A/N: Thanks again for the reviews and to all the people reading this story! I really appreciate it. Here's the latest installment, a little shorter than the others but I hope you all will enjoy it nonetheless.
Disclaimer: I own the characters of Alice, Kyle, and Tricia. Everyone and everything else is courtesy of General Hospital.
Chapter 6
Ethan stood outside of Johnny's door and knocked; as he waited, he placed the box he was carrying down near his feet. His patience was wearing thin after a full minute went by, and still no Johnny to welcome him in. He knocked again, this time harder and louder. Johnny was still nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, Johnny, come on man! I know you're home; your car is in the garage."
Finally, Ethan heard movement from the other side of the door, and was greeted by a towel-clad Johnny.
"Is that what you always wear now when you answer the door? Suppose Kristina was standing here instead of me."
"You would hate that, wouldn't you?" Johnny asked amusingly, receiving a menacing glare from Ethan in return. "Look, whatever you're here for it better be good because I wasn't done with my shower."
Ethan rolled his eyes at Johnny's glistening wet hair that was dripping puddles on the floor. "Why won't you let me in first, finish your shower, and then help me hide this stuff."
He waited until his friend moved aside to allow him in, kicking the box along with him. Ethan noticed the perplexed look on Johnny's face and knew that he recognized the box.
"Isn't that the—"
"Box of things that remind me of Kristina that you won't let me off the hook for? Yes."
"And why are you bringing it here?"
"Because Tricia found it and almost saw what was in it, but I stopped her before she got the chance," Ethan said.
Johnny cracked a crooked grin, "But if Kristina means nothing to you, then why is it not in the trash yet? Let alone not wanting your girlfriend to see it?"
When Ethan stayed quiet, Johnny motioned him to sit on the couch. "Just sit and relax. I'll let you think about that for a moment. I'm going to go change."
About a few minutes later, Johnny reemerged fastening up the buttons to his black shirt, his jet black hair dry to the tee, and a bright smile flashing across his face.
"So has my stubborn best friend shook off his denial yet and made the long-awaited admission to liking Kristina more than just a friend?"
Ethan threw him another steely glare, "You're really getting a kick out of this aren't you?"
"Does that mean you do?" Johnny asked, ignoring Ethan's question completely.
Flabbergasted, Ethan replied: "Did I say that?"
"Why do you keep answering my questions with another question?" Johnny asked acknowledging.
"Because you ask such stupid questions," Ethan cried. He bit down hard on his lip at his childish outburst, and then opted to calmly try again. "Look, I came here to seek help from a friend and if you're not going to be that friend for me then I'll just leave."
Ethan rose up from his seat about to head for the exit when Johnny reached out to stop him. "Okay, okay—sorry. I'm here to help if need be. I just don't want you to close out your heart if it's searching for something or someone you're afraid of having."
Ethan smiled, "And I appreciate that you're looking out for my heart, but Tricia is everything I need and want in my life—and I'm serious when I tell you that I'm happy."
Johnny raised his hands in defense, "Okay, but what about that box that's lying there on the floor? It certainly does enough for me to not believe you completely."
Feeling tension rise in the back of his neck, Ethan ran a hand to massage the knots he felt tying there and sighed. "Kristina is a good friend, nothing more nothing less. I don't feel like I owe you an explanation nor do I feel like I have to let her go as my friend. All I can say is that Tricia would not see it in that way and I don't want the woman who made me stop running from life run out of mine."
Johnny took a long look at the scorned man before him and nodded in understanding. "Fine…I guess I can store it in the closet in my room. No one should find it there; Tricia, at least."
"At least? Of course you'd never get Tricia in your room," Ethan chuckled, throwing a nudge of his elbow at his pal.
"No, but I could get Kristina to," Johnny quipped with a kink of his eyebrow. Ethan's face fell dramatically at this, but regained his former composure soon after.
"Jackass," Ethan muttered, holding back on the snap in his voice. All his friend could do at this point was shrug off the name calling and laugh. He bent down to retrieve Ethan's box to take to his room.
"Oh wait, before you do that," Ethan began while fishing for the bracelet in his front pocket. He grabbed it in his palm but did not remove it from its pouch. They are still friends after all, he thought. There would be no need to throw it with the rest of his belongings.
Ethan shook his head, "Never mind. Please take that away."
He watched as his friend left the room with his box until he heard someone knocking on Johnny's door. When Johnny called from the other room and gave him permission to open the door, Ethan obliged and moments later was standing in the presence of Kristina and Kyle. He was struck by Kristina's appearance, who was wearing yet another skirt that showed off her long, lean legs and a layered top to complete her outfit. Her wavy hair was swept away on one side, pinned together by a sparkling flower clip. She was glowing, and Ethan was in awe.
"Ethan? I wasn't expecting to see you here," she said with a smile. "Is Johnny home?"
"Uh yes-yes he is. He's just in the middle of doing something but he'll be right out," he told her. He stole a short glance at Kyle before moving to the side to welcome them both in. "Why won't the two of you come in?"
The duo eased their way in through the door entrance, with Kristina accidentally grazing Ethan's arm through the process; that slight touch sprung up goose bumps on his arm almost immediately. He heard his friend call out from the other room once more, this time asking who was there to see him. Ethan answered him, and a minute later Johnny appeared.
"Kristina! Glad you could make it," Johnny said excitedly. "And this must be Kyle, I presume?"
"Correct," Kyle said and shook Johnny's extended hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
Ethan still stood far back near the door, wondering whether or not he should stay or head out. Johnny was lost in conversation with Kyle and Kristina stood hand in hand with her boyfriend. It took a lot of effort for Ethan to not walk over and separate the two, and it was then he realized he should really leave before he did anything he wouldn't be proud of. But Kristina snuck a glance at him behind her shoulder, and with her free hand motioned him over. Ethan shook his head no and pointed to the direction of the door, letting her know he was going to leave. Kristina's smile faltered and she released her hand from Kyle's, maneuvering her way to Ethan.
"You don't have to leave," Kristina said. "I would like for us to spend time together, like old times."
Ethan looked down into her captivating eyes and he had to admit her offer was tempting. But he stood his ground firmly, and said: "Nah, this is your time with Johnny and Kyle. We can hang out another time."
Kristina nodded her head in understanding, engulfing her bottom lip into her mouth as she thought to herself. He liked that he had picked up that tiny habit of hers whenever she needed to think. Then, as if a light bulb had flicked on above her head, she smiled and said: "How does later at Kelly's sound? My grandfather is out of town for the night and he needs some help running the café. I could treat you to some warm muffins and coffee if you'd like?"
Ethan looked behind Kristina to see that Kyle and Johnny were still mouthing off to each other, and while he hated the fact that Kyle looked as if he were the one that was best friends with Johnny, he minded more when Kyle is with Kristina.
"Sure, sounds like a good idea…but what about Kyle?"
"I already told him I would be working the night shift at Kelly's, so he made plans with Michael to view the city's hot spots in the meantime."
Ethan laughed, "Hot spots?"
"My exact reaction when they told me that," Kristina giggled.
"Well Tricia is working overtime with Alexis at the office, and I have no plans. What time is your shift?"
"6 to 10."
Ethan smiled and nodded in agreement; however, he didn't think being alone with Kristina was such a good idea. His fear from last summer was creeping up on him once again and he tried to think of a quick excuse. "But then again I wouldn't want to impose on your job, Krissy."
Kristina caught on to his uneasiness, though. "Ethan, we're friends. It's okay."
He was embarrassed of his hesitance. The girl before him was not a child anymore—she was an adult and was acting very much like one. Wasn't that what he always wanted from Kristina? For her to be responsible and mature took only six months away from Port Charles, and she had no agenda in pursuing him as a love interest anymore. Kristina cleaned the air for them last night. So what was the problem?
"Right," he whispered with a smile grazing his lips. His hand was already twisting the knob on the door when he bid his farewells to the men in the living room. Then he turned his attention back to Kristina, "See you later."
It was nearing 8 o'clock at night and Kristina couldn't believe how busy the café was. Granted it was the weekend, but she could not recall a time where there were customers that filled every single seat. This could possibly be the worst time ever, as she was all alone and her co-worker had recently clocked out at 7:30pm. She was frantically serving and taking as many orders as she could, brewing coffee every fifteen minutes, and muffins and other dessert delectables were baking in the ovens. After totaling up a customer's bill into the register, she had at least a spare minute to take a deep breath. Kristina pressed her back to the counter and released a heavy sigh. She did not expect a four hour shift to be so trying, and only two hours in she was already spent.
With her head back looking up at the ceiling, Kristina heard the door open and smack closed. Another customer, she thought. She took another deep breath before turning around to face her next customer, but was relieved to see her best friend instead.
"Was inviting me here a way for you to get me to help you out?" Ethan asked amusingly.
Kristina dropped her face into her palms in resignation, her pony tail flopping forward in the process. "Ahh, this is crazy," she muffled into her hands.
Ethan laughed, pushing her pony tail back behind her and led her head up with one of his fingers. "Because I'll be glad to," he said.
Kristina wiped the tiny hairs that were distracting her eyes and flashed a bright smile. "You are seriously the best," she gleamed. "I'll go get you an apron."
She quickly rushed into the back and found an extra apron that was hanging on a rack. When she returned to the front, though, Ethan was already cleaning up one of the empty tables. Kristina walked over to him and saw him pick up a $5 bill.
"Well would you look at that, I've already made $5," he remarked teasingly.
Kristina feigned anger, "Listen here, Aussie! That tip is all mine and you know it."
He was about to pocket the bill into his shirt but then begrudgingly handed it over to her, "Eh, I guess you could have it." She ripped it away from his hands and laughed.
"I brought you an apron," she said handing it to him. His hands were full of dirty dishes though, so she opted to put it on him herself.
"Is a double-knot necessary?" Ethan whined. Kristina found this rather amusing.
"Yes, now quit whining and let's get to work."
A full hour had passed since Ethan came to Kristina's rescue and the tandem was successful in getting each customer sent home happy. Though cleaning time usually doesn't begin until past closing hour, they figured that night would be an exception considering the amount of mess they accumulated in and outside of the kitchen. Ethan was in the midst of sweeping the floors in the front of the café when Kristina called out to him for help from the kitchen.
"Oh Ethan, they're burnt!" she cried.
She carried the tray of muffins to the hollow window area that separated the kitchen from the front counter to show him the evidence. "I forgot to turn on the timer."
Ethan poked at the hard black top muffins and couldn't help but chuckle. Kristina did not find it funny. "What are you laughing at? That means we have to stay to make a whole new batch!"
Ethan's laughter was cut short then. "What do you mean we?"
Kristina's eyes widened in alarm, "Aw come on Ethan, don't leave me alone here with these," she said raising the burnt tray of muffins to his face. "I'd like to get home to Kyle as soon as possible before Molly drives him mad with her lovey dovey story-telling."
She saw him purse his lips in an effort to contain his laughter, but to no avail. He burst out a few loud chuckles at her expense before finally calming down. It was hard to stay mad at him for long, she thought before laughing herself.
"Now why are you laughing?" he asked.
Through second intervals she said, "I—haha—guess—hahaha—at—haha—you."
Kristina placed the tray on the sill of the hollow window, and then released the hair tie from her hair and willed her locks to flow freely over her shoulders. Her laughter slowed down as she ran her fingers through her hair, ready to pull it back into a pony tail. Meanwhile, Kristina peered down at her jeans and saw stains of powder adorning one leg and chocolate on the other.
"No, seriously I need help," she said. She looked up to see Ethan grinning wickedly at her. "Umm…?"
He whipped around a bowl of batter from behind his back and chuckled evil-ishly at her. She knew what he was up to and ducked.
"Nu-uh not tonight, Ethan! No games!"
Kristina had her head buried into her hands, trying to shield herself from the inevitable food-fight Ethan had apparently concocted, but when she felt nothing hit her she took a quick peep up at her culprit. He was looming over the window with a devilish smile painted across his face and busted out laughing once again.
"That was enough! Haha, you freaking out was priceless," he said in between chuckles.
She shot up from her ducked position and slapped him upside the head in a teasing manner. "You jerk," she said grinning to show him that she was not upset.
"I guess I deserved that," he replied with a matching grin. "Let's get to work then."
"I still believe that I would have beaten you in paddle boarding if we did," Kristina said mockingly. "But maybe it's a good thing I didn't have the chance—no one would want to see your butt-naked self running around the hotel lobby!"
She had been laughing so hard all night long that tears continued to stream through her almond-shaped eyes. When she wiped at them this time, Kristina forgot that her fingers were full of muffin batter and got some of it into her right eye.
"Ouch," she cried out after blinking. "Shit."
Ethan looked up and laughed at her, "Karma really is a mean-old bitch isn't she?"
With one eye shut, Kristina still managed to glare at him. "Would you please go get a wet towel?"
She watched as Ethan rolled up his sleeves to run a piece of paper towel through sink water. Kristina removed her hand from her eye, giving him access to clean up the batter that made her eye burn.
His soft hands electrified her bare shoulders as he led her towards the light. He then gently titled her chin upwards to observe where the root of the problem was, and lightly swiped away the batter that lay near her eye.
"Just stay steady," he ordered quietly. With the pad of his thumb, he smoothened out the little remnants that had remained and cleaned up the tiny smear of mascara that appeared. "Are you good now?"
She blinked several times and signaled that she was okay with a soft smile played across her lips. He still had her chin cusped and had not stepped away until almost on cue the sound of the oven timer made them part from the other in startle.
"We don't want this batch to get burned too," Ethan said while grabbing a cooking mitt. He pulled out the tray of chocolate chip muffins and placed them atop the oven. He retrieved a toothpick and inspected each muffin to see if the batter was completely cooked on the inside. All appeared to have passed the test as Ethan dumped the toothpick into the nearby trash can.
"Now that is how you make muffins, Krissy," he smiled cockily.
She was still in a daze from a few minutes before; how his eyes were pierced into hers and the soft touch of his fingers were upon her face. Kristina hated herself very much for feeling that way, once again. She idly began untying the knot to her apron when she decided it was best to put some distance between the two of them, before anyone got hurt.
"They look great. Thanks again, Ethan. You should be getting home to Tricia now, though." Kristina only managed to give him a weak smile before finding a wet rag to clean up remaining batter mix on the oven and counters.
She heard the soft shuffling of Ethan's boots behind her and she cursed herself for acting the way she was. "I mean, now that the muffins are done," Kristina said more convincingly, but with her back still turned to him.
"I don't mind helping you close up," Ethan offered.
This prompted Kristina to turn around and face him, "No. I can do it on my own."
Ethan and Kristina found themselves in a staring contest at that moment, both seemingly trying to see who was the most unnerved. Ethan was the first to make a move, striding about in inch closer to where she stood. A tiny gasp broke through her lips, barely audible but was heard from Ethan nonetheless; almost like a reality check, he took a step back and awoke from his reverie. His eyes lingered upon hers for a split second more until the sound of Kelly's door smacked closed.
There were heels clacking across the floor and then Ethan's name was being called to attention. A second call for Ethan was enough for him to release a sigh which sounded like in frustration, and then walked out of the kitchen to meet his girlfriend.
"Hey, babe," she heard Ethan greet his girlfriend. Call it childish, but every time she hears Ethan flirt with another woman she wants to ram her finger down her throat in disgust. But if that's the case that would mean she's not over Ethan, and she would like to think that she was. Kristina clenched her fists tightly and repeated the same mantra Alice instilled into her before leaving Yale.
Meanwhile, Kristina was almost done with cleaning the kitchen when she heard heels clacking out the door, and then complete silence followed. She put away the broom and dustpan into the tiny closet perched beside the fridge and headed to the front of the café. Ethan was gone as well, but there was a tiny piece of paper tacked onto a table near the entrance. Kristina retrieved the note, unfolding it to reveal Ethan's scrawled writing that read:
Sorry for leaving without saying bye.
Had a great time tonight, Krissy. –Ethan
There was no earth shattering news in that note or a declaration of him pledging his love for her, but what was written was a whole lot more than what she had ever dreamed of. They were best friends, and she would not trade that with or for anything or anyone else. She refolded the note and stuffed it into her pant pocket.
"Me too, Ethan."