Can't Get You Out of My Head (please get out of my head I'm begging) (bxb)

22 | never promise to cook food you can't make

Ethan is nice enough to lend me his hoodie and jeans, saying he's fine in just his T-shirt and boxers. I know he's cold though, because he always layers with a hoodie or sweatshirt with a T-shirt on underneath, even though it's summer. He's used to warmer weather, and nights are chilly here.

We lay under a sprawling tree. The grass is soft and tufty beneath my body. We had long since given up on the bonfire, but the moon is full tonight and it illuminates the clearing.

"I haven't seen a full moon since the night I got here," Ethan muses. "I was walking around in circles till it got dark. Then I saw the full moon and it's like it was sorta...pulling me towards something, if that makes any sense?" Magnetizing. "I thought I could use it to tell directions, but I didn't see what side it rose from—and anyway, then I remembered that only works for the sun."

"I'm glad you found Brambleburg anyway," I say quietly.

I wonder whether he could only enter on the night of a full moon. Does that mean he could leave on the night of a full moon? Maybe he's not stuck here permanently after all. Maybe it's not too late for him.

Ethan inadvertently snuggles closer to me. His cold fingers are balled up into fists, pressed against his chest. He shivers slightly as he breathes out. I wouldn't mind exchanging outfits, really. But my briefs are wet and it would be super weird for me to wear his.

"You must be cold," I mutter.

I start stretching my arm out, awkwardly. It's at a weird angle, and I wonder how guys in movies loop their arm around someone's shoulder so casually, all while looking completely nonchalant about it.

My arm wraps around Ethan's shoulder and there's nothing casual about it. I can feel his pulse jump against his throat. I know he can feel my heartbeat, and he's thinking about the warmth of my arm and the scent of my aftershave. And I can't feel any part of my body. And I don't know if it's because of him or if it's just hypothermia.

Ethan tips his head towards me. His eyes are dark, pupils dilated till they swallow up his irises. His soft curls tickle the side of my neck. I want to brush my thumb across his cheek and feel how soft his skin is. But it's throwing me off that he's thinking about marshmallows.

"Are you hungry?" I finally ask. "What happened to that barbecue you promised me anyway?"

"Oh that...." Shit, he remembered the barbecue. "I brought something better actually." Ethan pauses, trying to build suspense. "Much better. You'll never guess what it is."

I roll my eyes, smiling softly to myself. "I'm sure I can't."

"Marshmallows," he declares. "And," he points at me, "the reason they're better is because we can toast them using just a matchstick. I even brought little toothpicks to stab them with."

Ethan rolls over on his stomach, bony shoulder pressing into my ribs as he roots around in his bag. He procures a bag of big white marshmallows and throws them to me.

I sit up a little, shifting my weight to my elbow. I light a match while Ethan stabs each of the marshmallows and holds them between his fingers like a fan. Carefully, I hold the tiny flame below each one till they're melted into a light brown. A sugary sweet scent fills the air.

I let out a chuckle. "This is kind of funny."

"Funny? I'm a genius," Ethan jokes. He blows lightly on the toasted marshmallows. "It's a cute mini bonfire."

"It has more personality than an actual bonfire." My lips quirk into a smile.

He hands me a few marshmallow sticks and their sugary sweet scent permeates the air. Ethan wraps his pillowy lips around a plump marshmallow. I bite into mine at the same time he does. It's soft, but his mouth looks softer.

A wispy trail of smoke curls into the night sky. Stars glitter dazzlingly in Ethan's eyes, constellations written on the freckles on his cheeks. He's painted silver under the starlight, and he beams so wide.

And the full moon haunts me.

PRO tip from vampy

Y'ALL! Should try this! You can literally have a bonfire and toast marshmallows inside your house! On the couch!

Get a friend to hold out a lit matchstick while you hold a marshmallow on a long toothpick and toast it. Or maybe toast them on an unscented candle?? The possibilities are endless!

I tried it once while I was at a sleepover at my friend's house. We wanted to make a bonfire on her balcony but her mom said no :(
So we did this instead and it really worked! You can also get some crackers and chocolate spread to make it into s'mores :D