younger | ethma

Chapter Nine

Ethan's POV

I woke up with Emma in my arms, which I was happy about, but the pounding headache I was enduring wasn't making me the happiest.

I got out of bed and went downstairs to the medicine cabinet to get some Advil, and some water for Emma and I. I know she's gonna want some for her hangover.

The house was trashed from last night's rager, and I was definitely dreading cleaning that day.

I trudged my way back upstairs, and Emma was sitting up in bed with her face in her hands.

"Need some Advil?" I asked, scowling at how loud my voice was.

"Shhh. Yes, I want some." She responded.

I gave her a glass of water and two Advil, taking two for myself and my own glass of water.

About an hour later, after we laid in bed covering our eyes because the room was too bright, the Advil finally kicked in, and it worked.

"We should clean up downstairs."

"How bad is it?"

"Trashed. Mostly cups and plates around the living room and kitchen. Last year when we had a party, Grayson cleaned the basement, and I got the main floor. The upstairs was off limits to non-residents, so there shouldn't be much to clean up here."

"I'll help you with the main floor, and if we get done quickly, we can help Grayson in the basement."

"good idea, em. I'm gonna go see if he's awake yet."

"Okay. I'll be here." She said, laying back down.

I knocked on Grayson's door, and he opened it, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

"Geez, Ethan. How drunk did you get last night?"

"Pretty drunk. Emma and I both did. You seem bright today."

"I didn't drink as much as you guys I guess."

"Emma and I are gonna tackle the main floor. You get basement. We'll help you once we got our floor covered."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Okay."

It took us two hours to get the whole house clean, but with hard work and persistence, we got the job done, and the house was in better condition than it was when our mom and dad went out of town.

Emma and I finally fully recovered from our hangovers later that day, and we ended up going out for ice cream.

As I was eating my cup of rocky road, I couldn't help but stare at Emma.

Obviously I loved her at this point. It was well known. I told her.

But, I still couldn't stop thinking about how wonderful she is.

She's such a good person, and I just knew there was something about her.

I loved the way she ate every bite of ice cream like it was the first, and she enjoyed it as much as humanly possible.

That's how she was living her life.

Her best life.

She made sure that everything she did had a point.

Everything she did made her life more fun. More beautiful.

She was my ray of sunshine.

"Why are you staring, E?" She asked, smiling at her ice cream as she scooped another bite with her spoon.