Chapter 20 — After the Win
692 Words
Lena Carter
The beach bonfire started sometime after midnight.
Music echoed softly across the shoreline while athletes from different schools crowded around fires, passing around drinks and laughing like nationals stress didn’t exist anymore.
But Lena barely noticed any of it.
Because Ethan stood beside the water wearing a black hoodie and damp hair from his race earlier, and somehow he still looked at her like she was the only person there.
Dangerous boy.
Very dangerous boy.
“You’ve been staring at him for ten minutes,” Ava whispered beside her.
“I have not.”
“You absolutely have.”
Lena ignored her.
Mostly because Ava wasn’t wrong.
Across the sand, Ethan glanced up from his conversation with teammates.
Then immediately caught Lena watching him.
His mouth curved slowly.
Like he already knew.
Heat rose instantly to her cheeks.
God.
She hated how easily he affected her now.
“You’re blushing,” Ava said dramatically.
“Shut up.”
Before Ava could continue bullying her, Ethan finally walked over.
The second he reached Lena, his hand slid naturally against her waist.
Effortless.
Possessive.
Like touching her had become instinct.
“You stealing my girlfriend?” he asked Ava casually.
Lena froze.
Girlfriend.
He’d never actually called her that before.
Ava looked delighted. “Finally. Took you long enough.”
Ethan ignored her completely, eyes still locked on Lena.
“You wanna walk?”
Lena nodded quietly.
The beach grew quieter the farther they walked from the bonfire.
Cold waves rolled gently onto the shore while moonlight reflected across the water.
For once—
no teammates.
No pressure.
No expectations.
Just them.
Ethan’s fingers stayed intertwined with hers the entire time.
“You swam well tonight,” Lena said softly.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He smiled slightly. “You watched the entire race standing up.”
“I was stressed.”
“You looked ready to fight someone.”
“That too.”
Ethan laughed quietly before stopping near the waterline.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The silence felt heavier tonight.
More emotional somehow.
Because nationals was ending.
Because reality waited afterward.
Because no matter how badly they wanted this bubble to last—
it wouldn’t.
“You ever think about what happens after graduation?” Lena asked finally.
Ethan’s expression shifted slightly.
“Constantly.”
“And?”
“And I hate it.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
The ocean wind pushed strands of hair across her face before Ethan reached forward gently to move them back.
The touch lingered against her cheek.
Soft.
Careful.
“You scare me sometimes,” Lena admitted quietly.
Ethan blinked slightly. “Me?”
She nodded.
“I wasn’t supposed to fall for you like this.”
Something vulnerable flickered across his face instantly.
Then he stepped closer slowly.
“So don’t fight it anymore.”
Lena looked up at him.
At the boy she used to hate.
At the boy who somehow became home without her noticing.
Then she kissed him first.
Ethan responded immediately, pulling her closer against him while the waves crashed softly nearby.
The kiss deepened slowly—
not rushed this time.
Just emotional.
Tender in a way that almost hurt.
Lena’s hands slid against his chest while Ethan kissed her like he was terrified of forgetting her afterward.
And maybe he was.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he murmured quietly against her lips.
Her heartbeat stumbled hard.
Ethan rested his forehead against hers afterward, both of them breathing unevenly.
Then—
very softly—
he whispered,
“I love you.”
Everything inside Lena stopped.
The ocean.
The wind.
The noise in her head.
All gone.
Only him remained.
Ethan looked suddenly nervous after saying it.
Actually nervous.
Which almost never happened.
“You don’t have to say it back,” he added quickly.
Lena stared at him for one silent second.
Then reached for his face gently.
“I love you too.”
Ethan kissed her again instantly.
Harder this time.
Relieved.
Like hearing those words physically broke something open inside him.
And honestly?
Lena felt exactly the same.
- Writer
