Page 99 of Ethan & Grace

We were still lying in his bed, the only change being the trolley beside us with the remains of the breakfast we’d ordered an hour ago.

“I thought I could wear the dress I wore to my aunt’s wedding,” I said. It wasn’t an expensive designer piece from a high-end shop on Bond Street, but it hadn’t been cheap either, and the deep-red fabric was elegant enough for this kind of event.

“OK. I just wanted to make sure.”

I looked up at Ethan. “If I’d said no, would you have been a gentleman and offered me your credit card, like Henry did for Kate before the Halloween Ball?”

“She had his credit card and picked out that dress?”

“Hey,” I smacked his chest playfully. “Don’t be so mean.”

“I’m just being honest. Don’t get me wrong, she looked good that night, but I doubt the dress cost more than fifty pounds. And I’m saying this as someone who doesn’t have a clue about fashion.”

I grumbled. “It cost twenty pounds, and she got it in a secondhand shop. Kate didn’t want to use Henry’s card back then because she didn’t want to end up being even more in his debt. Which was very wise of her.”

“Would you use my card if I gave it to you?”

“Totally! I’d go wild with it, and you’d feel the pinch.”

Ethan kissed my forehead. “It’s sweet that you think you could spend enough to actually hurt me.”

“I’d go to some really expensive jewellers and buy myself new rings,” I said, lifting my hand to show him the ones I already had. Today I wore a selection of silver rings, several on each finger. My collection included both gold and silver pieces, because I saw no reason to choose. I liked both, sometimes even in combination, playing with the contrast between the metals.

“Don’t you have enough already?”

I gasped indignantly. “You can never have enough rings!”

Ethan took my wrist and turned my hand to get a closer look. “Have you always been into rings?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I’ve been collecting them for years now,” I replied, watching as he twiddled them like I often did when I was nervous. “My parents gave me my first one during a holiday in Scotland. Since then, whenever I visit a new place, I buy at least one more. And I also get a lot as gifts from friends and relatives.”

“How many do you have?”

“I don’t know. Fifty? Sixty? Maybe more.”

“Then you won’t miss this one.” He pulled off a ring shaped like a coiled snake and tried to slip it onto his own index finger, but it got stuck at the knuckle. “Can I keep this one?”

“What? No! It’s mine!” I tried to grab the ring back, but he held his arm out of reach. I climbed over his chest to get it, but he wouldn’t give it back.

“Ethan!” I protested, grabbing his upper arm.

Laughing, he rolled over, and we tussled playfully as I attempted to reclaim my ring—which wasn’t even that important to me—and Ethan fought to hold on to it.

“You have to admit that it suits me way better,” he said with an amused smile.

Our scuffle had left the sheets in complete disarray, and now I was straddling Ethan’s stomach. “It doesn’t even fit you,” I countered, laughing, and reached for his hand—only for him to pinch my nipple impishly through the fabric of my T-shirt. It wasn’t painful, but it was hard enough to throw me off balance. I squealed and let go of his hand. “Hey!”

Grinning, he slid the ring off his index finger and onto his pinkie, where it slipped down to the base. “What are you talking about? It’s a perfect fit. Like it was made for me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine, I’ll lend it to you. But you have to give it back.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Ethan,” I chided.

“OK, I promise,” he said, and slipped the hand wearing the ring to the back of my neck. In one smooth motion, he pulled me close, sealing his promise.

37