Emily had prayed — silently, urgently — that Ethan would decline Mia's teasing invitation.
But of course, he didn't.
"I'll stay," he said simply, strolling past her into the choir room like he'd been part of the congregation all his life.
The room went quiet, all eyes on the tall stranger in black who somehow didn't look out of place and yet absolutely did. He didn't take a seat in the back like a normal visitor. No — Ethan chose the front bench, directly across from Emily's spot in the soprano row.
She shot him a warning glare. He returned it with a slow, lazy smile that said I'm not moving.
Sister Agnes, clearly unsure what to do, cleared her throat. "Alright, everyone, from the top. Page twenty-three. And… sing!"
The piano started again. Emily tried to focus on the lyrics, on the notes, on anything except the fact that Ethan was watching her with the kind of attention that made it feel like the whole room had shrunk to just the two of them.
Halfway through the hymn, she realized he was mouthing along to the words. Not singing — mouthing. And worse… he knew them.
When they finished, Mia leaned toward her with a smirk. "Your friend knows church songs? This keeps getting better."
"He's not my friend," Emily hissed.
"I heard that," Ethan said, still lounging comfortably.
Sister Agnes announced a short break, and the moment she stepped away, Ethan stood, crossing the room in two strides. "You were flat on the last verse."
Emily gaped at him. "Excuse me?"
He shrugged. "Just saying. You can do better."
Her jaw dropped, and Mia let out a laugh loud enough for half the choir to hear. Within seconds, three more girls were whispering in the corner, and one of the tenors pulled out his phone like he was ready to record whatever this was.
Emily wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
Ethan, on the other hand, looked like he was enjoying every second.
When the break ended, he didn't leave. He stayed — all the way until Sister Agnes closed the hymn book and dismissed everyone.
As Emily tried to escape, Ethan fell into step beside her.
"Do you make a habit of stalking people in church?" she asked under her breath.
"Only the interesting ones," he replied without missing a beat.
By the time they stepped outside, the entire choir had enough material to keep the gossip mill turning for weeks.
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