HEATED // EGD

T E N

B E S T - F R I E N D ?

A towel hung around Ethan's neck as we silently walked down the hallway back to the apartment. The tension in the hall was high. My body felt stiff like it didn't know how to function anymore as I followed behind Ethan. After the pool, things quickly became awkward to say the least.

I never thought about Ethan in that way before. Sure, I noticed how attractive he was; I wasn't blind. However, being anything more than friends never crossed my mind. Maybe somewhere deep down, but as far as I was aware of... nothing.

After we nearly kissed in the pool, I couldn't seem to be capable of shaking it. How had I not seen him that way before? Even when he was in his darkest place, he was such an attractive man.

The sharp jawline. The broad shoulders. The messy dark hair. The hazel eyes. The tattoos. The lip ring. The stubble. How had I never noticed it before?

It seemed to all come rushing at me at once. It was almost overwhelming. My stomach flipping and turning with nerves.

The fact he pulled away surfaced to my thoughts. Was it all me? Was I getting mixed signals and just embarrassing myself?

I mean, I wasn't even sure if I was ready for a relationship yet. I didn't know why I was getting so worked up all of a sudden. All that I knew was that I suddenly couldn't get him out of my head.

I sighed in defeat.

Still continuing to walk towards the apartment, his head turned to face me. He bit his cheek as he stared at my face for a couple seconds before turning his head back so that he could watch where he was going.

Once back inside the apartment, I sat down at the kitchen island and put my head down, not saying a word. I just wanted to crawl up into a hole a cry. Without a room to myself, this would be as close as I could get.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ethan asked a little too loudly for it being the middle of the night.

I picked my head up to look at him. His eyebrows were furrowed and his hazel eyes seemed sad, but not in the same way they usually were.

"Shhh, you're going to wake up Dallas," I whispered, "Nothing."

"I don't buy it," he replied lowly before grabbing a clean glass from the dishwasher and filling it with water from the fridge.

"Well, it's nothing worth worrying about."

"I'd still worry," he replied as he sat down on the bar stool beside me and carefully placed the glass of water down on the island counter.

I shook my head. He's just saying that, I thought to myself.

"Naomi, tell me." His hand rested on the counter beside his glass of water.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," I spoke quietly.

"why not? You could tell me anything. I'm all ears."

"I, uh..." I stalled. "I have feelings for you."

"Why would you be upset by that?"

"Because you don't feel that way towards me."

"I finally get to tell the brilliant Naomi Rivera that she's wrong."

"But you backed off from the—"

"I'm an idiot, Nai. I backed off because I was afraid."

"I thought you were fearless,"

"You and I both know that's not true."