Can't Get You Out of My Head (please get out of my head I'm begging) (bxb)

4 | um, the view is supposed to be the town...not the boy sitting next to you

"A viewpoint over the city?" Ethan sounds more excited at the prospect than I thought he would be. "Hell yes, I love looking at cities!" I bet it's beautiful up there. I want to see the clock tower from above. Ooh! I wonder if I can spot my house from up there.

I can't help smiling at his train of thought. We start down Main Street and I nod towards the bookstore. "Oma owns this place—that's my grandma, I call her Oma—we have the joint record and bookstore, and the flat upstairs."

"Oh you live here too?" Ethan tips his head up. His balcony is right opposite my balcony! If I go out there would I see him? "We're neighbours."

Ethan stares into the window of the bookstore as we walk past. This place hasn't been open since I got here...I wonder if there's a library in town?

I bite my lip, not wanting to reply to his unsaid thoughts. Our town is small enough that the bookstore doubles as a library. We have little reading nooks and customers can rent out books too. It just hasn't been open since Oma can't run it anymore, and I can't be in two places at once.

"That's the cinema." I nod towards the old-fashioned movie theatre. The exterior is adorned with glowing lights. There are a few classics playing, mostly films the townsfolk have been thinking about lately. An old friend of mine, Tobias, runs the place, and he regularly picks people's brains on what they would like to watch so that he can play it for them.

We stroll down Main Street and I watch Ethan as he takes in the elegant facades and arched windows of the shops with their vintage signage. I point out the diner and the ice cream shop as we pass them by, and then we're at the town square. The clock tower is adorned with stained glass, its dial showing that it's close to 10pm. Ethan stumbles on the uneven cobblestone road as we come to a halt by the fountain.

"I didn't realize this was a wishing fountain," he exclaims, leaning over the side of it. Water sprays into his face, wetting the hair around his forehead and making it even curlier. Beads of water hang on his dark locks and drip onto long lashes. He blinks them away.

I glance into the fountain. Coins glint at the bottom, the light of the moon catching the silver and gold. A figure sits at the top of the fountain, sculpted from marble. It's in a thinking pose, hand to it's chin. Fitting for this town.

Ethan digs through his pockets, his face falling. "Oh...do you have a coin?"

I do but I shake my head, pretending to check my jeans. Private wishes aren't private here, and I don't want to eavesdrop on his.

I'll remember to bring one next time, I want to wish that....

"Look at the clock tower!" I burst out, interrupting his thoughts. My cheeks turn red when he starts at my sudden exclamation.

"It's beautiful," he agrees. Lukas is so cute. Is he blushing? It's too dark to tell....

I turn away before Ethan can scrutinize me. "The overlook isn't far from here."

We have to climb quite a bit. It's difficult to see the ridges in the ground but I know my way up on instinct. I grab Ethan's hand to help him up. When our skin touches, he thinks a million things that make me flush to the roots of my hair. I can only be grateful for the dim lighting of the crescent moon.

When we get to the top, Ethan sucks in a breath. There's a panoramic view of the town laid out before us. Street lamps provide enough light to make out the shapes of buildings, and the fountain glimmers like a tiny speck.

Ethan cranes his neck. "I can see the lights of the cinema. The record store must be more to the left."

"You'd be able to see more during the daytime." I sit on a rock, folding my elbows over my knees.

"I like how it is now." A gleam of fireflies buzz around his hair like a halo. They highlight the golden flecks in his dark caramel hair. It's so beautiful.

I start, not knowing whether the thought came from him or me. "Did you say something?"

"Hm?" Ethan lilts his head towards me. "No, I was just thinking it's pretty up here." He pauses. "It's so different from Florida—that's where I'm from. But this place is kind of...magical."

"Oh. Yeah." I tug on the hair curling at the nape of my neck. "It is."

The chirp of crickets fill the air, and it throws us into silence. It's a nice silence—Ethan's head is empty for once. I don't think I've ever heard him go this long without a thought.

A light breeze ruffles his curly hair. It blows into his brown eyes and he brushes it away. He is in a trance almost, calm and peaceful as he serenely drinks in the view.

I tear my eyes away and try to look at the view as well.

A/n: yes, Ethan is Florida Man™ 🤣

Also! I've made a Spotify playlist for this book! You can search me on Spotify at @itsmeimthevampire and the playlist is named under this book title. There's a song for each chapter so I'm also adding them on here (at the top^)

The playlist is still a work in progress, so if this book reminds you of any song drop it in the comments and I'll add it in!! <3