Long Distance

This.

[Ethan]

I pulled into Aria's driveway, shifting the gear into park and turning towards her. She had remained quiet the entire car ride except for her occasional sniffles.

"I'm sorry," I apologized again. I knew she hated me, and tonight probably made that feeling even more strong.

"Thank you," she replies taking me by surprise. I was expecting a "stay out of my life" or "I hate you" but never a "thank you." I didn't really respond but instead, I gave her a small smile.

At that moment, all I wanted to do was kiss her and just tell her that everything was going to be okay. I wanted to be the one to protect her every day and be able to call her mine. I had to tell her how I felt.

I decided to walk her up to the door and right before she could slip inside, I spoke up.

"Can I tell you something?" Her eyes directed towards me before she nodded her head. Okay Ethan, now's your chance. You can do this.

"Ever since I met you," I begin to recite the words I've been practicing since the day I had planned to tell her how I felt. "I felt something that I had never felt."

Her eyes were now solely focused on me, not a tear in sight.

"What do you mean?" She furrowed her eyebrows. Fuck how was I gonna do this? I couldn't just tell her I was in love with her. I hesitated to answer, knowing that telling her how I felt would only freak her out.

"You know what Ethan, thanks for the ride, good-" she began to turn around before I cut her off by pulling her back to face me and pushing her against the door. She was now facing me, and surprisingly, she wasn't retaliating. Instead, she was frozen in place, awaiting my next move.

"Ever since I met you," I breathed, putting my hands on both sides of her face. "I've wanted to do this." I press my lips against hers, and for a minute, I feel like my life isn't a waste. I felt happy, and I felt hopeful that one day, she'd love me back.

What surprised me the most was the fact that she wasn't pushing me away. She was kissing back. Her hands found their way to my neck and she pulled me against her. My hands traveled down to her hips as we continued to kiss each other on her porch.

[Aria]

I couldn't quite comprehend what was happening. All I knew was that I wasn't pulling back, and I didn't necessarily want to.

Ethan liked me. Regardless of what he said the day I showed up at his house, he liked me. But I wasn't sure I felt the same. I was in a relationship. A relationship that was currently hanging by a thread, however, it wasn't right for me to be doing this. Mason was the love of my life, and even though the person I saw tonight was a different side of him, I knew the old Mason was still in there.

I hadn't realized how long we had been kissing until I pulled back abruptly. Ethan had an unreadable expression on his face. It didn't take long for the guilt to start settling in me once again. How could I do this again? How could I do this to Mason?

"I can't do this." Was all I said before turning and slipping into my house, leaving Ethan outside. I stood against the closed door, sliding down to the ground and instantly breaking down.

I couldn't forget what happened at the party, nor what happened just seconds ago. What did this mean? It couldn't mean anything. It didn't mean anything.

I wiped the tears from my eyes before standing up and heading upstairs to try and get some sleep.

_____________

[Mason]

I woke up to a sharp pain piercing through my head. It wasn't until I tried sitting up that I realized my body was sore too. I didn't remember anything from last night except the fact that I had found that group of boys smoking.