A/N: This is my newest story. If you follow me on twitter that's awesome, if not perhaps you should. Anyway, this story will be much different from my others. It is not overly dramatic and it will move at a very slow but steady pace. This is one of my favorites. I'll continue to work on my other stories but this one will take priority once IWBY is finished. Find me on twitter AViolentEmotion. As always thank you for reading and please review. I like to read what you think. Enjoy!
I stood in the baggage claim pacing back and forth. Her plane landed a few minutes ago and I was anxious to see her. It had been over a year since we had last seen each other. She lived in New York and since she recently broke off her engagement, she wanted a change of scenery. The last couple of months had taken their toll on her and she needed somewhere to clear her head. I immediately offered her the extra bedroom in my house and surprisingly, she accepted. She had shipped most of her household belongings already. Taylor and Joe helped me clear out space for all of it in the house. We wanted her to feel welcome when she arrived so we unpacked it and added her belongings to ours. It was interesting how everything seemed to match. I guess it was just fates way of telling us we were all meant to cohabitate.
I first met her when we were both seven years old. Back then it was simple, she needed some crayons and I just happened to have some. Our entire relationship was built on the idea that if she needed something, I'd give it to her and vice versa. We grew up together. Boys, first kisses, and everything else in between. As we got older, it got a little more complicated. At least for me it did. I quickly discovered that boys were not really my thing. I think on some level she always knew, but she was always too nice to bring the subject up. In any case the lines of our friendship were always blurred. There was always this underlying spark between us. Neither one of us talked about it, but we both used it to our advantage.
Our junior year of college was a crazy one. We spent our summer in Puerto Rico, and I'd be lying if I said we didn't cross every line that we ever drew. It was the single most insane summer of my life and I will never forget it. She left her mark on me, literally. I woke up after a night of drinking to find her name tattooed across my ribcage. The tattoo itself was beautiful. The font was a very feminine script and it was accented with a pair of red lips. It was probably one of the craziest things I had ever done. It's the kind of story that usually elicits laughter. How many people can say they had their best friends name tattooed across their ribcage? Well, I can. Fucking tequila.
The second she came into view, I couldn't breathe. It was like the all the air had been sucked out of my lungs. She was beautiful. She smiled as soon as she saw me. My hands ached to touch her. My heart beat rapidly in my chest. As soon as she made it to the bottom of the escalator, she ran toward me. I caught her in my arms and spun her around. She laughed and grabbed my face, planting a kiss on my lips.
"I have missed you so much!" She laughed.
"I know the feeling." I smiled.
"I'm starving." She grumbled as she untangled herself from me.
"I can see not much has changed." I smirked. "Let's get your bags and get you home. It's taco Tuesday!"
"Taco Tuesday?" She asked cocking an eyebrow.
"You're gonna find out soon enough."
She laced her fingers with mine as we walked over to the baggage claim. Once we got her luggage, we exited the terminal and walked out to my parked jeep.
"It's so warm." She said as she climbed into the passenger seat.
"All year round. Our place is right on the beach. You're gonna love it Sel." I said as I started the jeep and backed out of the parking space.
"I'm glad I'm here." She said softly.
"Me too." I said as we headed toward the freeway.
We spent the drive home in a comfortable silence. I had removed the jeep's hard top so she was enjoying the San Diego weather. I would steal a glance at her from time to time. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail and put on her Ray Bans. I couldn't help but remember our senior year of high school. She literally looked exactly the same. I remember the way the sunlight would shine on her face as we cruised around on the old back roads in Texas. We'd sing at the top of our lungs like crazy fools. If we didn't know the song we'd make up our own words and laugh until our sides hurt.
I smiled when she reached over and turned the radio up. It's as if she could read my mind. She squealed when she heard one of her favorite songs, About A Girl playing.
"Demi! Sing it to me!" She demanded.
"I don't know Sel..." I teased. "I don't think I remember the words..." I grinned playfully.
"Demiiiiiiiiiii! Pleeeeeeaaaase!" She whined.
I couldn't say no to her. "I'm not in love, this is not my heart. I'm not gonna waste these words about a girl." I sang to her as she smiled brilliantly at me.
I used to sing this song to her all the time. She had the same look in her eyes she used to get when we were sixteen. It was somewhere between I want you and you terrify me. I guess some things never change. By the time the song ended we had made it to the house. She was excited to finally be here. It had been a long day of travel for her. Joe was sitting on the porch playing guitar as we pulled up. He quickly put the instrument down and smiled at Selena as she jumped out of the Jeep.
"There she is!" He said excitedly as she ran towards him.
"Joe!" She squealed happily as she crashed into him and hugged him tightly.
"It's so good to see you Sel." He grinned at her. "Come on, lets get you settled." He said draping an arm around her shoulder as he led her inside.
I got out of the Jeep and gathered up her luggage. I could hear her laughing as I made my way into the house. I loved it when she laughed. It gave me life. I had missed her so much. We had kept in contact throughout the years. Surprisingly we were able to maintain a very close friendship despite the long distance. We never went longer than a day without talking to each other. We also made it a point to see each other at least once a year. Now that she lived with me, I wouldn't have to worry about missing her. I carried her suitcases into her room and made my way out to the back porch to see if Taylor needed help.
"You good Tay?" I asked the blonde.
"Yeah. Just finishing up the carne asada." She smiled. "Is Selena here?" She asked.
I nodded. "Yup. You should come meet her. Joe's showing her around the house."
"Let me finish this real quick." She smiled as she turned off the grill and placed the perfectly cooked meat onto a plate.
Once she finished, we walked inside and made our way into the kitchen to find Selena and Joe. Joe was chopping up stuff for the tacos and Selena was sitting at the breakfast bar drinking a beer.
"Didn't take you long to get comfortable." I said as I sat next to her. "This is Taylor." I said.
"Nice to meet you." She said to Taylor with a warm smile.
"You are absolutely stunning!" Taylor gushed which caused Selena to blush.
"Thank you." She said softly.
"I'm so happy you're here!" Taylor said sweetly. "Demi and Joe have told me so much about you."
I could tell Selena was slightly embarrassed. "Good things I hope." She said laughing lightly.
"Of course." Taylor winked.
We all sat down to dinner and spent time catching up and in Taylor and Selena's case, getting to know each other. I watched as my friends laughed and enjoyed each others company. I was a lucky person. I had so much love in my life. They were everything to me. Every so often I would catch Selena looking at me. She wouldn't turn away or try to hide it, she'd simply hold my gaze. As I looked into her chocolate brown eyes, I could see the storm that was slowly building. She'd come to me when she was ready.
We finished up dinner and I changed into some board shorts and a bikini top. I wanted to catch a few waves before the sun dipped below the horizon. I sat out on the porch and waxed my board. I felt a set of fingernails lightly rake over the tattoo on my ribcage. It was Selena admiring her name. My body instantly covered in goosebumps. She smirked as she noticed the bumps all over my skin.
"That didn't take much." She said with a playful grin.
"Never does." I said as I continued to wax my surfboard.
"You look good." She said as her eyes raked over my body. "Real good." She added.
"I try." I grunted as I admired my handiwork. Satisfied, I stood and held the board under my arm. "Wanna have a few beers when I get back?" I asked as I glanced at her.
She pushed my hair out of my eyes and smiled. "Yes."
"Alright." I said with a goofy grin. "I'll see you in a few."
"I'll be here."
"I know." I said as I walked toward the ocean.
I walked into the surf and gasped as the cold water of the Pacific Ocean slammed into my shins. I continued to walk foward until I was mid thigh. I laid down on my board and paddled foward. I caught a couple of waves and smiled when I noticed Joe paddling out to join me.
"Hey fucker." I smiled.
"You look like a drowned rat." He teased as he paddled up next to me. "She's changed." He said as he followed my gaze toward Selena.
"How so?" I asked.
"She doesn't seem to be as carefree as she used to be. Her eyes don't quite shine the way they used to...you know?" He said as he shielded his eyes from the sun.
"I think this past year has been tough for her." I said with a frown.
"I'm glad she's here." He said. "Hopefully she's able to let it all go. She doesn't seem happy. Maybe you could..."
"Joe. Don't." I warned. "That's not even an option."
He raised his hands in surrender. "You guys have always something Dem. Always. I've seen the way she looks at you. It hasn't changed. She's still looking at you with that same look she had when we were all sixteen and we thought we knew everything."
"Joe..." I sighed.
"I'll stop, but y'all are stupid." He stated as he folded his arms.
I watched as she walked along the waters edge. Even from out here I could tell she was preoccupied. I'd known her long enough to know when she was upset. The thing that bothered me, was the fact that she was trying to hide it. She told me everything. This was a new development for me. After a while she headed back toward the house. I decided to call it a night and I paddled back to shore.
"I'm gonna go back to the house." I mumbled as I left Joe bobbing in the ocean.
I walked out of the surf and onto the beach carrying my board under my arm. I stuck in the sand before I climbed the steps of the porch. I could hear Selena and Taylor talking softly in the living room. I smiled as I walked through the house toward my bedroom. I grabbed some clean clothes and made my way into the bathroom. I took a quick shower and once I was decent, I made my way into the kitchen. I opened the fridge and grabbed a couple beers and then I sat down on the couch with Selena. She immediately rested her legs in my lap.
"Here's that beer I promised you." I said as I handed her the chilled bottle.
"My hero." She teased as she bat her eyes dramatically.
"What are you guys talking about?" I aske as I brought the brown bottle to my lips.
"You." Taylor chuckled.
"Oh?" I questioned raising an eyebrow.
"I was telling her about the time you almost got us arrested." Selena explained. She had a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Oh hell no!" I said loudly. "Your crazy ass is who almost got us arrested."
I listened as she told Taylor the story. We were both sixteen and I had just got my drivers license. Like most teenagers I was excited so I picked Selena up and drove to the airport. When I was younger I was a little bit of a rebel. I thought it would be cool to park at the end of the runway and watch the planes take off and land. Naturally, I ignored all the no trespassing signs and drove through the gate anyway. We laid on the hood of my car and watched the stars and planes until the cops showed up.
I remember thinking that her dad was going to kill me. I was as good as dead. I remember the way the blue lights shined in her eyes. I was so distracted by her that I wasn't even worried about the fact that we might go to jail. The cops weren't playing around either. They handcuffed us and I couldn't help but laugh as I watched Selena try to run away. Needless to say she didn't get far. They shoved us both in the backseat of the car and slammed the doors shut. They took their time and left us to sweat it out in the backseat. We had no clue what was going to happen. Luckily they were just trying to scare us. They let us go with a warning.
"Yeah!" I laughed loudly. "Before they left she asked one of them for a light."
"Shut up!" Selena exclaimed as she playfully smacked me. "Don't tell people about my smoking stage. It's embarrassing!" She whined as she covered her face.
Joe walked in carrying another round of beers. "You thought you were such as badass." He said to Selena as he sat down and passéd out the beers.
"Do you remember when you broke your foot because you jumped out of my bedroom window." Selena asked laughing.
"Dude. Your dad seriously would have shot me. He was certain that we were fucking. I was not supposed to be there that night."
"Oh my god!" Taylor exclaimed.
"It was a two story house!" Joe laughed.
"Were you fucking?" Taylor asked with a smirk.
"No." Selena smiled. "My dad was always suspicious though. Demi and I have always been...close." She said as her eyes met mine. The intensity was almost too much for me to handle.
"Tell me about the tattoo." Taylor said glancing at my exposed ribcage. I was wearing a t-shirt that I had cut the sleeves off of.
"This is a good one." Joe smiled as he took a drink of his beer.
I sighed. "Well what had happened was..." I trailed off as everyone started laughing. "Selena and I were in Puerto Rico. We had been drinking and it had reached the point of drunken serious and emotional conversations. She saw some dude with his girlfriends name tattooed on him and he old her he got it because he knew that they would be together forever. Well, this made her sad. She wanted someone to love her enough to get her name tattooed on them."
"Aww! Demi!" Taylor squealed. "You're so sweet."
"So Demi got my name tattooed on her and told me that I would always have someone that loved me that much." Selena finished as she looked over at me. There was a softness in her eyes that made my breath catch.
I blushed as I took a drink of my beer. "Y'all need to shut up." I laughed. "Looking at me with googly eyes and shit."
"Demi! That is the sweetest thing. I'm not even joking." Taylor said again with a huge grin on her face. I could tell her mind was working in overdrive.
"That's true love." Joe said with a smug look on his face.
"Joe..." I warned as I glanced back at Selena. She looked unaffected.
We continued to drink and tell stories about growing up to together. Taylor was very amused by it all. Joe eventually challenged her to a game of drunken chess. I sat and drank my beer while Selena watched me. After a while she crawled over and laid her head in my lap. I automatically started to rum my fingers through her hair. I watched as she closed her eyes and smiled.
"You've always been good at that." She said softly.
I didn't say anything. I just kept playing with her hair. I could feel her relax as she let out a long sigh. Without thinking I started to softly sing to her. She Is Love was the name of the song. She used to tell me she wished that it had been written about her.
"I tried to make it work." She sighed. "I loved him you know? Or at least I thought I did." She said as a single tear slipped down her cheek. "He was always trying to control me. It was like he didn't trust me."
"That's on him. Not you." I said trying to comfort her.
"Maybe I didn't try hard enough. Maybe he needed more than I gave him."
"I've known you my whole life Selena. I know that when you do something, you do it all the way. You put your whole heart into ino it. It's not you, it's him." I said as she sat up and looked at me.
"You love me?" She asked shyly.
"Always."
"How much?" She asked with a grin.
"I'd go to the ends of the earth for you." I said smiling.
She returned my smile and leaned her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her and placed a kiss on the top of her head. She always felt like home to me.
"I'm tired." I yawned. "I'm gonna go to bed." I said as I stood up and stretched.
"Goodnight Dem." She said as she gave me a hug. I noticed how tightly she held on. It was almost like she didn't want to let go.
"Sweet dreams." I said as I walked to my room. "Oh, and Sel." I said stopping in the hallway.
"Hmm?" She asked.
"I'm glad you're here."
"Me too." She said softly.
At some point in the night I felt my bed shift. I opened my eyes to find her climbing underneath my blankets. She didn't say anything and she didn't have to. I held out my arms and she snuggled into my chest. I felt her hand reach up and grab a handful of my shirt on my shoulder as she buried her face into my neck. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She still felt off to me. Her energy was completely different and I was a little thrown off. She needed something from me and I didn't know what. I knew she was hurting, but I couldn't tell if it was him or if it was something else. She seemed very confused about something.
"You're the one constant in my life Demi." She whispered. "I love you so much."
"Shhh." I said as I placed a kiss on the top of her head. "It's been a long day. Get some sleep. I've got you."
"Please don't let go..."
"Never."