so that the lighting would be best. I took some shots myself, and I was about to take another one when I heard the beep-beep of the camera focusing, then a click right next to me. I turned to the side. Ethan quickly pointed his camera in a random direction. 

"You're pointing that at the sky, idiot. Did you just take a picture of me?" I tried really hard not to blush, but you can't just stop blushing once you've already started. 

"Tch, no." He paused for a second. "Okay, yes, but look at how good it came out!"

I peered over his shoulder at the photo. 

Ew. I bet he doesn't actually think you look good. Mika is so much prettier than you.

The voice was there, always. There's nothing I can do to stop it. 

"Y/N?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, sorry. It came out really nice, and you lined up the subject right!" 
"Well, I'm not disagreeing, but I asked if you want to go down to the beach. It's really pretty when the sun is setting."

"Yeah, why not? I can drive, or did you bring your car?"

"I walked, I'll go with you."

"Okay, cool." 

Ethan got in the passenger seat, and a surprisingly awkward silence hung in the air until a song by this band I liked called The Postal Service came on.

"Dude, I love this band!"

"Seriously? Me too!" I said, turning up the volume. 

"And when you scan the radio, I hope this song will guide you home..."  I could listen to Ethan's voice all day, it was so pretty. I know guys aren't really supposed to be pretty, but he was. 

As much as it scared me, I started singing along with him. We stayed like that, singing and laughing and driving, but then the song ended, and we were at the beach. I grabbed my camera and shut the car door. As we were walking down the beach, Ethan came over to me. 

"My photo is really dark, do you know why?"

"Oh yeah, you need to change your settings. Just go to--"

I moved my hand to press the button at the same time he did, and his hand brushed against mine. I could feel my ears getting hot. 

"Ah, sorry. Just press this button," I said, taking the side of the camera into my hand so that we were both holding it. I went to hand the camera back to him,  but he dropped it around his neck and intertwined his fingers with mine. 

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