Demi Imagines 3.0

27,000 Words

You're stuck with a broken heart and 27,000 words you can't read without crying.

"I think I've fallen into a rut," you tell her, and your best friend looks to you, lowering her book.

"Why?"

"I can't write anymore," you respond, staring at your blank screen. The flashing curser seems to mock you. You can't even write anymore! Who are you kidding, calling yourself a writer? I laugh! Ha! Haha!

"Now that's bullshit," Demi says, cutting off the curser's mocking.

"It's true," you respond, lowering your head into your hands. "It's too hard. I can't do this anymore."

"What do you mean it's too hard? You breathe writing."

"Not anymore."

"Why not, then? What the fuck happened?" she runs a hand through her hair and moves closer to you.

You know what happened. You just hadn't been able to tell her about it because you were too heartbroken about it. Voicing it would make it real, and you hadn't been ready for that.

"I know you were in love and it didn't work out," she says softly. "I can tell. I knew you didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't ask. But you can talk to me," she says, smiling slightly in an attempt to reassure you.

Only somehow, that makes you feel even worse. You didn't even have the decency to tell her.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You don't owe me or anyone an apology."

"I should have told you."

"No. You have a right to your own feelings and thoughts. I'm not entitled to know everything about you," she responds. You look into her eyes. You don't know how you got so lucky. She's the most understanding, kind, and incredible person you've ever met. She's always there for you, no matter what the situation. She's always reliable and never fails to support you. Even when you're being a dumbass.

You let out a breath and smile slightly. "I really fucking love you. You know that, right?"

"I do. And I love you, too. Even when you're being a stubborn bitch," she replies.

You laugh slightly. She's right. You can be a stubborn bitch quite a bit.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that."

"Shut up. You know I love your stubbornness. How else could we have come this far?" she laughs.

The thing about Demi is, she always knows how to talk to you. She always says the right things. No matter how bad things seem, she can make it all better. You couldn't have asked for a better best friend.

"Now, you need to tell me why you're being extra pupset today," she says, leaning back on her hands and looking to you pointedly.

You let out a breath. "Let's go with the simple version. I was in love with someone for like...a long time. I didn't really want to admit it because I was scared that would make it real. When I told them how I felt, they just...didn't feel the same way. But that wasn't before I wrote about them. A lot."

"Okay we just bash this person's head in. Problem solved." She shrugs, making you nearly snort.

"Yeah. I guess."

"But that's not it, is it?"

"No. I spent several hours reading over the story I'd written." You look down at your hands. "It was devastating."

"Is that why you can't write anymore?"

"Maybe. It's a contributing factor. It's just, the story itself wasn't bad. My writing wasn't bad. If anything, it was actually halfway decent—which made it even worse."

"A little too real?"

You nod. "I could feel how I felt when I was writing it and how I fell in love. And then there's how I feel now, which encompasses both that faded love and heartbreak." You bite your lip, pausing before you start crying again. "It's looking back on something that could have been and hasn't come true."

"But you probably dodged a bullet," she offers.

"I know. I know I did, honestly. But you know how hearts can be illogical," you say, laughing slightly. Even you can hear the bitterness in your voice. You sigh. "I used to never have troubles with love. I wrote about it a lot, but it was never real."

"Hey you love me," she complains, making you laugh.

"I do love you. When it's reciprocated, it's not bad. I know you love me," you tell her, and she raises an eyebrow.

"You know how you love me, though?"

"Unconditionally?"

"That too," she says. "But like do you love love me?"

"Yeah obviously."

"You're not getting what I mean," she says, and you chew your lip. In reality, you do know what she's getting at. You're just not sure if you're ready to open that door yet. "I mean like...would you date me?"

You look into her brown eyes. She's never looked this vulnerable, and you know it's because she's never opened up her heart like this.

You think about what you've been through. You think about what she's been through. Love can never live up to your imagination. But unless you give it a chance, it can't even try.

You smile slightly. "Yeah."

———

Sometimes you need to open up a new door to fully close the last one. Now you have a full heart and 27,000 words that are just a story. Nothing more, nothing less.

A/N

sorry I hadn't been updating. A lot has been going on, but I'm feeling better now.

I just felt like my writing was kinda

not going well—which was true. It was going horrendously. I couldn't write anything worth anything. I did have inspiration, but I was scared to use it. I still kinda am.

I'm working through it.