when in rome | ethan

twenty eight

"hey there, ethan!" i say, in an overly exaggerated tone. sighing, i shook my head. "no, that's... that's stupid." i glance over at the passenger seat of the parked car where my moms brownies lay.

she wanted me to drop some off at ethan's house as a kind gesture, but i was overthinking about everything partially because i still had major feelings for this guy.

we broke up because we thought so much about the future. but i've grown, and all i can think about is the present. the now. and i really really like him now.

andi did say he talked about me a lot. but she's also only five and i don't know if i should take her word for it. fuck it let's just do this.

i grab the brownies, and exit my car. i slam the door shut created a loud noise, causing the quiet neighborhood to echo.

i look up at the house, one of the windows were open. andi must've heard my car when she looks down at me through it and smiles. she runs away from the window and down the stairs. 

slowly, i walk towards the door, preparing to knock. but instead, the door opens in a swift motion and i see andi standing right there with a huge grin on her face.

"hi!" she says, "ou! brownies! i'll take that." she grabs the tray from my hand, leaving the doorframe and running towards the kitchen.

i'm left standing there, shocked at how everything went so fast. "andi, what did i say about opening doors for strangers—" ethan comes running down the stairs, in the middle of putting a shirt on before he sees me. "oh, uh. hey, cass."

i let myself in, shutting the door behind me. "hey, ethan. i just came to drop off some brownies from my mom."

he chuckles, looking over at andi who's eating them already, the tray almost done. "i'm sure they taste great."

i looked around the room, "nice place."

"yeah.. it's not exactly the suburban house i always dreamed of." ethan and andi lived in a small two story townhouse. it was small, and the neighborhood was quiet, but it was cute.

"well i like it," i shrugged. "it's simple. you don't need a big house for just the two of you."

i notice his smile die, but he forces it back, "yeah... so. i have a feeling you're here for more than just brownies?" he says, changing the subject.

"what makes you think that?" i asked, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

he shrugged, "i know you."

i wanted to catch up, maybe he can tell me what's been up for the past five years. i wanted to start over maybe. i just wanted him.

i smiled, "i don't know, i guess i just wanna.. catch up." i tell him honestly.

he looks over at andi, "andi's school is having a summer carnival today. we were gonna go in a little bit here. do you want to join us?"

"why not?" i shrugged, "i feel like i need this."

WHEN IN ROME

when we arrived, i notice a bunch of children running around the place. some older ones were by themselves while younger ones were accompanied by their mothers. not much dads around.

"sammy! hey!" ethan shouts, waving at a woman around our age. with her is a little boy who's probably friends with andi. ethan leads us towards her and her son, and makes small talk with her.

sammy's attention comes on me, making me a bit nervous. "and who's this?" she asks, a huge, friendly smile on her face. her son and andi were talking right beside us.