4

"Why are you here?" Wynn questioned.

"Didn't you read the box?" Ethan's brows furrowed. "I'm here to greet my new neighbour."

"You moved in?" Wynn crossed her arms.

"Yup. Apartment 5A, the one directly above yours. I bought pizza to celebrate the occasion."

He looked genuinely clueless as to why his news sucked. He had a soft smile on his face, like a golden retriever holding up a bone and begging its owner to throw it.

The man before her was begging to be thrown.

She was utterly speechless.

"So what do you say? Shall we talk over an early, casual dinner?"

Wynn slammed the door in his face.

[I'm convinced he's insane.] She shuddered.

"Wynn?" She heard him call from outside her door. "You closed the door without me in the room. I'm still outside."

"Clinically insane." She shook her head.

•••

Wynn closed her laptop after an hour of work, then stretched in satisfaction. She glanced at the time on her phone; 7pm.

She headed to her fridge, then grabbed a bottle of water.

Suddenly, the fire alarm blared through the room and her eyes widened.

"A fire?!"

She immediately ran out of her apartment- along with her neighbours, all heading to the stairs in a panic.

They made it outside the building safely, then gathered in a crowd.

Wynn sighed, then made her way to the playground just a block away and sat on a bench. She was too tired to linger near a crowd- especially a crowd of neighbours.

[And who knows where Ethan's hiding, waiting to ruin my night again-]

She heard footsteps appraoch, and she turned to see Ethan.

[I spoke too freaking soon.]

"Are you following me?"

"You say that like I'm a stalker or something." He chuckled.

"Leave me alone, Ethan. I'm in no mood to kill."

"Can we please talk?"

"No."

"I'm serious, Wynn."

"What makes you think I'm not?" She glared, then got to her feet.

"I pulled the fire alarm."

Wynn stopped in her tracks, then looked at him.

"You what?"

He stared at her. "I was all out of ideas. I needed a way that wouldn't get a door slammed in my face."

"Are you kidding me?" Wynn forced through gritted teeth. "You drove everyone into panic because you wanted to annoy me?"

Ten years since highschool, and he still acted however he pleased.

"Hear me out, Wy-"

"NO!" She screamed. "It's up to me whether I accept your apology or not! It's my choice! So leave me alone, move far away from me and stay out of my life forever!"

His gaze was soft, a complete opposite of the glare on hers. He could see it, the hatred painted across her brown eyes. Eyes that were once bashful and looked at him with so much love.

He watched her turn around, and his heart drummed against his chest.

[Ten years.] Ethan mused. [Ten years it took to have you in front of me again, to right my wrongs. To finally say what I couldn't back when I was foolish and naive.]

"I like you, Wynn Mayfield." He blurted.

[I won't let go of this chance. Not again.]

Wynn froze, then slowly turned to face him. He got closer to her, then stood- his eyes searching hers.

"I think I'm In love with you, Wynn." He said, softly, desperately.

Wynn couldn't believe her ears. The person who made her life a living hell, treated her feelings like garbage and made her feel like a fool for simply having feelings.

That person stood before her...and confessed his love for her.

Her hand moved before she could think, and she slapped him across the cheek. Her chest felt tight, and her breathing grew ragged as she held back the anger that threatened to explode in a sob.

His eyes met hers again and she slapped him- then slapped him again.

Ethan's expression remained the same, gentle and calm. His cheeks burned red, a slight scratch from her fingernail evident.

Wynn's lips trembled, the tears in her eyes betraying the glare in them.

She turned to leave, and he held unto her arm. Wynn immediately turned like it was reflex and hit his arm. Still, he didn't let go.

She continued to hit him, each shove growing weaker as tears stained her cheeks.

He heard a sob escape her lips, and he had never hated himself more.

He reluctantly let go of her hand, and she shoved him one last time and glared at him.

"I hate you." She whispered, but he heard it.

He watched her walk away, then clenched his fists.

"You really don't deserve a second chance, Ethan." He breathed. "How dare you make her cry?"

His phone buzzed in his pockets, and his eyes dulled at the caller ID. He answered it, and his stepmother's voice rang through, sharp with rage:

"Get here or I'll kill myself!"

•••

The second Ethan walked into the large living room, a wine glass flew past him- missing his head by barely an inch.

But he didn't budge. His eyes looked at the woman with short brown hair, dull and unresponsive.

Her actions didn't surprise him. Most of the scars he had on his body were souvenirs from living with her.

He looked at the house keeper; Mrs Naomi who stood behind her, shaken from the mess and tantrum.

"How many glasses of wine did she have?" He asked, but before Naomi could answer, Lauren screamed.

"You ungrateful brat!" She spat. "How dare you? How dare you move out without telling me?!"

"I did you a favor, Lauren." He replied dryly.

"What?" Lauren scoffed, glaring at him. "A favor? You should've done that years ago when my husband picked you up! You should've disappeared years ago!"

Ethan didn't say a word.

"I'm sure.." Lauren sobbed. "I'm sure your wh*re of a mother killed my son so she could send you here to further ruin my life!"

"My mother's dead." He said. It didn't have to be a fact, he chose to believe it.

She didn't show up once after abandoning him eleven years ago. She never cared for him, so why would she go to such lengths to give him a 'good' life?

"THEN, JOIN HER!!" Lauren screamed, grabbing on of the two bottles of wine and throwing it to the tiled floor. It shattered in a loud noise, and Naomi screamed.

"You will do as I say! You will obey me because I raised you! Because you made me lose everything!"

"Me?" Ethan asked. "How? Your son died in an accident, Lauren. Isn't it time you stopped blaming me?"

"HOW DARE YOU?!" She exploded in another fit of anger, then grabbed the next bottle of wine and hurled it at Ethan.

And a loud crash echoed through the room.