Waiting for Hope

Gimme Shelter

Gimme Shelter - the rolling stones

The truck seemed to know where Ethan was headed before he did. This was new territory for him, atonement. His heart knew it was time but he knew it would be difficult to get through.

After his beachside confession to Hope, they had spent the rest of the evening together. Stopping in to say hi to his mom, Ethan rushed them through the required hugs with her. He didn't want to let her in on the drama that had gone on between he and Hope that afternoon. She already knew what had happened with Will, and he had already confirmed that she didn't discuss any of that with Hope. Ethan had no intention of rehashing any of it with her at that point in the day. Maybe later...

He was happy to get Hope out of there and to a small marina-side restaurant for dinner. They were able to relax, finally, and just enjoy each other's company. A little while into their dinner, Hope became pensive. Ethan sensed something was up but he was glad when she just put it out there, rather than bottling it up.

"Can I talk to you about something?" She seemed nervous.

Ethan stayed calm, trying to relax her into opening up to him, "Of course." He reached across the table to take her hand, trying to give her a sense of safety.

"Well, I have been really surprised about all of this. I mean how you have wanted to get to know me, even though it seems like you know me pretty well just from watching."

Now there was something else he needed to tell her, "Um, I should tell you that it wasn't just watching. I would play soccer with your brother so I could ask him about you." He coughed to cover up his embarrassment.

Hope's eyes widened. "Oh, great. I bet he had some winners to tell you."

"No, nothing bad." He reassured her. He really hadn't learned that much, actually. "He never volunteered anything. I would ask him what you liked and when your birthday was. That kind of thing. You can learn a lot about someone just from likes and dislikes."

"Huh, so you know when my birthday is? That's not fair, I don't know yours."

Okay, Ethan thought that was the sweetest thing ever. "Well, yours is August 27 so you are almost 19" And this year I intend to be there for it, he thought to himself. "And I needed to know to make sure it wasn't creepy to like you. Mine is May 29. I just turned 20."

"We're closer than I thought!" She seemed happy by that information. "But I just missed your birthday." she finished with a little frown.

"Don't worry, this is the best late birthday present I've ever gotten. And I don't just mean today. I mean all of it, finally getting to spend time with you... and that you know, um, everything." She really did know everything now and he felt freed by telling her. "It has helped a ton, which is very...surprising."

"Well, I'm glad then. But there's something else I needed to say..." She hesitated for a moment and seemed more nervous than before. Ethan steadied himself for some type of bad news.

"I realized that you have spent so much longer feeling this way than I have and, I'm not sure I'm in the same place you are. I mean, I like you, and I want to keep, um, hanging out and talking, but I feel like I need to take things slow."

Ethan was actually relieved. He had already guessed she would feel this way, so he was happy that she wasn't dropping some other heavy topic on him. He just paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to put things. He continued to hold her hand, watching as his thumb moved back and forth across it.

"I knew that if this, us, was ever going to happen that I would need to be patient. Honestly, I had completely given up. I wasn't going to come out here at all when my mom told me you were back. I didn't want to try, I felt kind of raw, beat up by everything. But I couldn't stay away. I told myself I would just come to say hi, have dinner and go home."