Chapter 13 His Dream
1100 Words
The next morning Lily woke up feeling exhausted.
Not because she slept late.
Well, maybe partly because of that.
But mostly because Ethan’s words kept replaying in her head.
Sometimes you’re the best part of my day.
I don’t think you could ever be nothing to me.
Those messages had followed her into her dreams and now they were following her into school too.
The moment she entered class, Ethan was already there.
For a second their eyes met.
Then both of them quickly looked away.
Lily almost laughed.
After last night’s conversation, things suddenly felt different.
Not awkward.
Just different.
Like they both knew something they hadn’t said out loud yet.
“Morning,” Ethan said when she sat down.
“Morning.”
“You look tired.”
“So do you.”
“Fair.”
That made both of them smile.
For the rest of the morning things felt normal again. They talked during lessons, joked during break and argued over something completely stupid during lunch.
It was comfortable.
The kind of comfort Lily never wanted to lose.
After school they ended up walking home together again.
The weather was colder than usual and most people were rushing to get home before it started raining.
For once neither of them spoke immediately.
It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence though.
It was the kind that existed between people who didn’t need to force conversations.
Eventually Ethan kicked a small stone along the pavement and sighed.
Lily looked at him.
“What”
“Nothing.”
“That’s a lie.”
Ethan laughed softly.
“You know me too well.”
Lily smiled.
“Maybe.”
For a few seconds he looked thoughtful.
Then he suddenly asked a question.
“Do you ever think about the future”
Lily frowned slightly.
“Sometimes.”
“What do you see”
She thought about it.
“I don’t know. University maybe. A job. A small house. A quiet life.”
Ethan nodded slowly.
“That sounds like you.”
“What does that mean”
“You like simple things.”
Lily shrugged.
“Maybe.”
Then she looked at him.
“What about you”
For a moment Ethan didn’t answer.
His eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead.
When he finally spoke, his voice sounded different.
More serious.
“I want to leave.”
Lily blinked.
“Leave where”
“Here.”
She looked confused.
Ethan shoved his hands into his pockets.
“This town. This city. Everything.”
Lily stayed quiet.
“I’ve always wanted more than this,” he continued. “I want to travel. I want to build something for myself. I want to see places I’ve only read about.”
The way he spoke made it obvious he had thought about this many times before.
“What places”
A small smile appeared on his face.
“London. Manchester. Maybe Scotland. Maybe even other countries someday.”
Lily listened carefully.
She had never seen this side of him before.
Usually Ethan joked about everything.
But right now he sounded completely serious.
“I want a life that feels big,” he said quietly. “I don’t want to stay in one place forever wondering what could have happened if I had taken a chance.”
Lily looked at him.
His eyes were brighter now.
Like he could already see that future.
“You’ve really thought about this.”
“Every day.”
The answer came immediately.
For a second neither of them spoke.
Then Lily asked the question she couldn’t stop herself from asking.
“Would you really leave everyone behind”
Ethan looked at her.
Something changed in his expression.
Just slightly.
“Not everyone.”
Her heart reacted immediately.
She hated that it did.
Ethan looked away again.
“I mean… I’d still keep in touch with people.”
Lily nodded.
Trying not to overthink his first answer.
Trying and failing.
They continued walking.
A few minutes later Ethan spoke again.
“You know what’s funny”
“What”
“Most people think I have everything figured out.”
Lily laughed softly.
“You definitely don’t.”
“Exactly.”
He laughed too.
Then his smile faded a little.
“The truth is I’m scared.”
That surprised her.
“Ethan Blake is scared”
“Very funny.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
He looked down briefly.
“What if I fail”
The question came out so quietly that Lily almost missed it.
“What if I leave and everything goes wrong”
For the first time since meeting him, he looked uncertain.
Not confident.
Not carefree.
Just human.
And somehow that made Lily’s chest tighten.
Because she realized how much pressure he carried alone.
“You won’t fail,” she said.
“You don’t know that.”
“No. But I know you.”
He looked at her.
And she continued.
“You work hard when you care about something. You never give up. You annoy people until you get what you want.”
Ethan laughed.
“That’s not very inspirational.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be.”
His smile grew wider.
Then he shook his head.
“See. This is why I talk to you.”
Lily felt her heartbeat quicken.
“Why”
“Because you make things feel possible.”
The words settled between them.
Neither of them looked away immediately.
For a second the world felt strangely quiet.
Just the two of them standing there.
Just the two of them looking at each other.
Then someone’s car horn sounded in the distance and the moment disappeared.
Ethan cleared his throat.
“We should keep walking.”
“Yeah.”
But Lily’s heart was still racing.
As they reached her street, Ethan stopped.
“This is you.”
“Yeah.”
For a moment neither of them moved.
Then Ethan smiled.
“Thanks.”
Lily looked confused.
“For what”
“For listening.”
Her smile softened.
“Anytime.”
Something unreadable crossed his face.
Like there was something else he wanted to say.
Something he almost said.
But then he simply nodded.
“See you tomorrow, Lily.”
“Tomorrow.”
She watched him walk away.
And for some reason, his words about leaving stayed with her.
Because for the first time, the future felt real.
And deep down, a question had started forming in her mind.
If Ethan eventually chased his dream and left…
Where would that leave her
And why did that thought suddenly hurt so much
- Writer
