(Clara)
By the time Ethan picked me up that evening, I was already nervous.
Not because he sounded angry when he called.
Actually, that was part of the problem.
He hadn't sounded angry at all.
He had sounded calm.
And lately, calm conversations seemed far more dangerous than arguments.
"You look pretty," Ethan said the moment I got into the car.
I looked over at him.
His smile was there.
But it wasn't quite the same.
Something about it felt tired.
"Thank you," I replied.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then Ethan started driving.
I frowned slightly.
"Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise," he replied.
Normally, I would have complained.
Normally, I would have spent the entire drive trying to force the answer out of him.
Tonight, I simply nodded and stared out the
