Chapter One – "And Here Comes Your Man"

California King Bed - Rihanna

"In Love?" dad repeated.

I flashed a fake smile. "Yeah." I said excitedly even though inside I was kicking myself in the shins.

Dad's face remained frozen, not a single muscle moving, for what seemed like hours before the sides of his lips begun to quiver.

Oh God.

A smile jumped onto his face. "You're in Love? My son is in Love. Wow." He looked so happy it was almost sickening.

He began to pace excitedly up and down. I took that chance to look at Ethan who was just standing there, blinking at me with a confused expression plastered all over his face.

I shrugged my shoulders and turned back to dad. He was mumbling incoherent stuff to himself.

"Dad, you're scaring me and that's saying something."

He stopped and looked at me. "Who is she? Do we know her?"

"No, she goes to my school though." What was I doing?

He laughed. "And here I thought you were gay!"

My eyes blew up, Ethan's dark ones twitched and Dad's pair sparkled.

"Wow thanks for looking so relieved." I chided, sarcastically.

He came closer and placed what I think was supposed to be a fatherly hand on my shoulder. Like I had just caught my first fish or kissed my first human girl.

"I'm proud son, your first love. If you ask me, it took you long enough." He spoke with biting honestly. "Me and your mom were starting to think you would end up with half a dozen cats."

"Don't jump the gun just yet," I retorted, rolling my eyes. "Can I go to my room now?"

He faltered "Why? I want to know more about this special young woman."

"I need to do something."I lied.

Dad was too good for me. He narrowed his eyes. "Do what?"

"Jerk o-"

"He has to help me with Biology."

Dad spun around to face Ethan who was now fully visible. He wore a plain black t-shirt with a pair of baggy, most likely unclean pair of blue jeans and sneakers.

"Thank God," I mumbled. Ethan stepped closer to dad, extending a hand.

"Hello Ethan," dad cheered. He was obviously still in a state of merriment. Someone should tell him the statistics on teen relationships. That should knock him right off his little high.

"Well this was fun but later, dad." I said quickly, grabbing Ethan by the wrist and zooming up the stairs before he could say anything else.

I flew down the hallway to my room and went in but Ethan stopped at the door. A smile wider than China's Great Wall sat on his face, spreading from cheek to dimpled cheek.

"Ethan, are you okay?"

"Shut the front door, alert the cops and sit your grandma down before she gets a heart attack! Spencer Liam Haynes is in loooove."

I groaned, falling backwards onto my bed and sighing.

"So who is it? Is she hot?"

"Etha-"

"Is she older, younger, blonde, redhead," he smirked, "I heard redheads do anything you want."

"Etha-"

"Something about making up for not having a soul or something."

"Ethan! I'm not in love you idiot!" I yelled at him.

He stopped smiling. "You're not?" he questioned, finally stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Do you really think that that if I was in love that you wouldn't know?" I sighed. "I did it to get dad off of my back. He's been pressuring me a lot lately."

He was still frozen in the same position by my wooden bedroom door. I could hardly read his facial expression since the room was so dimly lit by just the light that traveled down the hallway.

The o key things I could see for sure was his brown hair shifting silently from the ceiling fan.

I sighed again, bringing my hands to my face. That was really stupid of me, which was so unlike me.

The bed sank next to me and Ethan's hands, slightly rubbed against my side.

"Wanna watch Pretty Woman?"

I snorted. "So you can cry all over my bed spread? No thanks."

"One Time!"

I chuckled, removing my hands to look up at him and propping myself up on my elbows. His hair was all over the place, just the way he liked it and I could smell his armpit from here.

Dude had no sense of personal hygiene which was kind of adorable.... if not completely disgusting.

His eyes were soft and even though they weren't brightly colored, they were still magical and beautiful and unique and Oh My God what am I saying.

I shook my head out of the thoughts and fell backwards onto the bed again, huffing in the process and staring up at the blank, cream colored ceiling.

Ethan was still positioned on the side of me, picking his nose. The guy was the exact opposite of Prince Charming. It always baffled me as to why he got so many girls. It shouldn't make sense but it happens.

"Why are you even here?"

He stopped and looked down at me with a little innocent smile, "Bored."

"Didn't I tell Josh to tell you to study for that test tomorrow? If you fail you'll never escape hell."

He grinned. "I'll pass. Don't worry about it."

I exhaled. "Great, now I am going to worry about it."

He was going to say something but closed his mouth. Instead, he got up from the bed, offering me a hand.

"Hell No." I snorted, "You pick your nose." I scorned, sitting up straight.

He rolled his eyes, "Do you still have that guitar I gave you for your birthday last year?"

I nodded slowly, eyeing him suspiciously. "Yeah, it's in the closet." I paused. "Why?"

He grinned, jogging over and opening the walk-in closet. He searched for a while, shouting profanities whenever he toppled over a pair of sneakers.

This Guy... "E." He looked back. His face was still angry looking but it cooled down just a bit when our eyes met.

I pointed down at his feet. He blinked but looked down where the guitar sat on the floor. He looked back up and blinked again before bending down to pick it up.

I rolled my eyes once he came out, still seated on the bed. He fumbled around with it, trying to get it in the right position, cussing all along the way. Once he got it right, he got on one knee and looked up at me with a smile so cheesy I could smell it.

And I hated cheese. "What in God's name are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he retorted.

I shrugged. "With you, nothing's obvious. It always leads to something stupid it's just not obviously stupid on the surface. You're like a covert stupid person."

"You know, you're kinda verbally abusive," he exhaled, blinking.

I blinked back. "I resent that," I retorted. Now hurry your wide ass up."

"I'll ignore that honey bunches." He teased. "Now shut up and let me do my thang."

"When since did you learn to play the guitar or sing for that matter?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Who said I couldn't sing?"

"Celine Dion did. Every time Titanic comes on you sing the theme song and every time you screech the high notes, Jack rolls around in his watery grave."

"I resent that." He snapped back, clearing his throat. I braced myself for whatever atrocity he was going to sing next. "I practiced this for my ex. You know, before she became a sleazy, cheating slut and all."

"Here we go..." I muttered, free falling back onto the bed.

Ethan was dating this girl who none of us has met. Supposedly, it was a Spring Break fling back in February and even after I explained to him February was still winter, he didn't tell me who she was. All I knew was that she cheated on him and he keeps on painfully reminding all of us of her infidelity.

The pot calling the kettle black if asked me. Ethan wasn't a Saint himself.

"Hey, stop thinking so much dork. I'm going to start now."

I grumbled, "Fine. Get it over with." I sat back up to watch him.

He cleared his throat one last time. Taking a few minutes to let his fingers hover over the chords of the wooden, bronze guitar.

I started tapping my feet impatiently, waiting for some amazing song to be played but he just stared at it, looking down at the strings.

"I don't know if you know this but you're hand actually has to touch it for the music to start happening."

His eyes kept on the guitar, "Don't be a smart ass Spence, I'm doing this to cheer you up."

I huffed. "Fine."

His fingers inched closer to the chords and not long after he started playing.

And he did something that I didn't expect.

He played it right.

His hands actually brushed passed the right chords and it came out...beautifully. Of course I recognized the song instantly. It was Rihanna's California King Bed.

He looked up briefly but I blanked my face of emotion so he wouldn't notice that I was actually surprised. But I was.

Pleasantly surprised.

Ethan actually had a talent other than being adorably idiotic; football not withstanding.

"Chest to chest, nose to nose, palm to palm we were always just that close."

I couldn't stop the gasp this time. He actually sang in tune and dare I say...wonderfully. A little pitchy but nothing a little practice couldn't fix.

"Wrist to wrist, toe to toe, lips that felt just like the inside of a rose."

Who the hell was this kid sitting in front of me? It wasn't the same guy I knew for all these years. He couldn't have been Ethan Littman: Professional Idiot

This kid had talent and soul. Ethan was great at sports and stuff but never at artistic things. This was...surreal.

"So how come when I reach out my fingers," he sang, gliding up an octave, "it feels like more than distance between us."

He struggled during the chorus though. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head trying to remember the song's lyrics and hit the right notes but If anything, it made it all the better.

He didn't play the entire song; he stopped after the chorus, breathing irregularly once he stopped before he caught his breath.

He looked up at me with a boyish smile at his slightly parted lips, "Sooo, don't keep me in suspense, what did you think?"

I blinked, "I think we live in Idaho."

He growled. "Smart ass."

I chuckled at his irritation before nodding a little. "You killed me softly with your song." I complimented.

He cooed. "Aw, I got a song reference." He smiled.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and flash a smile. "Whatever, don't get used to it loser."

Before he could shoot a comeback, there was a knock at the door. I sighed, it was probably mom.

After how excited dad was, It wouldn't come as a shock that mom was equally as thrilled.

Thrilled that is, to criticize me. No one was good enough for her baby boy. Her words. Not Mine.

The person knocked again. "I could get it if you want." Ethan offered.

I shook my head. "No. You sit and I'll get it." I countered, helping him up off the ground and waiting until he was seated on the edge of my bed.

I walked around the guitar that was still positioned on the floor and opened the door.

I nearly slammed the door on my fingers when I saw Piper's face. But I just closed it enough so that only I could see her face. I didn't want Ethan seeing her just yet. Not until I knew what me and her was.

"Piper, need something?" I mumbled loud enough for just the both of us to hear.

She smiled. "Yeah, I was looking for the bathroom and was hypnotized by this amazing singing so I decided to see where it was coming from."

I rolled my eyes. Again. It's a thing I do. "It wasn't that great."

"You're too modest. I love that song by the way. It's one of my favorites" She giggled.

I swallowed. She thought it was me? "Yeah," I laughed nervously, "I like it too."

"Spence, who's at the door?" Ethan questioned from behind.

Piper's eyes immediately trailed to the inside of the room but the door was closed just enough to block her from seeing Ethan on the bed. "Is that guy in here with you?" I must have lit up red because she smirked. "I'm guessing he was the one playing the guitar to you."

"Spence?" Ethan called again.

I turned around. "Give me a sec, would you?" I asked gently. He nodded stiffly and went back down to the floor to grab the guitar.

I opened up the door a little wider but my taller frame blocked Piper from looking into the room. I stepped out, silently closing the door behind me.

She backed to the opposite side of the hallway and slouched against the wall with her arms folded. "And you're sure that you two are just friends?"

I took a moment and then smiled faintly. "Positive."

She analyzed me for a moment. Her gorgeous eyes looked me up and down before she huffed. "You don't have the vibe."

I cocked my head to the side, "What vibe?"

"You know, the unrequited love vibe."

I snorted. "That's because there is no unrequited love. There is no love here besides brotherly love."

"Singing a Rihanna song to you, while playing the guitar is brotherly love?"

I sighed. She was right. It wasn't what most friends did but me and Ethan's relationship was much, much deeper than just best friends. "We're different."

"I concur." She chuckled.

There was a knock from the other side of my door.

I rolled my eyes and banged against it, "One more minute." I growled. Ethan whispered a sorry before grumbling incoherently. I rolled them again.

"Jesus, you sure do a whole lot of eye rolling."

I shrugged. "When you're surrounding by idiots it kind of becomes second nature."

She timidly smiled, "Right." she sighed, "Well, I should probably go find that bathroom. This stupid panty hose is riding up so high that they're starting to where me."

I chuckled at her openness. Her attitude was the exact opposite of how she looked. She was so amazingly breathtaking but didn't act like a stuck up petulant princess. It was relieving.

"Down the hall to the left."

She looked in that direction and nodded. "Thanks and Spencer?" I lifted an eyebrow." Don't wait too long to figure out your feelings. He just might be the one that gets away."

Katy Perry reference? I shivered. "Gotcha."

She turned and left, leaving me there for God knows how long pondering what she said.

Ethan and I are best friends.

Just friends. Nothing more. This wasn't some love story written by some teenager on some site. This was reality and in reality, things don't work out so clean cut as we're led to believe.

I sighed before turning to the door with my hand on the knob but stopped myself from opening it.

Ethan was way too quiet.

I blasted it forward and connected with something round. Round and Empty.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled, crashing to the floor.

I swung the door completely open, folding my hands over my chest and looking down at the wincing snoop on the ground.

"That hurt you pansy."

"Oh Please," I said, using my feet to close the door. "As if you didn't deserve that just now."

He was still rubbing the top of his head, pouting. "I didn't even hear anything!"

"Good." I said with a smile, walking briskly back to my bed and crawling into it. I sat up on the wall with my head set softly against my pillow.

Ethan finally stopped bitching and got up off the floor. He eyed me angrily before he took off his shirt and then his pants and I swear he was about to do a strip show.

"What in God's name are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" he shot back, climbing into the bed next to me.

I frowned. "Who said you could stay the night and in my bed no less."

He repositioned himself so our head were next to each other, propped up on the wall. "I did and I always sleep in your bed." he took my pillow and fluffed it. "Besides, I come here every morning anyways so it's convenient."

He raised my head and placed the fluffed pillow back under it.

"Now," he exhaled, "get some sleep." He placed a quick kiss on my cheek,, lied down and slowly drifted off into dreamland while I sat there thinking.

If this was 24 hours ago, I wouldn't have questioned the kiss but now after all that Piper said...after what Josh said...it felt different.

Here we were in the same bed after an argument, with his back to me and his lip print still on my cheek.

This was way more than a best friend's thing.

This was a marriage.