Touchdown | E.D. + E.C.

12 "For Changing My Life"

Emma's POV

I splayed my fingers out over his knee, trying to soothe Ethan's nerves as his leg rapidly bounced. I gripped the steering wheel of Ethan's car with one hand, I knew as soon as we left The Crystal Ball that he was in no condition to drive.

My head was spinning over the way his demeanor changed so quickly when the text about Layla came in. I'd seen Ethan disgruntled over things, college offers or his friends being pricks, but never had his spirits dipped this low before.

We'd spent hours in his room, most of the time lying on the bed with our heads side by side, talking about our lives and all the little stories we thought would be good for when others asked about our relationship. I knew stories behind his tattoos, what stupid mistakes his scars came from, and nearly all of the beginnings of his best friendships; yet, I'd never heard anything about Layla. Deep down, I knew Ethan cared about her a lot but never to what degree he had loved her.

Secretly, I hoped the relationship was nothing more than friends.

I glanced at Ethan, his eyes glazed over as if staring into an abyss and in that moment it hit me harder than ever before.

I liked Ethan. A lot.

I liked the way we could spend hours talking about nothing or simply sit in a comfortable silence. I liked the way Ethan would cook meals and I always baked the deserts. I liked cheering him on during his games and seeing how happy he was when his hard work paid off. I liked being around him. I liked how he fit into my life like a perfect little puzzle piece that I never knew was missing until it forced its way in and made the picture whole.

And right now, I hated that he was heartbroken.

I wanted to wrap him up in bubble wrap and destroy every sharp item that came near him. I wanted to fill him with the joy he gave me. The joy I hadn't truly felt in a long time.

After what seemed like an hours long drive, I finally pulled into the driveway of the hospital and parked the car among the few there late at night. Ethan's hand reached for his door handle but I pushed the button to lock the doors. The click resounded through the silence that filled the car. Ethan's eyes showed their first signs of life as they clouded with confusion and his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Eth, before we go in, there's something I wanna give you."

I tugged the zipper to my backpack open and dug around until I felt what I needed. Slowly, I pulled out the envelope I had kept in the bag for the past two weeks. The white was now a light beige but its seal protected its contents from any damage.

"You don't have to read it now, but I want you to have this. I got it a couple weeks ago and wasn't sure when I'd actually have the balls to give it to you but I'm not sure what's gonna happen after tonight and I can't let you go in there knowing I could have given you somethi-"

I was cut off when Ethan placed his warm hands over mine on the envelope, "You're nervous rambling never fails to make me smile."

Taking my gift into his hands, he examined the envelope that I'd quickly scratched his name onto.

Ethan's mouth opened slightly as he took out my gift and held it up to see more clearly. On a silver chain that I'd hope was manly enough for him to actually wear, a round pendant had the yin and yang engraved onto it. It was something we'd started joking about several weeks into the deal; how we balanced each other out perfectly, as if nature meant for all this to happen. It was a way to keep the deal light and a joke, but the longer we joked about it, the more it made sense. Flipping it around, I knew he saw the "E&E" I had engraved.

And then he open the piece of paper I had shoved in there after hours of debating where I should put it in at all. It only took him a few seconds to read the sentence.

"Thank you, for changing my life."

In a moment, Ethan had unlocked the door and was out of the car, nearly slamming the door shut. I rested my head against the seat and let out a breath. Had it really been that bad of an idea?

Before the doubts running through my head could fully be completed, my door was opened and I was nearly ripped from seat. Then Ethan's arms were wrapped around my shoulders in a tight hug while I squeezed him back. I could feel his tears on my skin, and if my heart wasn't hurting already for him in that moment, it would have shattered. After a few minutes that seemed to last forever, I pulled back slightly from Ethan's grip without letting go.

"Eth, I think it's time."

He only nods his head in respond and before I know it his hand is sliding into mine-- I'm guessing for reassurance-- and starts heading towards the entrance of the hospital. Considering it was nearly one in the morning, it was no surprise the Saint Vincent Hospital contrasted sharply with the quiet night as the bustling lobby fulfilled every one of the senses. My state of mind was mostly stable and I could barely handle the sensations crowded me.

I couldn't even imagine what Ethan was feeling. With that thought, I gave his hand a tight squeeze. My present sat proudly around his neck for the first time.

Politely asking the front desk what floor Layla's room was on, we headed towards the elevator, silently riding up with other visitors. The higher the elevator climbed, the higher my anxiety soared. Nearing the hallway, a guy called to Ethan with his eyes red and bloodshot and tears streaming down his face.

Only then did Ethan let go of my hand to give him a hug as he came within a few feet of us. "Donte, is she really up?"

The guy, who I assumed was Donte, pulled back and nodded. With a closer look I could see behind the tears he had crystal blue eyes and his chin length hair was dark and disheveled. With one last nervous look back in my direction, I watched Ethan walk through the doorway of a hotel room with my heart in my stomach, before taking a deep breath and following behind the pair.

The room was bright and impeccably clean, with a couple standing in the room who I assumed were Layla's parents. Beneath them in the hospital bed, a beautiful girl laid underneath the white sheets of the bed. She was a little pale from not being in the sun for over a year and her eyes appeared a little sunken, but none the less, she was gorgeous. Long wavy blonde hair spread out around her and framed her face like a halo; big blue doe like eyes wandered around the room in curiosity. A few tiny scratches had scarred over adding a strange bad ass effect to this angelic looking girl.

A few seconds later, her eyes shifted to Ethan. "Ethan?"

Ethan sat on the edge of her bed, his eyes hopeful, "Hey Lay, how are you feeling?"

Layla smiled, "I'm doing ok. A lot better now that you're here baby." With that, she leaned forward to give Ethan a quick kiss on his lips.

What the fuck.

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Hi!! Yes I'm alive. I've been having a good past couple months and I really wanted to enjoy them. Thank you for continuing to read this book and all the nice comments!

I'm planning on coming out with a new chapter every week now so I hope this will tide you guys over for a little!

love you guys the most,

Grace x