Acceptance | ✓

Chapter 20

[ETHAN]

"There!" Devein screeched as we spotted her group of friends in the mall's parking lot.

"Okay then, stay safe," Andrew said as he pulled the gear to temporary parking so that Devein could get out of the car. I watched as she undid her seat belt and ran out of the car towards her friends.

"I can't believe you let her go," I muttered, earning a nod in response from Andrew. I bit my lip, turning away from him as he set the car in motion to find a parking spot. Although Andrew had said he'd forgiven me. The way he acted towards me seemed to say otherwise. He didn't have much to say with me anymore, and all forms of endearment in the way he spoke to me outright disappeared.

I looked out the window as Andrew drove around looking for a parking space. I couldn't help thinking Andrew had taken more than a hundred steps backward and we weren't even in square one—he was treating me like a complete stranger.

Andrew pulled the gear on the brake when he properly parked in a spot. He turned the car off before opening the car doors.

"I'm going to check around for a new phone case and an external hard drive," Andrew said, looking from me to the steering wheel. "You can stay here if you want, or you could go to the mall."

I watched as he got out of the car as I contemplated my options. Devein was supposed to be waiting at the entrance by three noon after she'd watched the movie with her friends.

I bit my lip, trying to come to a conclusion. I didn't want to be stuck here in the car for three hours, and I didn't want to wander about the mall alone. To be frank, I wanted to be with Andrew, and I wasn't sure how to tell him.

"Are you staying here?" he asked as he shut the door behind him.

"No," I stated finally. Andrew gave me a calm look before nodding. I got out, shutting the door behind me so he could lock the car.

"I'll meet you and Devein at the door by three," Andrew said as he made to leave.

"Wait!" I called making Andrew pause in his tracks.

"Can I tag along with you?" I asked when I got his full attention, my voice getting smaller as I thought of the possibility of him refusing my request.

"Well, okay," Andrew replied as he looked towards the entrance. He checked again to see if He'd locked the doors before turning to leave. I awkwardly quickened my steps to catch up to him; walking by his side as he ignored my presence.

I looked at his blank expression from the side of my eye and sighed. It was obvious he was still mad at me, and it was nerve-racking that I didn't know what to do about it.

We got into the mall, heading straight for one of the tech-inclined stores. Andrew immediately separated from me to talk to one of the attendants about getting a hard drive.

I watched him as he continued to converse with the attendant, feeling largely abandoned. I sighed with a dramatic shoulder slump. I had been right where I wanted to be with Andrew in a relationship and I just had to open my big quick to defense mouth and blow it.

I left Andrew behind, wandering about the store to check if I could pick out anything for myself. From time to time I'd swipe the screen of my phone so it'd light up and show me the time. I'd sigh every time, finding out it was only a few minutes since the last time I checked, and that there was still a long way to the end of Devein's movie.

"Oh, there you are," I heard Andrew say behind me, making me jump.

"Sorry for startling you," he chuckled lightly as I tried to rearrange myself. I could feel my chest warm-up from Andrew's laughter. It's been a while since I heard it. I mentally slapped myself for standing there and smiling like a goof at the thought of Andrew's laughter.