"Hey."
You looked up from your spot on the curb, wiping your tears. "Go back inside, Ethan. Hang out with your friend."
"Brian's busy chatting away with Sabrina." He sat next to you, wrapping an arm around your waist. "The news was bad, huh?"
You sniffed. "My parents are both gone. I'm alone."
"You're not alone. You have me and Sabrina."
"You know what I mean."
He sighed. "I do know. But guess what?" He lightly grabbed your chin, turning your face towards him. "You have us. Me, Sabrina, Brian, Mark, Amy, Kathryn, and Tyler. We're your family now. And we're never going to leave you. You know that."
You stood up, wiping your cheeks again. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Ethan, but it's not really working. I think I'm going to go home."
"(Y/n), don't go-" He tried to say before you interrupted him.
"No. Don't try to stop me. I need to be alone."
He took a deep breath before nodding, fighting back tears of his own. "Okay. Just... please don't do anything you'll regret. Please don't start drinking."
"I won't. I learned. I know better."
You didn't learn. As soon as you got home, you reached into the liquor cabinet and grabbed the near-full bottle of whiskey and a shot glass, drinking shot after shot until the hurt went away and the only thing you could feel was numbness. You walked over to the couch and put something on the television, setting the now near-empty bottle on the ground next to you. You stared at the screen, not really paying attention to it. Soon, your eyes slipped closed and you fell fast asleep.
It was hours until you felt a warm and familiar pair of lips on your forehead. You opened your eyes, blinked, then closed them again. "Hello."
Ethan bent down, grabbing the bottle of whiskey from the floor. "You drank, didn't you?" You nodded without opening your eyes. "(Y/n), I told you not to."
Your eyes fluttered open to see him walking away to put the bottle back in the kitchen. "I'm sorry. It's my fault."
He sighed as he reached up and put it back in the liquor cabinet. "No, it's not your fault. It's mine. I knew I should've came home with you."
You struggled to sit up on the couch. "But I pushed you away."
He came back to help you. "Even when you push me away, I come back sooner or later."
"Is that why you're here?" You bit your lip.
"That, and because I live here." He grabbed your wrists, pulling you off of the couch. "Come on. Off to bed."
"But I just took a nap..." You whined, your eyes already closing again.
"And you're still tired and drunk. Bed. Now." You huffed, but followed him into the bedroom. He led you to the bed and laid you down, making sure you were comfortable before pulling the cover over your body. Ruby jumped up an curled next to you, laying against your stomach.
"Ethan?" He hummed. "I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier."
He smiled. "Don't worry about it. We'll talk in the morning." He turned off the bedroom light before climbing jin next to you, wrapping an arm around your waist and kissing the back of your neck. "Goodnight, babe."
You slipped effortlessly back into sleep, thinking about nothing except the man next to you.
