when all is said and done | e.d.

thirty-eight

harper

"A FLAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" i don't hold back my screams, and ethan simply rubs his temples and shuts his eyes tightly.

"yes, harper. i'm going to get out and check to see which one, don't move."

"don't have to tell me twice," i huff, crossing my arms over my chest as he warily opens his door. a cold gust of wind hits the side of my face, and i shudder.

i sit in the car for what feels like five minutes before starting to grow slightly concerned as to why he's not back in the car yet.

"how did we get a flat tire?" i ask rhetorically. "literally, how does that just happen?"

i glance in the side mirrors, trying to spot ethan. thankfully i see him on the left back tire, kneeling down and inspecting it.

i almost get out of the car, then remember what he told me. don't move.

"you know what," i mumble to myself, reaching for the door handle. "he can't tell me what to do. that's my job."

the instant regret overcomes my body as i step out into the bitter cold day, clutching my long coat tightly to my body.

ethan looks up at the crunch of my footsteps. his nose and cheeks are rosy red, and his breath is visible in the air.

"god dammit, harper! i told you to stay in the car!"

i cross my arms. "i want to help."

he stands up and steps closer to me. "the best thing you can do right now is get in the car. seriously, i don't need you getting hypothermia."

"that's not your problem if i do!" i argue back. "just let me help you. i was getting bored."

he rolls his eyes. "fine. go sit in the heat and call a tow truck. i don't have a spare with me, and not a single car has passed in the last eight minutes."

i nod and pull out my phone. instead of following ethan's orders, i stay outside with him. he seems stressed beyond belief.

when i go to safari to search for towing companies in the area, my phone stops loading.

"there's no internet," i blurt.

ethan sighs again, but at the end it turns into a frustrated growl. "okay, fine. i'm calling my brother."

"why your brother?"

"because he's the only one that doesn't drive me insane, harper!" he yells harshly, gripping his phone out of his pocket.

i gulp and take a step back.

he fumbles around with it for a little bit, until putting it to his ear. i wait patiently, a sliver of hope still there with me.

all of a sudden, he hastily pulls it from his ear and drops his hands at his sides. "no signal. at all."

"s-so what do we do?" i ask softly.

he shakes his head, quiet all of a sudden. "i- i don't know. i'm sorry that we're here."

"why are you apologizing?"

without answering me, he calmly walks back to the drivers seat and opens the door. i stand in my spot, not sure what to do.

he sighs, looking at the sky all defeated. then his head turns to me. "get in. it's cold."

i nod and quickly slide back into the passenger seat. we both are quiet for awhile, not really knowing what to say.

i have no clue how we're going to get home, if anyone will look for us, and how i'm supposed to be acting right now. calm? stressed? angry? optimistic?

i choose the latter.

"hey," i say weakly, trying to produce a happy tone. "at least we still have your emergency bag."

"i don't keep a spare tire in my emergency bag, harper," he says dryly, testing his forehead on the steering wheel.

i tentatively reach out my hand, and give his back a rub and a small pat.

clearly sensing the awkwardness of the gesture, ethan lets out a snort laugh.

"look, i'm just trying to lighten the mood," i try to say back in a stern tone, but a laugh slips out anyway.

and suddenly he's giggling, like actually giggling.

he laughs so hard his face starts to turn red, and his hand clutches his stomach.

this erupts me into a pointless laughing fit for no apparent reason.

it gets to the point where we can't even look at each other without wheezing even more, gasping for air in the small capacity of the car. tears leak from the corner of both of our eyes, and i'm sure my face is just as bright red as his.

"why... are we... laughing?" i eventually choke out, fanning my face with my hand, just trying to gain some composure.

he shakes his head as he buries it in his hands, and i see his body literally vibrating from silent laughter.

i take deep, rapid breaths with a stupid grin plastered to my face.

it's been forever since i laughed like that, and it honestly felt really good.

ethan, too, starts to calm down, and we can finally look at each other without breaking down into ugly cackles again.

he sighs a little bit, but a happy sigh that kind of trails off at the end. "i needed that. thank you, harper."

i shrug. "i didn't do anything, but you're welcome."

ethan looks at me for a moment, eyes bright like they are when he starts to talk about something he likes. he licks his lips a tiny bit, and finally breaks the eye contact.

"so... what do we do now?" i ask. "i mean, i know that was fun and all, but we're still stuck in the middle of the interstate with no one around us. and it's icy. and we have a flat tire."

"thank you for the recap," ethan mutters sarcastically. "i would've definitely forgotten our predicament without it."

"listen here you little—"

"so what we're going to do is wait until a car passes," ethan interjects, cutting me off from cussing him out. "and we'll flag them down and get a ride to the nearest tire shop in the city. sound good?"

i nod. "so what do we do until then?"

he drums his fingers on the steering wheel, seeming to think about the question seriously.

after a few minutes, he whips his head back to me.

"wanna play truth or dare?"