He supposed it was familiar territory for the two of them. They'd made the transition back to lovers in a matter of days. They'd stayed up all night talking about everything that had happened over the last few months. He'd found out everything that she'd done, and even though bits of it were shocking and hurt a little, he understood it. She was young, she was allowed to be reckless, and besides, it wasn't as if she couldn't protect herself if a bad situation did arise.
He was proud of her though, despite some bad choices. She'd grown up considerably, and the new group of friends from Laguna that she'd told him about, bad influences on the surface, but they'd been the ones to save her life. If she hadn't cut loose she probably would've killed herself, and though others disagreed with their methods, they'd always stayed close, making sure she was safe at all times. And when she had finally cracked and broken down, it was them who had put her back together, and for that, JD knew he owed them - Lo, LC, Stephen, Trey and Talan - his thanks.
JD looked beside him at Avery, sleeping calmly on the pillow beside him, their hands interlocked. Somehow, being with her again, it felt like coming home. And he knew that his mum and sister were delighted to have her back. To have the two of them back. And together. His decision to break up with her was sudden, and something no one, not even he, could fully understand. He still wasn't quite sure what had made him do it, but the crazy part of his brain told him that it was fate. That they had needed to break up so the last few months and their events could take place, because it was going to be the new Avery and the new JD who belonged together. They just had to learn it the hard way.
He believed it, in a way. The way they were before had felt more like friends who had stumbled into bed together and decided since they worked so well as friends, they'd automatically work as a couple. And to an extent, they did, only half the time it still felt more like a friendship. But it was different now. They were different now.
And now, back in this place that was so familiar but so new and different at the same time, he knew this time, it was going to be alright. They would be alright. Better than alright.
Because this time, they were in a place they both knew.