Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always: A Short Story Read Online Free

decided on a sparrow when I found out it meant freedom. It seems fitting since I’ve never felt freer in my life. Per Ethan’s suggestion, I got it right between my shoulder blades. It hurt, but it was totally worth it because with each prick of the needle, I felt freer and freer from my dark past and my parents’ control.
    I am free now.
    “You know, if you want, you can just stand there all day,” Ethan adds, and I can hear the soft sound of his footsteps inching closer to me. “You make the view a hell of a lot better.”
    I look over my shoulder at him, giving him a dark, playful look. “What if some hikers came up here and saw me naked? Would you still want me to stand here naked?”
    He’s standing not too far off behind me near the tree line, wearing a dark green shirt with a faded logo, cargo shorts, and boots that are untied. He’s also got his journal in his hands. “That depends,” he says, taking a step forward, his intent gaze making me feel like I’m sweltering.
    “On what?” I’m breathless just from the way he’s looking at me.
    He cocks his head to the side, a grin gradually rising on his face as he leisurely scrolls over my body. “On if the hikers are guys or women. If it’s a bunch of women, then I’d tell them to go ahead and enjoy the view.” His grin broadens as I roll my eyes.
    “You’re such a pervert,” I say, crossing my hands over my chest.
    He reaches me, assessing me, and the desire in his eyes makes me shiver. “You like that I am—it totally turns you on when I say dirty things to you.”
    “It does not,” I lie, biting back a smile.
    He arches his brow. “If that’s not true, then why are your nipples all perky?” He reaches out and pinches one of them softly, causing me to shudder, and a small gasp escapes my lips.
    “You want to get in with me?” I ask as he cups my breast and leans in to suck on my neck.
Please, get in with me. Oh my God, please…
    He kisses me until I become breathless and then moves back with a glazed look in his eyes. “Maybe in a bit.” He’s totally enjoying the fact that he’s making me all hot and bothered. “I’m just going to watch you while I write for a while.”
    I frown, a little disappointed as I back toward the water. “You’re such a tease.”
    Pleased with himself, he heads over to one of the large rocks next to the stream that pools into the pond and climbs up on it. When he gets to the top, he sits down and situates the journal on his lap. Then he takes a pen out of his pocket, bites off the cap, and presses the tip of it to the paper as he watches me with an
I’m waiting for you to get into the water so I can watch you wet and naked
look.
    Sighing, I approach the edge of the stream, where the water meets the dirt. Mud oozes through my toes and rocks scrape at my bare feet as I dip my toe into the water. My body instantly jolts from the chill as I take a deep breath and wade in, squealing and sucking in huge lungfuls of air. When I reach the middle, where the water goes up to my waist, I turn around and find Ethan laughing at me.
    “A little cold?” he asks through his laughter.
    I shake my head, then decide the best way to get even is to torture him, so even though it’s not comfortable to do in cold water, I dip my head back into the water, arch my back, and stick my chest up in the air. As the water soaks my hair, it gives me a brain freeze, like I’ve just guzzled down an ICEE, but it’s worth it when I stand back up to see Ethan looks a little flustered.
    I smile to myself and then turn around and plunge under, letting the water wash over my body, so cold not a single bad thought can form in my head. Moments later, I hear a soft thud from behind me. When I turn around, Ethan has hopped off the rock and is peeling off his shirt. Without taking his shorts off, he walks into the water, wincing from the cold as it reaches his waist.
    “What are you doing?” I ask as he wades toward me. “I thought you were