"You didn't drink?" Annie asked as they sat in the truck, Ethan driving a steady pace.
Ethan shook his head, "I'm not a big crowd drinker. More of a couple friends kind of drinker."
Annie nodded, "me too," she turned her gaze out the window, the time saying 12am, "thank you by the way."
Ethan glanced sideways at her, the passing streetlights casting rhythmic shadows across the sharp lines of his jaw. Seeing her tucked into the passenger seat, looking so small against the backdrop of the night, made that protective ache in his chest tighten.
"Don't thank me for that, Doll," he said, his voice low and steady. "I meant what I said. The company in that kitchen was bottom-tier. I'd choose a quiet drive with you over a room full of people like that anyday of the week."
He let the silence stretch for a moment, the hum of the engine the only sound between them, before a crooked, slightly boyish smirk played on his lips.
"Besides," he added, his tone shifting into something more playful, "I had to get you out of there before Riley or some other drunk idiot tried to 'flirt' with you again. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one allowed to do that tonight."
Annie felt the heat climb into her cheeks, her heart doing that familiar, frantic dance. "Is that right?" she whispered, still looking out the window but unable to hide her smile.
"Strictly enforced rule," Ethan teased. He slowed the truck as they reached a long stretch of empty road, one hand draped casually over the steering wheel.
"But I realized something back there. I'm at a serious disadvantage compared to Ellie." He pulled the truck over to the shoulder, the gravel crunching beneath the tires before he came to a full stop. He turned in his seat to face her, his eyes dark and focused.
"Ellie's already got you in her contacts," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone, sliding it across the center console toward her. "And here I am, the guy who actually drove you here, still having to throw rocks at your window like a common thief just to get your attention."
He leaned in a fraction closer, the scent of his leather jacket and a hint of mint surrounding her. "Think you can level the playing field, BabyDoll? Or am I going to have to keep throwing pebbles just to ask you how your day was?"
Annie let out a soft, breathy laugh, the tension from Vanessa's cruelty finally dissolving in the warmth of the truck. She looked at the phone sitting on the console, then back at Ethan, whose dark eyes were fixed on her with an intensity that made her feel seen in a way she hadn't in years.
"You're very dramatic," she teased, her voice small but brimming with a newfound, quiet confidence. "Throwing pebbles is much more romantic than a text message, anyway. You're losing your mysterious edge."
She picked up his phone, her fingers brushing his for a fleeting, electric second. She paused, thinking for a moment as her thumb hovered over the screen. She wanted something that acknowledged her messy, paint-stained life but played into the way he looked at her. After a few taps, she slid the phone back to him.
"There," she said, biting her lip to hide a shy, dimpled grin. Ethan picked up the device, his eyebrows arching as he read the screen.
The Pebble Target 🎯📖
"Try not to break the screen with a rock now that you have a better way to reach me."
He let out a rich, genuine laugh that seemed to vibrate through the entire cab of the truck. "The Pebble Target? Really, Doll?" He looked at her, his expression turning into that "tamed" soft look he only gave her.
"I don't know," he murmured, his voice dropping to that smooth, protective register. "I think I like it. It implies I've already found exactly what I was looking for."
Annie felt her face flush hot, and she quickly looked away, though the small smile stayed on her lips.
"It just means you have good aim, Ethan."
"Maybe," he replied, shifting the truck into drive and beginning the slow crawl toward her house. "Or maybe it just means you're the only one worth the effort of the climb."
Annie's breath hitched, the sound lost in the low hum of the engine. She felt that familiar, dizzying sensation of being completely seen by him. She didn't have a witty comeback this time- instead, she just tucked a stray lock of black hair behind her ear and looked at him with those wide, bright blue eyes.
"You say things like that far too easily, Ethan," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Someone might actually start to believe you."
"Good," he replied, his voice firm but tender. "Because I don't say them to anyone else."
As they turned the corner into their neighborhood, the atmosphere shifted. The house came into view, looming dark and silent against the midnight sky.
However, Annie's heart sank when she saw the harsh glow of the porch light and Kyson's car parked crookedly in the driveway.
Worse, a single light was on upstairs- the hallway window.
"He's home," Annie breathed, her pulse spiking. "If I walk through the front door now, he'll make sure the whole house knows I've been out."
Ethan slowed the truck to a crawl, killng the headlights before he reached the curb. He looked at the house, then back at Annie, his protective streak flaring. "The front door is a no-go. How about we use your window?"
Shaking her head. "My window is locked from the inside, but... the latch is loose. I could get it if I could just reach it."
Ethan didn't hesitate. "Stay here."
He hopped out of the truck with practiced silence, disappearing around the side of the house toward the shed. A minute later, he reappeared, hauling a heavy wooden extension ladder. Setting the feet of the ladder into the grass with barely a thud.
He climbed up halfway to test the stability, then beckoned her over. Annie hopped out of the truck, her flats silent on the pavement.
"I've got you," Ethan whispered as she reached the base. "I'll be right behind you. Just keep your weight forward."
Annie began the climb, her baby blue dress fluttering in the night breeze. Her heart was in her throat- not from the height, but from the fact that Ethan was standing right below her, his hands hovering near her waist just in case she slipped.
When she reached her window, she fumbled with the wooden frame. With a bit of force, the loose latch gave way, and the window slid up with a soft creak.
She scrambled over the sill, landing on her bedroom carpet with a muffled thud.
She turned back immediately, leaning out the window. Ethan was at the top of the ladder now, his face just inches from hers. The moonlight caught the gold in his eyes and the messy dark hair falling over his forehead.
"Safe and sound?" he asked, his voice a low, honeyed vibration in the dark.
Annie nodded, her chest heaving. "Thank you, Ethan. For everything tonight."
He reached out, his thumb catching a tiny, dried smudge of green paint on her cheek that she'd missed earlier. He didn't pull away. "Get some sleep, Annie. And check your phone. I think a certain 'Pebble Target' might have a message waiting for her."
He gave her one last, lingering look before disappearing back down into the shadows, leaving Annie standing at her window, feeling more alive than she had in years.