delicate | ethma

1

Emma
Seven Years Ago

"Come on, Em. We're gonna be late," Olivia said. She had one foot out the door of our air bnb, and I almost had to laugh.

"Liv, we're not gonna be late. It's not like it's an actual event."

"We still have to be there in time to see The Reckless."

I followed her out the door, and then I waited in the car for five minutes while Olivia fumbled for the keys to the rental house before she finally was able to lock it.

The Reckless was Olivia's favorite band, and of course she convinced me to travel all the way to Toronto to see them.

We're from Denver, Colorado. I still don't know how I survived a twenty-one hour drive with Liv.

Luckily we were both 19, so we were of legal age to drink in Canada.

I definitely needed one.

I wasn't a lightweight, so two shots only had me slightly buzzed. Olivia was drunk off of her ass after three.

I knew absolutely nothing about this band, but they were actually really good.

They played mostly covers, but still had a few originals mixed into their set. Of course I had them memorized by now because Olivia's been playing them non-stop for the past two months.

There we were, standing at a high top table, and watching this band.

It wasn't until the guitarist looked out into the audience that I was met with the most dangerous, striking eyes.

He switched back and forth from acoustic to electric just about every two or three songs, but sounded majestic on both of them.

His posture was tall, and it was easy to tell how much he loved playing.

He sang a little bit too, but it was all background vocals. The lead singer was really good, but I couldn't rip my focus away from that god damn guitarist.

The way he looked down at his guitar while he played, like it was the only thing that existed made me wonder if he looks at girls the same way.

Olivia's liquid courage convinced her to rush the stage after the set, and of course she dragged me with her. She wasn't as drunk as she was earlier, but she was still a little bit fucked up.

I watched as she talked to the lead singer, her eyes wide and bright. I'm not sure if I've ever seen her this fan-girly.

"Is that your friend?"

I turn around, and there he was. The guitarist. His muscles show through his tight black t-shirt, and I wonder how they would feel against my palm.

He was breathtaking on stage, but something about him being close enough for me to slightly smell like him when I eventually walked away made my stomach and heart dance together.

"Oh, Olivia? Don't mind her. She's pretty..."

"Drunk?"

I laughed. "Yeah. She's a lightweight and she downed three shots of Patrón when we got here.

"She's nineteen, isn't she?"

"Yeah. I am too, but I had two shots and I'm perfectly fine."

I'm proven wrong by almost losing my balance, but I feel two warm hands catch my waist and stop me from falling.

"I see you're perfectly fine," he teased. I laughed again. He's funny.

"Shut up."

"So, are you from Canada?" he asked.

"Denver, Colorado."

He furrowed his eyebrows before chuckling. "What are you doing in Toronto?"

"Olivia dragged me here to see your band. She's been dying to see you guys all year, but this was the only show that wasn't sold out when she bought tickets."

"Tell me, was it worth the traveling?"

"I'm starting to think it was."

He smiled, and I noticed how perfect his teeth were. Damn.

"So you're from Denver? I grew up in Boulder," he said.

"Born and raised," I answered.

"Are you going to school there then?"

"I'm taking a gap year. I have no idea what I want to do yet."

"Ah. That's a classic. I actually took a gap year, but then the band started taking off, so I didn't end up enrolling in college."

"I didn't catch your name," I said.

"Oh. I'm Ethan. It's really nice to meet you,..."

"Emma," I said, shaking his outstretched hand. "It's nice to meet you too."

He lifted my hand, gently kissing it, and I wonder how many girls he woos with that move.

"You're not under 17, right?" He asked.

I laughed. "No. I turned 19 this summer."

"Okay. Because I was hoping I could get your number?"

"Yeah," I said.

We both pulled out our phones, trading them and entering our numbers into them.

"Thanks, Emma." he said. "It was nice meeting you. Unfortunately I have to go now, but I hope you have a safe trip home."

I smiled. "Thank you, Ethan."

He gave a smile and a small wave before he walked off, joining the rest of the band as they packed up their instruments.

I was sober enough to drive Olivia and I back, so I helped her into her bed once we got there. She passed out just about as soon as her head touched the pillow.

I changed into some sweatpants and a t-shirt before I brushed my teeth and climbed into my bed.

My phone went off, and I was surprised to see that Ethan already texted me.

Wow. He's hot and he's nice. Bonus points for being from my home state.

Ethan: it was really nice to meet you tonight. I hope you enjoyed the show

Emma: it was amazing. I'd love to see it again

Ethan: I'll bring the boys home to Boulder and you can come see us rehearse. Your friend can come too, but I'll be looking forward to meeting you again.

Emma: omg Olivia's gonna die over this

Ethan: I just wanted to say that you were the first person I looked at in the audience tonight, and i couldn't stop myself from looking ever since

Emma: it's safe to say I felt the same way about you.

Ethan: I'm looking forward to seeing your beautiful face again sometime in the future, and I hope you have a great rest of your night."

Emma: you too.

Ethan: Goodnight.

And that was the start. That's how Ethan and I met. We instantly were attracted to one another.

There was no doubt about it.

I couldn't stop smiling as I fell asleep. Maybe now I'll have something to dream about for once.