A/N So I have published this story at the two huge Ethan and Kristina forums, Your Crying Shoulder and Reluctant Heart. I got as far as chapter two so far and figured I'd post the second chapter here as well. Thanks to the ones who've reviewed!EthinaEternal, I have no classes on Fridays. These are my personal days ;] lol
I had a little fun with this one. The GH writers left so many things open ended involving Ethina, ie: Vegas, the bracelet, etc. that I decided to tie up some of those little loose ends. Keep in mind that this is still the beginning, I plan on delving into the backgrounds of Ethan/Tricia and Kristina/Kyle in later chapters. But don't worry, there will be plenty Ethina in the meantime! Hope you'll all enjoy, and please review!
Disclaimer: I said I owned nothing previously, but realized after that Tricia and Kyle are mine lol. But everything else is courtesy of General Hospital.
Chapter 2
Kristina stirred out of her slumber to the feeling of a strong arm wrapped around her naked mid-section. She forced her tired eyes open and saw that she had her back to Kyle, who was soundly asleep with his mouth slightly open, his breathing tickling the back of her ear. She giggled at this and wriggled her way around his hold so she can face him. Kristina playfully nudged him on the arm to awaken him, but Kyle was too stubborn and tried to shush her back to sleep, the corners of his mouth pulled upward into a sleepy smile at this. Kristina couldn't help but laugh and oblige, resting her head on his bare chest and relishing in the warmth and comfort she found there. Her eyes slipped shut once more, only to open them again with alarm, remembering the paper she had due at midnight. Kristina quickly rose to peer at the clock perched on her night stand: 11:59pm. She muttered expletives under her breath, and then regained her position in Kyle's arms in defeat. She couldn't believe she missed another paper, but it's not like she attempted to make enough effort to get her work completed.
If you asked her six months ago, it was no question academics would come above sex on her list any day. Yale certainly wasn't a joke, and the overwhelming work load was becoming a little too hefty on the stress, and because of her later start than others that did not stop professors from doubling the work. But she turned to sex as a way to distract her from all of it. And though it wasn't the best solution, it was the only one that worked for her at the moment. In fact, Kristina never even thought that she'd sleep with another boy after her horrible, abusive experience with Keifer.
Keifer was rough and manipulative, and made her feel like sex was a duty she couldn't wait to get done and over with. In their times together it was never mutual, even though she tried to convince herself each time, unsuccessfully, that she loved him and that he truly did care for her. Since then, Kristina couldn't bear the idea of someone else touching her in that way again. In fact, the only man that didn't make her flinch post-Keifer was Ethan—who became the only man she could trust with her heart, body, and soul. Ethan managed to pick up all of the damaged pieces Keifer left of her tattered on the floor, even when she didn't deserve his heroics. Her lies, her immature behavior did not keep Ethan at bay and she couldn't help but love him for that.
Kristina clutched the sheet tighter around her body as she thought of the night Ethan found her on the floor. She was a battered wreck, emotionally and physically. She was face down on the floor of the lake house; sobs were wracking through her whole body as thoughts of the night kept replaying in her subconscious. Her lie to Keifer. Her scheme to hack Ethan's and Jennifer's emails. Ethan's face when he heard what she'd done. His forceful grip on her arm. Their lash out. And, finally, Keifer's attack. Then she heard footsteps, and suddenly Kristina's rushing thoughts had hit a screeching halt. She shakily put her hands to her mouth to muffle her loud sobs; whoever it was, she didn't want them to know she was there. But she failed to stay quiet, as the noises of her sobs were too powerful to keep completely silent. Then Kristina came to the realization that it could be Keifer coming back to finish the job, and she prepared to brace for the worst.
All Kristina heard was the disbelief in his voice before her fear gave in and she scratched his face in defense as her sobs escaped once more. But then she became more coherent when she heard the Aussie accent tingle her ears, soothing her fear away with calm assurances that she will be okay. Ethan had asked what happened but she couldn't bear to tell him; she couldn't tell him! She felt ashamed and weak, and she hated herself for it because deep down she knew it was Keifer's fault. With no response to his question, Ethan pulled her gently up in a sitting position to take a look at her bruised and bloody face. She had kept her head down because she didn't want him to see her like that—ugly and frail. Then she remembered his hand in her hair and his shushing in hopes to quiet her sobs, whispering comforting words and calling her 'baby.' Even through the hysteria, Kristina had caught the endearment which made her heart flutter. Despite the circumstances, no one had ever treated her with such care as Ethan did that night when he carried her out in his arms to get her medical attention.
Kristina hugged herself under the bed sheet as she felt a shiver go down her spine at what she had done to Ethan after that night at the lake house; even though it's old news and he's forgiven her countless times, she still couldn't get past the fact that she had falsely accused Ethan as her assailant.
Kristina looked up at Kyle who was now wide awake, staring down at her with his brow furrowed in confusion. "What's going through that head of yours, babe?"
"Aw no, did I wake you?" Kristina ignored his inquiry.
"Well, you wouldn't stop shifting under me," Kyle cracked a smile. "What's going on?"
Kristina hoisted herself up to face him, her hair falling around her face like a curtain. "I missed another paper!" Kristina brushed her hair aside annoyed.
"Babe, you knew that was going to happen when you decided to sleep with me instead," Kyle replied, bemused.
Kristina sighed in resignation. She knew he made a point, and although it was her responsibility, she still wished Kyle had put up a fight to stop her. "But it's not like you made an effort to stop me!"
Kyle laughed, "You honestly think I would have the will power to stop a sexy girl like yourself from pursuing me for sex?"
Kristina tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't stop herself from blushing at his comment. One thing Kyle managed to do since they'd met was restore her self-confidence. He made her always feel good about herself, inside and out. "Kyle, you need to keep your hormones in check," Kristina teased, a sly smile playing on her face.
"I need to keep my hormones in check?" Kyle hopped on top of Kristina and began to tickle her bare sides. Kristina giggled and squealed, begging for Kyle to stop. This continued for a good minute until Kristina managed to wriggle her way up, still in fits of giggles before both their lips met in union. Their kisses became more passionate and Kristina found her back hitting the mattress once more until a ring of her phone forced them to stop.
"Just ignore it," Kyle told her, pressing small kisses to her turned-cheek.
"What if it's important? No one would call me this late." Kristina reached around Kyle for her flashing phone on her night stand. She glanced at it from arms length, but once she saw what appeared to be an out-of-area number, she brought it closer to her to view the name of the incoming caller more clearly.
"No!" Kristina gasped.
Ethan lay wide awake, his one hand trapped underneath his head while the other brushed idly at his girlfriend's blonde tendrils of hair that was spread across his chest. He smirked down at Tricia, amused that she had fallen asleep on him shortly after their romp. But his smirk soon faded when he realized he was left alone with his thoughts for the night, and that was something he didn't like to face too often nowadays.
He gazed around the dim-lighted room, scanning the articles of clothing that lay strewn about and finally rested his eyes on the brown boxes that were stacked against the far wall; he still had yet to unpack since moving from the Haunted Star a month ago. Ethan felt a bit embarrassed by this, but he just couldn't shake that old habit of his—the habit of never settling down. He still feels like he is the way he was since he was fifteen years old, always on the run, moving place to place. He had found a home in Port Charles for three years now, with his biological father and half-siblings all living there, but he always told himself he wouldn't stay for the long haul. Now that life has dealt him a pretty good hand, he figured it was about time to settle down with Tricia and purchase his own apartment. And while her things have been unpacked and put away since the first week they've moved in, his belongings were still stowed away—untouched.
He found himself gazing back and forth at the boxes and his girlfriend, before deciding to maneuver his way free from under Tricia, delicately lifting her head off his chest to rest it on the pillow and quietly left the bed. Ethan found his boxers on the floor and slipped them on. He took a glance back at Tricia, who was still soundly asleep, and made his trek towards the stack of boxes.
Ethan lifted up the first box off quietly, so as to not wake up Tricia, and gently placed it on the ground. He did this for the other two boxes until he finally reached the last one. Ethan stared at it hesitantly, then picked up the light item in his hands and proceeded to the bedroom door. With one final look at the sleeping blonde, he shut the door behind him.
Stepping into the kitchen, he turned on the light switch and placed the box on the table. Ethan then made his way to a nearby drawer to retrieve a knife in order to cut through the tape on the box. Pulling the flaps of the boxes open, he dug out the clothing that lay inside—flannels, button-down shirts, and finally a few t-shirts until he was looking down at a mini collection of memorable objects. Ethan picked up a dead bouquet of light pink roses, its crunchy petals hanging limply off the bouquet's stem. He placed it delicately on the table, and then reached into the box to gather out its remaining contents: a pack of playing cards, some movie stubs, club wrist bands, a birthday card, and finally, a torn-up friendship bracelet.
The items were now scattered about the kitchen table, in which Ethan was looking at each one studiously. He started with the flowers first, rubbing one of the hard petals between his fingers as he remembered the night when they were still soft and alive. Kristina had been standing amongst the single ladies on the dance floor at her father's and Brenda's wedding, her face lit with hope and determination with the mission that she'd catch the wedding bouquet—and she did. He remembered the feeling he had when he witnessed this, when Kristina gleamed with excitement as she giddily swung the flowers around high in the air for all to see. He felt…enjoyment? Relief? Hope? To this day, Ethan still can't pinpoint the exact feeling, but he definitely was taken aback by the sudden wave of emotions that washed over him at that moment.
Then that same feeling came back later that night at the lake house, when he had decided to take care of Kristina and the kids after Sonny and Brenda's limo blew up. With the revelation that it was Sam that had gotten hurt instead of Brenda, he was left to console a frightened Kristina, the emotional strain had made her exhausted and she ended up falling asleep on his shoulder. He remembered consoling her when he noticed her having a nightmare, then him falling into a deep comfort he hadn't felt anywhere before. After Alexis had finally returned from seeing Sam at the hospital, he no longer had a reason to stay with Kristina—and Molly. He didn't want to leave, not after he had finally gotten Kristina to sleep peacefully, but he managed to squirm out of their hold of each other without waking her up. Then as he reached the driveway outside of her home, he noticed Kristina's bouquet on the ground near his car. Maybe it was her daring wedding proposition earlier that night or the series of events that followed, but for whatever reason, Kristina Corinthos-Davis filled a hole in his life he never knew was there. And so with that, he had picked up her bouquet and took it home with him.
Ethan put the flowers and its significance back in the box and then grabbed the pack of cards. Scribbled on the outside were his and Kristina's initials, EL and KD respectively, with tally marks below the letters; Ethan smiled when he saw that there were more marks underneath KD than there were under EL. He always knew he was a good poker instructor, but hadn't realized how quick of a learner Kristina truly was.
Pushing the cards aside, Ethan next retrieved tickets from an outdoor movie he and Kristina had seen last summer. It was the same night Molly, Morgan, and Josslyn went missing. Kristina was fortunate enough to know her sister well enough to know they were hiding out at a closed-down pizza shack not far from where they were at Kelly's. After their little search, and a mini scolding from Michael about the danger of taking his sister to Las Vegas without her mother's permission, Kristina had talked him into catching a movie with her. He remembered the not-so-subtle way she broached the idea, claiming that the two needed alone time so that he could see that he had 'feelings' for her too. He had decided to play along with the idea, coming up with a compromise that he'd agree to a movie night if she dropped the whole Vegas trip altogether. She wasn't happy, even going as far as kicking him in his shins a few times until she opted for his deal. He remembered being so amazed at how much Kristina really wanted to spend time with him; though he felt flattered and annoyed at her persistence, Ethan had to admit watching Casablanca in an outdoor theater with his best friend was remarkably one of the best times he ever had.
Ethan then grabbed a hold of the two paper neon-yellow wrist bands from a club in the Dominican Republic that Kristina had talked him into going to. Ethan didn't feel like it was right because even though Kristina was of legal drinking age in the DR, he wasn't going to have her surf down drinks all night. He remembered her tiny tantrum when he suggested going to play mini golf instead, as she went off spewing about her being a legal adult and that he should stop treating her like a little kid. Ethan didn't see much in arguing with her further, and so they attended the night club, "Muy Caliente." She didn't take long in ordering tequilas and other assortment of drinks; in fact, he had turned his back from her for one second when he caught her just as one of the glasses was touching her lips. Ethan ripped the drink from her hands and drank it down in one shot before glaring at her through slit eyes. Kristina just shrugged nonchalantly and grabbed a hold of his arm to pull him onto the dance floor. Kristina didn't lie to Sonny when she said they danced till dawn—they did.
Ethan chuckled at that faded night, and then glanced over at the first and only birthday card he had bought for her. He opened the card to reveal a humorous birthday wish he thought she'd get a kick out of. It was her 19th birthday last November, and he had opted to not give her the card. For a time, he noticed the growing changes in their friendship, with Kristina's fueling crush on him to his conflicting feelings he was starting to experience about her. He had grown aggravated when Johnny told him he could see the 'connection' he and Kristina had, something she had preached about on more than one occasion. His plans to push her away weren't working, but then he thought of what Michael had said to him once before, and that was to say 'no' more often. He admitted he may not have handled it in the best way possible, but he had to put an end to Kristina's antics, and an end to his stirring feelings. It wasn't right; she was too young and too smart to be with someone like him. He'd hoped she understood their growing distance was for her own good. And while he continued to be an ass towards Kristina, that still didn't stop him from purchasing a birthday card for her, though.
But then he came to his senses, figuring that if he'd given her this card, she would continue to have reason in pursuing him—her taking it as a sign that he cares. Though he has told her he did care, she'd continue to boast it was him caring as more than a friend, and he didn't feel like explaining his actions anymore. But now as he stared down at it, he wondered if he didn't give it to her because it was a reminder that the age difference excuse was becoming more useless each passing year.
Ethan shook his head to rid of his thoughts and proceeded to throw all the 'Kristina' items back in the box when he realized the only item left on the table he hadn't acknowledged: his friendship bracelet. He picked up the torn red bracelet and held it in the palm of his hand; it was torn at the edges where it tied and there were visible scratches on the brown and silver beads that adorned the front of it. He found it a few nights after Kristina had left for Yale when he was passing the warehouse waterfront; it was on the ground near the edge of the port. He then remembered Michael and Sam telling him that Kristina had passed out on those docks the same night she had tried to give him the friendship bracelet he refused to accept. He didn't understand why it was thrown on the floor so carelessly, but he decided to keep it without her knowledge, though he couldn't wear it because the tying strings were ripped.
Ethan clenched the bracelet in a balled-up fist, and then finished packing all of his belongings back into the box. He carried the box into the bedroom, and instead of stacking it up against the wall with the others, he hid it in the top shelf of the closet. Ethan moved some of Tricia's shoeboxes and mini containers to block the box from view. He moved a few steps back to stare at his work, making sure that Tricia nor anybody else couldn't see the box, and then grabbed his phone from the night stand before leaving for the kitchen once more. Ethan scrolled through his list of contacts and reached Kristina's number. Like earlier, he contemplated on calling her, but this time his trembling thumb pressed the call button and he put the phone to his ear. He closed his eyes shut in anticipation.
"Who is it, Kristina?"
Kristina looked at Kyle who seemed concerned at her suddenly shaken form. Her breathing became erratic while looking down at Ethan's name flashing on her phone screen. Kyle took the phone from Kristina's hands and threw it on the bed, hugging her in order to calm her down.
"Babe, you look like you've just seen a ghost. Who was calling you to make you react like that?"
When Kristina didn't reply immediately, Kyle appeared to grow anxious and kept one arm around Kristina, while the other was in the midst of reaching for her phone to look at the missed call. Just as Kyle looked to see who had called, Kristina came to her senses and yanked the phone from his hands.
"Um-um, it-it was just my mother. I didn't want her to know that you were here!" Kristina exclaimed, all the while erasing the missed call from her phone memory.
"Oh-kay, but you wouldn't have had to say anything about us if you didn't want to," Kyle said confused. "You could have still talked to her without letting her know what exactly you were doing with me," he winked in amusement.
"Sure! Of course, you're so right," Kristina exhaled. She blinked away the tears that she felt starting to burn her eyes, and smiled widely at Kyle to assure him she was just overreacting. Of course, all she really wanted to do was avoid Kyle's attention off the 'real' caller.
Kristina reached down to retrieve their clothes and handed Kyle his. "I think you should go, though. It's really late and Alice should be returning soon." She was already putting on her shirt and pajama bottoms when she felt Kyle's eyes on her.
"What is it?"
"I'm just admiring how beautiful you are," Kyle cheekily grinned. Kristina thanked him with a long kiss to his lips before she scurried out of bed to hurry him out.
Kyle finished changing and followed her to the door. "Happy anniversary," they said in unison. They laughed at this and kissed once more, and then finally parted ways.
Kristina rushed back to her bed to search for her phone. She searched through the tangled sheets and found both her android…and her friendship bracelet from Ethan. Kristina sighed as she grabbed them both, palming her phone into one hand while the bracelet was clenched tightly in the other. She sat down and pressed the phone to her ear to hear the voicemail Ethan left for her. Kristina gripped the bracelet tighter when she heard the voice she's missed for half a year. She shivered hearing his recorded voice, which prompted her tears to spring loose and the bracelet he gave her to slip from her slim fingers. Kristina stared at it through watery eyes and let a strangled sob in her throat escape. Damn, Ethan Lovett. Damn him for still managing to make her heart flutter and ache all at the same time.
"Hey, this is Kristina Davis. I can't come to the phone right now, but please leave your name and message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks." BEEP.
"Hey Kris-Kristina," Ethan stuttered, clearing his throat. "It's Ethan. Um, I was just thinking about you and um...I wanted to see how you were doing? How's Yale, you know? I actually ran into Molly earlier today at Kelly's and she was missing you." Ethan paused at this, wondering where he was going with this message. He rubbed his neck absentmindedly, a habit he couldn't shake when he was nervous.
"I-I guess I'm missing you, too," he said barely above a whisper. He looked down at the bracelet in his hand before finishing the message: "Anyway, I know it's nearing the end of the semester over there and word around town is you'll be back for summer break? Maybe we can catch up over a cup of coffee? I'd really like to see how my favorite overachiever is doing." Ethan let out a small laugh then quieted. There was so much he wanted to say, but nothing he could or wanted to convey over a voicemail. He took a deep breath and sighed, "Goodbye, Krissy."