Doll House | Ethan Dolan

11

Octavia

"Oh Ethan!" I gasp, my hands quickly covering my mouth. He stops in his tracks and his eyes slowly trail up to me.

My eyes were glassy, so I just turned on my heel and sprinted in the other direction.

"Octavia!" I hear someone yell behind me. In the moment, I wasn't sure if it was Gray or E.
I grab my keys from my purse and quickly unlock my car. The front door of the house loudly rattles open and I can see Grayson coming behind me in the reflection of my car window. "What?" I whine, wiping my tears with the end of my hoodie sleeve.

"Who do you want right now, Octavia?" He asks me, a pained expression etched across his face.

"Gray it's not that easy. You make me happy, you really do. But... Ethan was there in the simulation. He was there for me and I-I have some type of connection to him and some type of force that just pulls me to him." I try to explain, tacking my brain for words to describe the many thoughts flooding my head. "I like you Gray but I love Ethan. I don't want to have to choose." I hiccup. "I don't want to hurt you" I cry, feeling my chest rise and drop at the speed of my sobs.

Grayson sighs and I expect him to turn. I expect to hear the sound of receding footsteps. Instead, his big arms pull me into his chest. "Don't worry about hurting me, pretty girl. I'm still here for you. As a friend or as something more. Whatever you need."

The warm tone of his voice made me melt into his arms and I exhale loudly in content. "I can't lose you over something this silly now, can I?" He asks, pulling away and bending down slightly to see my face. I press my lips together and shake my head with a small smile.

"That's my girl." He lowly responds with a chuckle, rubbing my back with his free arm. "Now, what do we do about this E-" he starts, before getting cut off by the sound of his front door slamming shut.

The girl Ethan was with was standing there with her dress crinkled and shoes in her hands. "Tell your bitch of a brother to learn some manners!" She screams at Grayson before huffing down the street. Behind her appears Ethan, his white shirt only halfway on. Ethan yanks it down and stops as he sees me with Grayson. He runs his hand through his hair and looks at me with pure intensity. "Do you want him?" He asks, barely audible to me.

I tuck strands of my hair behind my ear and walk up to him, looking up at him with my tear stained cheeks. "I want you, E. I always have." I croak.

Ethan stares back at me, looking back at his brother, as if he were asking for permission. I assume Grayson nods, because he quickly wraps his arms around my shoulders and holds on to me for dear life. "I thought I lost you." He mumbles in my hair. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to forget"

I inhale his scent. "I know."