Long Distance

Invitation.

[Ethan]

"I'm sorry."

We were currently sitting in my car, parked in my driveway, and I had just finished explaining to Amber what had happened at the party. I couldn't tell her about me being in love with Aria which meant that I had to make up a story.

"Is there something going on between you two?" Amber asks referring to Aria and I.

"No." I lie.

"Then what the hell was all of that about?" she demands, her voice pleading for me to tell her something– anything. Her eyes are glossed over but no tears fall. I know this must be frustrating for her. She shouldn't be having this many issues so early in a relationship.

"Her fiancé and I don't really get along, so she hates me since we'd fight and it would always cause problems in their relationship. But other than that, there's nothing going on between us." I tell her, which wasn't a complete lie.

She's quiet as she looks straight ahead, contemplating everything I just told her. I grab her hand and lace my fingers through hers.

"I believe you," she sighs. "But no more secrets."

"I promise." I whisper knowing that it was a promise I wouldn't be able to keep and I felt guilty as hell for it.

So before all my lies caught up with me, I leaned forward and pulled her in for a kiss.

"What do you think about just spending the rest of the night watching Netflix and eating ice cream?" I ask her when we pull away.

"I think that sounds perfect."

____________

[Aria]

"Explain." Madison demands, the attitude clear in her voice. I didn't blame her though, I was a bitch to Amber, but there was something about seeing Ethan with her that was unbearable.

"Mads, I'm sorry," I sigh, falling back onto her bed. It had only been minutes since the whole commotion and luckily, no one knew about what had happened.

Mason almost got involved once Madison dragged me inside, and we ran into him on our way upstairs. However, according to Madison, we had a "girl emergency" and he preferred to not know what that "emergency" was.

"Ar, if something is going on you need to tell me." She says and I groan. The only solution I could think of was to tell Madison the truth, hoping that she could help me make sense of it.

"I think I like Ethan." I blurt and by the way her eyes widen, I know a stern lecture against me having feelings for Ethan was in store.

"What do you mean you think you like Ethan?" She whisper yells, aware that we were still at my engagement party. "You're marrying Mason in less than a month Aria! You're at your own engagement party for crying out loud-"

"I know Mads!" I snap back at her. Everything she was saying were things I was well aware of, and it was not helping. "But Ethan– he just– ugh he just makes me feel things I should only be feeling for Mason! And I guess when I saw him with Amber I-i just-"

"Felt jealous." She finishes my sentence and I nod, burying my face into one of her pillows. All I wanted to do right now was scream from all the built up frustration and guilt that was eating me alive.

"And he's just always there." I mumble, adding to my reasoning. "Even when I don't want him to be." I think of all the times Ethan's been there for me and it just makes me feel worse about feeling this way about him. How did I go from wanting to marry Mason to suddenly liking someone I couldn't bare to be in the same room with months ago? It made no sense.