On the Road

Despite the detour, he had to get back on track and figure this thing out. While it was already going to be awkward talking to Alex about this on her porch, now he’d have to do it on the side of the road.

At least it was a nice day.

After a few minutes of walking, Ethan sees a familiar form heading towards him. Slender and with flowing black hair, it can only be her.

“Ethan,” she calls out, still a fair bit of distance between them. “I heard you were looking for me!”

Jaw catching, Ethan almost feels his face twist in confusion. He’s about to vocalize it until he sees a phone in Alex’s hand and puts two and two together. Her mother texted, or maybe called, her. “I am, yeah…”

“Hmmm,” coming to a halt a couple of feet from him, she tilts her head. “Mom was surprised to see you asking for me…”

“Seemed like it.” Ethan evens himself out, giving Alex a glance over. She’s wearing a crop top, her pale midsection bared. Down lower she’s wearing a loose pair of shorts, exposing everything from mid-thigh down. “She, um, pointed me in the right direction though.”

“Hm,” Alex tilts her head, “That she did. So, what can I help you with?” She gives a coy smile, perhaps expecting the topic.

“I was doing some thinking… About you… Kissing me.”

Alex tilts her head the other way. “Uh-huh…” the open-ended way she trails off asks for Ethan to continue. She inches closer slightly, her sandals dragging in the dirt.

“That… Wasn't the first time we’ve kissed was it?”

Alex stops, her smile shifting into a frown, and for the first time, Ethan sees what might be real annoyance on her face. “So you… don’t remember?”

Ethan starts to form a word of protest, but settles for honesty. “No. I’ve tried but I can’t seem to remember… We did though, right? Kissed before?”

Alex crosses her arms over her chest, her lips pressed together. “You tell me, Ethan.”

Blinking, Ethan takes stock of the situation. Things have gone south and fast, exactly why he can’t say but… he supposes he can see why a young woman might be upset that somebody forgot they kissed her. He’s just not sure how to make it better.

“We did.” He affirms.

“That a question?”

“No.”

Glaring slightly, Alex takes a deep breath. “When.”

Ethan lets the gears in his head spin at top speed, hoping to dislodge something. Anything. Part of him wants to go with his theory but he finds his confidence in it waning. Thinking as fast as he can, he tries to find an answer that makes some sense. How do you forget something like this.

“You… Really can’t remember…” Alex’s gaze softens, her glare vanishing. “You’re really trying but you can’t…”

“I… Really can’t…” Ethan can’t explain it.

Sighing, Alex looks down at the ground, hiding her blue eyes. “Wow… I knew you were drunk that night but…”

“Drunk?” Ethan raises an eyebrow. “When was I…” memory hits him like a freight train. “Oh…Oh?....OH!”