Ethan was anxious about this next move with Esther. He came to the front door and his hand is shaking. Esther came up to him quietly. “Ethan. Are you ok?” He took a deep breath. “I’m alright Esther. Just nervous.” Esther started to giggle. “Why are you nervous?” “It’s a big step for the both of us. I’m so scared I might fucked it up.” Esther holds his hand. “Ethan. We’ve been together for 2 years. It’s been a long time coming that we have a place for ourselves. Away from our families. Just you and I. Together.” Ethan used the key to unlock the door. When they came to the basement house, it was everything that they wanted. A couch, bed, a small coffee table, and another office table for Esther’s work-from-home job.

They looked around the house to see if there was anything that’s been missing. “So. Is this everything you wanted Ethan,” asked Esther. He replied “It’s a lot to take in. But it’s nice to have some peace and quiet. How about you?” “I’m so proud of us of how far we come,” said Esther. She kissed Ethan on the cheek. “Come. There’s so much to do.” She grabbed his hand and went to the car and began unloading their belongings. 

6 months has passed. Ethan and Esther have settled in, Esther is working from home and Ethan is hard at work. One evening, Esther was making dinner. She’s making her family’s spaghetti and meatballs. She got the call that Ethan was coming home early today. About a half hour later, Ethan was home. “Hey baby,” Esther said. “How’s work?” Ethan groaned in pain. Esther turned around to Ethan. Ethan has a major burn on his left arm. His arm was wrapped with gauze and tape. She gasped. “What the hell happened,” she screamed. “One of my guys accidentally dropped a pot of creamy mushroom sauce,” Ethan said. “I caught the pot. But my arm got burned in the process.” She sighed and turned off the stove to help Ethan. She held his hand and walked him to the couch. “Sit,” she said. “Let’s see it.” Ethan sat down and started to unwrap the tape and gauze. He screamed in pain. “Easy there,” she said. Esther took a good look at his wound. “It’s still very hot. You need to run it with cold water. You do that. I’ll get some aloe Vera and more gauze.” Ethan nodded. “Yes, nurse.” Esther chuckled and went to the medical closet and look for her supplies.

Ethan went to the bathroom and began rinsing his arm with cold water. It stings, but he’s used to the pain. The sound of the running water reminds him of his dish pit at work. He can still hear the sound of the dishwasher in his head. The constant sizzle on his frying pan and the roaring sound of the oven put him in a tense state. Esther knocks on the bathroom door and peeks inside. “Ethan. Are you ok?” “I’m fine, thanks,” he replied. “I’m just about to pat dry the wound.” Esther puts on a thin layer of aloe Vera after he dries off. She began wrapping his arm with gauze. Ethan sighs. Esther knows there’s something wrong. “Let me guess. You’re still thinking about work?” Ethan stutters. “No. Well, maybe. Yes.” She shook her head. “I know you worked really hard. You trained your team. They trust you that you’re doing the right thing at work. All they want is that you need to trust them so that they can get the job done. Even though you’re not there.” Ethan smiles and replies, “Okay.” “Good,” she said. She grabbed a plastic bag and rubber bands. Ethan looks confused. “Um. What are you doing?” Esther cut a hold on the other side of the bag, put Ethan’s arm in it, and tied it with rubber bands. “You need a shower because you smelled like sweat and burnt shit. So I wrapped your arm with this so your arm doesn’t get wet.” She began walking out of the bathroom. “Dinner is almost ready so I’ll wait for you.” Ethan nods.

After 15 minutes, Ethan got out of the shower and went to the kitchen. “Oh, man. Something smells good,” he said. Esther has the table set up with the pasta. “Come. Let’s eat,” she said. They sat down and began enjoying their meal. Ethan likes her cooking. “So. What do you think?” Esther asked. He nodded. “Very good. You’re taking cues from the master now,” he’s talking with his mouth full. Esther laughed. “Remember that time we brought my drunk roommate back to my dorms and all we craved was pasta.” Ethan chuckled. “Yeah,” he replied. “I also remembered the time that I accidentally used a canned pasta sauce that expired 2 months ago.” Esther laughed. “That’s right! And what did you call the pasta?” “It’s made with fermented tomatoes.” They both laughed. She stood up. “Since we’re both done eating, I’m going to do the dishes.” Ethan grabbed her hand. “No I got it,” he said. “You cooked. I’ll clean. You take a shower. You smell like oil and aloe Vera.” Esther smirked. “Yea yea.”

Once Ethan finished his pasta, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He’s trying to get his mind off work. After 15 minutes, he grabbed the dishes and began to wash the dishes. The sound of the running water still reminds him of the dish pit at work. He continues mindlessly washing the dishes. Then suddenly, he felt a warm touch on his neck. He gasped. “Don’t worry. It’s me.” It was Esther. She was wearing her bathrobe. She hugged Ethan by the back. “It’s me. I’m here for you.” Ethan held her hand and gave it a kiss. “Dishes are almost done,” he said calmly. She let go of him and went back to the bathroom. 

It didn’t take long until Ethan had finished with the dishes. While wiping down the kitchen table, he heard Esther connecting her phone to their speaker. Ethan smiled. She went to the kitchen with the speaker when Ethan was wiping down the stove which had numerous tomato stains. Esther was trying to find a song that they both enjoyed listening to. She found a song that they always dance to. “Better Place” by Rachel Platten. She qued up the song while Ethan was just finishing up the stove. Esther came up to Ethan and hugged him from behind again. She giggled. Ethan chuckled. “Kitchen is clean. What now?” Their song came up. “Oh. I see.”

Ethan turned around to Esther and put his arms around her waist. Esther puts her arms around his neck. They began slow dancing in the kitchen. It feels like time has stopped. They looked into each other eyes. Ethan never felt so safe around her and Esther is so happy that Ethan is with her, emotionally and finally unwinding. He began kissing her neck. Esther sighs with pleasure. “Ethan,”  Esther said. He looked into her eyes and put her hand on her warm cheek. “Promise me that you’ll never stop loving us.” He nodded. He began singing the last part of the song. “Now I’m alright. Now I’m alright. Everything’s alright. Cause it feels like I’ve opened my eyes again. And the colors are golden and bright again. There’s a song in my heart, I feel like I belong. It’s a better place since you came along.” They touch their foreheads and Esther finishes the song. “It’s a better place since you came along.”