The One That Got Away - Ethan Torchio Fanfic

Possibility

"Have you ever watched The Notebook?"

As if we were part of an indivisible pack, Damiano and I spend the rest of the day together. While he wrote the lyrics of a new song, I read a book next to him, we cooked and ate lunch together, spent some time sunbathing or watching a show as we waited for the girls to come back, anything to not be alone in a room with Ethan. It wasn't part of the plan, and I knew that it a wasn't a very mature behavior, but Damiano could sense that I wasn't ready to face him again, so everytime Ethan appeared in the same room we were, we would just wrap it up and move to another place. I knew we had to talk again, and I'm sure he knew that as well, but I just wasn't ready and, most important, I was afraid that we would make things even worse.
"I think he knows that you're avoiding him." Damiano broke the silence, making me look up from the book I was pretending to read. "And you've been on the same page for the last fifteen minutes."
"Yeah, I don't think I could make it more obvious." I sighed softly, closing the book and placing it on the coffee table.
"You could try to talk with him." He shrugged lightly, his gaze still on his lyrics notebook. "Although, your complicated relationship is serving me as an inspiration."
"I just don't know what to tell him to make things better." I shook my head, moving closer to get a look of whatever he was writing. "Wait, are writing a song about us?"
"Not literally about you two, but about the situation you are living." He nodded, showing me his notebook. "It's about when you hurt someone you love, and then you realize your mistake, how much you still love that person but don't know how to get that person back."
"Why do I feel you know what you're talking about?" I raised my eyebrows, tilting my head to look at him.
"We all have some skeletons in our closets, Macaron." He shrugged lightly, sighing as he took one more look at his notebook before closing it. "But there's a difference between you and I, and it's that I don't wish to get her back in my life."

Maybe it was the exhaustion caused by the fight with Ethan, or how comfortable I was around Damiano since we started the plan, but we both fell asleep while we talked about random things.
The giggles coming from Elle and Victoria was what woke us up from our not planned nap.
"Awww! Aren't you two cute?" Elle and Victoria were standing in front of the couch, laughing while they looked down at us.
"Wait, let me take a picture!" Victoria quickly grabbed her phone from her bag and took a picture as I rubbed my eyes and looked up at Damiano who had one arm wrapped around my shoulders. "So cute."
"Elle, I was starting to like you, but you're getting as annoying as her." Damiano nodded, pointing his finger from Elle to Victoria. "I'm going to write some more before I start to hate you two, see you later." He turned to me, leaning to kiss the top of my head before grabbing his notebook from the coffee table and leaving the living room.
"Are you going to explain what's going on?" I decided to ignore the looks coming from the two girls who were still standing in front of the couch as we heard Damiano closing his bedroom's door, I knew how it could look from someone who didn't know our secret, and at this point I didn't care because wether the plan worked or not, this plan has created a bond between us and I knew that I would always have a good friend in Damiano.
"I've said many times that we are friends, nothing else, nothing more." I shrugged lightly, turning to stand up. "Neither of you are accepting that explanation, so I'm not going to try to convince you anymore."
"Alright, since you're still stubborn and refuse to admit that something is going on between you two, would you at least help us set everything for movie night?" Victoria raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at me.
"That's something I can do." I quickly nodded, not wasting any time as I turned to walk outside. "C'mon, let's go!"

We spent the next two hours setting the outdoor cinema, we decided to place the big screen in front of the backyard's entrance, facing the swimming pool in case someone wanted to watch the movie from the pool. Somehow, the girls had been able to rent a popcorn and cotton candy machines, that were placed on one side of backyard, on the opposite side we set one more table for the drinks and the rest of the food, that was already ordered and would arrive around dinner time.
The last thing we did was placing the different types of seats, outdoor poufs and inflatable couches were placed between the screen at the pool while Victoria decided to add some led lights over the fence.
Happy with the final result, we decided to take a shower and change our clothes until the food would arrived.

Even though I took my time getting ready, wanting to avoid to be alone with Ethan as I knew he was always the first one finishing getting ready, the backyard was empty when I walked out.
"The food just arrived." Ethan's voice startled me as he also walked outside carrying a million of boxes.
"Here, let me help you." I quickly nodded, reaching to get some of the boxes before following him towards the empty table.
"There's enough food to feed like twenty people here." He chuckled lightly, shaking his head as he took a look at the different boxes.
"Yeah, that's what happens when Elle and Victoria plan something. They get out of control." I looked at him, nodding as I laughed softly.
"This looks great, though." He turned to look around, the sun was slowly setting and the led lights were already on, so the atmosphere surrounding us was kind of romantic. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I had no right to judge you. You are free to do whatever you want with your life and it's none of my business."
"Ethan, don't be, please." I quickly shook my head, stepping in front of him. "I understand why it could hurt or annoy you to see me with Damiano, but I promise you that there's nothing between us apart from an honest and innocent friendship." There was also a shared plan in that friendship, but he didn't need to know that information.
"Are you sure?" He raised his eyebrows, and I could swear I saw something like hope in his eyes. "You don't have any feelings for him?"
"The only feelings I have are friendship ones, and I'm hundred percent sure of that." I nodded, smiling as he suddenly looked relieved with my answer. "I would never move on with one of your best friends, I'm just trying to make up for the lost time. Because I did not only lose you, I also lost them."
"And what about me?" He arched one eyebrow, giving me one more look before turning to sit down at one of the couches, tapping the empty spot next to him.
"What about you?" I looked at him confused, following and sitting next to him as he motioned me to do.
"Will you try to make up for the lost time?" That was probably the last thing I was expecting him to ask, and probably because of the surprise a part of me felt he was testing me.
"Do you want me to do it?" I looked at him, holding my breath as I waited for him to answer. I knew I did, but I desperately needed to know if, somehow, we were on the same page.

Do you need me to spell it out loud, Amélie?"

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I know some of you ship Dami with Amélie, but her heart belongs to one man.
I hope you liked it!
Love,
A