Undying Echo {1}

36 | The First Time

I sit in Ethan's truck with my back against the window, the scenery whirring past my window the least interesting to me. I lean my head back against the window and watch Ethan's profile instead. I look at his hair. His brown, soft-looking, messed up locks. I trace the lines of his face with my eyes. His forehead, his eyelashes, his nose, the curve of his lips. I trace his ear. Trail my eyes along his jaw and neck. Down to his shoulders.

I'm about to continue down when he catches me looking and tilts his head at me to ask if something's wrong. I shake my head. "I just miss you." He smiles a smile of understanding, holds our entwined hands to his lips and plants a soft kiss on the back of my hand.

"I can relate."

We arrive after two hours of me asking Ethan where we're going and him shaking his head at me in a no-answer and of me tugging on his hand and poking him and doing all kinds of things trying to persuade him into telling me.

We stopped somewhere I could see nothing but trees, further preventing me from knowing our destination. The chilly air hits me in the face once we get out of the truck, and Ethan grabs a black jacket from the backseat and puts it on. He doesn't come around to open my door or offer his hand, and I like that. Instead, we meet at the back of the truck and our hands slip together as if it's only second nature. We smile goofily at each other.

"You good?" He asks, and I nod. "I'm great,"

It's only when we round a corner that I finally see where we are, the trees obscuring the lights ceasing until there are no more but the ones surrounding the place. The blinding colors and lights are the first things I see before the smell of food hits me and I come to a halt, looking at everything all at the same time. I see the games and food stands, the makeshift stage where performers wearing bright colors and wild makeup are dancing, and the huge fire pit in the middle of it all. It's greatly overwhelming and exciting at the same time, and I find myself wanting to try every game and every kind of food there.

I look at Ethan and find him studying my face, gauging my reaction, seeming somewhat nervous. I give him my brightest smile and push myself on my tiptoes to plant a kiss right on his lips. He's so shocked that he doesn't respond at first, and by the time he does I'd already pulled away and started walking while tugging him along by his hand. With me giggling and him with a glazed look in his eyes, I feel like I'm a kid all over again.

It's after playing several games that we come across a game of catch the fish. You simply try catching a fish from the many colorful ones in the fish tank with a mini fishing net. If you catch one, it's yours. If you don't, you have to pay. I'm about to try when I find a particular blue tang fish. "Oh, look! We found Dory!" I point excitedly to Ethan, and he chuckles and motions for me to go ahead and catch it. It turns out harder than I anticipated, and I don't catch it until the third time.

We're walking away with Dory in a bag when I catch a whiff of my hand. My nose wrinkles in distaste and I furrow my eyebrows. "I smell like fish water." I'd dunked it a few times in my excitement to catch Dory. Ethan smiles in amusement. "You smell amazing."

"Ethan Bishop, I didn't know you were into fish." I accuse teasingly, nudging him with my shoulder. He laughs, grabs my hand, plants a kiss on it, fish-water smell and all, and says, "I'm into anything that's associated with you."

And without a forewarning, I find myself falling yet once again.