Chapter 54 A little normal.

Chapter 54 A little normal.
Laramie:

"A second, please, Laramie."

Ethan stopped me just as I passed his desk on my way out of his class.

There was something different about him - something softer, more casual, more relaxed in a way.

I stopped and waited for the last few students to file out the door. Ethan kept his gaze on me the entire time, a smile teasing the edges of his mouth. His tone was light, airy when he finally spoke.

"Come over tonight. I'll cook."

He said it so simply, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world. No edge, no teasing, just that quiet voice that always made me agree before I actually thought anything through.

And yet, there was the slightest hint of something in his voice that made my heart stutter.

"Okay." I smiled, unable to keep the excitement out of my own voice.



When I arrived at his appartment, it felt... soft. The lights were low, a vinyl record hummed in the backround, and the air was filled with the delicious smell of something cooking: rosemary, garlic, and butter.

Ethan was standing in the kitchen, behind the stove, stirring something in the pot in front of him. He looked so different with his sleeves rolled up and his hair a little messy - his glasses slipped down to the very tip of his nose. He didn't look like the sharp commanding professor that I had grown used to. In his apartment, in his own space he looked quiet, thoughtful, and disarmingly human.

"You're cooking." I said as I stepped inside, sounding a little more surprised than I meant to.

"I am." He smiled at me, his expression warm and inviting.

He put the spoon down on the counter next to the stove and poured me a glass of red wine. He gently kissed my lips and then the tip of my nose before handing the glass to me. My stomach fluttered, my head felt a little dizzy, and my heart started beating a little faster.

Was this love? Was I falling in love with Ethan? I wasn't sure, but I knew that I've never felt this way about anyone else before. It was also the first time that a guy has ever cooked for me before.

I took a sip of wine - it tasted sweet and earthy and warmed my entire body on its way down. I leaned over the counter to take a peek at whatever Ethan was cooking. When I reached my hand inside the pot for a taste, Ethan grabbed my wrist, kissed my palm, and gently pushed me away.

"I want to help." I pouted.

"You're my guest. Sit down. Besides, you'll probably burn yourself, or the food. Possibly both." He had a teasing glint in his eye.

"Hey! You can't just order me around... in your kitchen." I teased.

Ethan stepped up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me into him.

"I'm not ordering." He murmured, his face close to mine. "I'm seducing - with food this time."

He kissed me again, slowly and deeply. Then he let me go and turned away from me.

"I like the idea of cooking for you, Laramie. So, go and sit down and just let me admire you while I work."

My face flushed. I laughed, soft and ungaurded. Ethan grinned and the air around us warmed. The atmosphere felt completely different - no rush, no hunger. Just the two of us enjoying each other's company.

It felt real.

It felt so normal.

Over dinner, we talked about nothing - and somehow everything.

"What's your favorite book?" I asked him expecting something lofty or academic.

"Charlotte's Web." He answered instead.

"Seriously?" I blinked.

He shrugged non-chalantly. "It's about love. And loss. And friendship. It's honest."

"Why literature?"

He thinks about his answer for a second.

"I always thought that I'd be a poet someday, but then I realised that I just liked wearing scarves and brooding."

He smiled - really smiled and I could feel the distance between us shrinking a little.

"Tell me the truth."

Ethan sighed then, his expression grew serious.

"I think I was about eight years old when I learned that words could hurt as easily as they healed. That words had power. I wanted to use that power - teach others to use it as well."

I could tell that there was more to it, but that he wasn't ready to talk about it just yet. I didn't mind. I could wait. We had time to get to know every detail about each other.

We both reached for our wine then and our fingers brushed slightly. Ethan looked up and our eyes locked. The air shifted again and became charged with something heavy, sexy, and seductive.

"I like having you here, Laramie. You make this place feel like a home. And you make everything else feel a little less complicated."

Ethan looked at me like I was sunlight. My breath caught and I didn't know what to say - nothing that I came up with sounded like it would be enough.

Then -

Ethan stood and held out his hand.

"Dance with me?"

He wasn't telling me what to do. Instead, he was asking. It made something in my chest ache. I've seen Ethan powerful and impatient. I've seen him playful and teasing. But I've never seen him like this - tender and vulnerable almost.

I stood and placed my hand in his. He led me to the middle of the room and pulled me close, gently resting his hand on the small of my back and his head on top of mine. For the longest time, we just swayed gently to the slow rhythm of the music.

As the music played, the warmth of Ethan's body enveloped me so completely that I allowed myself to drift and my mind to wander.

Was this what life with Ethan would be like?

Was this what it would be like to be loved by him?

And it scared me just how much I wanted it. How easily I could get used to nights like these.

It scared me how absolutely normal it all felt.