there's no way | ethma

Twenty Four

Emma's POV
Christmas Break

One thing I'll tell you about the past few weeks, is that Ethan and I haven't been able to hang out as much as we usually do.

School, more dance team practice on my schedule, and just being busy, limited Ethan and I from hanging out every second possible.

But, that's okay because it's made us stronger. Healthy relationships need to be based on a foundation of trust, and it's not healthy to be too dependent on each other.

We're still hanging out as much as we can, but it's not as much as it used to be. We've been thriving despite not being able to see each other as much.

Last night, everyone went to Olivia's place to have our friend group's Christmas celebration. There was drinking involved, and I'm pretty sure that Joey and Olivia finally got together once and for all.

That's because when I was coming home from Ethan's, I saw Joey slip out of Olivia's door and sneak over my place right before I got home. I walked in about 30 seconds after he did.

"Hey, did you just get home?" I asked.

"No, why?" Joey said nervously.

"I was just wondering if you stayed at Olivia's."

His face turned red.

"Joey, you can tell me." I said.

He sat down on the couch. "Olivia and I hooked up last night."

"No way! I knew it was coming soon." I said.

"No, Emma. Olivia's mad at me now."

"What happened?"

"She doesn't wanna be my girlfriend yet."

"You asked her?"

"Yeah. Now she's mad because apparently it's too soon for us, and she's upset that I thought she'd say yes since we hooked up."

"What did she say about it all?" I asked, sitting down on the chair.

"She said that even though we're adults and only four years apart, that we're in two very different stages of life, and it's hard to work around that. She said that it doesn't make sense right now."

"I'm supposed to hang out with her today. I'll see what's going on."

"Thanks, Em."

"Just hang in there, Joe."

"You're a good sister."

I gave him a soft smile and patted him on the shoulder before getting up.

"I'm gonna shower and get dressed before heading to Olivia's."

"Alrighty. I'm hanging with Scooter and Ian today." He said. I nodded before heading to my room.

-

Olivia and I sat down at the cafe, and she took a deep breath.

"Emma, I just don't know what to do."

"What do you mean, Liv?" I asked, sipping my coffee.

"Just—I don't know how to feel about Joey. I'm just confused. I like him, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to be anybody's girlfriend right now."

"It's okay, Liv. You don't have to be ready. It's all up to you. Take it from me—Joey will be okay. He's an adult, and he can figure it out."

"I just didn't think he would try to get this serious this fast. Is he upset?"

"He thinks you're mad at him."

"Yeah, I kind of panicked and told him to go home."

I laughed. "Maybe you should just talk things out. I know he'll understand, Liv."

"That's a good idea. How are you and Ethan?"

I smiled. "We're okay. We haven't been able to spend as much time together lately because of school and dance, but we make do with the time we do have. It's nice to be with someone who actually trusts me. I think I'm going to New Jersey with him for Christmas. I'm just so lucky to actually have a healthy relationship."

"I'm proud of you, Emmie."

"Thanks, Liv. Do you wanna come to the studio with us later? I need to get some solo time in."

"Yeah. I'd be happy to third wheel." She said, smiling.

I texted Ethan to let him know that Olivia was coming with, and he didn't mind, so Olivia and I went to my place so I could change, and Ethan met us there.

We drove to the studio, and I worked on all of my solos a few times each, and then the three of us ended up sitting on the floor and talking for a couple of hours.

Olivia is like a sister to me, and Ethan is obviously my best friend/boyfriend combined into one, so it's really refreshing to just sit and have a conversation about life with the both of them.

Olivia ended up texting Joey asking if they could talk, so Joey swung by the studio to pick her up.

After they left, Ethan asked me if I could run through my solos again.

"Sure, what makes you ask?" I said, smiling at him as I got up to start the music.

"I like watching you dance. It's like I'm seeing you truly express yourself. It brings a lot of light to the more vulnerable side of you, and I love seeing you show how you feel through your dances. It's like you're telling stories in a way."

"Wow, Ethan. Thank you."

He smiled and stood up before wrapping his arms around me in a hug.

"I love being one of your biggest fans." He said, swaying us back and forth throughout the hug.

"Thanks for being so supportive of me."

He kissed my lips, and I melted into it as his hand traveled up and down my spine.

He pulled away and pecked me on the nose before taking my hand.

"Want to go get some dinner, babe?"

"Sure. Let's go." I said, grabbing my jacket and my phone.

We went through the drive through at Chic Fil-A, and then he parked the car, and we sat there and talked while we ate, and we ended up just talking for two hours.

I decided to go with him to Jersey for Christmas and New Years, and Joey agreed to go with us too.

Ethan and I went back to his place that night, and we watched a movie in his room.

His arm was around my waist, and I was leaning on his chest while my legs were curled up next to me.

His hand slipped into mine, and our fingers laced together as I smiled to myself.

This was exactly what I was needing.