𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 ( 𝑬𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑻𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒐)

𝒕𝒆𝒏

He'd do anything to stop time.
To lock them both into an alternative reality where seconds drag on like days and the years never seem to pass.

Ethan has long stopped painting and just silently leaned back, watching Willow in her own world, occupied with her art and not a care for anything in the world.

She doesn't notice him looking, and if she did she wouldn't dare to turn around, the memory of his fingers in her hair is still so vivid that she doesn't trust herself to act rationally.

The moon outside has taken over the sun's rule over the skies for the night and watches Willow and Ethan through the stained glass window in the living room.

Beautiful Souls. It thinks before it moves on to the next house, where a mother sings her lullabies to her baby.

"You want to see?", Willow pipes up and finally turns around to face him, her hair is still held back in the braid Ethan made.

Eagerly he edges closer, leaning over her shoulder and causing their sides to brush, neither of them move.

He doesn't know what to say, it is breathtaking and he believes that his eyes are unworthy of the sheer beauty she created on the canvas in front of him.

Willow misinterprets his silence and slumps her back, usually the opinion of others always comes second when it comes to her art but she values Ethan's opinion more than her own.

Not trying to show her disappointment she moves her head so she can see his face and when she sees admiration of her work written all over it, her heart skips a beat.

The blend of the colours that show the sky, fading from day to night, was the first thing Ethan had noticed when he took a first look.

Swirls of blush pink and yellow mixed with variations of blue.

Only when he had processed this first look he can comprehend the image on the canvas.

It's Willow and him, her arm slung around his waist and his arm around her shoulders, walking intertwined through the small backstreets.

A mirror to the beautiful nights he had spent with Willow, forever the memories will now remain, set with colours on canvas, making sure they won't forget.

With small, neat letters she wrote a single word in the bottom right corner.

Hideaway.

"It's beautiful", he mumbles when he finally finds the words to speak again.

"You can have it, as a memory", she offers but when he shakes his head, she understands.

He can't take it, where would he put a canvas painting while being on tour?
People would come up with questions and then he would have to reveal their little secret world they built.

Sadly, no matter how badly Ethan wishes for all the clocks in the world to freeze, it is getting late and both Willow and him are growing tired.

She offers to clean up and let him use the bathroom first but he stays back, greedily using up every second he has left with her.

She'll be upset.

The only thought that seems to occupy his mind while his eyes are glued on Willow again. The blonde is chatting happily about the next day, how she is not a baker but she'll try to recreate the delicious cheesecake that Maeve always makes on Willows birthday.

It breaks his heart to know that she'll wake up tomorrow to find him gone.

His bag is already packed and stuffed under Ada's bed, his friends had booked a train for him and ordered a taxi to pick him up from the corner of Willows street.

Ethan doesn't want to go to sleep, knowing that these are the last hours he gets to spend with her keep him wide awake.

Willow on the other hand keeps yawning and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

She is tired you selfish prick, don't keep her awake because you can't stand the thought of leaving her and if you have too much time to overthink it you might stay with her.

"Want to watch a movie", he offers, half expecting her to decline, but Willow flashes him a wide grin.

"I was just about to ask that, great minds think alike"

With a dismissive hand movement she shoos him out of the kitchen and back into the living room, instructing him to choose a movie while she brews some coffee for a change, needing the caffeine to stay awake.

Ethan jokes about the English not being able to make proper coffee and uses the most horrible Italian accent he can make up.

Willow laughs and gives him the finger, even though he can't see him from his position on the couch.

"You haven't even picked a movie yet?", she sighs and rolls her eyes pretending to be annoyed at the boy but winking at him when she sees confusion flash over his face.

"Just joking", with a smile she hands him a coffee cup and sits down next to him.

They used to sit so far from each other that even if Ethan stretched out his legs, he couldn't have touched her.

Now they are so close that whenever the other moves they can feel the air shift between them.
So close that Willow can hear Ethan breathe when she ignores the sound that the TV makes.

The caffeine didn't do much to her disappointment and she feels herself getting pulled in by sleep, using all of her might to fight it.

"You should sleep, I am sorry for keeping you awake", Ethan mumbles when he sees her eyes drop for the fifth time in a row now.

Instead of replying to his words, she moves around until her body is leaning against his and then she looks up at him, waiting for his approval.

He softly nods and moves around as well trying to find a position they are both comfortable with.

With one of his arms wrapped loosely around her waist and using his other hand to play with her hair, it doesn't take long for Willow to slowly drift into a dreamless sleep.

Ethan smiles when she nuzzles her face deeper into his chest and her grip on his arm that holds onto her, to keep her from falling off the couch, gets weaker.

"Sleep well Willow".

His lips are pressed to her temple and he breathes in her scent, hoping that by falling a sleep on him, it will be preserved in his clothes and his hair.

Another reminder of the girl that is like sunshine.

Moments pass but memories they'll last.
Savour every moment because in the blink of an eye it can all be over.

All it took were some gentle touches that lulled Willow to sleep, mere seconds of peace before she'll wake in the morning to find him gone.