when in rome | ethan

seventeen

"cassandra! will you get the door please?!" my mother yells from all the way in the kitchen. i step up from the ground, where i played with my baby cousins and aunts as they watched over them.

my family was big, and it was so big, that almost the entire house would've been filled up. with my sisters money, and huge house, my mother wouldn't let her say no to having the celebration here knowing that sophia had the money to hire someone to clean after it.

in the center of the room, in front of the front doors and between two stairs, there was a christmas tree so tall. presents already lay there and christmas music play from the kitchen. it was cliche but it was perfect.

i swung open the door, and there ethan stood. he held a small box in his hands. we greeted each other and i let him in.

of course, my family greeted him and asked many questions despite giving weird glances. before he came over, i told him that people might judge, but to ignore them and to just stay close.

"oh, uh. i got you a present by the way." ethan said, handing me the tiny box. i smiled, taking it from his hands.

"thank you." i tell him, "come on, i got you something too." i take his hand, leading him up the long stairs of the mansion. my bedroom, in which i use only for holidays when i'm not away at college, was fairly empty. having multiple bedrooms was different, and the room with most of my stuff and the room i grew up in was the one at my parents house.

i opened the door, "wow, i'm definitely not used to this room." ethan says.

"yeah, sneaking in just got wayyy harder." i laugh. he returns it, knowing i'm calling him out for all the nights he'd sneak in my room during high school. we were neighbors after all, and over time it was just too easy.

i remember how easy it had been for him, sneaking in through the window of my room a lot knowing my dad had bad thoughts about us. in sophia's mansion, my room was on the third floor, a balcony leading to the outside of it and looking out at the pool and many bushes that line up perfectly almost as if sophia had someone making sure it was straight everyday.

if i has this home growing up, i'd probably be the one sneaking in all the time.

as ethan was admiring the elegance of the room, my hand goes to the drawer beside a large mirror.

his eyes travel to me by the sudden movement, "you hid my present in your underwear drawer?" he stifles a laugh, coming up next to me to see the show.

i shook my head laughing, "if someone were to come in here, they'd for sure take it."

"and why's that?" he asks, walking back towards my bed. i closed the drawer shut as he sat down at the edge, his legs apart.

"my family loves anything shiny." i chuckled, handing him the small gift bag. "even though they aren't the brightest."

he smiles at himself, slowly taking the present. "open my gift first." i told him, my hands sweating hoping he'd like it.

opening the bag, he searched inside, retrieving a small box from inside. opening it, it revealed a bracelet. it was black, not entirely made of some shiny ore. but a tiny section of it, there was a symbol. sagittarius. his zodiac sign.

a smile grew on his face, looking at the bracelet for a long time before looking up at me, where i wore a smile on my face already. "i notice how much you like bracelets. wearing them all the time in highschool. i remember holding your hand and feeling them. all the time."