I laugh—genuinely, because he’s ridiculous—and his whole face lights up. Without thinking, I do touch his arm, just briefly, and I feel him relax under my fingers.
“There we go,” he murmurs. “Thanks, Pip.”
I pause, something occurring to me. “Nobody's ever called me Pip before.”
“Really?”
“I usually get Piper, obviously. Or Pipes from some people.” I wrinkle my nose. “Which always makes me think of plumbing.”
He scrunches his eyebrows, considering me. “Nah, you're definitely not a Pipes. Way more of a Pip.”
“A Pip?” I raise an eyebrow. “Like what, apple seeds?”
“Like someone small but mighty. Concentrated awesome.”He grins at what must be my skeptical expression. “Plus, it's fun to say. Pip. Pip pip pip.”
“You're ridiculous.”
“You love it.”
I shrug, fighting the smile that wants to break free. “Okay, fine. Pip it is.”
“Really?”
“Why not? It's... different. And when you say it, it sounds kind of nice.”
“Nice?”
“Don't get weird about it.”
“Too late,” he says cheerfully, and somehow the awkwardness from earlier completely dissolves.
We go back to work, but something’s shifted. The ghost of Paige still lingers, but it feels less heavy now. Less like something he’s facing alone.
And when she and the IPA guy finally leave, Ethan’s shoulders drop with relief.
“She really did a number on you, huh?” I say quietly.
“Yeah.” No bravado now, just honesty. “Made me feel like I was auditioning for a role I was never going to get.”
I think about years of auditioning for Miles’s attention. “I know the feeling.”
He looks at me then, really looks, and there’s understanding in his eyes. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
We don’t say anything else about it for a moment. Then Ethan starts fidgeting with his coffee cup, not meeting my eyes.
“Can I tell you something?” he asks suddenly. “Something I haven’t told anyone?”
“Of course.”
“My dad called last week. After he saw my midterm grades.” He’s still not looking at me. “Started going on abouthow I’m ‘finally facing reality’ about my choices. How maybe now I’ll consider something practical.”
“That’s awful.”
“The thing is... part of me wonders if he’s right.” His voice drops. “I submitted my senior project for beta testing, and some of the feedback has been... rough.”
My stomach tightens, I wonder if Zarah thinks the same. “Rough how?”
