locked away - ethma

six

emma's pov

"no! it's... it's all my fault," i whispered, feeling the tears form again. my body gave out and i fell into ethan's strong arms. i felt him carry me back to my couch and place me down, wrap a blanket around me and fill a cup of ice water. once i had calmed down, i sat up on the cushions, tightly gripping the cup of water in my fist. and that's when i told ethan what had happened.
"w-while we were k-kissing i heard people talking outside the car," i whimpered. ethan held my hand the whole time, gently patting my knee with the other. "but.. but i didn't think it was about us... and then i heard a camera." ethan looked down at his feet, and looked back up at me with soft eyes.
"em, it's alright. now all this weight is off our shoulders! we can finally be free and not have to hide anymore." i scrunched my face up in disgust and whined at him. "ethannnn! this isn't how i wanted this to go. i wasn't ready. i wanted to take my time with it and make it special, and now it's all ruined."

ethan's pov

what was up with her? this was a blessing in disguise. i was so relieved that we could finally be public with our love, but emma somehow still wanted to keep it secret. i was reluctant, but i decided to do as she wanted.
"okay em. it's alright. look. we don't have to say anything yet. at all. only when you're ready, okay? i promise i won't say anything until you want me to." i clenched my jaw as i prepared myself for what i was about to say. "on one condition."
emma darted her eyes up to meet mine. worry crossed her face and i saw her cheeks flush red. i grabbed her hand, "no, no, don't worry. please. i- i just really wanted to get..." emma cocked her eyebrow at me.
"...i wanted to get a tattoo for you." emma liked surprised, but i continued to ramble. "it's just that... you're the most special girl i know. you're the most important thing in my life. you make me happy every single second i'm with you. no matter what happens to us, you're such a special person to me and i always want to remember what we have."

emma's pov

my heart melted at his words. "e, you're the sweetest guy i've ever met. i'm so glad you're in my life - i would do anything for you." i snuggled my body closer to his. "i love you." ethan lightly kissed my forehead.
"but hold on just a second," i held my finger up in front of his face. "what is the tattoo of?"
he blushed a little, trying to hide his smirk from me. i waited for his answer.
"well... you know, since i got you that necklace today..." he pointed to the lock around my neck, "...i was thinking that i would get a matching tattoo to it." i giggled and gave him a kiss, which he eagerly returned to me. i pushed his body down into the couch and laid on top of him without breaking our kiss. in that moment, i realized what this was all about. ethan did so much for me. he loved me enough to get a permanent marking on his body for me. that was real love.