Hi, bro
46
I’d had a crush on Ethan for ten years, and he’d been annoyed with me for just as long. Finally,
one day, I took matters into my own hands, leaving him with nothing but his pride and two
hundred bucks. He was humiliated and vowed
revenge, but I vanished. I dodged him for three years, until my dad passed away, leaving me an orphan. Ethan’s parents, always kind to me, said, “Our home is your home now, and Ethan’s your brother.” Looking at Ethan’s face, a mask of horrified disbelief, I chirped, “Hi, bro!”
01
I’d been avoiding Ethan for three years. I knew
the exact timeline because the night I… well,
the night it happened was New Year’s Eve
during freshman year of college. Fireworks
everywhere. And today, another New Year’s
Eve, my senior year, I was back. I lugged my
suitcase, planning to grab some fruit before
<
heading upstairs to the Evans‘ house, when I
bumped right into him.
He hadn’t changed much. Hoodie up, hands in
his pockets, that same lazy, effortlessly cool
—
vibe totally masking the jerk underneath. A
gorgeous jerk, admittedly.
The second he walked into the store, I
instinctively turned, pulling my beanie lower.
“Ethan, buying fruit again?” The young woman
behind the counter practically glowed when she
saw him. “The new grapefruit is amazing. Grab
a couple for your folks.”
“I hate grapefruit. Too sour.”
“How about cherries? Super sweet.”
“Hate sweet things even more.”
…I wanted to smack him. Picky much? But the
<
owner was undeterred. At checkout, she even
tucked a few apples into his bag. Ethan got this
special treatment everywhere. With a face like
that, he’d been a heartbreaker since he was a
kid. At ten, he could walk down the street
empty–handed and come back with his pockets
full of candy. I used to be so jealous. Now, at
twenty, the candy–givers were older, but the
charm was the same.
“Ethan, home alone this year?” the owner
asked.
“Yup.”
“Heard from the neighbors you were planning
on bringing a girlfriend home.”
Ethan had a girlfriend? I strained to hear.
02
Ethan chuckled, a low sound that vibrated in my
choot
222 just like it had thron voorn
Book
<
chest, just like it had three years ago. Back
then, it hadn’t just been my chest that vibrated.
“Nah, just rumors,” he said.
“I always said you were too picky, Ethan. Hard
to find someone good enough. What kind of girl
are you into? I have a sister, super sweet…”
“Hate sweet girls.”
Yeah, I could practically picture his expression.
On my sixteenth birthday, I got a frilly lace
dress. I’d shown it to Ethan, all excited, and
he’d wrinkled his nose. “Liv, I hate sweet girls,”
he’d said, using that same tone.
The owner laughed awkwardly. “Well, you better
find someone soon, Ethan. Your parents are
worried.”
“Don’t worry, I have a girlfriend,” Ethan said.
slowly. “Just haven’t decided which one to bring
home unt ”
11:28
The owner just stared. Such a ridiculous
statement, but coming from Ethan, it almost sounded plausible.
The store fell quiet. I figured he’d left, so I
reached for the last honeydew melon. A hand, long–fingered and familiar, snatched it first.
“Sorry, I got it first,” a lazy voice said above me. He said sorry, but didn’t sound sorry at all. “But I might consider letting you have it. If you
turn around.
دو
03
My history with Ethan went back twelve years. My dad and I moved from our small town to the city. He and Ethan’s dad were army buddies. My dad, however, wasn’t as successful after leaving the service. Driving a bus barely covered our expenses. He insisted on the move for my
education, so I could have a shot at college.
City rent was brutal, and we only managed
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thanks to the Evans, who let us rent the small
house next door.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans were angels. With my dad
always on the road, I practically lived at their
place, eating dinner with them and walking to
school with Ethan. He hated it. His friends were
all either rich or popular, and I was the
awkward, chubby girl from the sticks. My
constant tagging along embarrassed him. He
once ditched me at an amusement park, leaving
me terrified and nearly lost. He got a serious
whooping for that one, and to this day he still
has a scar on his butt from it. It only made him
resent me more, fueling his pranks.
