Shut Up and Kiss Me || Ethan Dolan

25: All Good Things

Fingers gripping his keys, Ethan's feet hit the pavement as he bounces down the street with a smile. Blake gave him the key to her apartment again. She also painted a stupid red solo cup on the top of it, but Ethan kind of loves it.

It's dark, but warm out. Flowers are in bloom again, and Ethan steals one from someone's yard, tucking it behind his ear to hold onto until he gets to his destination. Music plays quietly in his headphones, eyes watching the streetlights twinkle. It's a good night.

The bar he walks into has loud music playing, so he slips his headphones out and surveys the crowd carefully. Drunk, sweaty bodies are everywhere, the bar dimly lit, with Blake and another bartender behind the counter.

He walks up to it with a smile, watching her wipe it down. "What can I get you?" she asks, not yet looking up.

"Let me walk you home?" Ethan chuckles, her eyes lighting up when they land on him. "It's pretty late. Didn't want you walking alone... plus you told me you forgot your keys, so I brought mine."

"You're so sweet. But early--give me ten minutes?"

He nods, taking a seat at the end of the bar and watching her work. She's focused, her lips pursed and eyebrows scrunched up the way he loves as she makes drinks. Ethan's head rests on his hand, seeing her tuck a strand of hair back before sliding the glasses to some girls at the other end of the bar.

Blake turns to some new drunk guys, smiling politely and asking what they want. Three of them order shots, but the fourth smirks and slurs out, "Your number?"

"Can't give that to customers, sorry." Ethan rolls his eyes, Blake looking increasingly annoyed as he persists. He knows that if she weren't at work right now, she wouldn't tolerate him at all. She hands his friends their shots, and he grabs her wrist to force her to look at him again. "Please do not grab me. Can I get you something to drink or not?"

"C'mon, sweetheart. What's a guy gotta do to get you in bed?"

Ethan's had enough, standing to his feet with a glare as the man refuses to let Blake go. She can't be outright rude to customers, but Ethan doesn't care, he can.

He clears his throat, prying his hand off of her. "Leave my fucking girlfriend alone, dude."

The man laughs when he sees Ethan, looking him up and down and grabbing the flower from behind his ear, crushing it in his palm. "You can do so much better than this guy, sweetheart."

Ethan frowns, watching the flower fall to the scuffed floor. He was going to put it behind Blake's ear when she got off.

"Get the fuck out of here," he scoffs, shoving him back by the chest. "You're pathetic. She's not interested."

"Ethan," Blake snips quietly, making him take a step back. "I'm off now, yeah? Let's just go."

He huffs, nodding and waiting for her to walk out from behind the bar, rushing to the back to grab her things before dragging Ethan toward the door. The man shouts something vulgar as they walk out of the building. "Blake, you should've fucking let me--" he stops, breathing a little slower to calm himself down. He doesn't want to yell. "He deserves at least a punch to the nose."

"I don't need to get fired because my boyfriend is too aggressive," Blake tsks, taking the clip out of her hair and letting the messy curls fall against her shoulders. She leans up to plant a firm kiss on his lips, feeling him instantly relax against her. "Thanks for saving me. Twice."