Such an Escape as This

She wasn’t sure what time it was, and she wasn’t overly interested in finding out. Lying awake in the middle of the night in Ethan’s bed- the guest bed he’d offered her untouched across the hall- she felt content and rested, despite the overall life events that led to her being here. They’d finished their shower and, like an old 90’s romcom, made their way to the kitchen, him in nothing but comfortable flannel pajama pants and she in panties and one of his shirts. There were strawberries and delicious misshapen pancakes and late night coffee, but mostly there was a lot of conversation and laughter. It was the kind of night she’d shared with girlfriends in middle school, staying up late in a quiet house, trying not to wake others while she told her secrets and reveled in the stories that her friends told. It was cozy and safe.

And Ethan felt very much like a friend: someone who was becoming her confidant and a person to whom she could glance and share a smile when