Have you ever been stabbed repeatedly? Well, neither have I, but currently, sitting on a flight back home, I can't help but feel like someone is jabbing a knife in my chest with each breath I take.

Maybe it's anxiety, maybe it's my mom. I'll never know.

"Calm down," Ethan placed a hand on my bouncing knee, bringing it to a stop, "You're gonna be fine."

I turned my face to look at him with narrowed eyes. "It's not me that I'm worried about."

Laughing slightly, he says, "You have absolutely nothing to worry about with me."

I widen my eye in disbelief. How can this guy be so chill?

"You don't know my mother," my voice raises subconsciously, but when Ethan's eyes widen hilariously, I cringe and instead whisper, "You don't know my mother."

"Her daughter is the most amazing woman I know, so I'm sure she can't possibly be that bad."

I can't decide if I wanna kiss him or strangle him for being so delusional.

Biting my lip to stop the smile threatening to break out, I conjure up enough calm to tell him, "While I appreciate the compliment, you're in a for a surprise, Knight."

No matter what I say, this guy is just not ready to let up, "Well, it's a good thing I like surprises."

Truth be told, my mother is going to be one of those surprises that Ethan remembers for the rest of his life, but for all the wrong reasons.

Luckily for both of us, she didn't bother to pick us up from the airport. Instead, she sent a driver who was nothing but extremely respectful, and that did nothing to soothe my nerves. As the driver turns into the gated streets I grew up in, I can't help looking at Ethan. I expect to see a horrified expression, but all I find is curiosity.

Feeling my eyes on him, he turns his head towards me and I can see the curious emotion dissolve from his eyes before a look of pure fondness takes over.

"What?" He asks me softly when he notices me staring at him.

"Are you judging me?"

His brows furrow, but the softness on his face remains, "Judging you for what?"

While Ethan's parents are rich as fuck, they preferred to move back to a simpler and more comfortable life in North Carolina once his dad retired, whereas my parents chose to live in the storm's eye.

"You know," I gesture to the view outside the window, "all this grand pretentiousness."

Silently, he watches me for a few seconds before leaning over and unbuckling my seat belt. He grabs me by my arm softly and pulls me over to his side. When I'm firmly tucked under his arm, he places a kiss on my head, before leaning down to whisper in my ear, "I would never judge you. Not even when you spend all night watching that stupid medical drama where doctors fuck in every corner of the hospital."

Looking up at him with a mock glare, "Hey, Grey's isn't stupid."

He chuckles. "If you say so. Look, Iris, I know you. I know that if you had it your way, you wouldn't live in a grand mansion but in a small house with white fences," his words make me laugh because that's true. I've always had a thing for white picket fences.

"And that's why I don't care about all this. Even if you wanted to live in a grand mansion, it wouldn't change that you're still an amazing and kind person at heart. None of these things changes that."

His words dissolve the knot in my throat. I didn't know how much I needed him to say all this. I knew it, but I needed Ethan to say that he saw beyond the girl with wealthy parents and a lavish lifestyle. The overwhelming feeling bubbling in my chest almost leads me to blurt out those three words.

"I..." For some reason, I stop. "I'm really glad that you're here with me."

I told Chase that I loved him three months into our relationship and well, that didn't end very nicely, to say the least. I just want to make sure that I don't do the same with Ethan. I want to figure out if I really love him or if I'm rushing this to keep feeling the sense of protection Ethan brings with him.

To steer my mind away from the L-word, I look out the window before a question springs into my mind. "Have you been to New York before?"

Looking away from the pristine house, he focuses on me, "More than you'd think. My aunt lives here. I used to spend a lot of time in New York before going to college."

His words surprise me. I've mentioned this city so many times and not once did he tell me this, "Why'd you never tell me?"

"Because you never asked me."

This conversation takes me back to another overdue conversation that's very similar to this one. The Brooke conversation.

Is the reason for that incident also the same? Did he not tell me because I never asked? But honestly, the whole incident doesn't bother me as much now because he's doing a huge thing for me, but again, talking it out can't be the worst idea.

Step one: Communication

"Speaking of asking, I was meaning to ask you about..." I'm cut off by my driver.

"Ms. Reed, we're here." Turning to my right, my eyes meet my childhood home. The place where all my problems began. It hasn't even been a year since I left this place for college, but coming here feels like some sort of an alternate reality because now my reality is LA and the people I met there.

A deep sigh leaves me as I contemplate the chances I have to turn this car around and go back to LA.

"Hey, you're fine." Ethan's voice pulls me out of my thoughts as his large hands engulf mine. I nod briskly without moving my eyes from the white and blue house.

Turning around, I try my best to smile warmly at him. "Should we head inside?"

"Whenever you're ready."

Stepping outside, I look around and realize how I've forgotten about my life back here. I can't think of any memory of New York that didn't involve Dani's house or my parents fighting. 

When I stand in front of the enormous gates, I don't have to ring the doorbell before Grace is pulling them open with a smile that could rival the sun's brightness. Her soft and happy face causes me to smile in response.

"Oh, my dear." She doesn't wait for me to say anything and instantly pulls me into her arms. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you more, Grace." I smile as her arms tighten around me and some semblance of home returns to me.

Pulling back from her, I meet her warm brown eyes, which are filled with nothing but comfort and happiness. When her gaze flicks to my back, an amused smile forms on her face, "I think I know who that handsome man might be."

I look back at Ethan to find his eyes flickering between Grace and me. Grabbing his hand, I pull him forward towards me. "Grace, this is Ethan. He's my boyfriend."

Everyone in LA who mattered to me knew when Ethan and I got into a relationship. In fact, many of them expected it, so I never actually had to introduce him as my boyfriend. That's why introducing him as my boyfriend to someone who is more of a family to me than my actual family feels like a crucial step for us.

"Hello, mam." Ethan greets her, smiling, but his words cause Grace to laugh heartedly.

"Oh, dear god. Mam?" She chuckles again. "Please, call me Grace."

"Hello, Grace." He repeats, with a smile.

"Hello, handsome." She smiles back at him and I roll my eyes amusedly at Grace, who is looking at my boyfriend like she wouldn't mind jumping him. "Well, come on in."

Hand in hand, we both step inside and as my gaze falls over the interior of this house, I feel nothing. I expected to feel overwhelmed or angry towards these walls for witnessing the parts of me I desperately try to hide, but surprisingly, I feel nothing.

Everything is exactly the same as it has been for the last fifteen years. That was the last time I helped my mother redecorate the house. Of course, repeatedly, she has hired people to re-vamp the house a little according to the trend, but the essence of it all remains the same. The paintings that I helped her choose all those years ago are still hanging on the wall.

We both take a seat on the couch as the other house helps take our luggage to my room.

"What would you like to drink?" Grace asks us and that's when I realize that Ethan's been quiet this whole time, probably letting me take it all in.

"Just water, please." He tells her while I nod in agreement.

"So, what are you thinking?" I ask Ethan once Grace walks towards the kitchen.

He smiles at me before his eyes roam all over the room we're sitting in. "I just..."

"I can't imagine you here." He tells me and somehow I know what he means. "I saw your apartment in LA and it just seems more...you than this place."

I can't help but chuckle because of how accurate he is. "That's because it isn't. This place..." I look around again, trying to find the correct word. "It's more like my mom. Sophisticated, organized, and spotless."

Just as I finish, Grace comes back with two glasses of water, causing the conversation to stop mid-way.

I pick one glass. "Thank you. Also, Grace, where are my parents? Are they upstairs?" I ask to determine if Ethan and I should stay in my room to avoid running into them or maybe we could go out.

"Well, your mother landed a few hours ago, but she had to go to the office because she hadn't been to the store here in months." She tells me before clearing her throat. "And your dad... he tried waiting for you to come home and kept delaying his meeting, but after a point, it became impossible and he had to leave."

"Good for him, I guess." I refuse to acknowledge the fact that my dad waited for me, while my mother probably couldn't care less. Nope, not thinking about that at all.

Placing my glass on the table, I turn towards Ethan, "Why don't I show you upstairs, and then, maybe we could head out?"

For a second, Ethan stares at me and I feel like he knows what I am trying to do. Distracting myself.

"What?" I ask. "You have something else in mind for us to do?"

His mouth shifts into a slight smirk as soon as I finish speaking, and that's when I realize the hidden meaning behind my words. Knowing Grace is right beside us, I try my hardest not to blush.

Ignoring the stupid smirk on his face, I grab his hand. "You know what? You don't get to decide."

"Iris," Grace calls as we start to leave. "Would you kids like to have something to eat? I could bring it up to your room?"

I look at Ethan expectantly, waiting for him to answer because I honestly don't feel hungry at all.

"You haven't eaten anything since the morning." He reminds me with raised eyebrows as if telling a kid to eat his greens. Turning to Grace, he tells her, "If you could get us anything light to snack on?"

She smiles at Ethan before her eyes flicker over to me with a knowing glint. Returning her gaze back to my overly attentive boyfriend, she nods. "Sure thing."

As we walk up the marble stairs, I notice Ethan looking around and taking in all the paintings that are hanging along the stairway. I can't help but compare the stairway of my house with that of Ethan's house. While his walls were filled with any and every family picture you could think of, mine has millions of dollars worth of paintings hanging. Even so, they add nothing to the house.

As we reach the top, I see the door of my room open with both our bags right outside the door. Pulling Ethan along, I take him to my room. As we step inside, I don't wait for his reaction and instead, pull our bags inside while he takes in the room I grew up in.

He's still moving around the room, touching stuff when I close the door. I say nothing, but just like him; I look around, trying to see what he must be seeing.

Like the rest of the house, my room was also done by professionals. White and pink is the running coloring theme with the headboard, reading chair, and couch being pink.

There isn't a speck of dust in this room, making me think Grace regularly cleaned the room in my absence, but even then, nothing is out of place.

Unable to bear the silence, I ask, "Don't like what you see?"

Ethan turns to look at me with a smile, "The room is beautiful."

"But..." I prompt.

He walks closer to me and wraps his arms around my waist, "But as I said, the LA apartment is more you than this."

Placing my hands on his shoulder, I let him pull me closer, "I agree."

"So, when's this gala thing?" He asks as he walks backward, taking me along with him.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he pulls me over his lap. "Gala thing?" I ask, amusedly. "I like that name more than charity gala."

Chuckling along, he shrugs in a cocky way, making me slap him on the shoulder, lightly.

"It's actually tomorrow night, so we don't have to stay here for that long."

His shoulders sag a little and he looks relieved by my words, making me raise an eyebrow.

"I didn't bring a suit. I was hoping we could shop here." He tells me.

"You don't have to worry about that." Noticing some specks of dust on his shoulders, I lightly dust them off. "I knew the tux from the wedding wasn't in the best condition, so I asked my designer to fairy godmother up a suit for you."

"You have a designer?" He asks me, amused.

Blood rushes to my cheeks, making me look down, "I don't have a designer but for these gala things, mom insists," I couldn't help rolling my eyes, "I wear something from her brand. So, I got in touch with a few of the designers about what I wanted for this year and my measurements. Our outfits will be here by evening."

He hums in reply, making me look up at him, and our eyes meet. There's something about looking him in the eye when we're sitting this close that makes me smile.

"So, we have the night and tomorrow's day all to ourselves?" He asks suggestively.

We do have the night all to ourselves, but I have planned something just for the two of us. I'm not going to tell him that, yet. Pushing myself a little closer to him, I rest my lips against his ears, causing his fingers to dig into my waist. "What do you suggest, Knight?"

Groaning, he whispers back, "My suggestions are all wasted, considering we're in a house with someone who practically raised you."

I can't help but laugh heartedly at his comment. Within seconds, he joins me and when we both calm down, we're left staring at each other with crinkling eyes and a soft smile.

Moving his hand from my waist, he softly tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. "I know being here will not be easy for you, but I just need you to know that I'm here for you. Tonight, tomorrow, and always."

I lean forwards and softly kiss him, causing his hand to cup my face. "I know."

"So, what are we doing tonight?" He asks me, rubbing his thumb back and forth on my hipbone.

"I didn't know you have already been to New York, so I thought maybe we could look around in our free time," I told him, shrugging. "And to kick off the plan, I made a reservation for tonight, at a restaurant I think you'd really like."

He is grinning widely when I finish speaking. "I've been to New York, but it would be an absolute honor for me if you'd show me this city the way you see it."

⤎❁⤏

Hey guys! How are y'all doing?

This was a very low-voltage chapter and that's because the next chapter is really, really high-voltage. So, I'm giving you guys time to prepare and also, because the last chapter was kinda heavy.

Someone interesting is making a long-awaited presence. Any guesses?

Don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter. Also, follow me on Wattpad and Instagram (spiicychoco) for more.

QOTD: What's the stupidest thing you've ever done for a dare?

Stay Safe, Stay grateful!