Hey babes! Back again with a new story for you all! This one was inspired by a tweet I saw not too long ago and I honestly didn't think the fic would end up being as long as it is. But that just means more goodness for you all to read. And no matter how things end for Portwell with this season, just know that I will still be shipping it until the day I die. I don't give up on ships so easily.

Enjoy!


"EJ…what…what are you saying?"

His heart clenches tightly at the look of confusion and devastation on the face of the girl standing in front of him. He squeezes her hands a little tighter, telling himself it's for her when he knows it's really for him. He takes a deep breath. "I'm saying that I love you, Gina Porter. And it's because I love you that I'm letting you go." He swallows thickly, his voice cracking as he speaks, "I don't want to, believe me, I don't…but I have to. Trust me when I say that it's what's best for us."

"How can breaking up be what's best for us?" she asks him with tears in her eyes, taking a small step away from him, their hands falling apart. "Why are you doing this?"

His own eyes well up with tears and he takes a step toward her, reaching for her hands again."Gina, please…please don't make me the bad guy here, okay?" He gently pulls her closer, releasing one of her hands to cup her cheek instead, wiping away a single tear with the pad of his thumb. "You are…so important to me. And you will never stop being important to me. But we're just…we're headed in two different directions right now with our lives, and we've been out of sync lately…and I just…"

"It's okay, EJ." She lets out a shaky sigh. "I get it. I don't like it, but I get it."

"You do?"

She nods. Then she shuffles a tiny bit closer and gives him a small smile. "I love you too, you know. And you're also really important to me."

He smiles back. "That's good to know." His smile falters. "I'm really sorry, Gina. You have to know how much these two years have meant to me."

She squeezes his hand lightly. "I do. Just promise me this won't be the last time we see each other, okay?"

"Promise. Kinda helps that you're best friends with my cousin. It'll be hard to not bump into each other now and then."

She nods with a quiet chuckle. "Right."

Silence encompasses them, save for the ambient noises of the Salt Lake streets surrounding them.

"So…this is it, then?" she asks after a moment. "This is the end?"

'Not forever,' he wants to tell her. Wants to tell her how he believes it in his heart that they're meant to be. Just not right now. But one day…one day he knows they'll find their way back to each other. He doesn't say any of it, though, chickens out at the last second.

He simply gives her a tight smile instead. "I guess so."

She smiles softly at him and then rises on her toes just enough to press a quick, chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth.

His eyes flutter closed at the feeling, his mind doing everything it can to commit it to memory. He doesn't want to forget, not ever, not one single thing.

.

.

.

"Eej!"

EJ beams when he turns and sees his favorite redhead rushing toward him through the airport, her carry-on bag rolling behind her as she goes. He practically rushes across the floor to her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. "Oh, I've missed you, Ash."

"Missed you too."

EJ pulls out of the hug and grabs the handle of her bag as he starts to lead her through the airport. "So, how was your flight?"

Ashlyn lets out a heavy breath. "Honestly? I've been through worse. But I'm doing much better now that I'm back on solid ground."

"And in New York, no less," EJ points out.

Ashlyn grins. "I know! I can't believe we're here! It's so exciting!"

EJ chuckles and nods. "Indeed it is. It's been too long since we've hung out just the two of us. I've missed it."

Ashlyn raises a brow at him. "And whose fault is that, Mr. Workaholic?"

EJ frowns. "Yeah, I know. I just…it's not easy breaking into the entertainment industry, okay? Not all of us are as lucky as Nini was to have someone she knows give her a little bit of a leg up. I mean, I'm proud of her and everything, her new album is amazing."

"Isn't it?" Ashlyn agrees as they step through the doors. "I can't stop listening to it."

"Yeah. My friend Kyle's girlfriend is obsessed. She practically attacked me when she found out we went to school together."

Ashlyn laughs. "What'd she do when she found out you two used to date?"

"Nothing. Because she doesn't know. I'm not exactly proud of the person I was when I was with Nini. I'd like to think that this version of me is a lot better."

"He certainly is," Ashlyn tells him with a smile. "How is everything with work, by the way?"

EJ lets out a heavy breath. "Stressful. I'm already in my thirties and I don't feel like I've made even a dent in breaking into the industry. I know everybody says that it takes time, and Indie films are great to film and direct and all that, but I want something more and I want it now, you know?"

"I totally get it. But hey, this vacation will let you take your mind off of things for a while."

EJ nods. "You're absolutely right. The next two weeks are just about two cousins having the time of their lives in one of the greatest cities in America."

Ashlyn smiles, lightly punching his arm. "That's more like it."

EJ smiles back. "This is going to be a one-hundred percent stress-free vacation."

"Absolutely. Now come on, show me this amazing hotel you claim to have found."

EJ nods and breathes deeply. "Right, yes, our hotel. It's great, I promise you're going to love it."

.

.

.

He knows he shouldn't have promised Ashlyn that she'd love the hotel he found, and he really shouldn't have oversold it either. Because it's definitely not the nicest hotel in New York, but it's all he was able to afford for their two-week stay, and he still needs to eat and get around the city. So he couldn't exactly drop a fortune on a hotel, especially since he doesn't have one.

On the bright side, Ashlyn isn't upset about it for too long, immediately jumping to getting settled in while telling him about all the ideas she has of things for them to do while they're in New York.

Since he arrived at their hotel the day before and doesn't need to unpack anything, he resigns himself to sitting back and listening to his cousin prattle on excitedly. He just smiles to himself, glad that he was able to get away from work for a bit to have some quality time with his cousin. It really has been too long.

"EJ? Are you even listening to me?"

His head snaps toward his cousin. "Hmm?"

She shakes her head with a quiet scoff. "Typical."

"Hey, come on, I'm sorry. I promise you have my undivided attention. Please, go on." He smiles and gestures for her to continue talking.

She just rolls her eyes. "Thanks. Like I was saying, I think it'd be fun if we tried to see a show while we're here. There are so many great ones, and I was already looking, and some of them have lotteries we can enter to try and get tickets the day of."

"Yeah, that sounds like fun. Did you have a specific show in mind?"

Ashlyn beams. "Oh, I'm so glad you asked."

EJ chuckles, paying his cousin one hundred percent of his attention this time as she lists the shows she wants to see from most to least desperate. She even gives her reasoning behind the rankings too, which is pretty entertaining.

Once the conversation has dwindled and Ashlyn is relatively unpacked, they decide to explore the city for a bit and then find somewhere to grab a bite to eat. He knows they can't go just anywhere, though. They're in freaking New York City of all places, they have to go somewhere that's unique to New York, somewhere memorable. He's certainly having the time of his life already, though.

"EJ! We're in New York!"

He laughs at his cousin's enthusiasm, narrowly managing to avoid running into someone as they move down the busy sidewalk. "I know, Ash. You've been saying it practically every five minutes."

"Um…I definitely haven't been that excessive." She gasps quietly. "Have I?"

EJ chuckles. "Okay, so maybe I exaggerated a little." He quickly sidesteps when a man in a business suit walks past, too engrossed in his phone conversation to be aware of his surroundings. "But you have been saying it a lot."

"I'm sorry. I'm just so excited that we're here."

EJ grins. "It is pretty incredible." His next words are lost to him as his body collides with another, something he'd been desperately trying to avoid. He immediately turns to start apologizing, barely registering the gasp coming from his cousin. He's only gotten a few words out when he freezes in place, staring at the woman standing in front of him.

He hasn't seen her in person in almost ten years, but she still looks just as amazing as she always has. "Gina," he finally manages to get out, offering her a tiny smile. "Hey."

Her wide eyes relax again and she smiles back. "Hey, EJ. Uh, it's been a while."

"Yeah," he says with a small nod, shifting on his feet. "I uh…how are you?"

"I'm good. You?"

He shrugs. "Can't complain."

"Uh, I'm good too, by the way," Ashlyn pipes up from next to him with a teasing smile. "In case anyone was wondering."

EJ gives her an apologetic smile at the same time that Gina squeals excitedly.

"Ashlyn!" Gina practically shouts, moving across the pavement to pull her friend into a hug.

EJ watches for a moment as the two friends catch up, big smiles on both their faces. He knows they've kept in touch as often as they can since high school, even after Gina moved to New York to really pursue her dreams.

Is he a little ashamed that he didn't fulfill his promise to Gina of staying in touch? Yes. He wants to claim that life got in the way, but he knows it's a sucky excuse. He could have found the time. He still follows her on Instagram, so he easily could have sent her a message from time to time instead of just liking her posts because he was too scared to make any comments.

A light shove against his shoulder pulls him out of his head, and he focuses to see Gina and Ashlyn both watching him with curious gazes.

He shakes his head a little and shifts on his feet. "Sorry, what?"

"Gina was just asking if we wanted to grab dinner later to catch up."

"I would have suggested lunch but I actually just came from an early one and am on my way to a meeting."

"Yeah, no, we totally get it," EJ tells her. He gives her a small, tight smile. "Dinner sounds great."

Gina smiles. "Awesome. How does six thirty sound? I know this great place near where my meeting is, I'll text Ash the address."

"Of course. Six thirty should be good." He glances at Ashlyn for confirmation, receiving a small nod, and then looks back at Gina. "We'll see you at six thirty."

"Can't wait." Gina glances at the screen of her phone and then looks up, giving them both an apologetic smile. "I've really gotta run, but I'll see you both tonight." She gives Ashlyn a quick hug and then looks at him, hesitation clear on her face. Then she simply smiles at him and walks away.

It hurts more than he hoped it would, to see her walk away like that. He's sure this is what it would have looked like back then if he'd actually had his eyes open. But he couldn't bear to see her leave then, even if he did believe it was what was for the best for the both of them at the time.

"EJ? Hey, earth to EJ."

Shaking himself out of his head again, EJ turns to his cousin. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

His brows furrow slightly. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"I don't know, maybe because you just ran into your ex-girlfriend after years of not seeing her."

EJ rolls his eyes. "I've run into ex-girlfriends before, Ash."

"Yeah, but none of them were Gina. That two-minute conversation looked incredibly painful for you."

"It wasn't painful."

Ashlyn raises a single brow at him. "Eej, you looked like you wanted the earth to swallow you up." Her face softens. "What's going on? Talk to me. You told me you got over her."

EJ sighs heavily, his shoulder slumping forward. "I lied."

"What?"

"I lied, Ash."

She frowns. "Why…why would you do that?"

"Because I never got over her, and I don't want to. But I couldn't really say anything since I'm the one who ended things in the first place. I've been head over heels in love with Gina since I was eighteen, but I'm pretty sure it's too late for us. So just…leave it alone, please."

"O-okay. I'm sorry, Eej."

"Yeah? Me too."

.

.

.

There's a small part of him that is not at all looking forward to dinner with Gina. That little piece of his heart that's still broken inside from ending things between them when they were younger doesn't know if he can handle it. But then there's the larger part of his heart, the part that is all Gina, that is ecstatic about getting to spend some time with her. Even if Ashlyn will be there too. It might be good to have a human buffer in case things between him and Gina start to get awkward.

The restaurant Gina chose is a quaint little place tucked in between some larger buildings, but the atmosphere is really nice and super casual. Which is great because he didn't necessarily pack any fancy clothes. He does try to look presentable though, wearing the nicest casual clothes he brought with him and doing his hair a little.

As soon as they step inside the restaurant, he spots Gina immediately at a table in the corner perusing a menu, her body beautifully backlit by the slowly setting sun outside the window behind her. It'd be hard for him not to notice her, honestly, given that he genuinely can't stop thinking about her whenever he has a few minutes to spare throughout the day.

"Oh, look, I see Gina. Come on."

Ashlyn grabs his arm and drags him through the restaurant, bringing them closer and closer to Gina with each step they take.

He has to breathe slowly and deeply to prepare himself for this, to spend an extended period of time in Gina's presence again. He's not sure how long his heart will be able to handle being near her again, but he knows it's his own damn fault.

"Hey, you guys made it," Gina says with a wide smile once they've reached the table.

"Of course we did," Ashlyn responds. "Do you really think we'd miss out on an opportunity to hang out with you, Miss Broadway Star?"

Gina laughs quietly. "Thanks, Ash. But I'm not a Broadway star, not by a long shot."

"You'll get there eventually," Ashlyn tells her as they both take a seat around the table. "One day you're gonna audition for a role that was made for you and you're going to be a star."

"That is the ultimate dream. But for now, it's off-Broadway shows and odd jobs here and there so I can make rent every month. Living in New York full time is not easy."

"I can only imagine," EJ pipes in. "I mean, just finding a hotel at a decent enough price for two weeks was a nightmare. I bet it's way worse when it comes to apartments."

Gina nods. "Oh, absolutely. I can't tell you how many apartments I barely stepped foot in when I first got here before realizing they'd be way out of my price range."

"But I take it things are better now?" Ashlyn asks.

"Definitely."

EJ smiles as he listens to the two friends engage in conversation, leaning back in his seat, completely content to let them have their time to talk. Every once in a while he'll chime in with his own two cents, or the conversation will actually be directed at him for a couple of minutes before it's Gina and Ashlyn holding the entire conversation again. He doesn't mind it, though, he knows how much Ashlyn misses Gina since they no longer live in the same zip code, and haven't for quite a while. He's more than okay with letting them have this time.

The conversation turns to the rest of their mutual friend group once their food arrives. He and Ash spend some time catching Gina up on what some of the others are doing now with their days, telling her about the things that aren't posted on social media. Many of their friends are definitely not doing what they thought they'd be doing when they got older, but he knows they're all happy with where they're at in their lives now.

As the meal winds down, the three of them completely satiated, they remain at their table, the rest of the customers slowly trickling out as the minutes tick past. It's nice, being able to just relax and catch up and not be stressed out about anything for a change.

"Oh, Gina," Ashlyn speaks up after a quiet moment between the three of them, "you never answered my question earlier about any new shows you might be doing."

"I didn't?"

Ashlyn shakes her head. "No. And I'm dying to know."

"So am I now," EJ says as he sits up a little more in his seat. "Have anything coming up, G?"

"Actually, um…" Gina trails off, glancing around the restaurant for a moment before looking at them again and leaning forward. "A friend of mine is working on a show and he told me that he wants me to be the lead," she tells them with a grin.

EJ's eyes go wide at the news and then his entire face breaks out into a smile. "What? Gina, that's amazing. I'm so happy for you."

"Me too," Ashlyn says with a wide smile. "This is the best day ever."

Gina laughs quietly. "Even better than your wedding day?"

"Probably a close second."

"Well, thanks, guys. I'm really excited. And extremely nervous."

Without thinking, EJ reaches out to place a hand over Gina's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Hey, you're gonna be great, okay?" He offers her a small smile. "You've got nothing to worry about."

She smiles back. "Thanks, Eej."

"No problem."

Things grow quiet again, save for the casual sounds of the restaurant all around them. It's very much near closing time and the staff will probably kick them out soon, but for the time being EJ's enjoying this quality time with two of his favorite people.

The sharp trilling of a cell phone pulls EJ out of his head, making him jump back and tear his hand away from Gina's. He immediately misses the feeling of being able to hold her hand again, even if it was just meant to be in a friendly manner. He can't help it.

"Oh, I think that's me," Ashlyn announces, digging her phone out of her pocket. "It's uh, it's probably…someone needing to talk to me. I'll just go and answer this over there to see what they want." She quickly stands from her seat and hurries to another area of the restaurant, pressing her phone against her ear while her eyes continuously dart back to them.

EJ watches his cousin walk away before turning back toward Gina and giving her a small smile, shifting a little in his seat. "Is it just me, or did it seem like she's been waiting all night to leave us alone over here?"

Gina laughs quietly. "Yeah, not very subtle."

"She means well, though," EJ defends his cousin. "She's got a big heart."

"Must run in the family, then," Gina replies, smiling at him.

EJ wipes his palms against the fabric of his jeans to try and get rid of the sweat. He hasn't been this nervous around Gina in years. He also hasn't been around Gina at all in years, not since Ashlyn's wedding eight years ago. So it's only natural he wouldn't entirely know how to act.

"Hey, EJ?"

"Yes?" he answers, probably a little too quickly, his head whipping up to look at her.

"Um, you said you're still into filmmaking, right?"

His heart sinks a little at her question, though he doesn't know why he'd be hoping for more. He's the one who broke things off, she probably wouldn't say anything unless he did first. And even then, after what he put her through, he's not sure she'd want him to say anything.

He shifts in his seat and gives a quiet chuckle. "I mean, it's basically my entire career, so yeah, I'd say I'm still into it."

Gina laughs quietly and shakes her head. "Right. Sorry. Uh, I'm only asking because, well, my friend mentioned wanting to do, like, a documentary thing for his show, since he's hoping to really get it off the ground and he wants to have a video of its evolution. But he hasn't found anyone he likes yet."

EJ raises a brow. "And you thought you'd throw my hat into the ring?"

"If you're okay with it," Gina is quick to say. "If you're too busy, I totally get it. I don't even know how long it'll be for since we haven't even started rehearsing it yet. He's still fine-tuning a few things."

He smiles and shakes his head. "No, I'm uh, I'm not busy. I've had a couple of meetings about some potential movies to do, but I think I'd much rather film the beginnings of a brand new musical than another Indie movie."

Gina grins. "You really mean that? Oh, EJ, you're the best." She leans over and wraps her arms around him in a hug.

EJ has to stop himself from completely melting into the hug. He does wrap his arms around her as well, though, reciprocating the gesture and hoping that it won't be another several years before they hug again.

"Whoa, what'd I miss?"

EJ reluctantly pulls out of the hug and turns to face Ashlyn as she approaches the table.

"EJ might be moving to New York," Gina blurts out excitedly.

"Just to capture footage for a documentary," he clarifies with a quiet chuckle. "And she still has to talk to her friend about me and then I'll probably have to meet with him and he could not even like me."

Gina shakes her head. "Nah, he's gonna love you. Trust me."

.

.

.

Turns out, the guy does indeed love him, even more when EJ tells him that he's directed several small Indie films back in Salt Lake so he knows his way around a camera. It certainly helps that Gina talked him up quite a bit before he'd even met the man.

Which is how he finds himself subletting his apartment to an old college buddy of his, and packing up as much of his stuff as he'll need to move to New York for an indefinite amount of time.

Everyone had been beyond excited when he'd told them, but of course, they all had to tell him about how much they're going to miss him. He'll miss them all too, of course, but he's genuinely excited about this next adventure he's about to go on. Not just because Gina will be there the whole time and he'll get to actually spend some more time with her, but because filming a documentary has been something he's genuinely wanted to do for a while and now he's getting that chance.

Thankfully, it doesn't take him too long to get everything in order back in Salt Lake, so he's able to be back in New York right in time for the first official day of rehearsals. The rest of the cast had been selected while he was away, and Gina kept him well informed about who's who, something he's extremely grateful for.

During that first day, it takes all of his willpower to actually keep himself moving around the room filming as much as humanly possible instead of standing still in one spot. Because every time Gina opens her mouth to sing, he nearly loses all sense of his surroundings.

To say he's completely mesmerized by Gina's performance is a bit of an understatement. He can't take his eyes off of her the entire time. Every time she sings, or even speaks, he's pulled right in and he never wants to get out. He could spend the rest of his days listening to Gina sing and be perfectly content. But he has a job to do and so he has to force himself to focus on the task at hand and get footage of everything and everyone. And not just Gina.

When the day is finished, he manages to catch Gina as she's gathering up her things to leave, standing near a section of chairs where all the cast had stored their belongings. "Gina."

She turns around and smiles brightly when she sees him. "EJ, hey. What did you think?"

"I think this show is going to be a hit. Especially with you as the lead. You were amazing, G."

"Thanks. I'm still kinda nervous about being the one to essentially be building this character from the ground up, but I'm also insanely excited."

"As you should be. You're going to absolutely kill it in this show, Gina. I have no doubt in my mind about that. Everyone is going to be absolutely blown away by your performance once you're actually in front of people"

Gina just smiles, ducking her head away from his view as she tucks some of her hair behind her ear.

EJ opens his mouth to say something more when a sharp ding interrupts him.

Gina flashes him an apologetic smile as she digs her phone out of her bag. "Sorry, let me just…see what that is."

He nods silently and then remains standing there, waiting for Gina to finish checking her phone. He shifts a little on his feet, his hands sliding into the pockets of his jeans. He can't help but smile a little at the smile that grows on Gina's face. Clearly whatever is on her phone is good news.

"EJ, you'll never guess who that was."

"Beyoncé?"

"I would die if it was, but no. It was Ricky. Apparently, he and Nini are coming to New York for some promo for her latest album and they want to meet up. Gosh, I feel like I haven't seen them in forever."

EJ nods. "Right, yeah. Uh, how…how is Ricky, by the way? You two still close?" he asks, trying not to come off as being as insecure as he might have been in the past. He's not anymore, and he genuinely likes Ricky now, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious as to the extent of Gina and Ricky's relationship.

Gina just shrugs. "I guess. I mean…we talk here and there. But he's got his music, and Nini, and their girls. And I've got my life here, so we're both pretty busy. He seems good, though."

"I am genuinely happy to hear that." And he is. He has nothing against Ricky anymore, they've both grown and matured a lot in the time since high school. "And uh, what about you?" he asks Gina. "Are you…good? Do you…do you have anyone…special?"

She raises a brow at him. "Well, what about you? Are you leaving anyone special behind in Salt Lake to be here?"

He shakes his head and looks down at the ground for a moment before looking up and giving Gina a small, sad smile. "No, there's no one. There have been a few dates here and there, but I haven't had anyone special in quite a while."

"Yeah, me neither. A lot of dates, and there were a couple of short-lived relationships, but really nothing past that."

He nods. "Good, good." His eyes go wide when he sees the look on Gina's face. "No! Not 'good'. I didn't mean it like…that. Just…good that you're not…um, what I mean is that…" he trails off and lets out a heavy sigh. "Honestly, I don't know what I'm saying. I think I started trying to say something and it just ended up going nowhere."

She shrugs. "So why don't you try again? But keep it simple this time."

"That is…not a bad idea." He takes a deep breath. "Okay, simple, I can do that." He shifts once more and faces Gina completely, then takes another big, deep breath. "The simplest truth of it is that I miss you, Gina. I miss what we used to be."

Her lips purse together as she stares at him. "You're the one who broke up with me, remember?"

He closes his eyes and sighs, remembering that day all too clearly. "I know. And I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself for hurting you like that."

"I cried," she admits to him. "A lot. For a minute I thought I wasn't a good enough girlfriend."

EJ shakes his head. "No. You were a perfect girlfriend. I was the one who messed everything up by letting you go. We could have worked through it; I never should have given up on us."

"But maybe you were right to do so," she tells him gently. "Maybe we did need to break up to get to where we are now. We don't know what our lives would look like right now if we'd stayed together."

"No, we don't," he agrees. "But what I do know without a shadow of a doubt is that I miss you, Gina. I miss you way more than I ever thought I could miss somebody."

"Really?"

He nods with a small smile. "Yeah. And I…" he sighs, shifting on his feet. "This isn't how I wanted this to go, if it even happened at all, but I'm on a roll, might as well keep it going, right?" He takes a deep breath. "I miss you like crazy, Gina. I miss talking to you, and hanging out with you, and making you laugh and smile because your laugh and your smile are two of my favorite things. I miss everything about you, Gina. So much."

Gina sniffles, though she tries to mask it, and shifts on her feet. "If you've missed me so much, why'd it take us accidentally running into each other for us to finally talk after all this time?"

EJ swallows thickly. "Because I knew it would hurt if we did. It was painful enough seeing you at Ash's wedding, so I knew that if we started talking and I learned that you'd moved on and found someone else, it would break me, especially because it would have been my fault. Because the truth is, Gina, I never moved on from you. I tried to, thinking it'd be good for me, but it never worked. It never worked because I never stopped loving you." It's as if a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders at finally speaking the words he's been too scared to say for so long. "I love you, Gina Porter, and I totally understand if you don't want to hear it, but I had to say it and I—"

His words are cut off by Gina's lips. Her hands are warm against his face, the taste of salt from tears mixing into the kiss, both their hearts beating erratically inside their chests.

It only takes him a split second to register what's happening before he reciprocates the kiss. His hands land on Gina's waist, tugging her closer as he deepens the kiss. It feels amazing to have her in his arms again.

Sooner than he'd like, the kiss ends, Gina pulling away but staying close.

He's not ashamed to say that he chases after her lips. "Well," he manages to get out after a moment, "that was…unexpected."

She raises a brow at him. "Are you complaining?"

He shakes his head. "No, absolutely not."

"Good." She lets out a breath and smiles up at him, her arms sliding away from his face to wrap around his neck. "Because I never stopped loving you either."

His entire face lights up. "You mean it?"

She laughs quietly. "Yeah, I mean it. I love you, Elton John Caswell. You broke my heart, but I never stopped loving you."

EJ's smile falters. "I'm so sorry about what I did back then, Gina. You have to know how incredibly sorry I am for that."

She nods. "I know. It took some time to come to terms with it, but I get it. I don't think my heart's fully healed yet, but it's getting there. I'd say it's about…ninety percent healed."

The edges of EJ's lips quirk. "Well then, maybe I can help you heal that last ten percent? What do you say, Gina Porter? Will you give me another chance?"

She's quiet for a moment, just staring up at him. And then her face breaks out into a grin. "Of course, I will. But we're gonna take things slow, okay? I need to focus on the workshop and I don't want to be overly distracted by you."

"So I'm distracting then, huh?" he questions teasingly.

Gina rolls her eyes, the smile still on her face, and leans back a little. "Yes, you're distracting."

"I'm happy to hear that. Though, I should probably let you know that you're incredibly distracting too."

She raises a brow at him. "I am?"

"Absolutely. You're distracting in the best way possible. It's gonna be hard not to focus on you while filming the documentary. Though, I can always claim I'm doing it because you're the lead."

"Yeah, I guess you could. But I'm serious, okay? Don't just focus on me. Promise?"

He smiles. "Promise." He breathes deeply and shifts on his feet. "Now, I know you've already had a long day, but how would you like to spend the rest of your evening with me? We can do whatever you want, just as long as we call it our first date of many more to come."

Gina smiles brightly up at him. "I think that sounds amazing."

"Then let's go." He releases his hold on her so they can both grab their belongings, and then grabs one of her hands, curling his fingers around the side of her hand and holding tightly. He turns and leads them toward the exit doors, eager to finally have some alone time with Gina to truly rekindle the spark that's been sizzling between them since they were teenagers.

As soon as they step outside, he releases Gina's hand to instead drape his arm over her shoulders and tug her a little closer. He smiles when she moves willingly, burrowing herself as deep into his side as she can possibly get. He presses a kiss to the side of her head as they walk in the direction of the hotel he's been staying at until he can find something a little better.

"I'm…I'm really glad you're here, EJ," Gina says after a few quiet moments.

He glances down at her. "You are?"

She nods, looking up at him. "Yeah. I've missed you. A lot."

"I've missed you too." He takes a deep breath, stopping for just a moment so he can look at her properly. "You know, I always knew we'd end up together."

"You did."

He nods. "Yeah. Or, well, I really hoped that we would. Because you are the absolute best thing to ever happen to me, Gina Porter. And I don't plan on letting you go ever again."

She smiles brightly as she rises just enough on her toes to kiss him slowly. "You know what?" she asks him as she pulls away but stays close. "I think I can live with that."


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Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!