Chapter 79: Chapter 79

Ethan's POV

After I placed the bill, we walked out of the cafe and headed back in direction of our school.

" Why are staring at me ? Look s..straight and walk if you d..don't want to fall. ", he said as I was walking with a little gap from him, staring at his side profile.

" I already fell for you. I won't fall again.", I said. He shook his head and left a small sigh. " Between Cupcake, you always eat like this or were you just in a mood to eat a lot today ?", I asked.

" No..I always eat like this. Your p..pocket will be empty very soon.", he replied nonchalantly.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry baby. My pocket won't empty very fast."

" Who worried ?", he asked tilting his face to me. " And s..stop calling me baby and c..cupcake. I'm not a baby."

"Yeah..you are a baby. And you are my baby.", I said.

" No ! ", he scoffed scrunching up his eyebrows. He looked so cute that I couldn't help but smile at him. He is melting my heart with his every action and words. Everything about him is just so cute.

" I don't like your s..stupid smile.", he muttered, tilting his face back.

" My smile is stupid ?", I asked.

" Yes.", he nodded. I just chuckled at him again. I know he didn't mean it.

We walked silently for sometime and then I found he was trying to close the gap between us and was swinging his hands a little more than normal. His long fingers occassionally brushed with mine. And I knew he wanted me to hold his hands.

I was amused. He bit on his bottom lip, every time his fingers brushed past mine and I didn't take his hands. It actually took every effort in me to not hold his hands when his soft fingers brushed feathery against my skin. Somehow I controlled myself. I wanted him to take the initiative and get what he wanted.

But very soon, he stopped swinging his hands. I was upset he gave up. He had turned his attention to the shops and buildings on the other side of the road.

" Hey..Ethan, l..look there.", he suddenly squealed pointing at a shop. Before I could look at the shop properly or read the board, he grabbed my hands and already started crossing the road, dragging me along with him. I smiled looking at our intervened fingers instead of looking at the shop he was dragging me to. I was so damn happy he finally took the initiative.

“Aww...cute ! Ethan..look.", he squealed pointing at something. He was smiling widely and almost giggling, making me surprised. I looked up from our hands to look at the 'Cute' thing he was pointing at.

It was nothing but an aquarium. Only then I realized, we were in an aquarium shop. On both side of us were aquariums with different types of colourful beautiful fish.

" Look Ethan..aren't they s..super cute ?", he asked again giggling. My heart fluttered hearing his giggles.

" Oh..yeah..cute.", I nodded in a daze looking at the red and golden fishes in the aquarium he was pointing at. But he was of course more cuter than the fish. Especially now when he is smiling, showing his beautiful dimples, he is the cutest thing in the world.

" oh..they are g..gold fishes.", he squealed reading the label.

" Aww..they are so so pretty. I am gonna buy s..some of them. I will gift them to Anna. She...she would love them.", he said joyfully. Then he untwined our fingers and went to look at the other aquariums.

I noticed one thing. His stutter has comparatively decreased than when I first met him. He isn't stuttering that much nowadays and he is speaking more faster than earlier. And he earlier was reluctant to speak but now he is speaking without hesitation, at least to me, Grace and Gavin.

I stood there watching him smiling looking at the fishes. "woah..! Come over here Ethan, these fishes are all d..differently coloured.", he said crouching down in front of a row of aquariums labelled Betta/Siamese fighting fish, his mouth forming an amused 'o' . I immediately made my way to him.

"Oh..Anna would love this purple one.", he laughed looking at a purple tailed fish. Then he turned around and looked at me. " What's your f..favourite colour?", he asked.

" Mine ? Uhmm..white.", I said.

" White ??", he frowned.

" Yeah..why ? "

" I thought your favorite might be some d..dark colour. My favourites are black and....blue.", he said and looked back at the aquarium. " Look..here's a g..goldish white fish for you."

I crouched down near him and looked at the fish. " Yeah..It's pretty. But I liked that light blue one the most. The red one is also really pretty.", I said pointing at the fishes. He shivered a little as my breathe tickled on his neck. " Then lets buy them ? ", he asked looking at the fishes.

" Yeah..You buy the one you liked the most.", I said.

" uhmm..I am gonna buy the r..red tailed fish or this p..purple tailed one. Or maybe both. Hey...", he bend up and clapped his hands calling a worker who was standing there in front of an aquarium telling the details of the fishes to some other customers. The lady nodded and walked to us.

" How much does this f..fish coast ?", he asked pointing at the red tailed fish.

" 7 $. With the bowl 10 $ ", She said.

" Oh..so this one ?", he pointed at the purple.

" That also 7 $. All those fishes in the row coast the same. They are all fighting fish."

" Oh Can I get a r..reduction for the bowl if I buy two of them ?", he asked.

I couldn't help but laugh. The worker lady also laughed. "They are all male betta fish. Only one can be put in a bowl or aquarium. Otherwise they will fight. ", she explained.

" Oh..", Michael laughed awkwardly. " Then I will buy one fish with the bowl. Ethan, which should I b..buy ? Red or purple ?"

" Both..", I said. " You gift one to your sister. We can put the other in our room. I'll pay for one."

" No...you don't need to.", he shook his head.

I took my purse out of my pocket and took my card out." We would like these Red and purple fishes.", The worker lady nodded and proceeded to take both the aquariums out.

" Oh ...Ethan...no no.", Michael waved his hands in protest, following me to the cashier. " No..you.....already bought me food. I don't want you to s..spend more money for me.", he said grabbing my hands from behind.

"C'mon..I'm buying it to keep it in my room.", I said, laughing. Isn't he the one who told me a little ago that he don't care if my wallet empties ?

" Then can we take the l..light blue fish instead of red ?", he asked.

I sighed. " I actually liked blue and red equally. I want the red one. It's more bright." He finally left my hands free and nodded. Then he took his wallet out of his pocket.

We both paid 10 $ each for the two fishes and walked out of the shop, holding the bowls in our hands. Michael had fell into some deep thought looking at the purple fish in his hands.

" What are you thinking ?", I asked.

" Nothing..", he shook his head. " You bought me food m..more than once. I never paid back."

" You did. ", I said. But I knew that wasn't what he was thinking about.

" When ?", he asked tilting his head to me.

" By agreeing for this thing we have currently in between us. And you let me kiss you. If you like, you may pay me back more by giving me some kisses.", I grinned at him.

He looked away muttering something under his breathe. The tip of ear turned red.

" So Mickey, what were you actually thinking about looking at the fish ?", I asked.

He looked surprised at me calling me Mickey. " Uhm..Purple was the f..favourite colour of my brother too.", he said watching the fish roll about in the bowl.

" Oh..", I nodded. I shouldn't have asked him that.

We didn't talk much after that. He was watching the fish amusedly and I was watching him. Without knowing, we reached in front of the hostel gate.

" Uhm..do you want me to c..come to your dorm ?", Michael asked.

" Of course.", I replied.

" I'll then come after p..placing purple on my desk.", he said referring to the fish.

" No need. Anyway you are shifting to my room. So place it in your new room 69.", I smirked. He again muttered something.

" What are you murmuring? Why don't you just say it looking at my face ?", I asked.

He tilted his face to me. " I will kick your balls if you c..come to me thinking about 69."

" Woah ! ", I gasped. I was really surprised. He just said that looking directly at my face. " You know the meaning of 69 ?", I asked.

" What you th..think about me ? Am I a newborn baby ?", he asked.

" So you know such things ! ", I laughed. He just shook his head unimpressed and walked carefully up the stairs.

When we reached inside my dorm, Gavin had already left for the ball. After placing the bowl on my desk, I fished out my phone from my pocket and found there was a message from Gavin saying he left.

Michael sat on the desk chair watching the fishes for a long time and feeding them with the fish food we got from the shop.

" What shall we do now Mickey ?", I asked after sometime.

He turned around on the chair to face me. I was now sitting on my bed. " Ethan, are you s..sad you couldn't go to the ball ?", he asked.

" No.", I shook my head.

" Really ? Don't you like to g..go to balls ?", he asked.

" I like, but I better like to spend time with you." , I replied.

" It was better you.......date a girl.", he said looking away.

" Michael..no. Don't start with that. I like this. I like you so much. I don't want to go to ball or party or anything. I just want to be with you.", I said feeling upset.

He tilted his face back to me and bit on his bottom lip before opening his mouth.

“Ethan, do you want to....dance with me ?"