s.t.a.y. | ethma

16

A/N: song of the chapter: The Scientist by Coldplay
——————————————————————
Ethan

I was still hugging her as tightly as I could. I didn't know how I was ever gonna stop. It felt too good to have her in my arms again. To feel her heart beating against mine.

Her face was nuzzled into my sweatshirt, and I heard a muffled "Are you mad?"

I pulled away slightly, looking into her eyes. Hers traveled back and forth between mine.

"No. I'm just glad you're safe. I have to admit that I was angry, but it wasn't at you." She let out a deep breath, almost like she was relieved that I wasn't angry with her. "Emma." I whispered. "I missed you so damn much."

"You have no idea how much I missed you, E." She said, letting go of me. She reached over and turned the lamp on before pulling me to sit next to her on the bed. "I have so much to tell you."

"Can I go first?" I asked. Emma smiled, making my heart kickstart in my chest. I don't think I've been alive since she went missing.

"Sure. Go first." She said.

I took her hand in mine, staring down at our loosely intertwined fingers. I missed her so much.

Taking a deep breath, I started. "I love you, Emma. I love you so much that I'm not even sure that I've been breathing since the last time I saw you. I missed you so much. I heard you might be in Chicago so I jumped on the first train out. The police reached out to me and gave me your coordinates they tracked from your laptop. But that's beside the point. I know that you're the only person in the world that I wanna be with. That I should be with, and I don't want you to be with anyone else. I want to be with you and take you out on dates and show you off. I want the future to be ours. I want to go through every stage of life with you, and grow with you, Emma. I want you to be mine. Please let me bring you home, and please, Emma, just be mine."

She stared down at our hands, processing everything I just told her. "I was scared. I knew that there were two things that could happen if we got back together, and I was terrified of both. I thought we'd either go down in flames and it would be the final thing, or that we'd spend the rest of our lives together. I know that I want it to be the second one so badly, and I know it probably will be, but I was scared because I didn't know if I needed to grow first. Find my career and travel and see the world. But I realized that those are things we could do together, and I realized that I only would want to do them if you were there too. I love you, Ethan. You have no idea how much I love you. I learned the hard way that you're the only person in this world for me. We go together. And I'm sorry for running from that. It's just kind of a big deal when you figure out that you've found the love of your life, and I needed to process that. But now I'm ready for anything as long as I'm with you."

I smiled at her, which made her take another breath of relief as she smiled back.

"You changed your hair." I said.

"You hate it." She responded, looking down at our hands and blushing.

"I love it." I whispered.

"You do?"

"You're so beautiful." I said, placing my hand gently on her face.

"You better kiss me now." She whispered.

I couldn't help but smile as I pressed my lips to hers, the kiss becoming slower and bringing the familiar warmth to my heart that I've been longing for since I last saw Emma.

It felt so good to finally kiss her again. It was something I've been needing for what feels like forever.

As we continued to make out, she leaned back until she was laying down on the bed, and I was hovering over her.

She wrapped her arms around my shoulders as our bodies pressed together and our lips kept moving in sync.

I dipped my head down to her neck to leave a trail of soft kisses on her skin before I lifted my head back up and looked into your eyes. "So, you're all mine now?"

She smiled, quickly pecking my lips. "All yours."

I kissed her again, slipping my tongue in her mouth for a second before I pulled away and stood up from the bed. "I have to go to the bathroom." I said.

She nodded as I walked towards the bathroom and closed the door.

I went pee before quickly sending a text to my mom, Emma's mom and Grayson.

Emma's safe with me. Coming home tomorrow.

Then I washed my hands and went back into the main part of the room, sitting back down, and looking over at Emma.

"We should get some sleep." I said. "Long train ride tomorrow."

"If we leave at 7 in the morning we can get home by 10 tomorrow night."

I nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Emma climbed over and pecked my lips. "I missed you so much. I'm not gonna run away from this, from us ever again."

I smiled. "I love you."

Leaning her head on my shoulder, she rubbed her hand up and down my arm. "I love you too." She whispered.

I leaned my head against hers before speaking again. "Let's go to sleep."

And we did. My chest pressed against her back, and my arms secured around her stomach. Her hand on top of mine.

I almost forgot that we were all the way in Illinois. I guess when you're with someone you love, it doesn't matter how far from home you are. That person is your home.

That night I slept the most I've slept in weeks. Emma was not only safe, but she was mine. It felt like I was safe again. I could breathe. I could sleep. And I didn't have to worry anymore because she was right here.

In my arms again.

We kept each other warm under the covers. After all, it's almost December and we're in the middle of Chicago. It's cold here.

But we were keeping each other warm.

In the morning we got up, gathered our belongings and headed on the next train to Virginia Beach.

I was still tired, needing to catch up on a couple weeks worth of sleepless nights and then some, so Emma let me lay my head in her lap as the train made its way back to our hometown.

By now everyone knew Emma was safe. Everything was going to be okay.

After I woke back up, we still had a few hours left of the train ride, so Emma and I had a really deep conversation. More in depth of why she left. How she felt like Virginia Beach was just a place with bad luck for her, how everything bad that kept happening was weighing on her, and how she was nervous about getting back together with me. How she wanted to see the world, but realized it would be a better sight if I was there too.

It was 10 pm when we finally got back to my house, where Grayson, my mother and Emma's mother were all waiting for us.

It didn't matter that it was late because it was Friday, so we all sat and talked, Emma sharing her side of the story, and everyone gaining a clear perspective to why she left town in the first place.

But Emma made it clear that she's here to stay.

It felt like a fresh start for all of us. Emma being home again.

The rest of us feeling relieved because she's safe, and she's here, and we don't have to be worried anymore.

Emma may have been the one missing, but I'm pretty sure I was the one lost while she was gone.