We Meet Again | e.d

S I X T E E N

Xylie's P.O.V

Maybe I just miss it, but I wanna go back to when I was fourteen and my only problems in the world were that I had past bullying and was in love with my best friend. We used to do everything together and I never had to worry about what I was doing right or wrong as a mom. Don't get me wrong, I love my sons more than life itself, but it is interesting to think about everything that could've happened if I hadn't gotten myself knocked up at fifteen, all because of a declaration of love. Love. Puppy love.

Did I even love Ethan? Or was it just a strong crush on my best friend that would've faded in time. The worst thing is, I can't even figure that out now, because since the Demi scenario, I lost feelings after a couple months, a year at the most. Sometimes I do just wonder what my life would've been like if I'd never met him; yet again, he's the sole reason for so many of the blessings in my life.

He's the reason I have my kids, he's the reason I left New Jersey and met Emma. Although Demi was the main reason I was damaged to begin with, if Ethan hadn't done what he did and broke me, I wouldn't have discovered I was strong enough to heal from the pain. I know that is for sure true, and I hate it, but the truth is the truth.

Ethan's P.O.V

I'm out alone and it's like 10PM or something, I honestly have no reason to be out at this time but I needed to go on a drive and clear my head. I was minding my own business, editing a video Gray and I are uploading to YouTube in a few days when I started to feel really down and I can't lie, it's because I was thinking about Xylie and I, and what used to be, and how we used to be when we were teenagers and it got my mind racing.

I've always loved her and I hate that I do because I messed it up. I should've just told her what Demi was planning and we could've both left together, instead of sleeping with her. I hurt her that day and probably for months to come and I can never take that back or express how sorry and remorseful I am. I guess I'm just mad at myself for what I did and I know I still owe it to her to show that I won't do it to her again. Then she'll see that my feelings are true and won't have to question it. I'll always dream of the day I pour my heart out to her, just like I did to her on her fifteenth birthday and she jumps into my arms and we make another baby, or babies.

No.

I'm not thinking about this now. It's too much, maybe I should go to the bar down the road. No. I'm driving, if I go in there I'll drink - that's a bad idea.

Maybe I should just pay for an overnight parking spot and for once let loose. Yeah, I'll do it, I deserve this. I park and enter the bar.

I go straight to get a drink, my first tequila shot of the night. The burning feeling going down my throat pushes me to already wanna start to go harder with the drinks, but I decide another two tequila shots are enough for me, when a woman slides into the seat next to me.

"Change that, 4 tequila shots. On me." She says to the bartender.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I question, studying her face. She looked oddly familiar and she knew I was trying to figure out who she was.

"So why are you here on your own tonight? Waiting for someone?" She asks.

"N-no, I just came for a drink. I'm alone." I manage to answer. Our drinks come.

"These three are for you, this one's mine." She says, paying the bartender and tipping her. "I swear I've seen you somewhere but I can't put my finger on it"

"Probably YouTube, my twin brother and I are YouTubers, the Dolan Twins. I swear I recognise you from somewhere, what's your name?" I respond.

"I'm Dee." She extends her hand, to which I shake. "So Mr Ethan Dolan, why are you really here? Nobody just comes to a bar alone for a drink or two." She seemed to know everything.

"Alright you got me," I chuckled in defeat, "Lady problems, the woman I love and also the mother of my children will never want me back for something I did to her, for her when we were sixteen."

"Maybe she's not the one for you then. Maybe what you're going through is a lesson you need to learn for a future event. Maybe you love her, but for the time being and you'll meet the one some other time and it'll be greater than before."

"I doubt that's true. Xy's not like other women, she never was, even when we were young. She's always been the one for me. I just know it. There's no one else I'd rather have by my side and now because of a silly mistake I've ruined it forever. Even now, years later, I wish we had each other the way we did when we were sixteen." I realise I'm going on and on. "Sorry you probably don't care about any of this."

"No, it's fine. We've all made our mistakes. I for one, basically bullied one of my ex-best friends out of the state and then basically destroyed her relationship with her boyfriend and baby-daddy over a year later, all because I was jealous of her. Sometimes greed, can make you do bad things. In your case, love can make you do bad things too."

"Fuck it." I whispered to myself.

I don't even know what I was thinking and I didn't really care at all about who was watching but I leaned in and kissed her. We began making out and before I could even think, my hand dropped down to her thigh and made its way between her legs.

Things escalated and we ended up basically drunk-driving to Gray and I's place. Next thing I knew we were in my bed, going at it. It was the best I'd felt in a long time.

The Next Morning

I regret the events of last night more than I ever have in my life. It felt so amazing, but I shouldn't have done it.

Dee is sleeping, naked, with her back facing me. I'm sort of just playing with my hair, regretting last night more and more. She turns around to face me but I don't look at her.

"Hey sorry about last night, we shouldn't have done that. We really shouldn't have." I explain.

"I don't understand, I thought you wanted last night, it was you who kissed me and brought me back here." She answers.

"I know, Dee, and I'm sorry for that. I never should've had sex with you, I used you last night and I'm sorry." I say with apologetically.

"It's okay, I understand. You have that woman you talked about." She says, getting up to get dressed.

"Do you need a ride home? Let me at least give you that since I can't exactly take back what we just did." I offer.

"Okay, thank you Ethan."

I throw on a hoodie and a pair of sweats and get into my car with Dee. I buy us both a coffee at Starbucks, to help with our hangovers and drop her off at her apartment building. She makes sure she has her phone and her purse before saying one final thing.

"Since we're probably never going to see each other again. My name isn't Dee, it's Demi." She smirks and winks, then walks into her apartment building, leaving me with my mind and it's racing thoughts.

It all makes sense now, why I recognised her face but couldn't figure out who she was, I slept with her when I was sixteen for Xylie and the twins. Wait. She was Xylie's bully - she told me about that. Why didn't I put it all together? How could I not even recognise her? I knew she looked familiar, and now I've just repeated my biggest mistake a second time.

I just had sex with Demi: on my own terms.

—
Author's Note: Okayyyyy! Happy New Year everybody! What do you think about this part? I've been gone for months, I know. But tell me what you think!

- Liv <3