The Walker Of The Realms

Emily was a shy girl with a gentle and caring spirit. Her long black hair flowed down her back, framing her captivating brown eyes. She looked lovely in her simple blue dress for the party, which complemented her modest nature. Dressed simply and without any jewellery, Emily felt both nervous and excited in the presence of her crush, Ethan.

Whenever she heard his name mentioned, a rush of warmth would spread across her cheeks, revealing her secret admiration for him. The way her heart raced whenever he smiled only deepened her feelings, making her hope that one day, she might find the courage to speak him. And today, she found a perfect opportunity.

 "H-hey, Ethan." [She finally managed to say, her voice barely above the whisper. She could feel her heart racing as she turned to face him; her cheeks still flushed.]

Sara and Lily, on the other hand, seemed pleased that she had started a conversation with him. Ethan didn't hear her properly because he was listening to the music with both of air pods in his ears.

Emily felt embarrassed when Ethan didn't answer her. Her cheeks turned red, and she lowered her gaze. Her eyes filled with tears. Sara and Lily watched all this and exchanged sad expression. Sara eventually spoke:

 "Hey, Ethan, what are you doing?" [She said in a very polite voice.]

Ethan still didn't hear what Sara said, so she grew frustrated and spoke up angrily:

 "ETHAN!"

The voice was loud enough to grab Ethan's attention. He removed his air pods and said:

 "Yes, what happened?" [Sara and lily exchanged their looks with each other. Ethan didn't know what was happening and started looking at Lily and Sara in confusion until his gazed finally landed on Emily. He saw that Emily was sitting silently with her head down. He glanced at Sara in a confused manner.]

 "Ethan, 'WINGS HOTEL' is 36 miles away from our house. Do you know that, right?" [Sara said, looking at Ethan]

 "Umm, yes…" [Ethan replied, still confused.]

 "THEN PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN AND ENJOY OUR LITTLE CHIT-CHAT!" [Sara said angrily]

 "Okay-okay, chill out, Sara. Why are you getting so upset"

 "It's because of you. While we're engaged in our conversation, it feels as though your focus is solely on your music. I'd love, if you also join us in our discussion and share your thoughts." [Sara said. Although she claimed that they were having a conversation earlier, but the truth is there's been no conversation happened. She lied so Emily could start a conversation with him.]

 "Ahh, sorry, my bad…" [he was still confused but thought it would be best to put his phone aside, so he eventually put his phone back in his pocket.]

Silence fell over them, and the situation grew awkward. Although Sara had said earlier that they were talking, now that Ethan joined, they all fell silent. Ethan found this situation awkward, not only him - Sara felt awkward too, as she had lied earlier. Emily's gaze remained down the entire time, and Ethan noticed this, so he finally spoke:

 "Is everything alright, Emily?"

Emily didn't respond, lost in her thoughts and anxious that Ethan might finds her strange. Tears welled up in her eyes once more. Ethan, sensing her silence, felt a twinge of confusion; he knew Emily well enough to recognize that she usually replied quickly. Even though they hadn't spoken much in college, he was familiar with her patterns and could sense that something was troubling her.

Ethan gently touched her shoulder and said:

 "Are you alright, Emily?"

His touch completely distracted her from her thoughts. She looked at Ethan with a pale expression on her face. When she saw Ethan's hand on her shoulder, her heart began to race faster, and a red blush appeared on her cheeks. She immediately answered Ethan's question:

 "Y-yes-yes…"

Ethan moved his hand from her shoulder and said frankly:

 "Okay… because the Emily I know never replies late," [He said with a smile.]

Emily's heart skipped a beat as Ethan words hit her ear. She started blushing more. Her heart fluttered, and she felt a unique sensation when Ethan touched her shoulder. She had never felt this way in her entire life. She was blushing so hard now that anyone can notice. Lily and Sara shocked, as they saw Ethan talked to her.

 "I-I've talk-talked to y-you earlier b-but you hadn't responded…" [Emily said, stuttering as she looked at Ethan.]

 "Oh, well, sorry for earlier. Actually, I was so immersed in the music that I didn't realize that you were talking to me. I-I apologize for that…" [Ethan said, embarrassed.]

 "No-no it's alright. You don't need to apologize." [She replied without stuttering.]

Sara and Lily watched carefully as she stopped stuttering. They looked at each other, thinking that she had finally started a conversation with him.

 "Well, if-if you don't mind, may I ask you something?" [Emily said shyly, looking at Ethan.]

 "Yeah sure…"

 "I, um, I saw you in class the other day. You were really into that discussion about horror literature." [She could feel her heart racing as she said this to him.]

 [Ethan looked over, surprised but pleased.] "Oh, yeah? I love horror stories. They're so fascinating, especially the way they explore fear and the unknown. What about you? Do you like horror?"

 [Emily nodded, her confidence slowly building.] "I do! I think it's interesting how different authors create their own monsters and worlds. It's like they're reflecting our deepest fears. But I also liked fantasy and romance stories too."

 "Exactly!" [Ethan replied, his eyes lighting up.] "I just finished reading the novel called 'THE MONSTER'. It's about this terrifying creature that haunts a young man. The writing is so vivid; it really pulls you in."

 [Emily's interest piqued.] "I've heard of that one! What did you think of it?"

 "it's intense." [He leaned back, clearly enjoying the conversation] "The way author describes the monster is chilling" [He felt goosebumps just by thinking of it.]

 "I mean, it's not just a physical threat; it represents something deeper, like the fear of failure or loss. It really got to me. [he continued] it's an exciting horror story, the protagonist had a device that helps him to travel across different worlds..."

[Emily felt a rush of excitement.] "That sounds amazing! I love when stories do that – when they make you think about more than just a plot. It's like they are suggesting there's more to explore in the world."

"Exactly!" [Ethan said again, his enthusiasm infectious.] "The author is telling us that there are more things outside our world."

As they continued to talk, Emily felt a warmth spreading through her. She was surprised at how easy it was to connect and talk with Ethan. The initial awkwardness faded, and they found themselves lost in conversation, sharing their favourite authors and discussing the genres.

Meanwhile, Sara, sitting in the front seat, glanced back at them with a smirk. She was glad to see her brother opening up, especially to her friend Emily. She nudged Lily, who was focused on the road.

 "Look at them! They're actually talking. Emily finally did it."

 [Lily chuckled softly] "It's cute. I never thought Emily also had a lot in common with Ethan. [By saying this sentence, she focused on her driving again.]

Emily was completely immersed in the conversation with Ethan. She smiled and chuckled, enjoying her time with him. Ethan also found this intriguing. He had never opened up to anyone before. He was also laughing and smiling, enjoying Emily's company.

Sara noticed that Emily and Ethan were sitting very close to each other. A small smile escaped from a corner of her lips at the sight of them together.

 [Hearing Ethan's and Emily's discussion earlier, Lily also grew curious about that horror Novel, so she asked, looking at Ethan through rear - view mirror of the car.] "So, Ethan, who's the protagonist in that novel?"

 [Hearing Lily's words and interest in the Novel, Ethan's face lit up,] "Well, his name is Daniel, Daniel Willington. He's the main protagonist in that novel. But I'm still confused, why did author choose him to die at the hands of that monster?" [Ethan said, confused.]

 "Well, the novel name is "THE MONSTER", so maybe author wants a bad ending. [Emily spoke, looking towards Ethan]

 [Hearing this, Ethan entered in his deep thoughts] "Hmmm…" [After a moment, he spoke again] "Well, maybe you're right, Emily, but I don't think that author wants a bad ending…"

 "And how's that. Can you explain yourself a bit more." [Emily asked.]

 "Well, that novel is not in its finale arc… I mean, the author uploads a new chapter every week, especially on Sundays. If he wanted a bad ending, then he should probably announce that the finale arc of the novel begins, but he didn't announce that. Also, I'm not sure if Daniel is dead or not" [Ethan explained]

 "Well, in the latest chapter, he died by the hands of that monster, didn't he?" [Emily said, confused as she looked at Ethan.]

 [Hearing Emily's words, he spoke again.] "Yes, you're right, Emily, but you seem to have forgotten about that device he put inside his coat. That device not only helps him to travel across different worlds but also allows him to regenerate. [Ethan looked at Emily, and when he knew that she wasn't going to ask him a question related to the topic, he continued.] "So, in short, I'm saying that maybe, the author will bring him back to life in the next chapter."

 "Hmmm… that's quite a logical sentence you said, Ethan." [Emily found his reasoning impressive.]

 "Thank you! I'm glad you found my words logical." [Ethan said with a smile on his face.] "Well, I need to wait for a whole week now" [He added with a deep sigh.]

 "Impressive Ethan, your patience is really admirable. I can't wait for that long, especially for a novel…" [Sara said, looking shocked]

 "Hahahaha, well, that's because you don't like to read novels like Emily and I do. [Ethan teased sara with a laugh, but his gaze was on Emily, waiting for her response.]

 "Yes, you're right." [She replied genuinely.]

 "Oh, shut up, you two!" [She said, her annoyance evident in her tone.]

All three of them started laughing, and eventually, Sara joined in. The atmosphere in the car was happy and lively. Lily and Sara looked towards Ethan and Emily, both enjoying their time together. Sara smiled gently as she saw them together.

 "I never seen Emily laugh so heartly with us. I mean, she just giggle and chuckles with us, but look at her right now. She really likes your brother, Sara." [Lily whispered to Sara, so only she could hear.]

Sara nodded and smiled gently in response. She was happy that her brother might be getting a girlfriend soon, especially her friend, Emily.

They finally reached at "WINGS HOTEL", after driving continuously for one hour straight. Ethan and Emily were so deep in their conversation that they didn't even realise when the hotel arrived. Seeing this, Sara laughed and interrupt them:

 "Maybe your conversation is still not over, since you both didn't notice that we reached our destination…"

Hearing Sara's interruption, they both started blushing. Ethan somewhat found this strange, that he didn't notice they arrived at the hotel. He thought about how he had never opened up to anyone like this before. He really enjoyed that one hour with Emily, to the point where he didn't even notice anyone else's presence.

 All four them removed their seatbelt and started getting out of the car one by one. Sara and Lily moved forward to enter the hotel from the parking area, while Ethan and Emily followed behind them.

 "I really found this one-hour trip interesting Emily; thanks to you. I never opened up myself like this before." [Ethan said to Emily with a gentle smile.]

 [Hearing Ethan's words, her heart skipped a beat. She started blushing again, but this time it felt different. She was truly immersed in their conversation.] "I'm glad, you enjoy my company. I also liked our conversation." [She replied with a smile.]