tense atmosphere

Mariana

When Ethan rang the doorbell of my house a few hours after our encounter and his subsequent declaration of love, I was feeling sad and truly devastated by the whole situation involving the scandal surrounding my name and my best friend.

Without much to say, I let him in, also feeling a bit embarrassed as I looked at the man who had unexpectedly shouted his love for me. Everything felt strange now, and I wasn't sure if Ethan confessing his feelings for me and not being responsible for leaking the story to the press was really enough for us to try building anything together.

I couldn't even affirm if a relationship was something I desired for myself at the moment, especially not with Ethan Constantino, such an arrogant and controlling man. We stood there, staring at each other, waiting for the other to take the first step, but neither of us seemed willing to do so.

The first step didn't come from either of us, as my aunt entered the room and, upon noticing the two of us standing still in the middle of the space, just staring at each other without saying anything, she broke the silence and the prevailing tension herself.

"What are you two doing standing there, just staring at each other?" Aunt Celina joked with great enthusiasm. "Shouldn't you sit down and talk, like two adults?"

Ethan seemed pleased to see my aunt, who approached him and greeted him with a handshake, and his gesture brought a spontaneous smile to his face.

"How are you, Aunt Celina?"

"A bit displeased with this story involving my niece's name," she said with genuine sorrow. "I hope it will be forgotten soon, and we can go back to our normal lives."

"Is there something else going on, beyond the news in the media?" he questioned, his expression now serious and cautious.

"Some nasty comments around the neighborhood, but nothing we can't handle," Aunt Celina dismissed with a wave of her hand. "But let's put that aside and have some coffee."

Before Ethan could even react, Aunt Celina was already pulling him into our kitchen, where she quickly brewed fresh coffee and served a slice of her orange cake.

They chatted about random topics for a while, but a few minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Aunt Celina announced that she was leaving because she wouldn't miss her embroidery class for anything.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" I asked, feeling a bit anxious.

"I don't care about what people say, Mariana," she said with a calm expression. "It's your life, and everyone knows their own choices, my dear. Don't let the opinions of people you don't even know become more important than yourself."

With those words, my aunt left in the company of her oldest friend, Matheus's grandmother, leaving us alone once again, just staring at each other.

"I know we have a lot to talk about, things to clarify..." This time, Ethan decided to break the silence, but his tone was still hesitant. "But I've been thinking that maybe... I don't know, maybe..."

This was the first time I had seen Ethan nervous, truly nervous, and I tried not to laugh at how he was acting now. So, I decided to tease him a little.

"What have you been thinking, Ethan?" I asked, trying to maintain a serious expression. "Tell me, really."

I got up from the chair I was sitting in while my aunt was still at home and circled around the table, taking slow steps—very slow—towards where Ethan was, staring at him with a serious gaze.

"I see."

As I approached Ethan, he followed my movement, even though he was still seated, spinning in the chair to keep looking directly at me, and that's exactly what I expected him to do.

"But I have a suggestion to make, Ethan," I continued, building up the suspense.

Ethan seemed to be thinking the worst about my intentions, evident in his indecisive gaze and tense posture in the chair, now fully facing me as I stood in front of him.

"Let's go to the living room," I suggested.

Ethan let out a sigh of relief and even smiled shyly.

"Was that your suggestion?" I asked, getting up from the chair and leading him to the living room, confirming with a nod. "For a moment, I thought..."

We had reached the living room, and Ethan plopped heavily onto the couch, now feeling more comfortable. But he had piqued my curiosity, and instead of following his example and sitting on the couch too, I went further and sat on his lap, facing each other, placing one leg on each side of his body.

"What did you think, Ethan?"

I grinned mischievously at the frightened expression on his face, finding it amusing how strangely Ethan had been acting since he arrived at my house that afternoon. And even with me on his lap, our bodies intimately touching, he still seemed uncertain about me.

"I imagined you would say something like 'My suggestion is for you to leave my house and never come back,'" he confessed.

Ethan's eyes told me he was speaking the absolute truth and opening his heart about his fears.

"But I haven't yet said what I really intended to suggest."

"Then, tell me."

His hands gently held my face, just as he had done when we were in his office that morning, and his expression was filled with anticipation.

"I suggest we save the conversation for later, much later..."

This time, I took the initiative to kiss him, returning his gesture and holding his face with the same tenderness he had touched me.

Ethan reciprocated my kiss with the same passion I had kissed him with, and his mouth devoured mine eagerly and with desire. His hands left my face and began to explore my body, squeezing my breasts and reaching down to my buttocks, pushing me closer against the hard bulge in his lap.

"You were just teasing me..." he complained, realizing the fact.

As a way to punish me for my playful act in a moment when he was completely serious and focused, Ethan held my hair tightly, keeping my head in place while he drove me wild with the indecent movements of his tongue, a majestic back and forth within my mouth.

"I missed you," he said, between one assault on my mouth and another. "Completely crazy with longing..."

Those words felt like an aphrodisiac, as my body became even more aware of his touches, and the wetness between my legs escalated scandalously, leaving me drenched with desire.

"I missed you too," I confessed, moaning with pleasure.