Connected To Him (ManxMan)

Part 1: Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Just the Two of Us~

Ethan grunted, his thumb and forefinger becoming sore from pressing so hard against the zipper. But, when he heard the satisfying zip of his suitcase closing, he heaved a sigh of relief. Honestly, Ethan hadn’t needed to pack so much.

They would only be staying in Muskoka for three nights and his large suitcase probably had enough to last him far longer than a week. But, as he packed he kept coming up with what-if scenarios, causing him to pull out something for every season and any occasion. In fact, he could probably throw together an outfit for a funeral if he had to. He had it all. 

Ethan decided to be responsible and double-check that he had everything that he needed. He was incredibly relieved when he remembered to take his toothbrush, toothpaste, and razor, items he had almost forgotten because he was too fixated on clothing.

Then, it was time to actually take his suitcase down the stairs. The loud thumping from the suitcase hitting the steps and Ethan’s pathetic breathing drew his mother out from the living room.

“Ethan, be careful with that thing. You don’t want to break through the steps. Again.” She warned him, a scowl on her face. Ethan rolled his eyes at her reminder, noting how she once again mentioned the incident. His mother loved to remind him of the time when he had been playing with a basketball in the upstairs hall —because of course that is a marvellous idea— and tripped over the said ball.

Somehow, he managed to do a complete flip and drive his heel through the 4th to top step. There was blood, pain, some crying on his part and a lot more yelling out of his parents. But overall he was fine and they had to get a stair fixed.

This was one of many dumb stories Ethan had to tell. Ethan knew that it was because of his energetic and crazy attitude that he always got into trouble, and he liked to blame his personality on his father.

His dad wasn’t necessarily the most sporty guy out there, more of a book nerd if anything, but his mind was extremely active. His brain jumped from one thing to another in nanoseconds and his mouth just struggled to keep up. His mother was the more stern and calm of the two.

Ethan liked to think that he was a perfect balance between them, energetic but stern when need be, but he knew that he was a lot more like his dad. Actually, one of his mother’s favourite jokes was that she had to live with two children. The funniest part was that Ethan’s father never tried to deny it. Ethan could only hope to have such a chill relationship when he was old and crusty.

Ethan’s thought drifted to Chris again and he blushed. It was way too soon to be thinking about that. 

“When are you going to be picked up for this weekend thing?” His mother asked, speaking the second he got to the bottom of the steps. Ethan, a bit tired from carrying his heavy bag, managed a tiny shrug. 

“I’m not sure. It depends when the guy driving me will finish packing his stuff, but it shouldn’t be more than an hour.” Ethan explained, briefly looking over his bag to make sure that nothing was broken. 

His mom stood in the doorway between the living room and the entryway and she had her arms crossed in front of her. She watched him silently as he rolled his bag next to the doorway, but finally spoke when he started towards the living room. 

“You have everything you need right?” She asked, her voice growing softer as the concern leaked out. “Shirts, pants, toothbrush, toiletries, swimsuit, underwear-”

“Mom, I packed everything and double-checked.” He assured her, wanting to stop her before she talked about his underwear some more. “I’ll be fine.”