drunk voicemails ➟ ethma

3.5

thirty-five | angel in disguise

ETHAN
MONDAY | ZERO DRINKS

"Good job, Emma. You're smart, you take after your old man like that." Emma's dad says as he places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I have to go to the station now, but let me know how you're doing later. I love you, kiddo."

Emma smiles at him, "Thank you, dad."

As Officer Chamberlain leaves and the door is closed behind him, Emma looks at the twins and lets out an exasperated sigh. Grayson takes his brother into an embrace and leans his head against Ethan's shoulder.

After two long and agonizing years of threats, crime, strained friendship, and alcohol abuse, it's finally over. Ethan never thought the day would come where he didn't have to fear over the safety of Emma. He's hoping that through this rough and emotionally exhausting time period, it will only bring him closer to his brother and Emma.

"Gray, I'm sorry I put you through hell these last couple years," Ethan mumbled as he pulled away from their hug.

Their relationship had been strained to say the least. Grayson tried to help him as he spiraled out of control with drinking, but it was to no avail. Ethan had been lost in his situational depression and drank away his pain regardless of how unhealthy it was. It clouded his judgment and he didn't care who he hurt in the process. It's safe to say he's learned from his mistakes.

Grayson smiled sympathetically, "Hey, I'm just glad this is over. I'll always be your brother and nothing can tear us apart, not even a deranged bank robber."

Ethan chuckles and looks over to Emma, "What do you say, wanna finish our coffee date?"

Emma nods, "That would be great. Grayson, do you want to come with us?"

"No, I think I'll go back to the gym and blow off some steam. Thank you though, you guys have a good time," Grayson replies, making sure to hug them both before he leaves.

They hear the click of the door handle, signaling that it was now just the two of them. Her apartment doesn't look quite as bad as they expected it would, the main mess that needs to be cleaned is the shards of glass scattered across the floor. However, that's something they'll clean up another time.

"Sorry about your fruit bowl," Ethan apologizes as they too leave the proximity of the crime scene.

"Don't worry about it," Emma responds, "I bought it at a thrift store for a few bucks. It looked better over Ryan's head than it ever did on my kitchen counter."

Ethan laughs at her comment, "I love how you mange to turn any bad situation into a good one."

Emma simply smiles, reaching her hand down to his to join them together. They soon reach Ethan's car and decide on going through a drive through and relaxing at Ethan's home. They've had plenty of excitement for the day and there's not really a specific guide book on what to do after a person goes through a traumatic, but relieving event.

Soon enough, they arrive to the vicinity of his apartment and finally are able to kick off their shoes and unwind after a whirlwind of chaos. The two of them managed to finish their coffee on the drive back home, leaving them with two empty cups ready to discard.

Emma turns to Ethan, "How are you feeling withdrawal wise?"

"I think my body has been running on adrenaline for so long that I haven't had much time to think about it. I feel a little shaky but that could very well be from stress or a combination of both. Either way, I think I'm doing alright," Ethan says.

Ethan leads them into his bedroom where he sits on the edge of his bed with a slumped demeanor. Emma sits beside him and kisses his shoulder lightly. He turns to face her and pulls her into his lap, bringing his arms around her waist loosely.

"You have no idea how much it means to me that you're in my life again, Em. Now I feel like all the pain I went through might have actually served a purpose." He speaks softly.

Emma closes her eyes, "After you came back into my life, I finally had the strength to listen to all those voicemails you left me and I think I cried for an hour once I finished. I just want to let you know that you were so brave and strong for being able to live with all the emotional turmoil you went through and being able to come back from it and turn everything around."

Ethan hugs her tighter, "It probably wasn't the healthiest way to vent, but I just needed you to know how much it hurt me to lose you. Our friendship meant everything to me and knowing that I caused you pain and sadness hurt more than any of these withdrawal symptoms ever could. I love you, Emma."

The saying "truth heals" has never been more accurate. Ethan broke down on several occasions because he struggled with having to keep that secret hidden from her and he knew that he would never find peace if he wasn't honest with her.

"I love you, E. At this point, I don't think anything could break us apart. I will always want you in my life. We're all going to get restraining orders against him, we're gonna keep you sober for a long time, and everything will be alright." Emma reassures him.

"Can we take a nap?" He asks her.

"We just had coffee," Emma points out.

"It doesn't matter, I just want to keep you in my arms for as long as I can," Ethan replies.

She grins and rolls them fully onto the bed, "Well, then you're going to be holding onto me for a very long time."

"Emma, you're truly my angel in disguise," Ethan says before kissing her lips softly and falling into a blissful slumber.

—

fin

okay i am so sorry it took me like ten months to finish this so i hope you can forgive me