Chapter twenty six

Chapter twenty six

Chapter twenty six

Heather

Ethan 2.0 was a terrible kisser. For all his charm and the sexiness oozing out of him, I expected a lot more from him than this. Or maybe I had imagined all that because I was drunk.

Somewhere between our first dance together, a few laughter shared, and lots of shots, I had leaned in for a kiss and he'd been willing to give in. Now I wanted nothing more than to pull away and walk out of here.

I sighed in disappointment but he seems to take it as an encouragement as he deepened the kiss. His hands gripped my ass a bit roughly. I tried, I really tried to enjoy it, to feel something, but all I felt was disappointment and huge regret.

This was the worst idea ever. Pulling away felt like an insult so I kept still. At some point, I stopped kissing him back. The universe seemed to finally hear my plea as he was suddenly ripped away from me.

I almost let out a sigh of relief when I looked up and saw who pulled us apart. Ethan 1.0.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

I was starting to think my destiny was tied to the ‘Ethans’. I'd ran away from the Ethan in my apartment building just to hook up with another Ethan, and now the first Ethan was here looking pissed off as hell.

Just when I thought my life couldn't get anymore complicated.

“What the fuck, bro?!” Ethan 2.0 swore, his face pinched with anger.

Some of the alcohol had worn off and I finally took a good look at him. I couldn't figure out why exactly I had kissed him. There was no trace of the charm or sexiness I saw earlier. And he wasn't that handsome.

Or maybe I was just noticing all these little details because of the man standing few feet away from us. Ethan 2.0 wasn't nearly as attractive as my Ethan.

I blinked, the thought catching me off-guard. He wasn't ‘my Ethan’. He hadn't been for a long time. He has a girlfriend now. I needed to respect that.

“Get your hands off her.” Ethan snapped at the other man, his face red with fury.

“Who the fuck are you, man?” Ethan 2.0 yelled over the music.

Ethan dragged the other man by the collar, getting him off me entirely and throwing him roughly on the floor. I scrambled up to intervene before a fight broke out. I swayed slightly, the alcohol made my vision a little blurry.

I turned to Ethan, the first one, and glared.
“What is your problem?! Why are you fighting him?” I yelled.

He kept his eyes trained on Ethan 2.0, not bothering to give me a response. His jaws flexed slightly.

“I thought you said you didn't have a boyfriend. Who is this crazy guy?!” Ethan 2.0 demanded.

“He's not my boyfriend!” I yelled.

“I am her boyfriend.” Ethan said the same time as me.

I whirled towards him, my brows arched.
“No, you're not.” I said sternly. He finally looked at me, his gaze hardened.

Ethan 2.0 stared between us as we glared at each other.

“I'm out of here. Figure your shit out.” he scoffed and walked away. He soon disappeared into the crowd of dancers, probably to go find another target.

“What the fuck is your problem?!”

“He was touching you inappropriately.” Ethan ground out.

“Inappropriately? I was kissing him! Why kind of touching do you think would happen?”

“Not the kind that involves him taking advantage of you when you're drunk.” he scoffed.

For the first time that night, he let his eyes linger on my body, slowly tracing me like he was trying to commit it to memory. I shifted under the heat of his gaze, my eyes looking everywhere but at him.

He sucked in a sharp breath, a quiet, almost inaudible curse slipping from my his lips. He shrugged off his jacket and placed it over my shoulders. It was warm, heavy with his scent, and settled just above the hem of my short dress.

His voice dropped into a whisper, but not too low that I couldn't hear over the music.
“How about we head back to the apartment?”

I blinked, surprised by his calm words. Just few minutes ago, he'd seem ready to murder Ethan 2.0. And now, he was playing nice after ruining my night?

“How about you go fuck yourself?” I snapped angrily.

He doesn't get to be so unaffected and laid back when he was basically the reason for all these.

He blinked in surprise, the corner of his lips hooking up slightly. I turned on my heels and walked away from him towards the direction Ethan 2.0 went.

If the thought of me kissing another man bothered him, that's exactly what I planned on doing. He had no right over my personal life.

The music pounded behind me as I pushed through the sweaty crowd, screaming Ethan's name, anger buzzing beneath my skin.

I didn’t stop until I hit the cool air outside. The bouncer gave me a curious glance, probably wondering why I looked like I was ready to commit murder in heels.

Yeah, you and me both, mister.

The chilling cold seeped into my body and I drew the jacket tight around me. I was suddenly grateful that he'd given me his jacket.

“Why are you screaming my name? I'm right behind you.” Ethan groaned when he finally caught up with me.

“I wasn't calling you, asshole. I was calling Ethan 2.0.”

Ethan stared me, his brows furrowed in confusion. “I'm Ethan.” he said again, calmly this time.

“Yes, but… Argh! Forget it!” I groaned.

Why is everything always harder when you're drunk? Life, men, and just simply explaining something to someone. I couldn't find the words to explain to Ethan that I was calling the man he just chased away.

“Why don't we just go home? You're drunk.” he finally said.

That seem like a good idea. And honestly, I was kinda tired of trying to pick a fight with him. I think tonight just proved one thing I've always known. That I was not a rebellious person.

I'm not the type of girl who goes to a bar, have sex with a random stranger because her ex boyfriend had moved on from her. I wanted to be, but I guess some things are just not meant to be.

“Millie.” Ethan called softly.

And just like that, the rage I was feeling increased.

“Don't call me that!” I snapped.

I turned away from him and began walking towards the parking lot. I had no idea where his car was parked, I just needed to get away from him. The heavy footsteps behind me was evident that he was following closely.

I tried to stay ahead of him, but my feet was starting to hurt from walking around in heels all day. He led me to his car and opened the door. I crouched down and removed my heels. Wordlessly, I handed it to him before getting into the car.

The relief I felt at the absence of my heels was indescribable. Heels were every girl's nightmare.

Ethan dumped my shoes in the back seat before sliding into the driver's seat. Neither of us said anything to the other as he drove away from the club, making the car filled with tension throughout the entire ride.

We got back to the apartment building after just a few minutes. I got down and began walking in, barefooted.

“Heather, your shoes. Let me get them for you.” I didn't slow down or look at him as I continued walking. I wanted to take the elevator with him and be stuck in another cramped space. But the universe really did hate me, because Ethan caught up with me and scooped me off my feet.

I gasped in surprise, but it only lasted a few seconds. “Put me down.”

“I know your shoes are hurting your feet, but I can't let you walk to your room with no footwear.” he said simply.

“That is none of your business. Put me down!” I said sternly.

But he ignored me and just walked to the lobby. I wanted to kick him or continue demanding he put me down, but I knew he wouldn't listen to me. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me helpless. So I kept still.

A tiny part of me enjoyed the feeling of his arms around me. I knew it was wrong to feel this way about someone else's boyfriend, but I wanted to hold on to him, just a little bit longer. I wanted to live in this fantasy that we were back to eight years ago, when nothing mattered except our feelings for each other. But reality wasn't so simple.

The elevator finally stopped at our floor. Ethan hesitated for a bit, as if, like me, he wanted this to l
vn. nnast a bit longer. But he soon stepped out of the elevators.

As we approached my apartment door, I realized with terrifying clarity that I had left my purse at the bar. The purse that had my phone and the key to my apartment in it.

Well, this isn't going to end well.