He Fell For My Sister From A Class Photo Chapter 13

He Fell For My Sister From A Class Photo Chapter 13

I knew I was being irrational, dumping all my frustration and hurt on him.

My vision was blurred with tears, but he showed no impatience.

He just frowned slightly and listened carefully.

It was freezing that deep winter night.

Ethan had rushed out so fast he was only wearing a thin cashmere sweater.

When I finally stopped talking, he stepped closer and gave my shoulder a gentle press.

His hand was ice cold.

But his voice was gentle.

“Piano, cello, watercolor-I don’t know how to do any of that either. I’ll send you to classes. I’ll learn with you. Let’s go learn together.”

At his words, tears I’d barely held back burst out again.

I sobbed and shook my head frantically. “I don’t want to learn anymore. I don’t like piano, or cello, and I hate painting.”

My tears soaked into the crook of his neck and shoulder.

I cried, “–I don’t want to learn.”

Ethan lifted his hand and wrapped an arm around my back.

“Then don’t.”

He rubbed my back and said, “I’ll teach you other things. I’ll teach you how to ski, how to surf, how to rock climb. Okay?”

He said, “I’ll teach you everything your sister doesn’t know how to do.”

But that only made me cry harder.

My parents’ favoritism was a permanent thorn in my side. It had left me fragile, over-sensitive, and too ashamed to ever hold my head up high.

I don’t know how long we stood there.

Snowflakes seemed to drift down from the sky.

Ethan held me.

Warm air from the car heater washed over my back.

But his skin, where I touched it, was freezing.

I was about to look up and tell him to put some clothes on when I suddenly heard him speak.

“But you misunderstood me.’

His tone was so earnest that I stilled mid-movement.

I stood still as he said, “Back when you sent me that photo, I didn’t see your sister first.”

He pulled out his phone and showed me. “I saw this first.”

Through my tears, I rubbed my eyes hard.

But Ethan gently blocked my hand.

“Rub gently,” he said.

He touched under my eyelid and swept away a loose lash.

I opened my eyes to look at his phone.

Zoomed way in on the screen was a watch.

The watch was on my sister’s wrist.

It was the sixteenth-birthday gift our dad gave to both of us.

After I turned sixteen, my grades stayed at the top of the school.

My parents finally caught on and started paying attention to me.

They finally understood what fairness meant.

I had finally gotten the same gift as my sister.

I heard Ethan’s voice. “I’m not a mind reader. You didn’t reveal a single photo of yourself for two

years.”

“I honestly had no idea what you looked like. You told me to guess, so I looked for the only thing

recognized.”

He swiped his phone screen and showed me a photo I’d once sent him.

It was another homework problem, but my left hand was holding down the paper.

In the corner, the watch face on my wrist was visible.

Ethan smoothed my hair gently.

He looked at me, dead serious again. “I didn’t see any person first. I remembered every detail in every photo you sent me-including this watch. So the first thing I saw was the watch.”

How absurd.

Years of living in my sister’s shadow had left me skittish and over-sensitive.

So when Ethan guessed wrong, I didn’t even give him a chance to explain.

All I could think was, how could he pick my sister.

How could the first thing he saw be her.

If he’d picked anyone else, I probably would’ve laughed and told him to guess again.

I was too wound up.

I closed my eyes and felt Ethan ruffle my hair.

“That’s my explanation,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d be so unlucky as to guess the absolute worst

answer.”

“I didn’t even know you had a sister. When I saw that watch, I was dead sure I’d guessed right. Even drew that stupid heart. And what I got back was you blocking me without a word.”

Ethan suddenly cracked a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.

“Now that I know the full story, I can forgive you for blocking me back then.”

I wiped my face with my hand and let out a flat, “Oh.”

I turned my head away. “I just want to go back and sleep.”

Ethan ducked his head, studying my expression seriously.

When his staring started to annoy me, he finally tugged my arm.

“I’ll take you back.”