More Than a Feeling - boston

Ethan

As he woke up, the anticipation hit Ethan full force. Today was the day, Hope was moving to Morro Bay. Finally.

The last six months had been some of the best times of his life. Well, as good as they could be without Will. Even though it had been more than a year since he died, Ethan would occasionally have the passing desire to call him up and tell him about something Hope had said, or a particularly good set after surfing.
He was still working through the grief, but it was getting easier.

Ethan had even reconnected with Will's family. It continued to surprise him that Will's mom had accepted him with open arms, never once giving him the feeling that she blamed him for what happened. The family treated him as they always had, like one of them.

His time with Hope had been like a healing salve for his soul. She understood him, what he needed when he was quiet, when to push him and when to give him space. She had started to look at him with adoration in her eyes, and he couldn't have been happier about that.

He most certainly adored her, more than he had thought possible. Even after waiting for her for five long years. And now she would be close to him all of the time.

The past six months had strengthened their relationship, allowing them to get to know one another deeply. Ethan was grateful for the time they spent speaking over long distances. Although he ached for her to be close by, he knew that if she had been, the distraction of her physical presence would have gotten in the way of their intense conversations.

It was those long, late night talks that showed him Hope's true heart and soul. He learned about her struggles and fears, about her dreams for her future. He told her about his regrets and his plans, the things that no one but Will had ever known. It had drawn them so close that it made the distance between them so much harder.

That would all change today. Finally.

Ethan moved around his apartment quickly, doing the daily morning tasks that suddenly seemed insignificant. Josh had just gotten up, whereas Ethan had been up with the sun, anticipation so strong he couldn't sleep a minute longer.

"Dude, you look frantic. You better calm down before your girl arrives or she's going to have second thoughts about dating a basket case." Josh teased.

Little did he know how the phrase "your girl" drove Ethan even crazier. She was his girl and he'd gone much too long without her by his side. The hours until her arrival may have well been days or months, he could hardly stand still. Finding some kind of distraction became Ethan's first priority. He didn't want to be a nervous mess when Hope finally arrived.

"Very funny. I just need to get my mind off of things for a while. Then I'll be all good." Ethan responded to Josh's observation.

"Sure. That should do it. Well, I've got to get to campus and get to work. See ya later." Josh waved as he departed. His job in the engineering department was a year round gig so even time off of class didn't give him a break from the school. Ethan would have hated that.

Resolve washed over him as he pulled the vacuum out and started cleaning. Hope wouldn't even be at his place that day. She was driving straight to Morro, moving in with his mom on the campground. Ethan would meet her there and help with unloading her things. And then, just be with her. That's all he really wanted. That's all he had ever wanted.

An hour later, the apartment was spotless. For two college students, Josh and Ethan were relatively neat, so there really wasn't much to clean up. A bit of dusting, drying some dishes and passing the vacuum was all that really needed to be done. He'd tackle the bathroom another day. Ethan had passed as much time as he could stand. Now all he wanted to do was jump in his truck and drive.

Not even ten minutes later, Ethan pulled his truck onto highway one, the main road taking him north and back to his home town. Knowing Hope would be living so close, full time, was such a relief to the months of distance. Well, the years of distance actually. His heart was about to burst out of his chest with happiness knowing that his once forgotten dream of a life with Hope was about to begin.

It didn't seem to take long before he pulled off the highway and onto the marsh lined back way leading to the campsite. He knew it would still be a while to wait before Hope arrived, probably a few hours still, but he already felt his nerves calming. Just being in the area she would soon be living had become soothing to him. His mind wandered to the everyday things they would be able to do now that she would be living so close.

Just being able see her, hold her hand, kiss her goodbye rather than say it, that's what he could hardly wait for. Hope had expressed similar sentiments, both of them hating to have their relationship in the hands of their phones. But if they could survive the months of long distance, Ethan was sure they would be able to work through anything life threw at them.

His truck found its way to the campground entrance without much thought from Ethan. His autopilot had kicked in from the years spent living there. As he pulled around the side of the fifth wheel his mom made as her home, his heart constricted at the sight in front of him.

Hope, standing at the trunk of her car pulling a bag out.

As fast and safely as he could, Ethan parked his truck behind Hope's car and jumped down from the drivers side door. Hearing his truck, Hope had already turned around, facing him with an enormous grin. She was a beautiful sight every time he saw her, and that morning was no exception. Her long, wavy, brown hair was pulled back into a casual ponytail. She had a fitted pink tee shirt and black jeans, keeping warm with a black hoodie. Hope was the most adorable when she kept things casual, Ethan had told her.

"Hey! You're early!" Ethan said as he gathered her in his arms.

Hope wrapped herself around him, putting her head on his shoulders. "I could hardly sleep last night, so I figured I might as well get on the road early. I just couldn't wait to see you."

His heart felt like bursting hearing those words from her lips. "Me neither. I've hardly been able to sit still all morning. I'm so glad you're here, Hope." He said as he pulled back to look at her, take everything in.

Hope met his gaze expectantly. Their eyes locked and for several heartbeats that's how they stayed. Ethan was the first to break eye contact as his gaze traveled to her lips. Not able to hold back any longer, he lowered his mouth to hers, capturing those perfect lips with his own. Hopes fingers moved up into Ethan's hair, as his arms tightened around her waist, drawing her closer. It had only been a few weeks since Ethan had shown up at Hope's house, surprising her for an early Christmas. But it felt like years since he had been able to hold her this closely.

The first minutes of feverish physical closeness melted into slow, loving touches. Both of them became calmed by the proximity of the other, a sweet relief to months of missing each other more than they thought possible.

"I can't believe it's real." Hope whispered.

"I feel the same." Ethan agreed. "Come on, let's get your things into your room, and then there's something we have to do."

Hopes eyebrows went up in surprise. "Already? But I'm so early, what did you have planned?"

"A little something..." Ethan smirked. Truthfully, it was much more than a little something. In fact it was pretty monumental, and made Ethan a bit nervous if he spent too much time thinking about it. But at the same time he could hardly wait.

The two of them grabbed as many of Hope's belongings as they could carry and got them into her little room quickly. After talking with Ethan's mom for a half hour, he couldn't wait much longer to get going on his special errand.

"Mom, we have something to do for a while. We'll be back for dinner." Ethan informed her.

"Fine, fine. You two go have fun. Hope and I will have plenty of time for girl talk." Diane replied.

Hope went to give her a hug, "thank you so much for letting me stay with you. I'm so excited to start this new chapter."

"Oh, hon, I'm so glad to have you!" Diane hugged Hope tightly.

"Okay, okay, hands off my girl!" Ethan teased, "lets go, Hope." He grabbed her hand and peeled her away from his mom. Leading her to his truck, he opened the door and helped her up into the seat. Finally, he climbed into the drivers seat and started on the road that led to his future. This was the moment he had dreamed of for so long it still didn't feel real.

A few minutes after starting their drive, Hope gave a little laugh and looked over at Ethan. "Oh, so that's where we're going. I should have guessed."

"Well, at least it was a mystery for a few minutes." Ethan laughed in response. He had figured she would know where he was taking her as soon as he headed up the hill. "This is a big moment for us, living only a half hour away instead of four hours. I thought we should head to the hill and commemorate it."

Hope smiled, giving a little sigh in the process. "Perfect" was her only answer. Then she reached across the bench seat of the truck and laced her fingers with Ethan's. In no time, he pulled into the trail lot and parked. The couple wasted little time getting out and starting the short hike to the crest of the hill, where their favorite view of the rock awaited.

Ethan led the way as they made the final turn, and headed directly to the spot he had in mind. As he stepped along the trail leading to the bench and the cliff's edge, overlooking Morro Rock and the ocean below, his heart raced. The nerves he felt were nothing compared to the desire in his heart, the complete joy he felt towards this amazing girl.

And just as he had felt the evening of their first kiss, Ethan could wait no longer. Turning back to face Hope, he looked into her eyes, taking the deepest of breaths to steady his speeding heart. Hope looked almost alarmed as she took in Ethan's features. His anxious excitement must have been showing.

"Are you okay?" She asked with concern. She reached up to place her hand on his cheek. That did more to steady him than she could have known.

"I'm perfect, and Hope, it's because of you." Hope smiled at his words. "There is no one in the world that knows me the way you do, I can't believe that I have you here, close to me. And there is no where else I'd want to be standing when I tell you that I love you. I think I've loved you longer than I even know. You're everything to me, Hope."

Hope looked at Ethan, her eyes filled with unshed tears. She looked down at her hands entwined with Ethan's and shook her head. Then, as she looked back up to him, tears freely flowing, she said the words that filled his heart.

"I love you too, Ethan." Hope declared as she threw her arms around his neck. He pulled her close with arms circling her waist. The two stood that way for several minutes, allowing the truth of their love to settle in.

It was Hope who pulled back first, looking deeply into Ethan's eyes, then kissing him with all the love in her heart. Ethan returned the kiss with as much emotion as Hope, reveling in the moment that they had both declared their love, knowing that the best was yet to come. The moment was complete, and the future was ahead.

^^^^^

Authors notes

If you liked it, please tap the star to vote! Thank you so much for reading!

The hilltop is certainly a place for declarations! I wanted to go back in time to the moment Ethan confessed his love. And there it is!

I may have another one shot up soon, this being my summer break I have more time to write! I love it!

Notes on chapter title - more than a feeling by boston

More Than a Feeling is the truth of love. Ethan's love for Hope is more than just attraction or emotion. There is action behind his declaration of love; patience, understanding, acceptance. He shows these actions as much as saying the words.

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