2. Twenty- one

I nervously clutched my binder and laptop to my chest as I eyed the closed door in front of me. Anyone passing by me could sense that I was nervous and honestly, I think I had a right to be.

I had always been friends with the same people all my life so I didn't know how the beginning stages of friendship worked. I didn't know what was too early or too clingy and I was suffering because of it. 

If I had known how this kind of stuff worked, I wouldn't have been standing in the hallway, looking like an idiot, wondering if I should knock on the door or not.

I mean as I thought about it, it had been two weeks since Ethan picked me up from the library for the first time, and in the two weeks, he has picked me up another nine times. There was a steady flow of conversation between us, so that meant we were friends, right? 

I shook my head at my thoughts. I was overthinking too much and what was the worst thing he could do if I asked him, to deny me? Laugh at me? Okay, so that would be pretty bad and my courage dwindled as other fictional responses come to my mind.

I needed to stop stressing about it. I wouldn't be here if I didn't need to be here. He was a reasonable person, he would understand that, right?! Right?

Before I could think some more and stress some more, I knocked on Ethan's door with my free hand. I heard no movement on the other side of the door. I counted to ten in my head, if he wouldn't open the door by then, then I would just back around and suffer in my room alone.

Disappointment hit me in waves as the door didn't open after my count finished and I released a very tense breath from my body. I turned around and braced myself for going inside my sister's apartment. Before I could take a step, the door behind me flew open and I jumped a little in fear.

Ethan was dressed in baggy sweats and was rubbing his sleep-filled eyes and for a second I felt guilty for coming here but then I remembered what was waiting for me in my sister's apartment and I realized that it just had to be done.

He looked me up and down and then frowned. "Zara, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

I shook my head and became nervous under his stare. What was I supposed to say, it was just too embarrassing.

"Um, Emily and Adam were fighting a few hours ago."

He raised an eyebrow at me as if waiting for me to continue but I was already mortified and was second-guessing the decision to come here.

"And now, uh, they are making up." I clutched my stuff to my chest more tightly and whispered," Very loudly." I cringed as the sound of their very loud moans reverberated in my room. No sister should have to go through this kind of torture. Did they even think about my poor little ears?! 

His eyes widened as he slowly understood what I was saying and I flushed under his amused stare. "And I need to complete this book report and the walls are too thin. And I can't concentrate."

And here goes my nervous rambling!

He chuckled and folded his broad arms over his chest. "So, I was wondering if I could just stay at your place till, you know, they stop," I mumbled and I could feel my cheeks growing hot under his stare.

"Till they stop making up?" He chuckled, obviously making fun of my circumstances and I rolled my eyes. This was not funny and I knew he wouldn't let it go without making a smartass comment but I was helpless here and had no place else to go. 

He opened the door and I thanked him for not teasing me further about it. I walked inside and had a look around the apartment. Ethan's apartment was a mirror image of Emily's, everything that was on the left side of her apartment was on the right side of his.

For a bachelor pad, Ethan's place was remarkably in pristine condition. It was way too clean; I couldn't even see dust settlements on flat surfaces. Someone had cleanliness issues. He would freak out when/ if he could see my room back home.

Without a word, I walked to his dining table and put all my stuff on it. I sat as gracefully as I could, but considering that it's me we are talking about it couldn't have been graceful at all. I mentally cringed at my clumsiness.

I felt Ethan's eyes on me as I powered my laptop and opened my notes but I didn't have the strength to look at him. I thought after letting me in, he would probably go back to sleep because, after all, sleep was my main priority.

Ethan moved to his fridge and took out two chilled beers. I raised my eyebrows at him, he had just gotten up and had the stomach to drink beer at the moment. 

"Aren't you supposed to not let me drink?" I asked as he offered one of the bottles to me.

"You are an adult and I'm going to treat you like one. If you want to drink, take it. Don't stop on my account." He said and titled his head to the side as if regarding me and wondering if I would take the bottle.

I smiled genuinely at him and grasped the neck of the bottle. I appreciated that he was going to treat me like a grown-up and not some wannabe eighteen-year-old girl who didn't know how to make her own life decisions.

Which I low-key was, but I didn't need to tell him that.

He smiled as he saw me take the beer from his hands and settled himself opposite me. I watched as he took a sip from his bottle before his eyes returned to me.

His stare broke my perusal of his bobbing Adam's apple and I flushed as I realized he knew where my attention was. I was grateful he didn't mention anything though, I would have died of embarrassment otherwise.

"So, how's school?" He asked casually while rolling the bottle between his fingers. His long, thick, and calloused fingers. Attractive fingers. I resisted the urge to blush because so much blushing around anyone wasn't healthy.

"Um, school's good. The extra classes with David are helping me catch up." I smiled genuinely because this was probably the safest topic in my life right now. School was probably the only thing that I had full control over and I didn't know if it was just sad or pathetic. Or both.

Ethan had a love for beers, this much I had already deduced from our conversations and by the time I spent with him. So, it was not a surprise when he stood up from his chair before discarding the empty bottle and retrieving a new one while I hadn't even drunk half of mine.

He uncapped the bottle and I watched, mesmerized, as his muscles strained to complete the action. I averted my eyes to my notebook before he could see me ogling him. I took a deep sip from my bottle because it looked like I needed something desperately to not be so flustered around him. I was just so unreasonably aware of him.

He walked towards me and took his previous position before taking another sip of his beer. It was a good thing that werewolves didn't get drunk easily otherwise he would have some problems in standing straight.

I could feel his eyes move over me and I shifted in my seat, but I kept my eyes glued to my notes and pretended I was typing instead. I didn't want my attraction to be too apparent to him.

"You know I didn't take you for a girl who likes silver."

"What?" I frowned my eyebrows in confusion. I didn't like Silver at all, where did he get this ridiculous idea?

He tipped his bottle in my direction and pointed to the silver bracelet in my hand. "I'm talking about that. I have never seen you take it off."

My eyes moved to take in the bracelet on my hand which Sebastian had given to me to dull the effects of the bond on me. Of course, I never took it off. I wasn't masochistic and had no plans to suffer through the same pain ever again.

But what was I supposed to say to Ethan?