IT WAS JUST ANOTHER BOOK SIGNING. Nothing great, Ethan continuously told himself, begging his hot wired nerves to calm down with aspirin in his veins. The understanding of why he felt so giddy that day still hadn’t crossed Ethan’s mind, no, not even a hint; he only sits there, rewarding hungry fans with plastic smiles & shaking hands with those who seemed to know more about his own world than he did. He should’ve been OVERJOYED, not doubled over with plaguing worry & unnecessary incompetence; how many have gotten this far at his age?

BUT HE WAS SELFISH. Worried only over his own incomprehensibly declining mood, Ethan hurried quickly through each visitor as he gave his manager a weary glance, one full of either misery or strain. He wanted to ESCAPE, to focus on something that didn’t involve so many people, but he knew he must finish this. So he takes another book, only looking up when he’s near finishing the sentences of “Hi! Thanks for coming, who should I make this book out to?” before he stops short with SURPRISE; he was here.

❝——Cain?❞