HE'S MY EX, daniel seavey

37

ariella

i settle down on corbyn's sofa as he walks to the kitchen to get us some waters to drink. i am feeling a little dehydrated at the moment.

it happens when i'm nervous.

the time on my phone shines, letting me know that it is nearly 3 in the morning. i'm exhausted but if corbyn needs to talk then we will talk. i probably owe him that much since this ruined his relationship.

he walks back into sight and sets the water bottles down on the coffee table in front of us before sitting next to me. he's on one side of the couch and i'm on the other.

"so..." i start, wanting him to lead the conversation.

he looks down and starts playing with his fingers, most likely trying to come up with something to say. it's a little distracting; he has nice hands.

"um well.. i guess i should start from the beginning. i never told you why christina and i were having problems," he pauses and sighs,

"it started in hawaii. she claims she caught me.. staring at you a couple times. and i know that sounds weird and i'm sorry. i really didn't notice but i guess it makes sense."

he still isn't looking at me as he speaks, and i'm kind of thankful. my facial expressions definitely give what i'm feeling away. hearing this coming from him is such an odd thing. i never expected this to be happening.

i don't say anything so he continues, "it got me thinking. i started reevaluating everything. the moment i met you, how close we became on such a short notice, the way i always thought you were really pretty. and then i realized that maybe chris was right, maybe i did like you..."

"corbyn-"

"but i love her, i do. i've never felt the way i do when i'm with her. it's just so confusing when i also get these feelings when i'm around you. i can't just ignore it. christina knew something was up. i was acting really weird and we got into this huge argument... not exactly about you, but it ended with us taking a break. she ran out in tears and i felt like an ass, but i let her go because i needed time to think. especially since she told me that some guy was making moves on her and she.. she didn't stop him, instead she gave him her number."

i raise my eyebrows at the information, "oh wow. that's... a lot."

he chuckles, "tell me about it. that's why i was at that party, why i got so drunk. and then i saw you and that was that. the next morning i felt terrible. i didn't want you to think that i had taken advantage of you. but you were so understanding... and then i kissed you and it happened again. how can i just forget that? how can we?"

"because we're not meant for each other and you know that. we did what we did because we were so hurt by the people that we love. you were hurting, even if you kind of caused the fighting. and i was hurting because i had just broken up with daniel. corbyn, i love you, i do... but not like that. you're one of my best friends," i tell him, trying to avoid making him upset.

"i know. over time, since that night, it put things into perspective. that's why i called christina up and fixed things. your love for daniel, the way you spoke about him that morning after... it made me realize that i had the same love for christina. no matter what i was feeling for you, i loved her. so we got back together and i should have told her then. i'm sorry i asked you not to tell anyone... that wasn't fair," he leans back into the sofa, a frown on his lips.

"i don't blame you. it's not exactly something that's easy to confess."

"i hate myself for what i did to her. she deserves better," he mumbles, a tear running down his cheek.

"hey, don't say that. she'll come around. you've just been confused lately and it happens to the best of us. corbina all the way," i smile comfortingly at him.

he laughs as he wipes away the tear, "endgame, huh?" he smirks teasingly.

it makes me blush as i remember daniel's words from the video of him fighting crawford; 'we're endgame.'

"anyway, are we good?" i ask.

"yeah thanks for letting me get this off my chest. i know it probably wasn't easy to hear. i want you to know that i'm trying to get past what i'm feeling... i want us to always be best friends, okay? so i'm trying my best."

i pull him into a hug, "i know corbs. me too."

soon enough i get up to leave. it's 4am now and i honestly am not in the state of mind to be driving.

"he still loves you, you know. you're all he talks about," corbyn tells me as we walk to his door.

i glance up at him, "i find that hard to believe."

"it's true. despite his endless ability to attract girls to him, the only one he wants is you."

i sigh and shake my head, stepping out into the hallway, "if that were the case, he would have never cheated and we'd still be together."

he shrugs his shoulders, "maybe. but as we both know people make mistakes. it's really late, maybe you should crash here," he quickly moves away from the touchy subject.

"umm i doubt that's the right thing to do."

he smiles politely, "probably. you could always stay over there," he nods his head over to daniel's apartment.

"no. i'm just gonna go hom-"

"ella, you're exhausted. i'm not letting you drive anywhere. just go crash on his sofa and you can leave before he wakes up."

the idea is very tempting. i can barely keep my eyes open and i live almost 30 minutes away. so with that in mind, i decide to do exactly that.

"goodnight corbyn. i hope this gave you some clarity," i step back and make my way to daniel's.

"yeah it did. i'm gonna win her back," he states confidently.

"i believe you can. we'll talk soon."

i reach up and grab daniel's spare key and unlock his door.

"hey els? you might wanna give him another chance.. if you love him this much, there has to be a way to forgive him," corbyn waves goodbye and steps back into his place, not waiting for a reply.

but his words stick with me for the rest of the time that i'm awake, not even realizing it when i fall asleep on daniel's living room couch.

-

(a/n long ass chapter ew. it's kinda boring but it gives perspective on how corbyn is feeling, what led up to this, and even for what's to come ;) )