𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐑; ethan landry

chapter nine

CHAPTER NINE
"enjoying the last few moments of her life."

IT WAS ALMOST silent in the apartment, the light breathing of Ethan sounding in Juliet's ear being the only thing that she could hear. That's what woke her up, that's what made her open her eyes with a start - his breathing in her ear.

The surface her head was resting on was moving up and down, her pillow being nothing but Ethan's chest and the arm he had wrapped beneath her body. Her own arm was slung around his waist, the girl having no recollection of her ever even draping it there, and yet she didn't utter a single complaint. With a giddy smile and a blush on her cheeks, she let her eyes fall close once more before allowing herself to succumb to the world of dreams.

Later that morning, around an hour later, the boy beneath her shifted. He yawned, his eyes staying closed, as he tried to move his hand up to wipe his eyes, until he found it to be stuck. That's when he realised his chest was stuck too - something was trapping him down, yet it wasn't a something. It was a someone.

Juliet hadn't moved from her position since she first woke up, her arm staying draped across his stomach as the left side of her cheek made contact with the shirt covering his chest. He smiled down at her, a dopey smile, until she moved. With wide eyes and a hesitant face, he watched as the girl seemed to somehow shuffle closer to him before opening her eyes, them not yet finding his own.

"Good morning," he mumbled, his voice crackly in the cold, morning air. She turned her head around, it still lying against his chest, as she smiled up at the boy with squinted eyes.

"Morning," she grinned before letting out a tired yawn, the arm that'd been previously wrapped around his waist moving to cover her face.

"How did you sleep?" He asked hopefully, his head leaning back to hit the pillow. Her eyes flicked to the roof as a thankful smile began to grace her lips.

"Better," she nodded, sparing the tired boy a glance before looking over at her phone. The time alone woke her up even more, the numbers of eleven, thirty-seven pushing her up and away from the boy. "I'm gonna go get ready."

He nodded with raised brows as she stood from the bed, beginning to walk out of the room before she paused in front of the doorway. "Thank you," she said quietly as she turned around, sending him a grateful smile with glistening eyes.

The boy pushed himself up in the bed, his back pressing against the bedhead, as he ran a hand down his face tiredly to try and conceal his grin. However, she saw it clear as day. "Anytime, Julie," he smiled, tilting his head as she nodded and left the room. As soon as she was out she let the blush paint across her face, splatters of red and pink coating her light skin as she hurried to the bathroom. They both felt like they were going crazy.

When she exited the bathroom, phone on and open in hand, she went to check her messages. Ethan was sitting at the kitchen bench on the barstools, his own phone on as he scoured through his apps, as the girl's footsteps registered in his ears. He watched with a smile as she seemingly became distracted by her screen, unaware of the sight locked on her own.

Hope you have a good night xx, stood green against the dark background of Anika's contact, the little delivered hidden beneath it teasing her tired eyes. Juliet had sent it after she left the apartment that fateful night, having not seen the girl around to say goodbye. She was probably off kissing Mindy, she'd told herself, but now she realised Anika was merely enjoying the last few moments of her life.

It wasn't until she got another message that her mind ran the other way, beyond control and out of grasp. I heard what was going on over there, stay safe!, was the message flashing at the top of her screen, her mother's name scribbling itself above the barely caring text. Juliet dropped her phone on the counter, rolling her eyes as she raised her hands to her cheeks as Ethan's own smile dropped in an instant. Not even a call? Not even a drop of worry? That was all she got?