Serenity Falls

Chapter 40

Hello peoples! Another upload :D Urgh... it was my first day of work experience today and it was so bad. At least I now know I NEVER want to be an accountant. Okay enough driveling... here's the next chapter.

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"Ethan?" Olivia asked, propping her body up on her elbows and leaning her back against the whitewashed walls of Ethan’s bedroom.

Her heart leapt as the words rolled around in her mouth. Immediately she felt her cheeks flush as Ethan’s gaze fixated on her. Why had she even got his attention? It was such a stupid question – she felt embarrassed already, even before the words had left her lips.

"Yeah?" he responded, his eyes lingering questioningly on Olivia’s face.

The pair of them had been sitting in Ethan’s room for around thirty minutes, chatting and joking as if nothing had happened the previous day. It was somewhat confusing for Olivia, and she was unsure of how to approach the whole thing – or whether she should just ignore the elephant in the room.

Every thought that had passed her mind since yesterday had been consumed by the kiss – it was impossible to think of anything but the feeling of pure ecstasy that she had felt as Ethan’s lips moved expertly against hers. That feeling... the one she was dying to experience again.

It seemed Ethan was a professional when it came to confusing her – he had not mentioned it the whole time Olivia had been at his house, inside his cramped but cosy bedroom. This made it impossible to establish exactly how he felt about her, and how things currently stood between them. Of course, Olivia had over-analysed the situation, trying to deduce every single possible meaning from the information that she had. But that just left her even more confused, and made it even more difficult to focus on anything else.

"About what happened yesterday..." Olivia said, biting her lip and tucking a strand of loose brown hair behind her ear. She studied Ethan’s face carefully as the words escaped her lips, but his expression was still unreadable. "Why did you kiss me?"

She silently cursed herself as soon as the words were spoken. Why did she have to be so blunt? There must’ve been a better, more tactical way to go about it, ways that would be significantly less embarrassing than how she had just done it.

Her eyes flickered to his face as Ethan started to laugh quietly, his signature warm smile spreading across his face until it had widened into an amused grin. "Oh, that," he said. "Why, didn’t you like it?" His smile faltered slightly as he glanced anxiously at her, waiting for a response.

"No! No, it was... really good," Olivia answered, slightly embarrassed at her lack of a better adjective. "Just... unexpected, I guess."

"Really?" Ethan said, a hint of surprise displayed on his face. "So... I wasn’t a bad kisser or anything then?" He smirked slightly.

"No, you were a great kisser," Olivia reassured him, smiling as the moment began to replay again in her mind. That perfect moment. "Just... why?"

"Isn’t it obvious? Because I really like you, Olivia." Ethan looked up, almost nervously as he watched for a reaction, relaxing slightly when he saw Olivia’s expression. "You’re such an amazing girl and... I just... I really like you." His hand reached out to rest gently on her arm.

Now she really couldn’t stop the pink blush from creeping onto her cheeks. Ethan really liked her? The thought made her head spin and her heart flutter in her chest.

"Well, I really like you too," Olivia managed to breathe, as her lips spread into a smile.

And within seconds, it was happening again. The tingling feeling that spread through her whole body as she felt Ethan’s lips against hers. This time she was ready for it – her arms stretched around his back until they were enveloped behind his neck, her hands snaking upwards until her fingers were submerged in his silky soft hair. Their lips moved together in perfect unison, slowly, beautifully, almost fitting together like a mould.