First Glimpse of Ethan

Chapter 3

Maya hardly slept that night.

Even after she and Lily finished cleaning up and went to their rooms, her mind wouldn’t stop spinning.

She lay on her old bed — though it felt weird to call it hers after so long — staring at the cracks on the ceiling. The moonlight crept through the curtains, painting soft patterns on the walls.

She turned from side to side, hugging her pillow to her chest. Every time she closed her eyes, Ethan’s name seemed to echo inside her head like a heartbeat.

She pictured him as he used to be: tall, with sun-streaked hair from soccer practice, that gentle smirk when he teased her, the way his eyes crinkled when he really laughed. But she couldn’t quite imagine him as a man now. Was he still the same? Would he remember her at all?

She squeezed her eyes shut. Stop it, Maya. You’re not a teenager anymore. You’ve moved on. He definitely has too.

But her heart refused to listen.

When morning finally came, it felt like she hadn’t slept at all. She forced herself to sit up and shuffle to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face. She studied her reflection — her eyes looked puffy, her hair a mess.

Get it together, she told herself. You came here to heal, not to fall apart.

Downstairs, she found Lily dancing around the kitchen in fuzzy socks and a baggy T-shirt that read “California Is For Dreamers.” Loud pop music played from her phone, echoing off the kitchen walls.

Maya couldn’t help but smile.

“There she is!” Lily cheered, sliding a mug of coffee across the counter. “Morning, sleeping beauty.”

Maya accepted it with a quiet laugh. “I don’t feel like a beauty right now,” she mumbled, taking a careful sip.

Lily didn’t seem to notice her tired face. She was too busy stacking pancakes on a big plate and singing into a spatula. “I was thinking,” Lily said, twirling around, “we should drive to the lake today. Remember those nights we used to sneak out after finals? We can relive that.”

Maya felt her heart clench at the memory — cold water under the stars, whispered dreams, and secret fears they shared only with each other.

“Sure,” Maya said softly.

Lily leaned against the counter, sipping her own coffee. “This house feels huge without Mom and Dad here,” she said.

Maya looked up. “They’re still on that trip, right?”

“Yup!” Lily beamed. “They finally went to Oregon. They’re on some big hiking adventure and totally off-grid — no calls, no texts, nothing.”

Maya let out a quiet laugh. “That sounds so like them.”

“It’s weird though,” Lily said, tilting her head. “I mean, I love the freedom, but sometimes it’s like the walls echo too much.”

Maya nodded, feeling that echo too.

The thought of having the whole house to themselves felt both comforting and terrifying. With no parents around, there would be no extra noise, no distractions — and no one to keep Ethan and her apart when he arrived.

Not that Lily knew she needed that.

Lily had no idea about the small, silent crush Maya carried all those years. No clue that each summer night, Maya had fallen asleep thinking about Ethan’s laugh drifting through the walls, or the way his hair fell into his eyes when he was tired.

Maya forced herself to snap out of it. “We’ll have to throw them a ‘welcome home’ party when they get back,” she said, trying to change the subject.

Lily lit up. “Yes! We can bake those confetti cupcakes you always burned.”

Maya groaned. “I only burned them twice!”

Lily snorted. “Liar. Three times. You even set off the smoke alarm once!”

Maya laughed so hard her sides hurt. It felt good — the kind of laugh that shakes off some of the heaviness in your chest.

They spent the morning arguing about toppings for the pancakes and what playlist to use for their “lake day” if they decided to go.

But in the end, they stayed on the porch instead. The summer sun was too perfect to leave behind.

Maya curled up on the big wicker couch with a book in her lap. She tried to read, but her eyes kept moving to the driveway, then to the edge of the yard. Every car sound made her stomach tighten.

Lily sat nearby, her legs crossed, scrolling on her phone and laughing at TikTok videos. She looked so carefree, like a kid again, and for a moment, Maya wished she could feel that light too.

Maya thought she could push the idea of Ethan out of her mind. He might not even show up today, she told herself. Maybe he won’t come for a week.

But the universe had other plans.

A car engine hummed closer, tires crunching on gravel.

Lily frowned and sat up. “Who…?”

Before they could move, the front door swung open.

Maya’s breath got stuck in her throat.

There he was.

Ethan stood in the doorway, a single black duffel bag at his feet. His hair was a bit longer now, the ends curling slightly. He wore a navy T-shirt that hugged his shoulders and faded jeans. His skin was lightly tanned, and his jawline sharper than she remembered.

But his eyes — those warm, kind eyes — were the same.

Lily screamed first. “Ethan! You’re early!”

Ethan dropped his bag and opened his arms, grinning in that relaxed, boyish way that knocked the air out of Maya’s lungs.

“Hey, Lil,” he said, his voice deeper now, but still gentle.

Lily jumped into his arms like she hadn’t seen him in years — which, technically, was true. They held each other tight, and Maya stood frozen, her fingers clenched into the cushion.

When they finally pulled apart, Ethan’s gaze drifted past his sister and landed on her.

His eyes widened slightly, and for a second, everything felt still.

“Maya?” he said softly, like he had to check if she was real.

Maya’s heart thudded painfully. Her mouth felt dry, but somehow she managed to speak. “Hi,” she breathed out, her voice almost too quiet to hear.

Why am I like this? Why can’t I just say hello like a normal person?

Lily turned, beaming. “Surprise! She’s staying here for a while. Isn’t it great?”

Ethan’s eyes didn’t leave Maya’s face. For a moment, something flickered there — surprise, maybe something else — before he looked away, taking a slow, shaky breath.

He cleared his throat. “I, um… I should unpack,” he said quickly.

Lily grabbed his bag, chattering away as she followed him into the house.

Maya sank into the couch, pressing her hands against her burning cheeks.

You’re here to find yourself, not to fall for old fantasies. Get it together.

But deep down, she knew it was too late. The spark she thought she buried had flared back to life the moment she saw him.

Inside, she could hear Lily talking fast, her words bouncing around the hall. But in that quiet space on the porch, all Maya could hear was the echo of Ethan saying her name.

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Ethan’s POV

He hadn’t meant to come home early.

After years of meetings, flights, and endless days in sleek offices that all blurred together, something had tugged at him. A sudden, irresistible pull to come home, he've told their parents first, to surprise and please them especially his mother, but they were off on a holiday.

He told himself it was just to surprise Lily, to spend time with her before their parents returned. And then he had taken the first flight home. But he'd ended up surprising himself.

Maya.

He hadn’t expected her to be here — hadn’t dared to imagine it.

She looked older, but still soft, still gentle in the way she held herself. He saw the way her fingers twisted in her lap, the way her breath caught when their eyes met.

His chest tightened, a feeling he hadn’t let himself think about for years.

She was real. Here.

She was real. Here.

He wanted to say something, anything — to acknowledge the years, the changes, the ache he had buried so carefully. But the words stuck in his throat, heavy and awkward.

So he looked away, heart pounding, and forced himself to move.