Through the Dark - one direction

The road in front of her wove through the grasses and hills of the central California coastline. Hope drove with anticipation of the day's events. Ethan had asked her to be at his place by 10, but that was all. She had no idea what he had planned, or even how long the events would be.

Happily, she was looking forward to her time with him. So far, things seemed to be going really well, on both of their parts. Hope hesitated becoming too excited, she was still trying to figure out the whole dating thing. But she was glad Ethan seemed to sense her need to take things slowly.

She glanced at the clock, seeing she still had time to spare, as she entered the northern part of the town near the Cal Poly campus. Her phone's GPS was giving her commands to turn left or right into neighborhoods she had never been in. Hope's experience in SLO had been as a tourist only, so she was unfamiliar with the day to day parts of the town.

Just as the clock was turning 10, her GPS informed her that she had arrived at her destination. She parked in the street in front of a 4 unit apartment complex. Ethan was in apartment C, on the second floor. She felt the familiar nervous excitement as she climbed the stairs to his door. Normally, she hated knocking on doors, but today was an exception.

Hope took a calming breath and knocked quickly at Ethan's door. She heard his voice, "Hang on a sec" and a thrill shot through her.

The door opened a moment later to a smiling Ethan. He didn't have a huge grin, but the gleam in his eyes told her the real story: he was glad to see her. She felt the same way.

"Hey, you made it" he said

"Yeah. So what are we doing today?"

"Oh no, you're not getting it out of me that easily. You'll just have to wait and see."

"I guess so, if you insist."

"I do. So let's get started"

Ethan stepped out of his doorway and closed it behind him. He took Hope's hand and led her back down the steps and over to his truck. As he helped her in, he said "I hope you like it"

"Like what?" And then she saw what he meant. In the center console of the truck was a long stem white rose. Tied to the stem was a small black velvet drawstring bag with a note: something to carry your stones in.

Before she could say anything, Ethan had already closed her door and started walking around to the drivers side. Hope was so touched by his gesture she was almost in tears. Ethan got in quickly and seemed to hesitate before looking at her.

So Hope spoke up. "I love it, thank you. It's so thoughtful" her voice quiet, full of appreciation, not only for the gift but also for what it demonstrated. He had heard her, and understood how important it was. She pulled the little stones from her pocket and put them in the little bag.

"I'm glad, and your welcome"

As he was speaking, Hope held the little white stone from the hillside in her palm. "Is that ours?" He asked. Hope was thrilled that he called it "ours".

"Yes" and then placed it in the bag with a smile.

Ethan pulled away from the curb and started driving. "First stop, I want you to see something about me. So I wanted to show you around campus a bit."

"Oh, that's great! I would love to see the campus. The idea of college is a little overwhelming so maybe this will calm my nerves as well."

"I know what you mean. When I started freshman year I went full time, it was a lot to get used to. When I decided to move here last year, I had to work full time to pay bills so I cut back to two classes per quarter. It'll take longer for me to graduate and I can't take any quarters off, which means no summer break, but I'm happier this way."

"I'm glad you're happy. I just hope I can figure it out soon. I still don't know what classes to take." Hope leaned her head back.

"Don't worry, I have a feeling you'll do just fine." Ethan gave her a wink.

They spent about an hour walking around the parts of campus that Ethan spent time in. He showed her some of the more fun aspects of college as well, the student union, theater and athletic fields. Hope felt excited about participating in college life, but she was still apprehensive about not knowing anyone.

"Okay, are you ready for part two?" Ethan asked.

"Of course, bring it on" she smiled at him.

They got back to the truck, where Ethan, ever the gentleman, helped her into the car. He drove off campus and into the downtown area. "You said you like Mexican food, right?"

"Absolutely" Hope nodded.

"Okay, this is the best street taco hole-in-the-wall place in town."

"Sounds great"

Ethan pulled up to a small store front with a walk up window but no inside seating. Okay, it really is a hole in the wall. They read over the menu together and made their selections. Ethan ordered for them and they talked while they waited for it to be ready.

"This is a study staple. My roommate, Josh, and I eat these whenever we have a test or engineering project to work on. It's like brain food or something." Ethan explained.

"Angela, my high school friend, and I always crave frozen yogurt when we have to study for finals, but it's less brain food and more brain freeze I guess" they both laughed at that.

When their order was ready, Ethan grabbed the bag and walked them back to the truck.

"Since there's no where to sit here, I thought we'd take it somewhere else."

"Let's go, then"

He drove down toward the center of the down town and parked in a lot. As they got out of the truck, gathering their food and Hope's purse, Ethan told her they needed to walk about a block to their designated lunching spot.

They spoke about different things as they walked; the stores they passed, which parts of town Hope had seen before, Ethan's favorite hang outs. They crossed the street, climbed a set of stairs and came upon the Mission, a historical California landmark. Ethan guided her past a fountain with a bronze bear catching a fish and then through an opening to a garden next to the mission's entrance. They sat on a little bench in the shade of a tree.

"This is really beautiful." Hope observed.

"I thought this would make a good picnic spot, plus its got some shade. Do you want to go through the mission when we're done?" Ethan asked while gesturing to the building next to them.

"Sure, I love historical places, and museums" Hope smiled.

"Okay, good. That's what we'll do." They got their food organized and started eating. After a bit, Ethan asked Hope how things had been going with her mom. She had told him about their difficulties when she told him about the rock jetty and her emotional melt down.

"Things have been going really well. I call her a couple of times each day. Usually the morning call is quick because we both need to get started with our day. But in the evening, she and I have been able to talk about things. Her day, my trip, my brother. But it hasn't been the same types of conversation as in the past. We used to just talk in order to function - what do you want to eat, when are you getting home. That kind of thing. But now she asks how I'm feeling, and I ask her how she's doing with everything in her life. I think its the closest we've ever been."

"That...is amazing. I've always been close to my mom, probably because its been just the two of us for so long. But I know it isn't like that for everyone. I'm glad this trip seems to have really brought you together." Ethan said with a tone of awe and understanding. Hope wondered what had taken her so long to see him.

"Yeah, hundreds of miles, me lying to her and I guess the biggest help was actually your mom. She is so great. She really helped me see some things from a new perspective." Hope smiled remembering their talk after her mom found out that Angela hadn't come.

"Yes, she is great, but sometimes its hard to be her son. She can really put me in my place!" Ethan shook his head.

"I bet!" Hope laughed.

They had finished eating and taken care of their trash so they headed over to the mission to take a walking tour. Hope enjoyed the beautiful wood carvings and statues. They took their time wandering the rooms and the interior gardens.

Hope wondered if Ethan had planned this too, so she asked.

"No, this was just spontaneous. Did you like it?"

"Yeah, I've been to other missions, but not this one. I'm glad we went through it."

"Well, are you ready for the next part of our day? It's not too far actually."

Hope nodded her head. Ethan took her hand, which still sent that wonderful, warm electricity through her as it had the first time, and led her across the pathway in front of the mission. There was a little bridge which went across a small stream to the other side where shops and restaurants were visible. Ethan and Hope crossed the bridge and walked down a path which led to the stream below.

Ethan spoke as they walked down the steep path. "I thought we could walk along the stream for a bit, and you might find a little stone, um, for your collection." He seemed unsure of himself. Hope continued to be surprised when his shyness came out. She was glad Will had told her about it, otherwise she might misunderstand it for a lack of interest in her.

"That's perfect. You have planned just the perfect day!" Hope encouraged him with a smile, which he returned.

They walked along the little stream, then Ethan pointed out a large rock that seemed like a good place to sit. He helped her up, then sat down next to her. Hope sensed that he seemed really nervous for some reason. But she decided not to mention it right then. So, they were quiet for a while as they sat and watched the water flow past them.

After a bit, Hope noticed a little rock in the water that she knew would be the perfect addition to her collection. She reached into the water and pulled it out, showing Ethan her treasure.

"Do you have a word for that one yet?" He asked. She hadn't told him the words for each stone, just that she had words in mind when she held them. She wasn't ready to share them earlier, but she felt like she would be soon.

"No, not yet. It will come to me eventually."

"Well, maybe I can help" Okay, now he seemed really nervous. "I have a confession to make to you." He said with his voice quiet. Hope turned to him to give him her full attention, and to encourage him. She wanted him to feel safe with her, as she did with him.

"I've wanted to talk to you for the last 5 years. At first, I thought I shouldn't because you were younger than me, and that felt weird to a 15 year old. But when you were here that summer, when you were 16 and I had just graduated high school, I thought I had better work up the nerve or I might never get the chance. I always thought you seemed so kind and encouraging to your brother. I could tell that you had to keep him company because your dad would be gone fishing and your mom was into her own thing. You were respectful to your parents, I could tell you would stand up for your brother if you needed to because you had that loyal spirit. You would even help out some of the other kids around the campground. I found myself playing with them all the time just so I could see you. I thought you were the cutest girl there and just so nice to everyone. That was more than enough for me, I was hooked.

"So I worked up as much courage as I could to talk to you about the bonfire. And I really understand why you left, I could tell you were shy. I thought, 'maybe next year, I'll try again' but of course, there wasn't a next year. I'm just really glad there's a this year." Ethan looked up at Hope as he finished, right into her eyes. She realized as he was speaking that he had used every single word she had chosen to go with those rocks.

Kind hearted, understanding, respectful, cute, loyal, nice, helpful, encouraging, enough

And her heart went wild. He really sees me. So she told him. "You really see me, you understand me. I didn't think that was possible after just a few days each year, but it's true." Ethan continued to look deeply into her eyes, and then Hope understood something else. He was about to kiss her.

Was she ready for this? Her heart was beating out of her chest, she was sure he could hear it. She didn't want to reject him, but this did make her really nervous, almost too nervous. So she looked down, away from his soul piercing eyes.

But she smiled as she looked down and said,  "Seen. That's what this rock is." Then she looked back at Ethan, who smiled at her and took her hand.

"Come on, let's get to the next part of our day together."

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Author's notes

Oh my heart... He is too sweet, and seriously could this date have gone any better? Well, it's not over yet so just you wait. I don't want Ethan to come off as "Perfect" because he definitely has flaws but I did want it to be obvious how he feels about Hope. He does know her better than she realizes. Now it's her turn to get to know him. It's a delicate thing to write because he is in way deeper than she is at this point, he's about 3 years ahead of her. She didn't even realize she was interested (even though in my mind she was but was too scared to admit it to herself).

Notes on chapter title - through the dark

Whether you like one direction or not, this song was perfect for this chapter. It is EXACTLY how Ethan feels about Hope, especially after talking with her on the hilltop in "Music"...

And here's a treat! A lyric video for you!!

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]