hidden | ethma

twenty four

adrenaline pumps through my veins as i walk over to the file cabinet i saw crystal put my information into. my heart pumps loud in my ears. i silently slide open the drawer, examining the files before me. they're alphabetized by last name, as i expected. i skim the tops for 'd,' and finally find it. 

dolan, ethan grant. 

is this right? i wage in an internal battle as i stare at the labeled folder in my hands. 

i swallow and pull the file out, the smooth manila folder resting in my hands. 

this is the moment of truth. 

i flip open the file and skim it. 

born in washington township, morris county, new jersey on december 16, 1994. educated at west morris central high school and colombia university with degrees in mathematics and calculations. past occupations- 

"emma?" 

the file is dropped from my hands, papers scattering everywhere. i widen my eyes at ethan standing in the doorway of crystal's office, arms crossed over his chest.

i straighten up, brushing myself off. "ethan." 

ethan licks his lips and walks over to me, bending down and retrieving the file. he slowly rises to his full height, eyes unreadable. 

he doesn't say anything yet and it terrifies me. 

"i'm sorry," i whisper. 

"sorry," he repeats, his voice deep. "you're sorry." he looks up at me with blazing eyes and i swallow. 

i stay silent as he runs his tongue over his lips, looking back down at the folder in his hands.

my heart pounds loudly in my chest. 

"are you aware that this is a serious felony?" he asks me slowly, shutting the manila folder and putting it back into the file cabinet. his tone is eerily calm. 

i swallow and step away from the cabinet, towards the door. 

"you know, when i heard you talking to zeke, i figured you were just curious," ethan says as he steps toward me, leaving only about a foot of space between us. "but now that i've caught you with my confidential file..." he shakes his head, his eyes mean. "i see that you're just nosy." his eyes flash. 

"i-i'm sorry," i stammer. 

"emma, you need to mind your own fucking business. yes, i know you've had encounters with people i'm involved with. yes, i know you know more than you should, but that's not an invitation for you to snoop around my confidential file after hours!" 

"i'm sorry!" i shout. "i'm sorry that you baffle me and that you're so secretive that my curiosity is eating me alive!" 

"you could have asked me anything that was in that file," ethan growls. 

"you wouldn't have told me shit, and you know it!" 

"why does it matter to you, emma? why do i matter?" his eyes are such a dark shade they're almost black in the dim lighting of the office.