Short Stories - Romance

#10 - The Sea Of Attachment

Go out with me, Linda. Today, now… Ethan's words kept ringing in my head, so loud everything else had practically stopped existing.

He was insane! Or drunk. The only two reasons I could think of that made the remotest sense of the situation. And I was even more insane for not saying no with my first breath. Although, in my defence, more than the shock of the request itself, the urgency and the intensity in those amber eyes had made my heart stumble and flutter at the same time, while my brain completely forgot the very essence of why it resides in my head.

“Earth to Linda.” Ethan whispered, making me jump. What in God’s name was he trying to do? Melt me out of my clothes? Because nothing had sounded and smelled so sexy as his voice and that liquor tainted breath when it tickled my ears.

"Uh, I'm sorry, what?" Legs pressed together, my eyes darted between him and the person who'd momentarily saved me from making a fool of myself. The latter wore an unreadable expression as she eyed the entirety of me. Something that would have made me self conscious, but she turned out to be the distraction I needed from my own awareness of Ethan beside me. I mean, who wears a business suit to a kid’s football game? And those heels–

“This is Claire, a family friend.” Ethan gestured at the most polished being I had ever seen.

"Pleased to mee–"

“A friend who hasn’t seen you in too long. You don’t mind if I steal him for a bit, do you?”

Did I just get ignored? Naturally I would have scowled at that, but I figured that getting some space between Ethan and my heart that kept on skipping beats in his presence was probably for the best, so I faked a smile instead.

"Oh, no need to ask me. And please take your time." Something flickered on Ethan's face as he got dragged away, a glare at me maybe, but I refused to think more of it as I was only too glad for a moment alone and a chance to actually breathe.

"Oh holy crap!" Liam’s practice forgotten, I sank to my seat, thinking how the bad idea of taking this job had suddenly become very very bad with Ethan's interest in me. Could I even call it that? Interest? And did I want it? The answer was a stupid resounding 'hell yes!'.

I had wanted many things in the past days of being Liam's nanny. After having been alone for so long, stuff I'd buried, never to care about again had suddenly resurfaced and made my heart ache. “Careful Linda.”

“Being safe is sometimes overrated, don’t you think?”

"I'm sorry?" I jumped for the second time, but not because of Ethan.

"Forgive me. Didn't mean to startle you, love." The stranger smiled, but despite his charming smile something about him felt off still. "I'm Gerald." He held out his hand which I took while being wary of the man. "You remind me of someone. Of a time long gone by."

"Something good, I hope?"

"Oh, you have no idea." That smile grew impossibly wide and where it would have coaxed my own out, it only sent a chill racing down my spine. "You here by yourself?"

"N–No.” I didn’t scare easily, but with Gerald here, I found myself regretting sending Ethan off. And speaking of my boss, I frowned when I couldn’t find him anywhere.

“Lost something?”

“No.” I took a step back for the one Gerald had taken towards me. “Oh, here he comes.” I could kiss that kid for his impeccable timing. “Nice meeting you, Gerald.” I waved before the creep could say anymore.

“The pleasure was all mine, sweetheart.” The man shouted after me, but that was not what left me shaking and frozen in my path.

Sweetheart… It was not so much in the word itself, but the way he said it. But then again…it couldn’t be…right? I found myself walking again, determined to get away even if everything in me was screaming, asking to turn back…just to be sure. “Keep walking, Linda. It’s probably nothing or all in your head.” It didn’t even matter if I looked mechanical as I put one step in front of the other.

“You okay?” Trust the kid to know when something was up with me.

“Yes, yes. I am.” I mustered a smile, but Liam’s frown only deepened. “That was awesome kid!” I pulled him in for a hug and when a proud smile greeted me once I pulled back, I knew my trick to distract had been successful.

“Coach says I might make captain for the team.”

“Did he now?” I ruffled the kid’s hair, earning myself another wide grin. “Well I say great choice, Coach Russell. Because you are a super star.”

“Oh, you are just saying that–”

“And when have I ever lied to you?” One brow shot up only to come right back down when the kid rammed into me with another fierce hug.

“Never and that is why I love you.” My heart stumbled for the second time today. Damn these Easton boys! And what did I say to that? Because anything that resembled a response would only sink me deeper in the sea of attachment. A place I had not been in so long after vowing never to let anyone so close. Chad had come close enough and let's just say he was a reminder of why I shouldn't have in the first place.

"Oh, she's here." The annoyance in the Liam's voice drew my attention to him.

"What's with the face?” I swung around to look at whoever he was looking at, letting out a breath I had been holding when I noticed that Gerald was nowhere. A pair of bright red ribbons caught my attention though and when I realized that Liam was looking in that direction, my lips curved.

“Who, that cute little girl with pretty bows? Liam, are you afraid of girls?” I pinned the kid with an amused stare and he only snorted while pointing away from the girl to the right.

“Not her, her.” I followed his direction and noticed the widest smile in the crowd. It belonged to Claire who seemed quite excited to see Liam and was waving so hard, I thought her arm would snap off. "She doesn't look like she bites." I mumbled even when I hated how her hand went all over Ethan while she seemed to urge him to walk over to us.

"Looks can be deceiving, but it doesn’t matter. We should go over."

"Uh, didn't anyone tell you not to interrupt people when they are talking?" And I was so not ready to be near Ethan again.

"Trust me, you are going to want exactly that for this.” The kid yanked me by the hand and started pulling before Claire and Ethan could even head in our direction.

“Liam sweety, I was just reminding your father about our usual dinner date.” Claire was all smiles, but the kid only arched his brow at her.

“Can Linda come too?”

“Liam!” I slapped my hand over the kid’s mouth. “I’m sorry. Please pretend that we are not here.”

“I don’t think there is anything in this world that would make that possible.” The woman snorted my way before looking at Liam with her fake a smile. “We’d love to have her sweetheart, but this is family only. Have you forgotten so soon?”

Something resembling hurt crossed the kid’s face, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared, leaving the oddest desire in me. I wanted to protect him. If not from what made him sad, then from this woman. “I haven’t and Linda is practically family.”

“Liam!” I lightly elbowed him to keep him from talking and embarassing the woman even more, but the kid had never looked so unrepentant. “I’m sorry, you really don’t have to–”

“Of course, I don’t…” The woman waved me away like I was some insignificant pest. “...but I’m sure we can make room for the maid.”

“The maid–”

“She’s my nanny.” Liam argued before I could say more, so fiercely it was admirable, but the woman only nodded before turning to Ethan, practically ignoring the kid and I wanted nothing more than to call her out on her rotten attitude.

“So Ethan, I’ll see you later?”

“Of course.” Of course?

“Tell me you aren’t seriously thinking of going for this dinner.” I objected the moment Claire was out of earshot. “I have no doubt only poison is on the menu.” The smacking goodbye kiss she’d placed on him probably had a bearing of why I thought that and why my mood had suddenly soured.

“Claire can be many things, but a killer is not one of them.” He was defending her? I hated it, so much I reached for Liam and started walking away. If even his own father wouldn’t stand for the kid, who would do it? It didn’t even matter that what I had come to know about Ethan so far said otherwise.

“Not so fast.”

“You can go and have all the poison that that witch will serve you, but that will be without Liam or me.” I hissed when Ethan stood in my way. “I will not have her treat him like he is some insignificant little human.” I added when he wouldn’t let me pass still.

“Craig?” Those amber eyes flashed with something I didn’t recognise, pinning me on my spot.

“Yes sir?”

“Take Liam home, Miss Bryson and I have somewhere to be.”

“I’m not going anywhere with a man who refuses to protect his son from witches like her.” I poked Ethan’s chest when he stepped into me after making sure his son was gone.

“I was not asking, Linda.” I got pulled into another fierce hug for the second time today. Except, unlike Liam's, my heart did not only stumble at Ethan's words. It was the way those strong arms wrapped around me, in a way no one had. A way I did not expect. Fierce and yet so gentle, soothing my temper while peeling the armour that made me Linda Bryson. The girl who needed no one. And as I wrapped my arms around him, as I melted into his embrace, I knew that I had already lost to that sea of attachment.