next door ↬ ethma

twelve

So Emma decided to pull an all night. Are we surprised?

She started to watch a four hour crime documentary and she usually decides to watch a happier, more humorous movie afterwards. You know, to lighten the mood and take your mind off the possibility a murderer is outside your door.

But... of course her wifi went dead. Like fell over and had a heart attack, no chance of reviving its poor soul. So let's just say her nerves were on end and she wasn't doing well. But when is she?

It was two in the morning, the time when not a living creature is out and traffic is eerily silent. So what does she decide to do? Text Ethan. Why have a boyfriend if you can't bother him to protect you from nonexistent monsters.

He doesn't answer, but she doesn't give up. She proceeds to call him, biting her fingernails. He picks up after a few rings and with a groggy voice says hello.

"Can you come over? I'm scared." She says.

"Why? What's wrong, Em?" He replies.

"I watched a murder documentary and now I'm afraid a whole bunch of serial killers secretly live around us."

Ethan stays quiet for a moment.

"Please?" She adds.

"Of course, baby." He replies.

A minute passes and she hears a knock at her door. She runs to the door, like literally runs because seriously who knows who is hiding in her home.

Once opened, she hugs Ethan tight. He rubs her back soothingly and kisses the top of her head.

"Does wittle Emma need protecting from all the big, bad monsters?" Ethan playfully mocks.

She looks at him in shock and lightly hits his chest, "I'm a bad bitch, please. I can handle whoever and whatever."

He laughs, picking her up and carrying her back into her apartment and to her bed.

"Wait, do you have anything you have to do tomorrow?" Emma asks.

Ethan thinks for a second, "No, I don't think so."

"Let's go on an adventure then!" She suggests.

Ethan shakes his head in disbelief, he thought it was a pretty last minute plan. He would be sacrificing a night's worth of sleep but he decides it's worth it. He would be able to enjoy the sunrise next to the person he loved. At least he's pretty sure he loves Emma.

It's fairly early in the relationship to know, but there's always an indescribable feeling when she's around. The guy in almost every relationship always ends up saying the words first, and he's pretty sure he will when it gets to that point. Might as well own up to it.

When Ethan agrees, Emma squeals in happiness.

"Ew. Remind me to never do that again." She says.

Their first stop is obviously to get coffee. In Emma's life, the first destination is always coffee. It's also pretty much every other one too. She knows she's an addict, but at this point it's too late to turn back now.

It's pitch black outside, only a few street lamps illuminate the atmosphere. Emma's really glad she wasn't here alone, everything is sketchy at night, especially for a girl. They walk inside and there's no one in sight. The lights are dimmed but as they walk up to the counter, an employee comes out from the back.

"Hi, what can I get you guys?" The barista asks.

Her name tag says Hannah and she looks proper sleep deprived. But so is everyone else in this generation.

"Two iced almond milk lattes." Ethan says.

Emma looks over at him almost in shock, "Two?"

"What? Dairy messes with my stomach and I thought I would try what you get." He explains.

"Oh my god, same." Hannah says.

"Lactose is really a bitch, isn't it?" Emma says.

"I swear I'm on the toilet every time I take a bite with anything that has dairy." The barista replies.

Emma bursts out laughing, nodding her head in agreement.

"And you guys are good to go." Hannah says, implying their coffee was paid for already.

"What? Thank you, that's so nice of you." Emma replies. "You really don't have to."

"It's almost three in the morning and you guys are the only thing keeping me awake. I should be thanking you guys that I haven't fallen asleep in the coffee grounds." She answers.

She makes them their coffees and Ethan ends up leaving a generous tip before they leave. With one sip of his drink, he's already ten times more awake than he was before. What a blessing caffeine is.

Returning to the car, Emma immediately takes aux and plays her oldies playlist. They discuss in the car for a few minutes where they want to head next.

"Well what's open this late at night? Or should I say morning." Ethan says.

"There's gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies, and a few restaurants." Emma replies.

"You wanna go to Walmart and try to find the most random items they have?" He suggests.

They settle on that plan and drive a few minutes to the nearest location. The windshield is beginning to fog with condensation and and the red from the stoplight illuminates intensely. Emma turns to look at Ethan and the color glows on his skin. The song Hey There Delilah plays softly along with the hum of the vehicle.

The car locks after they exit the car. The two of them join hands, walking into the store. Emma's going on with a tangent about who knows what. Ethan's a little lost himself.

Once inside, they decide to split up and that's when the happy chaos begins.

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a/n – just curious, how did you guys find my book? ghost readers, feel free to comment as well