sympathy ~ e.d.

XIX

'Should we wake her?' 'Nah, bro, she's sleeping so peacefully.' 'But I want my food E!' 'Shh, you'll wake her up if you aren't quiet!'

I squint my eyes at the bright yellow light from the street lanterns outside. They're not even bright but it feels like they are. Then I see two pairs of hazel eyes staring at me. Ethan's, whose shoulder I apparently fell asleep on, and Grayson's from behind the steering wheel. We're parked now, so there's no danger. I lift my head off Ethan's shoulders and rub my eyes to wake myself up more. 

'She's awake, let's go get food!' I almost smile at Grayson's enthusiasm. He steps out of the car and is nearly skipping towards the In-'N-Out. 

Ethan was sitting in the middle and got out via the other door. I opened mine and stretched myself out once I was outside. Ethan grumbles and pulls the keys from the ignition. 'Grayson maybe should have thought about at least taking the keys with him.'

I follow Ethan who is headed for the entrance. He suddenly stops. I nearly bump into him because I am not really paying attention but stop just in time. 

I look up at him and tilt my head slightly as if I'm asking him what was wrong. He suddenly pulls me into a hug. I'm confused but you don't hear me complaining. 'I am just really glad you are okay', he mumbles and places a kiss on the very top of my forehead.  

Grayson somehow managed to already get his food and is happily munching on it when we walk in. 'You two are late! Did you-' 'No, we didn't. We're getting food now, Gray', Ethan cuts him off. Grayson looks at him with an amused look on his face but quickly redirects his attention to his food. I have no idea what he was going to say but judgine by his expression, I don't think I want to know. 

'What do you want?' Ethan asks me after he ordered. 'Um, some fries and a coffee please.' The lady behind the counter nods. Ethan gently pushes me aside and before I know what's happening, he has already paid for me. I scrunch my brows and open my mouth to lash out at him for paying but he interrupts me. 

'Shush, I wanted to. Let me, accept this as a gift please.' He knows me too well. 'I'm going to the bathroom real quick, I'll be right back.' He walks away. 

'Um miss, can I ask you a weird question?' the lady from behind the counter says. I look over at her and her blue eyes are looking straight at me. 

'Are they twins?' I nod. 'And is that other one taken? I mean, it's obvious this one is yours-' her head points in the direction Ethan just walked to- 'but the other one?' I look at her for a few seconds comprehending what she just said. Then I realize it was a question and I probably should react. 

'Oh, to be really honest with you, I don't know.' Why am I not correcting her that Ethan is not mine? Am I jealous? I don't know, I'm too tired to think. 

'Well, my shift is done in a few minutes, and I am really sorry to ask you such a favor but could you keep that one here for a bit longer? I would love to talk to him, he's really hot.' 'His name is Grayson, but I don't think you should mention that I told you his name.' She laughs at my confusing comment.

'But yeah, I'll try to keep him here a bit longer.' She smiles at me. 'Honestly, you're the nicest person ever! Thank you so much!' She smiles her perfect white teeth at me. 'I'm Rebecca, by the way, and here's your order.' 'I'm Zera, and thank you a lot for the food.' 

I sit down at the table next to Grayson. He had picked a table for two and was using all the space he could get for everything he had ordered. I put a yellow fry in my mouth. I didn't even know how hungry I was until just now. 

I can see Ethan walking back toward our tables. He sits down in front of me since I have the tray with his food as well. He unwraps his burger with a speed I didn't even think was possible and takes a huge bite. 'Mm, this is so good. I was so hungry', he mumbles. I smile at him. He can be cute at times. Almost all times, but that's beside the point.

Grayson is already done with all his food and is just sitting on his spot, on his phone. 'Gray, could you please get me a cup of water? I'm kind of thirsty', I ask of him. I'm not that tired anymore due to the coffee and little nap I had but I want him to talk to Rebecca. Or at least give her the chance to talk to him. He looks up from his phone. 'Sure!' He grabs all the trash he had made and takes it with him to clean it up. 

I make eye contact with Rebecca while he is walking toward her. She looks at me with slight panic and I give her a thumbs up. She gives me a big smile and then I see Grayson talking to her. 

'What did you do?' 'Nothing.' I put a fry in my mouth. 'Wait, Grayson doesn't have a girlfriend, right?' I ask Ethan. He looks up. 'Not that I know of, why?' 'No reason.' 'Zee, there is almost always a reason for someone asking that.' 'Now that you mention it, I was just about to confess my undying love to him, so he can save me and we can run away to Iceland together.' 

Ethan looks quite confused and shocked. 'You can come with us as our pet', I add and then he gets it. 'Why not me? I'm the better twin.' 'Hmm, if you say so', I tease him, a small smile on my lips. He copies my smile, just making it about ten times bigger. I love to see him smile.

'And why Iceland if I may ask?' 'I've heard there are no mosquitos there and that's pretty much all you need to convince me.'

'I just got myself a date!' Grayson squeals when he comes back with my water. I smile widely and bite my lip when I realize I probably shouldn't. It mustn't become too obvious I'm an amazing Cupido or I'll have people lining up in no time. 

'We're going to the movie later tonight, I'm waiting for her to finish her shift. I'll catch a ride with her, I think. You guys can head home if you want.' I smile at Grayson. 'Have fun on your date', I say rather loudly so Rebecca can hear me too. 

'Thanks.' Grayson smiles. I'm glad he's happy.

In the car back home, I can't sleep. I think it's a mix of the coffee I just drank and the medicine they gave me at the hospital. 'Where do you want to go?' Ethan asks me. 'To your house and then mine so you can pick up your stuff for a sleepover. I mean, if you would want to.' 'Of course I want a sleepover! I'm not letting you sleep alone, you're injured.' 

I roll my eyes at him. 'I am perfectly able to take care of myself, I just wanted a sleepover.' He just raises one eyebrow as if he knows better but says nothing. I just smile and look out the window.