She’d said the other day that I had a huge impact on her personality—in a good way. Well, she had that same influence on mine.
“Oh, that’s lots of wedding planning time,” her mother said excitedly. “Do you have all of your bridesmaids set?”
“Okay, Mom, really?” Emily answered. “Now you’re asking a bit much, aren’t you?”
“You’re right. I’m just so excited about this,” her mom said, practically bouncing up and down in her seat.
“We’re so glad that you’re so excited, but remember I also need to be able to help Angie with whatever she needs for her wedding too. She doesn’t have anyone and their wedding will be before ours.”
“I know, honey,” her mom said with a smile. “We’ll be there to help with anything she needs as well.”
Not long after they’d become friends, Emily’s parents had taken Angie under their wing after her father had been arrested for hitting her about a year ago.
“Okay then,” Emily said, picking up her glass to take another sip.
The conversation continued all around us while we waited for our breakfast to show up. A lot of it about wedding plans, some of it about school. It wasn’t long before the food was brought out, surprising considering the size of our party, but who was I to complain. As the waiter set the plates down, I looked to see what Emily had ordered. I hadn’t been listening when she placed it because my mom and I were talking about my sister.
It was a huge stack of pancakes, covered in what looked like cinnamon and sugar, with a large dollop of whipped cream. Yum. She knew exactly what to pick. Any time we went out to eat, Emily never finished what was brought out on her plate, but that just meant more for me in the end, so it was always good when she picked something different to mine, especially when it looked and smelled so delicious.
“I see you eying up my plate and you can forget about it—I’m not sharing.”
Leaning over, I nibbled along the edge of her ear, forgetting that we had company at the table. “You’re right, you never share, but that doesn’t include what you can’t finish on your own.”
“So very true, Mr. Bentley.”
“Now who’s being the funny one?” She fake-pouted at me. “Would it help if I gave you a bite of my omelet first?”
From the smile on her lips, to the sparkle in her eye, her whole face lit up. “Damn, I didn’t know a little offer of an omelet would get you that excited.”
“It has nothing to do with the omelet. It’s about the fact that you’re willing to offer it to keep me happy.”
“And that, my dear, is my ultimate goal in life, but I better warn you, you’re turning kind of sappy again.”
A small fist slammed into my arm. It didn’t hurt exactly, but it didn’t feel very comfortable either. “Next time, I’m gonna knock you out, you asshole.”
“There’s my girl.”
Rubbing my arm I looked down to her. Cupping her face in my hands, I pulled her into a kiss, letting her sweetness surround and envelop me. It was a feeling like no other when her mouth touched mine. There were ohhs and ahhs, but with Emily it was so easy to get lost in the kiss, easy to not pay attention to our surroundings.
Then there was a loud clearing of a throat, forcing me to pull away from her. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks and looking down at Emily, I was satisfied to see the same thing on her face. Her scent pulled me in and I rested my head against hers.
“Love you, Em.”
“I love you too.”
After another round of ohhs and ahhs, everyone went back to eating their breakfast. We talked some more, even after everyone had finished their meal, and true to my prediction, Emily shared the rest of her pancakes.
All too soon, it was time to leave. Just like everyone else, we needed to get on the road because we both had class tomorrow and needed to get some homework and studying done. Hugs and congratulations were passed around again, as well as promises of calling more often and offers of help in planning the wedding. Emily and I hopped back in the truck, ready for the drive home.
“That was nice,” Emily said as I pulled out of the parking lot, heading back to the highway that would take us back to school.
“It was. I’m glad our parents get along so well. Not everyone is that lucky.”
“I know. I did miss your sister today, but your mom said something about her coming to visit soon.”
“That sounds like fun. We can make sure to take her to the frat house. I’d be willing to bet her campus has no idea how to party like we do.”
“Oh, like you’re a big party animal these days.” I caught her rolling her eyes when I glanced over quickly.
It was true. Ever since Emily and I’d gotten really serious, that environment wasn’t where I wanted to be. It was more important to me to spend time with Emily, doing things together. Standing around drinking, trying to look for a girl to take home for the night couldn’t compare.
“True, but that’s only because I prefer spending time with you.”
“You’d better,” she said with mock censure.
I took another peek over at her. Emily’s shoulders were slumped forward as she continued to yawn every few seconds. While she’d tried to put on a face for everyone else, I knew she was exhausted. Over the last week, she’d spent a lot of time helping Josh out with Lauren. Lauren got into a fight with her ex-boyfriend last weekend while we were out for Nick’s birthday—an altercation that resulted in her hurting her shoulder. Unfortunately, her injury had required surgery, forcing her to stop playing softball for the season. Josh had been taking care of her at his apartment so she could stay at school and not miss any classes.
Between her own classes, and helping Lauren keep up, Emily was exhausted. Even when she would get to bed at a decent hour, she had trouble staying asleep. There had been enough nights where I’d watched her toss and turn in her sleep, only to startle herself awake and then try to fall asleep again. It was as if her mind turned on and she couldn’t find a way to turn it off. I was doing everything I possibly could to pitch in and help as much as possible.
Taking my hand off the gearshift, I rested it on Emily’s shoulder.
“Why don’t you take a nap, sweetheart? I know you need it.”
“I’m fine. I’ll keep you company while you drive.”
“The radio can keep me company. Put the seat back and take a nap.”
“Are you telling me what to do?” Her eyes narrowed as she tried to stare me down.
“I am. Please take a nap. It’s not that long a drive. I’ll be fine, but I don’t want to keep worrying about you. It will make me feel better if you’d get some sleep.”
What I was hoping for was that she would fall into a good sleep and that she’d stay asleep when we got back to my place. It’s not that I wanted to give up my time with Emily, but she needed the rest. Keeping my eyes on the road, I gave her the best puppy dog face I could.
“Fine. I’ll lie back . . . but I’m not taking a nap.”
That’s what she thinks. I knew the minute she lay back and closed her eyes she’d fall asleep. Hopefully, the happy conversations about wedding plans would take over her mind and she’d dream about that instead of all the other things she worried about.
Emily
IT WAS QUIET. TOO QUIET. I didn’t want to open my eyes because, somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized that we weren’t in the car anymore. Instead I was on something soft and comfortable. Turning to my side, the spicy smell of Andrew drifted across my nose.
His pillow.
We’d gotten back and somehow I’d made it into his room, although I had no recollection of walking up here. The creak of the door had me opening my eyes. Andrew walked into the room and over to the bed.
“Hey,” I murmured, my voice rough with sleep.
“Hi.” He smiled and brushed a piece of hair away from my face.
Pulling myself into a sitting position, I looked around for a clock. Then I remembered that Andrew used his phone
for everything. There was no clock in his room. “What time is it?”
“A little after four.”
“Wow. I slept that long.”
His hand came up to caress my cheek. “I think you needed the rest.”
“I guess I did. How did I get up here? I don’t remember waking up to walk up the stairs.”
He laughed. “You didn’t. You were dead to the world, so I carried you up.”
The muscles in my shoulders and back were so tense. Reaching above my head with both arms, I did the best I could to stretch them out. When my arms dropped, Andrew’s hands landed on my shoulders, rubbing relaxing the muscles.
“Mmm . . .” I sighed. It felt wonderful.
Leaning down, he pressed a small kiss to my cheek. “Just so you know, a few people stopped over to hang out.”
This was news. “Who?”
“Caleb, Angie, and Josh. Morgan and Nick went to go grab pizzas.”
“Josh is here?”
“Yeah, apparently Lauren is with her mom for the next two days. Caleb and Angie thought he needed to get out of the apartment.”
“We can hang out with them if you like, or we can hide in here for the rest of the night? It’s up to you.”
Did I really want to hang out with everyone tonight? I was still pretty tired, but it would be good for me to spend some time with my friends. It would be fun and a chance to relax, just like brunch .
“Let me just change real fast. I think it will do Josh good to be out and about for a few hours."
“Okay, I’ll be in the living room.”
Placing a soft, sweet kiss on my mouth, he turned and left the room. The feeling of peace always surrounded me when Andrew was nearby.
I didn’t let many people in. Andrew was one of the few exceptions. It wasn’t like I had issues at home that made me pull into myself—quite the opposite. My family and I were close and, next to Angie, my sister was my best friend. As for my parents, there were no secrets between us. In high school, I was completely insecure, always worried about what people would think of me, so when I left for college I promised myself I wasn’t going to be that way. I wasn’t like that at home with my parents. In fact, most of the time my temper was out of control. There was no reason that I couldn’t be like that in college . . . perhaps with just a little less bitchiness.
The idea partly worked. I was no longer the girl who avoided things out of fear, and I earned a reputation for speaking my mind. It was an okay trade. My friends knew me well enough to understand that when I flipped my lid, it was just my temper talking.
Then there was Andrew. He was the one person I let in, and the person who saw all of me. For the first time in a long time it didn’t matter that I had a temper or that I got in trouble for speaking my mind, because Andrew loved me for me.
Sighing, I sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to regroup my thoughts quickly, knowing if I wasn’t out there soon, Andrew would get worried and come looking for me.
It didn’t take me long to change into a pair of jeans and a long sleeve top. The days were getting warmer the further we got into spring, but the nights were still very cool. The minute I opened the door, the smell greeted my nose. Chinese food—one of my favorites. When I walked into the living room, everyone was sitting around, white containers and chopsticks in their hands.
“That smells so good,” I said when I reached the end of the hallway.
“Hey, sweetie. Did you have a good nap?” Angie asked from her seat across the room, a big smile on her face.
“Yeah. Not enough sleep lately. Too much studying,” I answered, knowing Angie was probably just as tired as I was, since Lauren was staying with them.
“Yeah. Me too. School sucks sometimes.”
Because my attention had been on Angie, I was surprised when a white container and a pair of chopsticks appeared in front of me. At the same time, a set of lips touched right behind my ear, sending shivers through my body.
“I got your favorite,” Andrew whispered in my ear, lifting his mouth from me. Cool air kissed the skin on my neck where his lips had been, and I was disappointed he’d moved. He could have left his lips on me all night.
I leaned back against him. “Thank you.”
Andrew didn’t let me stay standing for long. Soon enough, he led me over to the couch to sit between him and Angie. Still smiling, I dug into my food. I was absolutely starving. It didn’t help that I hadn’t eaten since brunch.
Andrew looked over at me and laughed. “Hungry?”
“Mmhmm,” I agreed around a mouth full of food.
He brushed a piece of hair back from my face. “That’s what you get for sleeping the day away and missing lunch.”
If I hadn’t been so intent on not putting my chopsticks down, I would have smacked him for being an ass, especially with the smirk he was giving me. He was in so much trouble later.
“No witty come back from Em. I think that scares me more than when she yells,” Caleb said, chuckling quietly.
I didn’t want to disappoint but since my mouth was full of food, I had to resort to flipping him off.
“See, there’s the Em we all know and love.” Caleb was full out laughing. I looked over at Angie, who was watching Caleb like he’d lost his mind. Slowly I set my food down, prepared to let him have it when Angie spoke up.
“Umm . . . sweetheart,” she said. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea. Actually, you’re starting to sound like Josh.”
I stood up, taking slow careful steps over to where Caleb was sitting. “If you want to be that way, I’m sure we can arrange a freak-out if you’d like,” I said, smiling sweetly at him. Turning, I gave Angie a quick wink so she would play along. If Caleb wanted to be a smartass he was going to pay for it—not with yelling, but with pure torture. Nick and Morgan sat at the kitchen island, laughing as I stalked Caleb like a lioness would stalk her prey. The smirk on his face quickly disappeared and his eyes widened.
“I’m . . . I’m sorry, Em. I was just joking,” Caleb pleaded, his hands held up in surrender, his eyes darting between Angie and Andrew, looking for help.
Andrew shook his head. “Don’t look at me, man. You’re the one who started with her. You should know better by now.”
Just watching Caleb get all freaked out was worth it. Leaning down—watching his eyes practically bug out of his head—I placed a kiss on his cheek, stood up and walked away. The whole room burst out in laughter as Caleb sat there sputtering.
But there was one laugh missing.
That was when I looked over to where Josh was sitting. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, the frown lines etched around his eyes and mouth saying it all. Things with Lauren hadn’t gotten any better since I’d seen her a few days ago. She was in a lot of pain and completely miserable.
Walking over I took the seat next to him and rested my hand on his leg. The dark circles under his eyes just about did me in. He was always the one cracking the jokes, or the first one on your side when you did, so it was hard to see him suffering. Josh and I had been friends for the last three years, long before I met Andrew and Caleb, and he looked like he could use a friend more than anything. Living with Caleb and Angie, I knew they would be looking out for him, but I knew from experience that there were just those times that you needed to talk to someone outside of the situation, to see if you could get it to make any sense.
“How’s Lauren?”
Josh’s head rolled across the back of the couch to look at me as he shrugged his shoulders. The emptiness in his eyes said more than words could, but that didn’t mean he needed to keep quiet. At some point you just had to let stuff out.
“Tell me.”
He sighed and closed his eyes. “She hasn’t been eating or sleeping right. I’m just hoping it’s more about the pain and less about her fears about playing again. Pain goes away. I guess we’ll know more after she sees the physical therapist.”
“Oh, honey.” I patted his leg. “She’ll be all right. Just give
her time to adjust. It’s not like this happened on the field. She also has to deal with the fact that someone she knew hurt her. That’s a lot to take in.”
“I know, it’s just hard to watch her in so much pain. I’m hoping the next few days with her mom will help.”
With a small smile, I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and squeezed. “It will. You know we’ll keep coming over to help as much as we can.
“Thanks, Em.” His face pulled up into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“April after graduation,” I heard Andrew saying. That got my attention. Apparently, conversation had turned to our wedding.
“I still can’t believe you guys are engaged.” Josh laughed, showing a little of his former self.
I leaned over to whisper in his ear. “To be honest, neither can I.”
His brows drew together as he watched me. “I don’t understand. I thought you were happy?”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I am. I just never thought he’d get up enough courage to ask!”
That sent Josh into fits of laughter. And just like that, things seemed a little more normal in the room, the tension surrounding Josh easing. That’s when I turned back to the conversation going on in the rest of the room.
“Why wait ’til April?” Caleb asked.
“Because it’ll give us time to get through your wedding and still have time to plan our own,” I answered.
Angie’s head snapped around. “You don’t have to worry about planning your wedding around ours. You guys shouldn’t have to wait so long to get married.”
“Angie’s right,” Caleb chimed in. “Don’t wait ’til after we get married to start planning yours.”
“Thanks, man,” Andrew said, walking over to sit down next to me. His eyes shot a brief glance down at me as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “I think there’s more to it than that.”
Typical. There wasn’t, not really. Angie’s eyes moved to mine, reading me. We’d been roommates since freshman year, and had hit it off from day one. There wasn’t anything I didn’t know about her, including the fact that her dad was a verbally abusive asshole who was now behind bars. In the same way, there wasn’t anything she didn’t already know about me. She could read me better than Andrew, most of the time. It was no longer a casual gaze, but a piercing look and I knew there was nothing I could say to make her drop it.
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