next door ↬ ethma

nineteen

With the whistling of the wind and the leaves that scraped along the sidewalk, Emma tightens her hand around Ethan's. The adjacent street to the left of them bustled with speeding cars, seamlessly blending in with the infamous Los Angeles traffic. Above the couple, a bell rang and once the door glided to a close, the zooming of cars became muffled.

As the autumn months had approached, the weather allowed for Emma to wear her favorite teddy-bear coat. She had even convinced Ethan to buy a version of hers in red. They swore they wouldn't be the couple that bought matching outfits, but somehow it happened quite often unintentionally.

The two of them eased into the newfound warmth of the café and padded their way to the front, where they neared the baristas. Ethan recited their order like it was engrained in his mind and kept readily available for any moment of the day. They frequented the shop almost on a daily basis and they always order the same coffee each time.

Emma leads them to a booth in the corner, their usual seating, where they sat on the same side like always. She began rambling about something that happened the previous day only to be cut short when Ethan informed her that he was there with her when it happened. A dumbstruck look fell on her face and she proceeded to make excuses to justify her lousy memory, but when that ultimately failed she burst out laughing. And of course, whenever she laughed, Ethan followed because after two years of marriage they learned to poke fun at their mistakes.

A barista comes around from behind the counter and carefully places their coffees down on the table, the glasses quietly thud, coming in contact with the wooden surface. They both politely smile at the employee and express their gratitude, and soon returned to their aimless conversation.

After their caffeinated beverages contained nothing but ice, they slide out of the booth and exit the building. They return to Ethan's jeep after their short trek back to the car in the brisk weather. The bluetooth system automatically resumes the Tame Impala song from before they left the car.

The intersection lights hummed with red and green, occasionally having to accelerate through the yellow ones. The windshield was slightly fogged with condensation from the previous night, and Emma found herself reaching forward to doodle with her finger. Her skin became slick with the condensation as she drew clouds.

Ethan glanced over, smiling at his wife who still held childish tendencies. Once she finished, she slouched back into her seat and admired her artwork, grinning. Ethan brought his hand over the center console and placed it tightly around her thigh, squeezing gently. At a stop light, he leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss on her lips and returned his gaze to the road.

"What did you want to do today?" Ethan asked idly.

Emma shrugged, "Maybe just a chill day. I'm tired from our hike yesterday."

Her husband agreed, although Emma did have other plans in mind that she would save for once they returned home.

Upon arriving at the door to their apartment, Ethan rummaged through his pocket to fish out the key. The keys jingled as he pulled them out and slid them into the lock, rotating it to an open.

They were still at the same apartment, the one they shared with Grayson. Somehow, he hadn't become fed up with the couple, considering it was the same as usual with Ethan being his brother and Emma being his sister-in-law.

"I'm going to go in the bedroom, do you mind grabbing my fuzzy socks I left in the bathroom for me?" Emma asked.

Ethan nodded, and they proceeded to part ways. From the bathroom, an audible gasp could be heard and he rushed out to meet Emma in their bedroom.

"Emma, is this real? This isn't a joke?" Ethan questioned.

She shook her head and Ethan stared down at the pregnancy test he was holding. He looked back up at Emma, tears forming in his eyes.

"I'm going to be a dad, we're going to be parents, Emma!" He shouted with excitement.

He set the test down on their dresser, embracing Emma in a tight hug. With one hand grasping the back of her head and an arm around her waist, he begins crying joyfully. That in turn causes Emma to cry as well, unable to contain her emotions.

Grayson enters their room, a bit complexed on what was happening.

"What's going on, guys?" He asks.

Ethan lets go of Emma and walks towards his brother, "You're going to be an uncle, bro."

His eyes widen and his jaw lowers, "No way."

His brother just nods frantically in response, bringing his brother in a hug.

"Should we start looking for houses?" Grayson asks.

"Two neighboring homes?" Ethan questions.

"Of course."