For terms of service purposes, Selena's last name is Russo, and Demi's is Torres. Now leave me alone.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, nor do I claim to.
So I heard about what happened with Justin yesterday, and this happened. Enjoy.
Selena Russo absentmindedly ran her finger along the edge of her coffee mug, its contents growing cold. With her other hand she scrolled through the endless Twitter mentions she had, reading them all with interest. Some were sweet and touched her heart, while others made her want to cry because of how cruel they were. Her brown eyes scanned those quickly before moving onto the next comment, not wanting to get herself worked up over something that some faceless hater said through the safety of a computer.
She lifted the mug to her lips, making a face when she realized her preferably hot drink had grown cold. She pushed back her chair and got up from the kitchen table, bringing her cup to the microwave. She put it in and set the timer to a minute. That should get it back to drinking temperature.
Selena hopped up on the counter and dangled her bare feet in the air in front of her. She was still clad in her plaid pajama pants and gray tank top. She smiled to herself. She loved lazy Tuesdays. She didn't get them very often, what with her busy filming schedule and touring always having her jetting from one end of the globe to the other.
She looked up to the sound of bare feet padding into the kitchen. Selena looked up, a smile on her lips. A beautiful sight stood in her kitchen doorway.
There stood Demi Torres, her best friend since before puberty, and her current house guest. Demi wore sweatpants and a large t-shirt. She had her glasses on, so she hadn't yet put in her contact lenses. Her dyed-blue hair stuck up in every direction. Her brown roots were showing, and the tips were turning into a gray-silver. Selena didn't much care for Demi's blue hair, preferring her friend with her natural brunette color, or even black, but she couldn't deny that Demi looked fantastic no matter what hair color she rocked.
"Morning," Selena greeted as the microwave beeped. She reached up awkwardly and pushed the button for the microwave. The door swung open. "Coffee?" Selena gestured to her mug.
Demi nodded, yawning as she walked over. She stood on her tiptoes and removed the mug. She blew to cool it, and then took a sip. After she swallowed a smile tugged at her lips.
"Your coffee's always been my favorite coffee," Demi said, closing the microwave.
Selena reached for the mug. "Even better than Starbucks?"
Demi handed the coffee back, smiling up at her friend. "Yes, I've told you that many times."
Selena took a sip then smiled. "I know. I just like hearing you say it."
Demi took the mug back, and Selena hopped off the counter. Selena returned to her chair as Demi retrieved a banana from the bowl of fruit on the counter.
As they both sat at the table, Selena in front of her laptop again, Selena thought about how nice it was to have Demi take food without Selena having to fight her about it. Those dark days still plagued Selena's mind, and as good as she knew Demi was doing, she couldn't help worrying about her friend sometimes.
Selena scrolled through more mentions as Demi peeled the banana.
"Seems as though there's some conspiracy theory that we're living together since we've both been absent from social networking and reported 'sightings' of us together." Selena looked to Demi.
"We kinda are," Demi said around a bite of banana. "I've been here for, like, a week." She swallowed and shook her head. "How do they find these things out? How do they put it all together?"
"Some 'fans' are like glorified stalkers," Selena mused. "Them and the paparazzi."
Demi rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Don't get me started with that."
Selena grew silent, remembering Demi's annoyance a couple of nights before when people took to Twitter and gave Demi a hard time for not going to the People's Choice Awards. It's like they didn't understand the definition of a break. It broke Selena's heart to see Demi so bothered, especially because she knew how much Demi loved her fans. She loved her fans just as much as she loved her own Selenators.
Selena returned her attention to Twitter while Demi finished her banana. When she was finished she got up and threw the peel into the trash bin. Walking back to the table, Demi caught a glimpse of what Selena was looking at over her shoulder.
"I thought we agreed to stay away from social media while I was here." Demi raised her eyebrows at her friend while returning to her seat.
Selena smiled bashfully. "I couldn't help it. I had to look."
Demi frowned slightly. She reached forward and closed Selena's laptop, nearly catching the other girl's fingers.
"Demi!" Selena gave her a look.
"Stop," Demi instructed. She smiled, her brown eyes twinkling. "Let's go swimming."
Selena rolled her eyes, but chuckled good naturedly. "We've swam every day since you've been here."
"So?" Demi scrunched up her nose cutely. "It's fun, and good for us. Great exercise."
"You splash around for maybe five minutes then lounge on the raft for the rest of the time," Selena said, teasing.
"Well then it's good for my soul!" Demi pouted. "Please, Lena?"
"That's why the blue is washing out so much," Selena pointed out. "The chlorine in the pool."
Demi waved off the comment. "I'm going to re-dye it before I go on tour, anyway. You know me. Bipolar, especially when it comes to my hair."
Selena's smile faltered at the mention of Demi's disorder. She didn't exactly love when Demi joked about it, it having caused so many problems in both of their lives.
"I think you should dye it back to brown," Selena said. "Or maybe black. I like it black."
Demi shrugged. "Maybe… So can we go swimming, or what?"
Selena sighed, giving in. "Fine."
Demi smiled widely. She drained the remainder of the coffee in the mug and stood from the table.
"I'm gonna go put on my bikini," she announced, touching Selena's shoulder lightly as she left the kitchen.
Selena felt the ghost of Demi's fingers long after she left the room. Selena remained seated, chewing on her thumbnail. Her mind wandered to when she and Demi fifteen, and lingering touches were something she both craved and dreaded.
She thought back to all those nights in Puerto Rico, filming Princess Protection Program, most of them spent on the beach with Demi. They hardly changed out of their bikinis, except for filming. It was a simpler time, when Demi's problems hadn't yet manifested themselves into what they grew to be.
Sixteen year-old Demi and Selena lounged on a private beach in Puerto Rico, the sun just setting over the water. They'd wrapped filming at around four that day and had the rest of the day to themselves. The rest of the cast was off sightseeing, but Demi and Selena felt that the only sight they needed to see was the one in front of them.
They each sat on a beach blanket under the shade of a palm tree. Demi tilted her head back and groaned.
"I can't believe we wrap filming next week," she said. "I'm not ready to go back to the States yet."
"Same," Selena agreed, digging her toes into the sand.
Selena cast a look at Demi out of the corner of her eye. She sat there, normal as ever, looking out over the water, yet something was different. Lately Selena felt things had been changing. They'd always been super close and touchy, but recently those touches started to linger more often, and oddly enough, Selena wasn't minding it. For the past year these more-than-friendly touches had been occurring.
She and Demi were sharing a hotel room, even the same bed. That wasn't unusual, but what was unusual was that for the past few weeks when she woke up, Selena found her and Demi's arms wrapped around each other, like in a lover's embrace. Selena knew it should have freaked her out, but it didn't. In fact, it made her feel safe.
Now she gazed upon her life-long best friend and felt something stirring, not just in her head or chest, but somewhere else… Lower. And this scared her. Her face burned hot and she detached her eyes from her friend's curves, shifting uncomfortably from her spot in the sand.
Beside her, Demi sighed peacefully. "Isn't is beautiful, Sel?"
"You're beautiful," Selena responded without thinking.
She turned to face Demi, who had her eyebrows raised. A small smile formed on her lips. Selena, unable to meet Demi's eyes, aimed lower… To her mouth. Selena frowned slightly, staring at them. They were so pink and plump… She found herself just wanting to lean in and kiss them.
"Sel?" Demi's voice floated to her ears.
Selena leaned forward quickly, placing a soft, yet firm kiss on Demi's lips. It went as quickly as it came, and Selena pulled back, holding her breath. Demi stared at her quizzically, her hand going to her mouth.
"Sel?" Demi asked again.
"Sel… Sel… Earth to Selena!"
Selena was jerked from her memory by a beach towel landing atop her head. It fell to her lap, and the Latino girl looked up. Demi was standing over her, clad in her bikini, her sunglasses already on her face despite still being inside.
"Go put your suit on," Demi told her, taking the towel back. "I'll be in the pool."
"Don't forget sunscreen," Selena reminded her.
Demi waved the comment off over her shoulder as she slid open the sliding glass door and walked out onto the deck.
Selena sighed and stood, going to her room to change.
When she got to her room, she noticed Demi had left the bed unmade, something they both had a bad habit of doing. The thick, white comforter was nearly kicked all the way off the bed, causing Selena to smile. Demi was always such a rough sleeper. Last night she could feel her friend tossing and turning beside her, but at least she was sleeping. Selena could remember times when Demi would go days to weeks without sleep. She'd stay up writing songs until the sun came up, sneaking back to bed before anyone noticed she hadn't slept, but Selena noticed. She always noticed.
Apparently insomnia was a symptom of Bipolar Disorder. At least her medicine was starting to help.
Selena dressed in her bathing suit quickly, her mind wandering back to Puerto Rico the whole time. That first kiss on the beach had been the start of something, though it was something Demi and Selena never put a label on or even bothered to talk about.
What they'd had for a brief time between the ages of fifteen through seventeen was a fling. It was on and off again, depending on schedules and other relationships, but it was always there. It was anything but healthy, getting less and less healthy as the relationship moved from innocent stolen kisses behind closed doors, all the way to full on "lesbian" sex, not that either of them considered themselves to be a lesbian. In fact, the only girl Selena had ever been with was Demi. Demi, on the other hand, had been with many other girls. That, and Demi's jealousy when it came to Selena's blossoming friendship with Taylor, ultimately ended their friendship for a few years.
Then there was also Demi's drug, cutting, and eating disorder problems. They were too much for Selena to handle, and Demi wouldn't even let her try to help. Selena could remember nights she held onto only a shell of Demi, running her hands over the bandages she forced onto Demi's fresh cuts on her stomach, where she thought she could hide them. Then she'd only awaken hours later to find Demi was no longer in her arms, but instead was in the bathroom throwing up the food Selena had forced her to eat hours before.
Demi's treatment brought them back to each other, finally opening up the communication lines again. They agreed to let the past stay the past and move forward, and nothing of a sexual nature had ever happened between them again, yet now Selena found herself missing what they used to be. Maybe not the foolish teenagers they were back then, but… Something about that time, that innocence. It was all rushing back to her the past week Demi had spent at her house, for no other reason that they wanted to keep enjoying each other's company.
Selena knew that Demi was with Wilmer (something Selena wasn't too fond of, primarily because of the creepy age difference), and that he treated her well, and that she herself was back to dating Justin, but deep down she felt like things were changing again. Like they did back in Puerto Rico.
The two twenty-one year olds spent their day by the pool, lounging, talking, and sometimes swimming. They'd ordered a pizza and had it delivered right around to the back of the house. Selena kept herself shaded with a big, floppy beach hat while Demi adorned an ugly ball cap Wilmer had loaned her.
Selena really wanted a daiquiri or something as she sat there by the pool. After all, she was twenty-one and could legally drink. She even enjoyed a cocktail every now and then, but Demi couldn't be around alcohol, and Selena respected that.
By the time they went back inside, it was already after noon, and they both had rosy cheeks.
"I'm gonna go get in the shower and wash all this chlorine off," Demi announced, sliding the glass door shut behind her.
"Okay," Selena said with a nod, immediately reaching for her phone on the counter. She'd left it inside, preferring to spend time with Demi, not Demi and whoever wanted to call or text her.
"What, can't go more than four hours without talking to Justin?" Demi teased, pausing at the doorway.
Selena's cheeks flushed even more. "Like you don't text Wilmer all the time."
Demi shrugged. "Haven't texted him once since I've been here."
Selena frowned at how nonchalant Demi seemed about the whole thing. "Is everything okay between you two?"
"Eh." Demi shrugged again. "Nothing to worry about. Just don't need to obsessively talk to him, that's all."
Demi exited the kitchen, signaling the end to the conversation. Selena shook her head, deciding not to worry, like Demi said. She checked her phone, eyes growing wide in shock with all the notifications she had. People were always calling and texting her, sure, but this was ridiculous. She scrolled through them, and they seemed to go on forever.
Many were from her mom, and she began to grow worried about Gracie. What if something was wrong with her beloved baby sister?
Opening the texts, she saw urgent messages saying to call Mandy, and saying "I warned you about that boy!"
Selena's brow creased. What boy? Justin?
She double-checked, and what shocked her was that she had no messages from Justin… Not one. That was unusual. He usually couldn't go an hour without texting her at least a selfie or something like that.
She had messages from her handler, publicist, and many more people on her team, all seeming urgent, saying they needed to talk to her… About Justin.
Selena put her phone down and decided to get to the bottom of this herself. She went over to the computer and logged back in. If there was one thing she could always count on, it was that Twitter would supply her with the latest gossip.
"Oh my god," Selena said with a gasp as she began reading the latest scandal her boyfriend was involved in.
She scanned over an article about eggs and a house being egged. That didn't concern her much, what bothered her was the mention of the police finding cocaine in Justin's house. The article went on to say that it wasn't Justin's, but the fact that it was in his house really got to her.
Selena immediately picked up her phone and called Justin.
"It's not true," she told herself as it rang. "It's not true."
The call went to voicemail. She cursed silently under her breath and tried calling again, only to get the same result. He never missed her calls. Ever.
She decided to send a text, urging him to call her. Next she called her mom. Mandy was hysterical, yelling, "I told you so," many times in the conversation. Selena reminded her mother that they didn't know the whole story yet, but was just met with a scoff.
By the time Selena got off the phone with her mother she had a massive headache. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. This was all too familiar.
Selena was met by memories of Demi not answering her calls or texts. Cocaine had been one of Demi's problems, and Selena knew it. She walked in on Demi snorting it with Miley in the bathroom one time at a Disney Channel party. That erupted into a fight, which Miley antagonized, and the two girls left together shortly afterwards, leaving Selena in a horrific mood for the rest of the night. Cocaine scared Selena more than any other drug. Deep down it was the drug she blamed for sending Demi over the edge.
Tears escaped from Selena's closed lids as she sat in the kitchen, wrapped in her beach towel. She put her arms on the tabletop and rested her head in them, letting the tears come.
After a couple of minutes she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Selena jerked up, her blurry eyes meeting with Demi's concerned gaze. Demi's hair was dripping wet, soaking the black t-shirt she now wore.
"I heard you crying all the way from the shower," Demi explained. She sat in the seat across from her friend and rubbed her arm soothingly. "What's wrong?"
Selena simply turned the computer screen with the TMZ article about Justin egging his neighbor's house so that Demi could read it.
"What's this about?" Demi questioned.
"Something about eggs," Selena responded bitterly.
Demi's brow knitted together as she read the story, eyes growing wide the whole time. When she got to the bottom of the page she looked to her friend.
"You think it's his coke, don't you?" Selena asked.
"It says it was Lil Za's," Demi said, though she didn't sound convinced.
"I didn't ask what the story said," Selena clarified. "I asked what you think."
Demi stared at her, hesitating. "What do you think?"
Selena's lip trembled. "I think it's Justin's."
Selena swiped at her eyes as more tears came. Demi got up and grabbed a tissue from the box on the cabinet. She returned to her seat and handed it to Selena. The Latina wiped her runny nose.
"I thought he was just doing pot," Selena confessed. "I didn't think it was anything else. I didn't want it to be anything else."
Demi nodded, listening. She reached over and placed her hand on Selena's knee, poking out from underneath the towel.
"He was using more, though," Selena said. "More than when we broke up. It's like he lives high now." She shook her head. "I'm so stupid. Why did I go back to him? My fans have been tweeting me, telling me I'm a fucking idiot. They're right. I am."
"No, you're not, Sel," Demi said, squeezing her knee. "You don't know if it's his or not for sure. They said it was his friend's."
"It was always yours," Selena said in a monotone voice, meeting Demi's eyes. A tension filled the room. "It wasn't Shorty's or Miley's – okay, it might have been Miley's—but it was always yours, no matter what you told me. You thought I didn't know, but I did." She sniffled as Demi looked away, embarrassed. "I know it's his."
Demi took her hand back and cleared her throat. "I guess you should talk to him, then."
"Little asshole won't answer his phone," Selena said, glaring at her phone. "I'll have to go over."
"Do you really want to go over there, Lena?" Demi asked. "I mean, if the cops were there earlier, then the place is bound to be swarmed with paparazzi."
"I have to." Selena stood. "I need to know the truth."
It only took Selena a half hour to get dressed and get on the road. She trusted Demi to lock up on her way out, and she hopped in her car.
She parked around the corner from Justin's because, just as Demi had predicted, the front had tons of people with cameras hanging around. So she took the back way, cutting through the backyards of Hollywood homes and making it to Justin's back patio.
When she got to the back door, she looked in through the window. Justin was sitting on the couch, his head leaning back against the cushions. Selena knocked on the door loudly. Justin's eyes slowly opened, his head lolling in her direction. She waved at him, and he smiled goofily when he recognized her.
He got off the couch much too slowly for her taste. She saw him trying to pull up his overly-baggy sweatpants as he made his way to the door. He had on a sweatshirt and one of those flat billed snapbacks, covering his brown hair that he insisted on gelling to stick up even when he wore a hat. Glancing at his feet, her lip curled in disgust; socks and sandals were tacky, but he wouldn't stop wearing them.
As soon as the door opened Selena caught a whiff of marijuana. Justin's eyes were terribly bloodshot, and the dopey smile he wore told her more than she needed to know.
"Hey, baby," he greeted, leaning forward to kiss her.
She leaned away from him. "You're high right now? Seriously, Justin?"
"What?" he asked dumbly as she pushed past him and into the excessively large house.
"Your house was crawling with cops this morning, your friend got arrested for cocaine possession, and you're sitting here getting high?" she asked, going over to where he had been sitting. A still-lit blunt rested in an ashtray on the coffee table. She rolled her eyes, picked it up, and stamped it out.
"Lil Za is fine," Justin said, waving off the comment. "Already sent over the money to bail him out." He smiled at her. "What are you doing here, baby?"
"Don't you baby me," she said angrily. "Why haven't you answered my calls or texts?"
He squinted his eyes for a better look at her. "You're not wearing makeup. And your eyes are puffy. You been crying, babe?"
He reached out a hand to cup her face. She swatted it away.
"I don't want you to touch me," she spat. "I can barely even look at you!"
Justin shook his head. "It's just a little pot. You never had a problem with it before." He flopped onto the cushy couch.
"I'm not mad about the pot, Justin," Selena said. "I'm mad about the cocaine! What the fuck were you thinking?"
"It wasn't mine," he muttered. "I'm sure you read that on the internet."
"I don't fucking believe it, though," Selena told him. "You really expect me to believe that shit? I've caught you doing Molly and mushrooms in the past, remember? That's why we broke up the first time!"
"The past is the past," Justin said. "Baby, come here and cuddle with me." He opened his arms for her.
"Tell me the truth, Justin," she said in an even tone. "Was it your coke?"
"No."
"Liar!"
She picked up the glass ashtray and threw it at the wall. It shattered.
"What the fuck?" Justin yelled, leaping off the couch. "You're being a fucking lunatic, Sel."
"Don't you dare lie to me, Justin," Selena said angrily. "I went through all this bullshit with Demi before, so I know you are lying."
"Oh, here we go again with your lesbian experience," Justin said, rolling his eyes. "I get it, she broke your heart, but Sel, I am not Demi. Okay?"
"I regret even telling you about that." She turned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. "And I never said she broke my heart. That would mean I was in love with her, and I wasn't. It was… A fling."
Justin shook his head. "Yeah, whatever. She fucked you up, and now you're taking it out on me. You're mad at me because of her."
Selena rounded on him. "No, I'm mad because not only are you doing coke, but you're lying to me about it."
Justin growled in frustration. "Okay, god, fine, it was mine! Jesus fucking Christ, Selena!"
"I knew it!"
She launched herself forward and started beating him on the chest with her fists. He grabbed her wrists and stopped her.
"It's no big deal," he said, trying to contain her as she continued to attempt to wiggle free. "You seriously think Demi doesn't still do it?"
Selena froze and looked up at him, her eyes on fire. "Demi is clean, you fuckhead. For over a year now."
Justin laughed. "Right, okay. And all that magic you did on Wizards was real. Wake the fuck up, Selena."
Selena stomped on his foot with all her might and yanked her arms from his grasp. He doubled over in pain, clutching the injured foot while hopping around on the other.
"It's over, Justin," she said severely. "Don't fucking call me, text me, tweet me, anything. Leave me the fuck alone this time." She shook her head at him. "I can't believe I took your stupid ass back. Just when I was starting to trust you again…"
She went to the back door.
"Selena, wait," Justin called, limping after her.
She ran out the door and hopped the fence to his neighbor's yard. Justin went to stand in the open doorway.
"Sel!" He called, but she was already out of sight.
Before Selena was even back to her car she'd already dialed Demi's number. Demi picked up on the second ring.
"It was his," Selena said, fighting back a sob as she pressed her key to unlock her car door. "Can I come to your house? He won't come looking for me there."
"Yeah, come over," Demi said on the other line.
"Thank you, Dems," Selena said into the phone before hanging up and hopping into her car.
Selena drove almost blindly with tear-filled eyes all the way to Demi's. Demi met her at the door with a box of tissues and a bag of chips, not having had time to run to the store and pick up ice cream.
They sat on Demi's couch, Selena nestled into Demi's side while she cried. Demi sat there patiently, letting Selena soil her shirt with snot and tears while she stroked the slightly older girl's raven hair.
After over an hour, Selena's sobs subsided, and she simply sat with her head resting on Demi's chest, hiccupping ever now and again.
Finally, Demi lightly pushed her up. Selena looked to her best friend, who smiled kindly and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ears.
"Come on," Demi told her quietly. "Let's get you cleaned up."
She stood from the couch, leading Selena by the hand to the bathroom. Demi made Selena sit on the edge of the large garden tub while she readied her friend a bath. Demi made sure to put in a generous amount of bubble bath, the kind with relaxing minerals, hoping it might help Selena find a little peace. When the bath was run, Demi turned off the knobs and went to the closet. She pulled out a towel and placed it on the bathmat.
"I'll be in the living room," Demi told her with a soft smile. She turned to leave.
"Demi!"
The singer stopped when she felt Selena's hand clamp around her wrist. Their eyes met, Selena's vulnerable and scared.
"Don't leave me," Selena requested in a small voice.
"You want me to stay here while you take a bath?" Demi asked.
"Take one with me."
Demi's cheeks flushed a nice crimson shade. "Selena…"
"It's not like it's nothing we've never seen before," Selena reminded her.
They stared at each other. Neither had ever been brave enough to bring up the past and their sexual teenage relationship since Demi had come out of treatment. They treated it as if it didn't exist, yet there it was. Out there again.
Selena searched her friend's face. "Please, Demi?"
Demi looked away for a moment, to the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her. She looked at Selena's reflection, watching her intently. She looked so broken. Demi hated seeing her like that, especially since it used to be her who caused that much distress in the young Latina, something she was still deeply ashamed of.
"Let me get another towel," Demi said, looking back to Selena.
Selena released Demi's wrist with a sigh of relief. Demi retrieved another towel from the closet and dropped it by the first. The two young women stared at each other, neither wanting to be the first to undress. Finally, they averted their eyes and began to remove their clothing.
Both did their best to keep their eyes to themselves, but after not seeing each other naked in over four years and once enjoying the other girl's body so much, they continuously sneaked peeks. Finally they caught each other looking and locked eyes. Selena was the first to break the contact, bravely following Demi's underwear down to around her ankles. Fully naked, Demi stood before her, eyebrows raised in amusement.
Demi climbed into the bath and settled herself in the bubbles. She looked at Selena expectantly. She was still wearing her bra and underwear.
"I ran this bath for you," Demi announced. "You gonna get in, or what?"
Selena blushed when she realized she was still staring. As she removed her undergarments, Demi decided it was her turn to enjoy the view. Damn, Selena sure had filled out more since they were teenagers.
Selena got in the tub and sat across from Demi. They stared at each other for a few moments before Selena turned around and put her back to Demi.
Demi took a cup from the edge of the tub. She filled it with water as Selena tilted her head back, waiting. Demi poured the water over Selena's head, wetting her hair.
Demi washed Selena's hair for her, getting out the chlorine from earlier. Selena's mouth dropped open in ecstasy as Demi's fingernails ran along her scalp, sending tingles down her spine. Demi rinsed Selena's hair, then conditioned it. When she was done she dropped her hands into the bubbly water. Instead of turning around again, Selena leaned back, pressing her back against Demi's front.
Demi froze momentarily before recovering. She wrapped her arms around Selena's torso and kissed the side of the other girl's friend. Selena settled into Demi's embrace, one that used to fit her like a glove. Selena could feel Demi's breasts on her back, rising and falling as the slightly younger girl breathed. It was a sensation she'd forgotten, but it slowly came back to her. Demi's breath on the back of her neck, her lips on her skin, arms secure around her waist, they were all memories she was now reliving.
They stayed in the tub for nearly an hour before the bubbles were all gone and the water started to grow cold. Selena only climbed out of the tub when Demi forced her, complaining of pruned fingers. Selena checked her phone only to see that she had even more messages than earlier, this time over twenty from Justin. She decided just to turn off the device.
Demi pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, giving Selena a similar wardrobe to put on. When they were both dressed they went to lie on Demi's bed. Demi pulled back the black and white checkered comforter, and they both climbed into bed. Demi pulled the blankets up over them as they settled, each lying on their sides and facing each other.
Selena reached out and took Demi's hand in her own. She rubbed her thumb over the back of Demi's hand, something she always used to do back in their teen years. All of it was coming back to her. She looked up to see Demi watching her face.
"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout, Sel?" Demi said, their southern upbringings evident in her words.
"If I tell you, promise not to get mad?" Selena asked sheepishly, to which Demi nodded. "Okay… Justin accused you of still doing coke when I confronted him earlier today."
"And you believe him?" Demi asked, frowning.
"No, no, no, Demi," Selena said quickly.
"I've been clean for over a year," Demi said quietly. "From everything… cutting, alcohol, drugs… I haven't even made myself throw up, and I've been eating."
"I know, Demi. I trust you," Selena assured her. "Justin's an ass. I just… I don't know. It was on my mind."
Demi bit her lip, looking up at the ceiling. It was like no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get away from her past. Everyone would always bring it up and remind her how stupid she was.
"I'm not that girl anymore, Sel," Demi said, looking to her friend again. "I'm trying really hard every day never to be her again."
"I know you are." Selena nodded. "It's just… Sometimes I'm scared she'll come back. Today freaked me out. I can't and won't go through that again. Not with anyone. You, Justin… Anyone."
"You don't have to," Demi said. "You broke up with him, right?" Selena nodded. "Good. Then it's done. He's out of your life, and I don't do it anymore, so everything's fine."
Demi sighed heavily, and Selena felt bad for bringing it up. They were silent for a couple of minutes, just lying together with their hands intertwined. Finally, Demi spoke up again.
"Wilmer and I broke up," she said.
Selena looked at her. "What? When?"
"The day before I went to your house."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Selena asked with a frown.
"Didn't want you to think I was only there because of that," Demi explained. "That's not what I wanted our time together to be about. I just wanted it to be you and me, like old times."
Selena tried to suppress a smile. "So why did you break up?"
"The age difference finally registered," Demi said. "I realized he was graduating high school while I was graduating kindergarten. Like, that's creepy."
"Well, I didn't want to say anything…" Selena squeezed her hand. "Are you okay?"
"Totally fine," Demi said. "It was a long time coming."
Selena nodded, understanding. She looked to their intertwined, then back to Demi. "Did you love him?" she asked.
Demi thought for a moment before answering. "Not passionately, but I enjoyed his companionship. He made me happy for a while and treated me well."
"But were you in love with him, Dems?"
"Well…" Demi let out a heavy sigh. "No, I wasn't." She locked eyes with Selena. "Were you ever in love with Justin?"
Selena nodded slightly. "The first time around, for a short time, at least. Then he started changing, and I didn't like who he'd become." She shrugged. "I thought maybe he'd changed, but he hadn't." She smiled ruefully. "I don't love him anymore… Besides, it was never like—"
She stopped, shook her head, and drew in a breath.
"Never like what, Sel?" Demi asked.
Selena shook her head again. "Nothing."
"Tell me," Demi urged.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Come on," Demi pleased.
"Dems, drop it."
Selena looked at her pointedly, but Demi's face only broke out into a wide smile.
"I know how to get it out of you," Demi said matter-of-factly. She released Selena's hand and sat up.
"Demi, what are you doing?" Selena asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
Demi's hands shot forward, attacking Selena's sides with her nimble fingers, tickling the other girl mercilessly.
"Tell me!" Demi insisted.
"D-D-D-Demi, s-s-s-stop!" Selena pleaded, gasping and giggling at the same time.
"Tell me and I'll stop," Demi insisted, still tickling Selena.
"Noooo," she protested, attempting to grab Demi's hands.
Demi pinned her down and tickled more. "Tell me, Selenalenalena!"
"Fine!" Selena yelled, and Demi's fingers ceased movement. "It was never like it was with you," she said breathlessly.
Demi's brow creased. "What?"
"Loving him was never like it was loving you," Selena clarified.
"You loved me?" Demi asked, looking down at the girl beneath her.
Selena nodded slowly. "Whatever happened between us when we were younger, whatever you want to call that… In that time I fell deeply, mercilessly, and unapologetically in love with you. And I've never admitted that to anyone. Not Taylor, or Justin… Hardly even to myself at some times." She looked her friend directly in the eyes. "I fell in love with you all those years ago, Demi, and this past week I've realized… That I've never stopped loving you. Not when you slept with other people, dated other people, when we stopped being friends. Never. Not for a minute, moment, or second. I still love you."
Demi stared at Selena, not saying anything. Her mind was racing. How could she have never known how Selena felt about her? She thought all those times they experimented together had been just that for Selena, an experiment. To Demi it had awakened something deep within her core, a truth she couldn't emotionally handle at the time: Demi was bisexual, and for years she hated herself for it.
"I loved you, too," Demi said in a raspy voice, fighting the urge to cry from glee. "I couldn't handle it. That's why I pushed you away. I didn't know you felt the same." She wiped at her eyes. "I did love you, Sel. I—I do love you."
"You love me?" Selena asked with a face-eating grin.
"Yeah," Demi responded, "so what are you gonna do about it?"
Selena responded by grabbing a fistful of Demi's t-shirt and pulling the other girl down on top of her. Their lips crashed together for the first time in years, and it was like someone charged both of them with 1000 volts of electricity. Demi straddled Selena and put her hands on either side of the other girl's face. Selena reached up and put her hand on the back of Demi's neck, tangling her fingers in Demi's hair and making sure to keep their lips attached.
Demi felt Selena's tongue gliding across her lips, and she parted them, allowing her sweet tongue inside. She'd missed Selena's kisses. They were always so passionate and sensual, and these were no exception.
Selena's hand made its way under Demi's shirt and up her toned torso. Selena couldn't believe Demi ever considered herself fat. Her stomach was so flat. Selena slid her hand up further, smiling into the kiss when she realized Demi wasn't wearing a bra. She closed her hand around Demi's firm breast and felt Demi moan into her mouth.
Demi pulled out of the kiss, her pupils dilated and her breathing heavy. She looked down at Selena, whose lips were red and swollen, like she was sure her own were. Selena's hand still cupped her breast.
"Sel, we should wait," she said, panting.
"Wait for what?" Selena asked innocently, giving Demi's boob a squeeze.
Demi rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Please. When you wanted to hook up before you'd always go straight for my tits."
"This is just hooking up?" Selena asked, rubbing her thumb over Demi's nipple.
"No," Demi said, shaking her head. She reached into her shirt and grabbed Selena's hand, removing it. She held it firmly in her own. "That's not what I want with you. Not this time. And that's why I think we should wait to go further, back to the places we've been before. I mean, don't get me wrong, I want to," she paused, smiling, "but I want to do this right this time. Okay?"
Selena nodded, smiling. "Okay. Yeah. That sounds good."
"So, slow?" Demi asked. "Until we figure things out?"
"Slow." Selena nodded again. "I can do that."
"Good."
Demi settled beside Selena, wrapping her arms around the other girl. Selena placed her hands over Demi's and smiled widely. Demi pressed her nose into the back of Selena's neck, breathing in her scent.
"Since when do you like to be the big spoon?" Selena asked, recalling all the times it had been her arms around Demi, not the other way around like it was at the moment.
"Since I'm not a broken little girl who needs saving anymore," Demi told her, and Selena felt tears well in her eyes once again that day.
Demi was right. She wasn't that girl anymore. She was older, wiser, stronger, better, and Selena couldn't be happier about that.
"Hey, Sel?" Demi asked in a groggy voice.
"Yes, Demi?"
"Can I take you on a date tomorrow?" Demi asked in Selena's ear, her hot breath sending tingles down the Latino girl's spine.
"Of course," Selena said, a small smile on her lips.
"Great," Demi said. "I'll cook you breakfast in the morning, then we can spend the whole day together."
"I like the sound of that," Selena said. "Can I make just one request?"
"What's that?"
"For breakfast…" Selena smirked. "Don't cook me eggs."
"Deal."
They both giggled, and Demi placed a soft kiss on the back of Selena's neck. Selena smiled and snuggled closer to Demi, enjoying the embrace she'd been missing for too many years.
I know Demi's on vacation, that this was never happen, blah, blah, but wouldn't it be interesting if it did?
Anyway, review.
IT IS COMPLETE, A ONE-SHOT, DO NOT ADD IT TO STORY ALERT.