Ethereal - a kiani au

thirty three

• Will's POV •

I waited on the corner impatiently. I was starting to get nervous. I didn't like the fact that Jordan was alone with his dad after that. If he saw me at all, Jordan would be in so much shit. My heart was still racing but not in a good way. A million scenarios ran by in my head. The seconds seemed to fall over one another, minutes changing after what seemed like hours. Relax, I told myself. It had only been ten minutes since I left the house. It's not a big deal, everything is fine. I checked the time again. I was mentally cursing myself for being so stupid. We both knew exactly how his dad felt about us. Why were we literally trying to fuck on his couch? I paced around in circles, my heart beating out of my chest. The only thing I could think about was Jordan. I could hardly even breathe. I stared down the road and waited impatiently to see his car. I let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding once I saw him. I jogged over to the passenger's side of the car and got in, looking at him. His eyes were wet but he didn't look at me. He handed me my backpack without saying a word. I felt my blood turn to ice as soon as I realized. He kept his gaze straight ahead and his mouth in a line as he put the car in drive and kept going.

"Jordan," I said softly, breaking the silence. He didn't move or speak. "Jordan?" I asked again, a little louder this time. I knew he had heard me the first time. He pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park.

"Yeah?" He asked, turning his face to me. He had a small cut on his bottom lip and there was a bruise starting to form along his jawline. I let out a gasp as soon as I saw it.

"Did he...?" I asked. I didn't want to say the words. I didn't want it to be true. Wake up, Will.

"He saw your backpack sitting on the floor," he said with a sad smile.

"Jordan, I am so sorry. You know that I never meant to-"

"I know," he said, cutting me off. He started driving again. I felt awful.

"Your dad can't just hit you, Jordan," I said. There were tears in my eyes now.

"It's okay, Will," he said. "I told you that they would fight me every step of the way, remember?"

"I didn't think you meant actually fighting you," I said, my voice raising a bit.

"Neither did I," he responded sadly. "Is this worth it?" He asked quietly. I looked up at him, not sure if he even said anything. He kept his eyes on the road.

"Yes," I responded simply. "It's real, remember?" I added. Jordan's mouth turned up into a small smile.

"I remember," he said, a single tear falling down his cheek. I stuck out my thumb and wiped it away for him. He grabbed my hand before I could bring it back to me, placing a kiss on the top of it.

"This is real, this is real, this is real..."