Ellie's back faced the door when Tyler entered, which stayed that way as he spoke. "You're an asshole," Ellie muttered during his unapologetic apology. She swiftly moved her body from under his hand. She didn't want him to touch her right now. Ellie could smell the cheap perfume mixed with his cologne as soon as he stepped through the door. Her eyes closed, listening to the compliments spewing from his mouth as if he believed them himself.

"For once in your life, just stop talking. You're not talking your way out of this one, Tyler." She already had a headache, and he was only making it worse. "If you had any kind of respect for me, or even cared about me, you wouldn't continue to hurt me the way you do," Ellie said. She knew if she did this looking at him, Ellie would crumble and wouldn't say what she needed to.

Ellie tried not to focus on the framed picture of them, which sat on their nightstand. That stupid smile made her begin to question everything. She reached out, putting the picture frame face down before finally rolling over and looking at him. "Why do you smell like another girl?" Ellie tried to stay strong, but the crack in her voice told another story. "And please don't tell me some lame ass story. I may be blonde, but I'm not dumb."

Ellie wanted to believe him wholeheartedly, but it wasn't easy. He had let her down so many times in the past. “Don’t say it if you don't mean it,” Ellie reminded him softly, looking back into his green eyes. Normally, they sparkled. Not today; Tyler looked exhausted. Honestly, she never thought he'd take her moving out as hard as he did. She thought he'd get over it within a few hours, go out with his buddies, meet a girl, and bring her home. However, that isn't what happened. According to their friends, he’d been heartbroken, but it was hard for Ellie to sympathise with Tyler, who had broken her heart a dozen times before without a care. He was getting a taste of karma and couldn't handle it.

Ellie tried to pull away, but Tyler secured his arms around her with the slightest move. She wanted to smile but kept a blank expression and didn't address it. Instead, she went with it and only shifted her body enough to lean against the railing. After reconciling, Tyler had always been clingy in the past, but this was different. “Have you eaten today?” Despite not feeling sympathy for the hole Tyler dug, she still loved him and knew he hadn't taken care of himself since she moved out, which worried her. She was also trying to avoid the elephant in the room. He wasn't going to like what she had to say.

Ellie stared up at him, a soft smile appearing on her lips as he stared back. She couldn't believe she was finally back in his arms. It’s all she’d been dreaming about.

Ethan swivelled back and forth in his chair like a little kid, eating and listening to Maddie explain Avan’s idea for her song. He stopped when she asked if he could record something and turned to face her. He brushed the crumbs from his face with one hand while reaching out to take one of hers in the other. “I would love to record something for you, my darling.” As much as he wanted to ask about Avan and his recording process, Ethan refrained. If there had been any issues, he was sure Maddie would have said something by now. He couldn’t help it. Ethan was protective of Maddie, especially something as important as her debut album.

Julie wasn’t sure what happened between her and Seth for him to act like he had tonight towards William. It didn’t make sense to her. He’d always been nice. Even Derek was nice. After a few uncomfortable encounters, Julie made sure she and William kept to themselves. Her boyfriend had been slightly suspicious, claiming Seth was showing signs he liked her, but Julie was highly against the theory mainly because it could never happen. William had other thoughts, though. Luckily, Seth’s actions hadn't impacted their night negatively. Which was something Julie was concerned about.

It was after midnight, and once saying their goodbyes at the door, William left for the night. He wanted to stay because Seth was, but Julie was against it. She didn’t think it’d end well. Seth spending the night was tradition. He had spent the holidays with them since he and Derek were in middle school. William may have been her boyfriend, but Seth was family, and they would choose him without hesitation. There was no need for William to try and mark his territory. It wasn’t in his favour, and it never would be.

Derek had disappeared with Marissa well before the ball dropped, leaving Seth to mingle alone. She found him in the kitchen, staring into his glass and leaning against the countertop. At first, Julie wasn’t going to say anything because she was still annoyed, but things hadn’t felt the same since the night he picked her up from the restaurant. Julia had felt a spark on Christmas when they had spent the entire day together, but she didn't think Seth had also felt it. The more sure thought about it, the more Julia was beginning to believe William was right. There is no fucking way. There has to be a better explanation. William didn’t even know about the random text conversations or that Seth was now an avid watcher of her Instagram stories. Add all of it together; William may be onto something.

She wasn’t drunk, but she felt the liquid courage and didn’t want it to go away, so Julie poured herself another glass of wine before walking over to the island and resting against it, facing Seth. “You want to tell me why you acted like a total jerk tonight? Because that wasn’t you. Like, at all. I know you. What’s wrong?” Julie could've attacked him, but she wanted real answers, so she tried the gentle approach.

Ellie didn’t like lying to her sister, but it was for the best. Tyler and Ellie were still trying to figure things out, and honestly, this time around, Ellie could see a change. However, she didn’t have her hopes too high. This was how he always acted when they made up. He loved bombed her for a bit and then would return to his old ways. She wanted to believe he had changed, but it was hard for her.

Valentine’s Day was tricky because it was during hockey season, and Tyler was always preoccupied. He was never the kind guy to prioritise such a holiday either, until this year. They would be celebrating it early. It surprised Ellie when Tyler approached her with the idea of them having a four-day getaway on the mountain. At first, she was a bit hesitant because that would involve telling more lies to her sister, and Ellie didn’t want to do that, but, on the other hand, she wanted to go away with her boyfriend. So, Ellie ultimately said yes.

Tonight was their last night, and the whole trip had been such a magical fairytale. He’d been spoiling her with spa appointments and presents to the point where she needed to tell him she didn’t need all that. Instead, they spent those moments cuddling in bed and eating breakfast. It was so perfect that she didn’t want to return to reality tomorrow.

Hockey wasn’t something that Tyler had been willing to share with her; he kept that world to himself, and she wasn’t sure if it was to protect her from fans or because he wanted to keep her a secret because he liked the attention of other females. If it hadn’t been for him “changing”, she knew Tyler wouldn’t have included her this season. It was hard not to think all the negative thoughts. Ellie was waiting for the other shoe to drop, even though Tyler had put in so much effort lately.

“Please, please, don’t let me go,” Ellie begged, securely holding Tyler’s arm as they glided over the ice. Ice skating had always terrified her. The thought of falling and someone slicing off her fingers was enough for Ellie to never pick up a pair of ice skates, despite where she lived. “Still can’t believe you talked me into this. I must love you, huh?” Ellie scrunched her nose up at him before looking ahead.

When Tyler moved in front of her, facing her and skating backwards, she closed her eyes tightly, “No, no,” she cried out. She no longer felt balanced, but he quickly took her hands, and Ellie sighed. “Please tell me when you’re going to do something like that. I need to prepare myself mentally,” Ellie teased.

Julie never stopped liking Seth, despite what she had made him believe recently. Julie had just accepted that he would never see her as she saw him. However, that has changed. After almost kissing on Christmas and dodging her questions, Seth finally admitted what she had wanted him to say for so long. The obvious signs were there. It was just that when Julie would call him on it, he denied it. Not anymore. He felt the very same spark she did that night. When she invited Seth to sleep in her bed and cuddle with her, she half expected him to decline like the gentleman he was, but surprisingly, he took her up on her offer. It caused Julie to scramble around, ensuring she looked her best and prepared herself in case things led to more than cuddling. Yes, she was in a relationship, but Julie had already started the detachment process when Seth began showing her more attention than normal.

It had taken Seth a lot longer to get away from Derek than they had anticipated, and when he finally did, Julie had already fallen asleep. She only awoken when she felt Seth climb into bed with her. Smiling sleepily at him and moving closer, “Hi,” she greeted, pushing his arms open and making herself comfortable on his chest. It all felt like a dream, but it wasn’t. “It took you long enough. By the way, I think it’s weird that the two of you are still this attached at the hip at twenty-five,” Julie laughed, half asleep. She was joking, somewhat.

Julie moved her hand, looking for his in the dark, but accidentally brushed against his lower half. Julie chose to ignore it, but she knew it affected Seth by how he flinched. It was still hard for her to believe they were in this moment. These were scenarios she once fantasised about. As inappropriate as it sounded, Julie would happily let Seth do whatever he pleased. Finally finding his hand, Julie interlocked their fingers and moved them to rest on his stomach. Her eyes were closed, but her head was tilted back, facing him. She could feel him looking at her. Julie opened one eye and started to grin. She let go of his hand and moved it up to his face, playfully covering it, “Stop watching me and go to sleep. I’m probably going to start snoring soon, and I’d like you to be asleep before that happens,” she giggled, both of her eyes opened now. Maybe he was having a hard time believing they were together, too. Derek spent years making Seth believe she looked at him like a brother. She knew Derek would be pissed when he found out.

“So, did you have a good Christmas?” Julie asked as she traced the outline of his lips with one of her fingers. She could only see with the help of the moonlight illuminating her bedroom. “I had a great Christmas,” Julie volunteered.