Something That Is Love

CHAPTER FIFTY

~Kisses like the finest wine~

CHAPTER FIFTY

There was a sharp pain in Ethan’s neck, almost as if someone was forcefully bending it. His back was hurting, too.

He slowly opened his eyes, wincing when the sudden brightness blinded him. For a moment, Ethan looked around, confused that he was on a floor of some building corridor and not in his bed at home. And his mouth tasted like bile.

It was when his eyes landed upon the remnants of a vase lying beside a table did the events of the previous night flooded in his mind.

The fundraiser gala, the scene with Scarlett’s friend, him drinking till he couldn’t even remember who he was, him appearing at Scarlett’s door, he shouting, her tears, the sound of her behind the closed door of her apartment all rushed into Ethan’s mind, making his mind dizzy.

“s**t!” he muttered out a curse as he rubbed his face, getting more frustrated when all that did was to spread his sweat and dirt across his face even more.

Ethan stood up, groaning when his muscles ached from sleeping on the floor, that also in a sitting position all night and cracked his neck.

He stood there, staring at the door of Scarlett’s apartment for a moment, wondering if she was still there, sitting by the door just like Ethan was a few minutes ago. His heart ached at the thoughts of her sleeping in a cocoon, face stained with tears because of him.

He was a dumbfuck for drinking and coming here last night!

As if he had made the decision, Ethan widened his eyes a little, cracked his knuckles and blew out a loud breath.

He raised his hand knock on the door—

The door vibrated, as if someone had kicked it.

Ethan halted his face, looking down at the door where the vibration was coming from. It vibrated again.

He could hear some muttering at the other end, probably Scarlett cursing him to death.

An amused smile crossed Ethan’s face.

When Scarlett kicked the door again, Ethan couldn’t help up let out an amused chuckle. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t get hangovers, Ms White.”

There was a bit of silence and then— the door flew open, revealing a baffled Scarlett as she gaped at him. “Everyone gets hungover!”

“Not me.” Ethan smiled, amused at her and pushed past her, this time easily getting into Scarlett’s apartment.

“Hey!” Scarlett whirled around, her eyes glaring daggers at him as she attempted to push him out. “You are not welcome, get out!”

Ethan didn’t budge. “I believe I am strong enough to lift you and throw you on that couch of yours if you try to throw me out again.”

Scarlett’s nostrils flared at that, and she huffed out as she fumed in anger. Although, she knew Ethan was right. The only reason she was able to throw him out was because he was batshit drunk.

She still couldn’t get over the fact that Ethan didn’t get hungover. She felt like a thousand little dwarfs were pounding on her head with their hammers even after a night of careful drinking!

Seemingly satisfied with her lack of response, Ethan walked up to her couch, looking around at the apartment.

As he took a seat, looking uncomfortable in the small place, it occurred to Scarlett that it was the first time Ethan had come to her house.

And she wasn’t wearing any makeup.

All this time that Scarlett had been in Ethan’s company, she had never not worn makeup. Makeup made her feel beautiful, flawless and protected.

With her makeup on, Ethan couldn’t see her flaws, not her scars but without makeup, she was bare for him to see, to judge. Without makeup, Ethan would be able to look at every one of her flaws, her imperfectness.

Moreover, it felt… intimate.

Scarlett stared at Ethan, he was assessing a green stain on the wall that lead to her bedroom. She had expected him to wrinkle his nose at that, make some rude remark about how un-classy was it to have a stain on the wall, or how it was just what he expected of Scarlett, to have her place dirty and…poor-y.

But he didn’t. He just looked around as if trying to memorize every corner of the apartment, his face giving nothing away as his eyes returned to Scarlett.

“Interesting place.”

“Get out.” Mumbled Scarlett, feeling exposed without her makeup on.

Ethan didn’t say anything for a moment, and Scarlett kept her head down, suddenly afraid to see the expression Ethan must be wearing.

“Your face looks different.” He observed, crossing his arms as he sat on couch as if it were an office chair. “I never noticed you had freckles.”

“What?” Scarlett’s heart dropped in her stomach, “I don’t have freckles.”

“Yes.” Ethan persisted. He stood up, walking over to Scarlett. “You do. They are pretty.”

If it was down in her stomach, Scarlett’s heart was now jumping around, creating the butterfly effect in her stomach. She still held her head high, Ethan didn’t need to know the sudden nervousness she was feeling. “You are still drunk, aren’t you?” Then nodded to herself, “Yes, that is the only reason why you aren’t clutching your head right now.”

“No.” Ethan inched closer to her, close enough for Scarlett to feel his warm breath on her cheek. “Maybe.” He nodded.

Volcanoes after volcanoes were erupting in Scarlett’s stomach, the Ethan King who couldn’t even look at her till the day before was now standing a hair width away, observing her freckles. She kept staring at him, words had left her for a while.

“Why are your lashes smaller?”

That was hurtful. Scarlett glared at him. “Because they are f*****g natural, you pig!”

When Ethan didn’t laugh at her, she furrowed her eye-brows. Did he really not know?

“Fake lashes, sir.”

Ethan growled at that, stepping even closer. “I told you not to call me that!”

“That is all you are to me!” Scarlett glowered back.

They were both breathing hard, frustrated and beyond confused. Neither of them said anything for a while, both kept glaring at each other.

Ethan felt like he was looking at a different person. He didn’t even notice that Scarlett was wearing makeup, but seeing her bare in front him, with her brown freckles and the little scar beside her ear, he decided he preferred Scarlett without makeup.

Yes, she looked beautiful in makeup, sexy even, it enhanced her features, but her face was sight to behold, with all the makeup gone, Ethan could see the faint pimple scars on her face, blending in with her freckles, he only realized just how bright the blue of Scarlett’s eye actually was, and her lips, without any lipstick staining them, looked as soft and pink like a baby’s.

She looked like a girl, waiting for him to gather her in his arms and steal her away from the world.

His heart was begging him to do just that, but his mind, that traitor who had fled last night, turned up from its sleep, filling his head with the images of Sebastian.

Of Sebastian seeing her bare, drinking in her beauty.

Only to destroy it later.

The hand that itching touch Scarlett’s face froze in its place, and Ethan closed him eyes, a sigh leaving his lips.

And when he opened his eyes again, he felt, rather than saw Scarlett pulling away, watched her slip away after being so damn near to her.

When he looked in her eyes, they were filled with hurt, fury and unshed tears. Along with shame.

An arrow pierced through his heart, blood dripping down as Ethan stared at Scarlett’s eyes, and he felt himself rushing towards her. In a second, he was in front of Scarlett again, his hand already halfway up, trying to brush the lone tear that escaped her eye.

Scarlett grabbed his hand, pushing it away from her face, and with a jerk, she left his hand.

It fell on his side, fingers aching to wrap around Scarlett’s.

“Scarlett…”

“You don’t get to make me cry, Mr. King.” Scarlett glared at him through tears, moving away from him. “You don’t get to make me feel anything!”

Ethan stood there unmoving, his jaw clenching and unclenching in frustration. Yes, I do! He wanted to say. No one but me gets to make you feel something! He wanted to shout. I am the only one you should want! He wanted to scream at her. You are the only one I want! His heart cried out.

“I know.” Was all that came out of his mouth.

“Then please get out of my house.” Scarlett begged as she looked down at the floor, rushing a hand through her hair.

“But I—“

“No buts Ethan!” Scarlett finally burst, looking up at Ethan with fire in her eyes. “You either want me or you don’t! There is no in between!”

When he didn’t say anything, she continued. “You made your decision that night! You chose to throw me away, so, you don’t get to come to my place shitfaced and trying to get into my pants!”

“I didn’t come here to try and get into your pants!” Ethan burst. It hurt his ego that Scarlett thought just that of their relationship. Granted, everything between started with s*x, but he wanted it to be more than just s*x, he wanted them to be a couple.

Until your brother came in your way! His subconscious taunted.

“Then why did you come, huh?” Scarlett stepped closer to him. “To start a f*****g relationship? To tell me that you were over brother-issues?”

Ethan just glared at her, in that moment, he knew that no matter what he did, he couldn’t stay away from Scarlett. In that moment, in that taunt of Scarlett, Ethan realized that whatever happened, happened years ago, and none of it was Scarlett’s fault, if anything, she was the victim, the one who had to endure the pain she did. That it wasn’t Scarlett’s fault that his brother was a psychopath.

He realized that all this time, he was being a coward, a lousy fucker whose ego was hurt over the fact that his brother had had the woman he wanted for the time and in all that, he forgot just how much he had hurt Scarlett in the process.

And in that short moment of realization, Ethan decided he wanted Scarlett, that he couldn’t let her go just because of some brother-issue as Scarlett called it, that didn’t want to let such a precious gem go and regret it for the rest of his life.

He had to thank Nikita first for being a donor, a helpful hand, in his way to Scarlett, if it hadn’t been for her shouting at him the previous night, Ethan was sure he would not be here and having this realization right now.

If he wasn’t sure before, as he looked at Scarlett’s bare face, finding it more beautiful than ever, he was positive now that he wanted Scarlett in his life, not as just his secretary but as his other half.

But before he did that, he had some matters to take care of.

He stepped closer to Scarlett, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to him when tried to jerk away, and planted a big, fat kiss on her forehead. “As a matter of fact, yes, I do want a relationship with you.” But you are going be a lot more difficult to please, now more than ever. He wanted to add, but he liked his intestines intact. “ I will see you on Monday. Good bye.”

Leaving another kiss on her forehead and a shocked Scarlett behind, Ethan stepped out of her apartment, closing the door behind him and fished out his phone. “It is time we have a conversation, father.”