Only friends - Dolan Twins fan fiction

1

Ethan's POV-

Her laugh.
God her fucking laugh.
When she titled her head back, nose scrunched up, eyes shut, beautiful echoes of her happiness filling the room.
Something in me lived for when I made her laugh.
Like I was in awe of her joy.
And everytime it was a genuine laugh, small pig like snorts would escape her nose.
She would get so embarrassed when I called her out on it.
She'd stop laughing and furrow her eyebrows, just to scrunch up her nose again and burst out laughing when she saw me trying to contain my laughter.
"Ethan I'm going to miss this." She sighed, a smile still lit across her face.
"Me too." I said coming down from a fit of laughter.
"I'll miss you." She smiled, looking into my eyes.
And her eyes.
Literally pools of blue.
I just wanted to stare in them all day.
But everytime I told her how beautiful her eyes were she'd deny it and blush.
Which made me blush and go awkward.
"Do you really have to go?" I asked, in hope she would turn around and say
You know what Ethan, I'm going to stay here.
"It'll be a good experience, an amazing experience. I'll be back before you know it." She smiled again.
"Okay." I sighed. Looking down and my hands. I felt her scoot closer to me and my heart race increased.
"Hey." She said pulling my face up to meet hers. "You're my best friend, and just think when I'm back we've got all the time in the world?" She reassured me.
"Yeah you're right." Her hands still cupped around my chin.
"I love you Emma."
"God, E I love you too. You're like a brother to me."
A brother?
A fucking brother?
No, Grayson was a brother to her.
I wanted to be something more than just an annoying brother.
"Uh-Yeah." I fake smiled, and I know she saw it.
We sat in silence for a few seconds as she let go of my face.
"Hey Ethan?"
"Mhm?" I said turning to see her furrowed eyebrows, she was thinking about something.
"You won't forget me will you?"
My heart stopped.
How on earth could I forget her?
"Of course not. How could I? You mean everything to me? I've known you my whole life."
"Ethan?"
"Yeh?"
"Can I do something?" She asked.
"Like wha-" and I didn't have time to finish my sentence before she collided her lips with mine.
They moved in sync and I had waited for this moment my whole life.
Our body's closer than they'd ever been.
I moved my hands to her face and tucked her beautiful dark locks behind her ear.
She pulled away, my lips already feeling a lack of connection.
Holy shit. That was my first kiss.
"Please don't forget me Ethan."
I rested my head against hers and closed my eyes.
This was the best, yet worst moment of my life.
"Never." I whispered.

—12 months later—

"Dude, guess what?!" Grayson shouted running into my room.
"Dude what.." I said rolling my eyes, continuing on playing the Xbox. I twiddled with the buttons trying my hardest to win, I knew Graysons comment would be something irrelevant like the new season of stranger things comes out in a few days, or something along those lines.
"Emma comes home in 3 weeks! 3 weeks."
My heart stopped.
My breathing quickened.
My palms became sweaty and I was no longer focused on the game, I was just thinking about her face. How excited I was to hold her again.
"She does?" I said, trying to not show how excited it was.
"Yeah, were all throwing her a welcome home dinner, you're coming right?" He asked.
"Yeah why wouldn't I?" I said turning off the console and throwing my control on the chair. I slumped down into my bed and looked up at the ceiling.
"Um, Olivia?" He said.
My eyes widened.
Shit.

I hadn't told Emma about Olivia. I hadn't spoken to Emma a lot, she was travelling so much it was hard to catch her. So how could I tell her that I had moved on and found myself a girlfriend? Truthfully after Emma left I had become quite a player, and I wasn't proud of it. Girls started throwing themselves at me, and Grayson, and I was enjoying it. But I started to feel bad, and felt like I was using the girls, which is true, but I think it just missed Em. I missed the female side kick and I was taking it out on fucking Random easy girls. Which is so wrong, and I'm glad emma didn't see that side of me. But now I've built up this persona, along with Grayson, as the schools biggest fuckboys. And honestly I'm disappointed in myself.

"Oh, um- what's Olivia got to do with this?" I played dumb, knowing full well what Grayson meant, and what Olivia had to do with all this.
"You know? After the way Emma left there may be some unfinished business Ethan, and if Olivia knew she might not be so happy about you going."
I nodded. Thinking that me and Olivia attending the party probably wouldn't be the best idea I've had.
"Wait eth, She does know about Olivia doesn't she?" He asked.
I looked up at him, I didn't even need to answer the question, he just saw the guilty look on my face.
"jesus Ethan-Wait, does Olivia know about Emma?"
"Well- she knows we were friends." I said truthfully, she did know I had an old friend who was travelling at the moment.
"Duuudddeeee." Grayson rolled his eyes and slumped down on my bed.
"What?"
"You and Emma were the biggest ship for ages, our family were even routing for you.."
"Dude, she didn't like me like that, at all. She called me her brother before she left..." which even admitting, hurt me.
"But she kissed you..."
"As a goodbye, she just wanted a nice goodbye, it meant nothin.."
"Well, when it happened it certainly didn't meant nothing, you didn't stop going on about it-"
"Look Grayson stop!" I raised my voice. "Emma was a long time ago, I've moved on, nothing happened between us besides that stupid pointless kiss, and nothing will happen when she's back apart from we will look after her like we used to before she left. Grayson I was 16 she was 15 and we were both confused."
"So you have no feelings for her?"
"Obviously I love her because we grew up with her, but like you love her, and how her mum loves her. We've got to look after her she's like a little sister to us."
I wasn't wrong.
She very important to me, and I felt obliged to look after her since her brother was a bit of a liability.
"Yeah you're right, we've got to look after her. Just don't mess her about. And make sure she's aware of Olivia."
"Grayson, we never liked eachother like that."
"Okay, just promise me you won't mess he.."
"I promise I will not mess her about, were are friends."
"Okay." Gray said.
I looked at him and wondered wether when I saw her if I would feel things for her again, but I knew it was nothing.
We were just friends.