He just didn’t want her to date anyone else.
Which was understandable, since she would be well and truly crushed if she found out he was dating someone else.
Then again, his reaction to Amanda’s friend seeing them out together earlier certainly gave her hope.
Maybe he was coming around to the idea of them having a real relationship.
She tried to stop thinking about it and focus on the movie once it started. Their hands were no longer entwined, but Willow still sat next to Ethan, her legs curled up behind her, pushing her to lean against him. Toeing the line of propriety, their shoulders touched and occasionally Willow dipped her head to rest on his shoulder, but Ethan kept his hands in his lap instead of wrapping an arm around her.
The movie wasn’t bad or anything, but Willow kept zoning out anyway. Occasionally guilt would wallop her, reminding her of Brian—not to mention her own determination not to be unfaithful in any of her relationships—and the decidedly shaky ground she was on. A different kind of guilt hit when her first thought following “Maybe I should break up with him” was, “But then how would I get to spend this time with Ethan?”
Ethan chuckled at something that happened on-screen and Willow pulled her focus back to the television, but couldn’t seem to keep it there.
“I think I need to break up with Brian.”
Ethan’s lips twitched up at the corners, and she wasn’t sure whether to be exasperated or charmed. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?” he asked.
Turning to look at him pointedly, she gave him a dry look. “Really?”
His smile widened, making her heart melt just a little. “I’m kidding. If that’s what you want to do, I support that decision.”
“Oh, do you?” she teased, rolling her eyes.
“Yeah,” he affirmed, wrapping his arm around her and squeezing her briefly before releasing her and returning to their previous, pretend-platonic pose.
Willow smiled, shaking her head.
Then he gave voice to some of her concerns. “You think you’ll still be able to get out of the house without tipping off Lauren and Ashlynn?”
Dropping the smile, she said, “I don’t know. I mean, I will, I’m just not sure how. I’ll figure it out.”
He nodded, not looking at the television, but also not looking at her.
Since she had already started the ball rolling, she added, “If I do that…” Since she wasn’t sure quite how to word it, she let her hand drift across his thigh, dipping inward and caressing him through his pants. His body stiffened and his arousal sprang to life under her hand, causing pleasure to unfurl low in her stomach and a little smile to tug at her lips.
Placing his hand over hers, he pressed her hand against him more firmly. “I want you, Willow. You know that.”
Her smile grew—took over her whole face. She moved her hand though, since she didn’t want to fully cross the line. “Okay.”
Ethan shifted a little uncomfortably and she offered a wry smile.
“Sorry,” she offered.
He merely looked at her, his gaze warm and tinged with lust. “When would you be having this conversation?”
Willow sighed and crawled across the couch, grabbing her phone out of her purse and settling into her corner to tap out a quick text. “Tonight, preferably. I have to see when he’ll be home. I’ll have to go before the party. I can’t dump him at his own party.”
“Another party?”
“Every weekend,” she said, smiling absently. “They’re not real parties, just… you know, come over and get drunk parties.”
Remembering his own first year of college, he nodded. “Sounds about right.” He watched her text, and when she glanced up to catch him, she thought he looked a little anxious.
“What are you thinking over there?” she asked.
He hesitated a moment before responding. “I… don’t want to piss you off. But I also want to make sure you’re not just dumping this guy for me.”
Shaking her head as she sent another text, she replied, “I’m not dumping him for you. It’s purely selfish, I assure you. I don’t want to cheat on him, but I want you to fuck me senseless; I can’t have both, so I made a choice.”