[ONC2024] Everyone can read minds except for Ethan Langdon. And Ethan Langdon has the dumbest (and cutest!) thoughts Lukas Hoffmann has ever heard.
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Lukas Hoffman's life in Brambleburg is about as boring as you'd expect for a town where everyon...
I'm behind the counter at the record store, and Ethan is behind the counter next door. His thoughts echo in my mind, heightened and intensified. His slightest movements are increased tenfold within my muscles. When he taps his fingers on the spine of a book, I have to keep myself from doing the same on the counter. I can feel his heart beating against my own chest. It falls into rhythm with mine.
Oma smirks at me from across the room. It didn't take so long, did it?
I groan inside my head, pressing my face into my hands. Of course everyonealready knows about this recent development. There were only a handful of customers here this morning, but it must have spread to the whole town by now.
"You should go next door and tell him," Oma says.
"Tell him what?"
"That you're in love with him, of course."
Don't say that out loud! My cheeks turn bright red. "He has no idea at all," I whisper. "I can't just spring that on him!"
She shrugs. "You know he likes you too."
"But he doesn't know that I know!"
It's usually so simple to ask someone out in this town. You don't even have to ask. Confessing your love would never come as a huge surprise. You'd already know each others feelings...and I don't think anyone really bothers to voice them out aloud.
You should stop moping around and just go tell him.
"Oma!" I exclaim.
She lifts one shoulder in a half shrug. "I can't help my thoughts, dear."
I exhale loudly. Ethan is flipping through an old edition of some book. I can smell the musty pages and it's calming in a way. At least, it makes him feel calm, and I feel his calmness secondhand. In truth, I'm more nervous and fidgety than I have ever been in my whole life.
A smile paints my face as I listen to his thoughts on the book. The pages feel thin and brittle but he handles it with care. I'm glad I don't have any tastebuds on my hands...I bet this paper would taste really bad. Not like nice fresh notebook paper.
I screw up my nose in disgust. Why the hell is he eating paper?
Oma glances over at me. I'm sure he's not eating it on purpose, Lukas.
"How can you eat paper accidentally?" I demand.
"You should give him the benefit of the doubt."
Whatever. I roll my eyes.
Despite all his random thoughts—or maybe because of them—I love the stupid paper-eater.
"I don't understand why you're dragging your feet on this," Oma says. "There's nothing standing in the way of you dating."
"No, but there's- it's...well, what about you and Sebastian?" I shoot back, changing the topic. "You already know you like each other, and you're still avoiding him."
She harrumphs. "I'm not avoiding him." We've been friends for so long and I'm scared of things changing, and I miss your grandfather...and I feel like I would be disrespecting his memory. "It's complicated."
I bite my lip. "Oma- I—"
"Don't worry about me." It's something I need to work through on my own. She sniffs in disdain, batting the duster my way. "It's none of your business, really."
Well that's rich coming from her. But I don't want to press the matter. Everyone deserves their privacy, even in a town like this.
Oma has the decency to look a bit contrite. "I'm going to pop over to the store to get some milk." And give you some alone time.
"Could you grab some eggs too, please?" I want to see him so badly.
"Of course." She cracks a smile. Tell the paper-eater I said hi.
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