The Stars Around Us

Chapter 29 ×EMMIE×

It was five o'clock and Dad was coming to pick me up for dinner at six thirty, since the reservations were set for seven. I decided to get up and wash the lake water off. After rinsing my body and washing my hair, I stepped out and went to search for the dress that I had bought with Ethan a couple days ago.

       Once I found the green dress, I slipped it on over my underwear and bra. I went to my full length mirror and twirled around, smiling at myself. The sweetheart neckline showed off my cleavage and the open back made it feel airy. It stopped a little above the knee but all in all, it was okay. The color matched my emerald green eyes and when I put on mascara and eyeliner, it made them stand out even more. I combed my hair and twisted it up into a, surprisingly, non-frizzy bun.

       I pulled a few curly tendrils down to frame my face and slid on my ballet flats. I only put some Chapstick on my lips, since I knew that if I wore lipstick or something, it would most likely smear off while I ate my food. I looked in the mirror once more, satisfied, then I grabbed my phone and went to wait on the porch, even though it was only six thirty. 

       I leaned against the column that was helping to hold up the overhang on the porch while I lost myself in thought. What will Dad want to talk about? Will he ask me how I like it here? What do I say? What do I say if he asks about friends? I have no clue. My best bet is to just wing it and hope it doesn't come out wrong. "What are you thinking about?" I wasn't expecting his voice and I jumped a little.

       Ethan stood there, waiting for an answer. "I was thinking about my Dad," I said truthfully. A faint smile spread across his lips but only for an instant. I bit my lip, watching him watch me for a few seconds. Then I asked a question that I had thought about earlier, but forgot to ask.

       "What was it like to get arrested?" He gazed at me for a second another ghost smile on his lips. "I was fucking terrified. I had gotten into plenty of trouble but I had never gotten arrested for it, until then. I was scared of what my Mom would think, mostly." I looked at his eyes, a clear, cloudy gray. 

       What if I shouldn't be hanging out with him? I know that I like him, but what would Dad think of him? Dad's opinion always mattered the most to me. Mom and uncle Stephen always said that I was stubborn as hell whenever I made up my mind. The only person who has ever been able to influence me enough to change a decision was Dad. So if he said this guy was bad news, I would try to stay away from him.

       We just stood there, staring at each other, not saying a word. It wasn't an awkward silence, we were just thinking, I guess. I parted my lips about to say something when a familiar, navy blue Honda Accord pulled up. I broke my eyes away from Ethan and Dad got out of his car and I ran to him and flung myself into his arms. 

       "Hey Daddy," I whispered softly, my eyes squeezed shut as he held me once again. "Hey Angel. I missed you so so much." I squeezed my eyes to shut away the tears. "I missed you too." 

        Dad was a tall, bulky guy. Between working in the shop, and working at the law firm, he worked out a lot and most of the time, I went with him and we would spot each other or do contests to see who could run the fastest on the treadmills without falling. His body was so muscled and tanned and he was intimidating, honestly. He had one of his ears pierced with a diamond stud that he never takes off and his upper arms were tattooed and his biceps and muscles rippled whenever he wore tight tees, like he was doing now.

        When he put me down, I saw him glancing behind me, his mouth set in a straight line. "I'm going to go talk to your mom for a minute, okay? I'll be right back out," he said in his deep, gravelly voice. I nodded and turned with him, seeing Ethan off to the side of the porch. 

       I had forgotten about Ethan. I walked behind Dad and I was surprised and a little worried when Dad stopped and turned to Ethan. As tall as Ethan was, Dad still towered over him at almost seven foot. He held out his hand and Ethan took it. "Hey. I'm Josh," Dad introduced himself. "Ethan, sir." I giggled softly, thinking about the nervousness in Ethan's eyes.

       I stood beside Ethan and faced Dad. He looked at me with that soft expression like he did at the lake and slyly grabbed my hand, locking our fingers together. We were standing close enough that my dress covered our hands and I pumped his twice. "Dad, this is my, um… friend. From school. And next door." Dad's eyes shifted down to our hands and back up. Dammit. He saw it, now what? He grinned at me and glanced between me and Ethan. I bit my lip, wondering what he was thinking. Was he going to overreact? Does he approve? Does he think he looks like a total douche bag like Asher does?

        "You finally got a boyfriend, Angel?" I blushed, my mouth dropping slightly in surprise. I wasn't expecting that response. Dad chuckled and turned. "I'll be right back," he said walking in the house. I stared blankly after him, my jaw still slack. I turned and saw Ethan smiling at me.

       "Um… is that what we are now," I mumbled. "Boyfriend and girlfriend, or something?" His smile grew wider. "Only if you want to be. But I won't pressure you into anything." I blushed again and looked him in the eye. "Okay," I said softly, smiling. His eyebrows raised. "Okay you'll be my girlfriend or okay I won't pressure you?" I took in a huff of air. 

        "Okay I'll be your girlfriend." His eyes softened so tenderly. "Eminem, you just made me so happy," he whispered. He leaned down and kissed me and I let my lips melt with his. I put my hands around his neck and stood on my tiptoes to reach him better, deepening the kiss. 

        We only pulled away when someone cleared their throat. I jumped and pulled back, blushing profusely when I saw Dad smiling down at me. "Um… I'll text you later," I murmured to Ethan. He whispered an okay and walked back to his house while I walked with Dad to his car.

        Once we were on the road he broke the silence. "So, it's only been a couple weeks and you already snagged yourself a boyfriend, eh?" I smiled, not turning away from the window. "What happened to my secluded little girl from last month," he teased. I turned to him now, smiling. "I didn't have you to build car parts with, so I had to throw myself out there." He chuckled. 

         "Did you meet him at school?" I laughed, thinking of how I actually met Ethan. I shook my head. "No," I said still laughing. "I met him in the mall. I saved him from being arrested after he was falsely accused of stealing earrings, which he doesn't wear and he didn't have a girlfriend to buy them for. Some skank threw them in his pocket because she had some beef with him or something." He started laughing at the story. 

        "How'd you keep him from getting arrested?" I smiled. "I bribed the security guy. Uncle Stephen was not happy about that, but of course he gave me the money for it." I saw Dad roll his eyes, good natured. He knew that Stephen spoiled me. I was happy about how cool he was being about this. 

       He asked me questions about him and I answered, telling him about earlier today. "He calls me Eminem," I told him. "Eminem? Like that white rapper?" I laughed at his response because it was similar to my first reaction. "No. Like the candy. He gave me a huge pack of them this morning." He smiled. "Eminem. It has a ring to it." I smiled as we pulled into the parking lot of Panera Bread. This was my favorite restaurant and we always came here for celebrations.

       We sat down and ordered. "So. Your mom seems to be doing a lot better." I nodded. "She's finally pulling her shit together, I guess." He went silent after I said that, running his finger around the rim of his glass. "So, Angel. I was wondering if you'd be willing to make a proposition, and I've already spoken to Jenny about it." I cocked a brow, waiting for him to continue. 

       "I'm running low on employees, and I was wondering if you'd want to work at the shop with me, and you'd get paid about twice a month. What do you think?" Excitement shot up my back. I had always wanted to work at the shop with Dad, but he had never let me, for reasons unknown to me. Though, now that he was, I wasn't going to turn down the offer.

        "I'll do it," I exclaimed. "When do I start?" He chuckled at my enthusiasm. "You can start Monday, after school. Be there at four." In my head I was screaming yes Yes YES! "Okay," I said calmly. He smiled at me and we ate our food that the waitress finally brought by.