When Ethan's body finally decided to join the real world once more it was dark in his cell. He knew that he was in the basement, but damn, it was eerily dark.
He sighed. He could make out the sounds of thunder despite being underground.
Rox. His poor Rox. She was all alone and it was storming. She had to be terrified.
She had once confided in him how much she hated storms. How they made her think of her childhood and her parents arguing and hiding in her closet to get away from the sounds.
He had confided back that he knew exactly what that felt like. He had promised her that he would always be there for her when it stormed. No matter what.
Except now. Now, he wasn't. And he felt horrible about it.
"I'm so sorry Rox." He whispered into the darkness. He knew she couldn't hear him, that his apologies were for his benefit alone.
"She knows Ethan." That voice. He knew that voice.
"Noa?" He sat up from his spot on the shitty bed. He tried to scan the darkness of the space, his eyes searching for the red head.
"Yeah Ethan." She whispered. He could barely make out her figure as it pushed itself off the wall. "It's me."
"What in God's name are you doing here?" Noa was his only friend at this point. At least, that's surely how it felt these days. He didn't feel like he had much support from elsewhere.
"Came to check on you." Her voice was soft. Surely she had other more important things to worry about.
"Why?" He loved the girl like a little sister. But he never understood why she had his back the way she did.
"Because Campbell said you could use a friend." She whispered.
A friend? He knew someone else who needed a friend. Someone who was probably laying awake upstairs crying herself to sleep while a storm raged on outside.
"Thanks." He choked out. "I think."
"What happened Ethan?" Her question was quiet and he let out a breath.
He didn't want to let her in on this. He didn't want to confide in her. He had been seeing his dead brother's ghost for a good 36 hours now. Surely he was losing his mind. He didn't need Noa to feel sorry for him too.
"I just need Rox to be okay." He choked out. He hoped that answer would suffice.
"She's fine Ethan." She whispered back. "What's up with you though?"
"I'm tired." He let his head fall back against the bars as he let out a huff. He was tired. Beyond tired. His whole body ached and his whole soul was broken. He was a shell of the man he had once been.
"Amongst other things?" Her soft voice echoed through the cell.
"Amongst other things." He echoed back at her.
"Ethan." He felt like he was under a microscope and he hated it.
"Noa." It felt weird to have the girl eyeing him like this. She wasn't judging him, rather, she was trying to examine him.
"She needs you to be okay." She whispered.
He let out a huff. If only she knew.
"I need her to be okay too." He couldn't believe he was telling Noa these things. He'd never told anyone these things before.
"She loves you." He blinked. She what?
"Excuse me?" He felt his breath catch in his chest. He couldn't believe this. How the hell did Noa know this?
"She loves you." She whispered.
"She tell you that?" He closed his eyes as he let his head fall against the mattress.
"She didn't have too." Noa's words were soft. So soft that he almost didn't hear them. "A woman knows."
"Ah." So it was a woman's intuition thing? Riiiight.
"She does Ethan." He wished he could believe the girl. He wished that Rox was his to love.
He just wanted to get the fuck out of this damn cell and get her home. He wanted to take her to bed and make love to her and tell her how much he couldn't live without her. He wanted to hold her all night and kiss every inch of her skin. He wanted to make her his and he never wanted to let her go.
"I don't know what to do kid." He whispered.
"Get some rest Ethan." She said softly. He let out a sigh. He felt like all he did was sleep. "You'll be out of here soon."
"Thank you Noa." He couldn't imagine why the girl was here or what had made her want to be here, but he was thankful for her.
"You're welcome." And then he heard the heavy door close behind her and he let out a sob.
He was alone. Again. And all he wanted was to be with Rox. Again.