You'll Never Be Alone - capital kings

With one week to go before Hope was leaving for home, she and Ethan made sure to spend as much time together as they could. He had to work on Friday so they spent the late evening on the phone again. Hope really enjoyed their talks. He could make her laugh, think deeply, blush and even teach her new things about all kinds of topics. She loved every minute.

Saturday, after Ethan got off work, was spent watching movies at his place. Hope drove out to meet him there for a simple dinner of frozen finger foods and salad, then they picked a couple of comedies to watch together. He kept his arm around her as they sat together on the couch. Hope was pleased to feel so comfortable with him.

As the second movie came to it's conclusion, Hope looked over at Ethan, watching as he laughed. It brought a smile to her as well, to see him so happy and carefree. He looked over at her and their eyes locked. It was exhilarating to look so deeply into his eyes. Neither broke contact and Hope felt suddenly sure about something. She was ready for his kiss.

She had thought about it frequently over the previous week, especially the times they were together. Memories of her first, and most horrible kiss kept her from allowing the opportunity for Ethan to kiss her. Other than their day in SLO when she had been sure he wanted to kiss her, Ethan hadn't made any attempts to do so. She realized he was letting her take the lead in that area, knowing she wanted to keep things at a slow pace.

But now she felt different. She was safe with him. He had been honest about so many difficult things in his life. He had respected her need to ease into things with him, and expressed a desire to be as patient as she needed. That is what made her desire to be close to him grow.

However, she had no idea how to let him know she was finally ready. And she certainly did not have the nerve to make the first move. So now she had a dilemma, and the only way she could think to convey her willingness was to look deeply into his eyes without looking away first.

So that's what she did. As they held eye contact for what seemed like a long time to Hope, she noticed his gaze move to her lips, then back up to her eyes. She could sense that he did want to kiss her. Then he looked away, leaving her feeling rejected. She told her self not to worry, he was probably taking his time for her. So she shifted her position to scoot a bit further away from him.

Ethan, however, would have none of that and kept his arm firmly around her shoulder. He spoke quietly to her then, "I have an idea."

Hope looked up at him, "What would that be?"

"Well, I work the morning shift tomorrow, and I'll be off around 4. Why don't I come out to you. We can go on a hike and watch the sunset." He looked back at Hope, deeply into her eyes.

Oh, the sunset. Hope remembered that he had wanted to be with her the first time she saw the sunset on the hill.

"That sounds nice." She smiled, bringing a smile to his lips as well. He once again looked down at her upturned mouth, his gaze lingering for a moment before looking back into her eyes. Hope felt an electric current run between them, creating an amazing sense of anticipation.

If he wants the sunset, I'll take it, she thought as she continued looking at him. She refused to break eye contact first. Not this time. Ethan took a deep breath and finally looked away.

"It's getting late and you have a half hour drive. Do you want to talk as you drive, to keep you awake?"

"Sure, if you're not too tired to talk for 30 minutes."

"I think making sure you get back safely is more important than my sleepiness." Ethan said with a little smirk.

He walked her to her car, giving her a tender hug and kissing her forehead as she got into her car. "Until tomorrow, Hope... I'll call you when I get back inside. Put it on speaker, okay?"

His protective instinct was endearing to her. "Of course."

*********************

It was Sunday. Hope was anxious for the afternoon to arrive, and with it the hike with Ethan and a lovely sunset.

She kept pretty busy throughout the day so the time moved quickly. Ethan arrived shortly after 5. He had asked Hope to pack a picnic dinner for them the night before, as she drove home and they talked. She had it prepared so they jumped in his truck and took off.

Ethan told her he knew about a back trail that would lead them to a similar look out spot on the hillside. He drove to a spot that looked like it was part of a state park, or something similar. There was a small area for parking and then a sign with a trail map.

Hope stopped by the map to see the length and direction of the trail. It didn't seem overly challenging to her but she hadn't done much hiking. "Is it very steep?" She asked Ethan hesitantly.

"Not really, It sort of zig zags back and forth so there is an incline but it's not too bad. We can take breaks if you need to. Well, I might need to, it's been a while!" He chuckled.

"Let's go then, I'm ready for the...sunset" She smiled at him. His smile was gone at that point and he had a bit of a smolder instead. It made Hope's lips tingle.

They headed to the trail and started their trek. Ethan was right, it wasn't too difficult. By the time they reached the peak, however, Hope was tired, out of breath and sweaty. Not the best combination for a romantic picnic dinner date.

She shook the negative thoughts away and remembered that Ethan had just hiked the same trail that she had. He was just as worn out as she was.

He took her hand and led her to a bench near the edge of the hilltop. They sat close for a while, taking in the view. Hope pulled out the food and they ate while talking, looking out at the ocean and just enjoying each others company.

When they finished eating, Hope was suddenly filled with nervous energy. She was excited, looking forward to the moment when he would finally kiss her. She had a feeling he would wait until the sunset but that was still a while away.

Ethan sat close, with his arm around her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and wondered if she should give him some type of signal.

Before she could even think of what to do, Ethan took her hand, "let's walk over to the other edge." They got up and walked the short way to the lookout on the other side.

As they stood there, Ethan looked over at her. She noticed his gaze so she looked back at him. The connection in their eyes was electric. The wind was blowing, so Ethan reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. As his fingers slid past her cheek, he leaned down and lightly pressed his lips to hers.

Hopes heart raced as her eyes closed for the tender kiss. She was in heaven. It was better than she could have imagined and wiped away all memories of that terrible first kiss.

After a few moments, Ethan pulled back and looked into her eyes, most likely to make sure Hope was doing okay with all of this. She gave him a warm smile in response. He seemed relieved.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that. I was going to wait until the sunset, but I couldn't stand it anymore."

"Thats okay. You can do it again when the sun is setting" Hope said with a smile and a blush. Ethan didn't waste a moment, and leaned in to kiss her again. This time, he kissed her a little longer, a little bit more passionately but still just as tender as the first one.

Hope found that she couldn't contain her smile, which broke the contact their lips were making. Ethan pulled back to look at her saying, "What is it?"

"I'm just so happy, I almost can't stand it." She threw her arms around his neck and he pulled her close in a tight embrace.

"Let's go back and sit down." he whispered in her ear.

With that, they strolled back to the bench, hand in hand. As happy as she was, Hope also realized that their time together was limited. She only had a week left to enjoy spending time with Ethan, then she would be four hours away.

Ethan must have sensed her change in mood, "What are you thinking about?"

"Leaving. I don't want to, I'll miss this, and you, so much." She said with sadness in her voice.

"I know, I just found you again. And you're leaving so soon. It makes me really wish my schedule wasn't so tight. I'm really regretting a full time job and no quarters off now." He shook his head.

"I thought I sensed something the other night at dinner. You seemed more tired talking about school than you had been before."

"I sat in class this week, barely able to concentrate. I just wanted to see you and I knew that I had to get through my week before I could. But it helped me make a decision about something. I'm going to switch up my schedule. I'm going back to a full load of classes and just work part time. It doesn't sound different, but without the tight work schedule I will have more flexibility, so I can come visit you." Ethan looked back at Hope.

She was speechless. The fact that he would switch things around so he could visit her more was more than she could ask for.

"I don't know what to say... Thank you for doing that for me." She smiled at him.

"It's not just for you, it's for us. Hope, I want you to be mine. I mean, please, can I call you my girlfriend?"

Her blush was her answer but still, she said "yes" with a smile. And then with a kiss.

Ethan pulled away and continued, "It won't be easy being so far apart but I know we can do it. I'll come visit as much as I can. And I know that my mom will let you stay with her anytime you want to come up. I mean you could stay with me too, but we need to take everything slow, for both our sakes. Staying with my mom would probably be better for us."

Hope was so amazed by this man. He was thoughful, caring and he had demonstrated a deep respect for her. She realized she could very easily fall in love with him. Slow down and take your time. No need to rush into this...

She answered his suggestions by snuggling closer to him. She knew that leaving would be harder than she could imagine, but she also knew she could get through it. The two of them were bonded more deeply than just friends or even just boyfriend and girlfriend. They had experienced something together that no one else could understand.

She didn't know what was in their future but she decided to focus on the now, and look forward to the possiblities. She decided to put fears aside and believe that things in her life would work out for the best. Her determination took on a new life, one that would keep her heart open, unguarded from her family and those she loved, and willing to let others in.

And just maybe, her happily ever after would arrive.

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Author's note

It took 20 chapters, but they finally kissed! I love how Ethan just couldn't wait any longer. He could have kissed her during "movie night" but there is a really good reason that he didn't. That will be part of "Waiting for Hope" so I won't give it away now ;-)

Notes on chapter title - You'll Never Be Alone

Great song! It's another one that was written from God's perspective. And I had a few reasons for choosing it. One way was from Will's POV again, that he would be helping them from afar and encouraging their relationship. Another way was from Ethan's POV, it's how he feels for Hope. He doesn't want her to be alone anymore, and with her he is also no longer alone.

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