kitchen was surprisingly empty, leaving the two of them alone. “I’m not too worried about it. I have a cleaning crew scheduled to come in the morning. As long as the place is clean by the time my parents get home, they don’t care. Plus I always lock up the valuables.” Jeremy dangled a key. “Ahh. That’s smart.” Emily filled a plate with cookies and chopped vegetables. There was quite a spread here and she realized she hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast.
The two of them munched their food. They fell into an easy silence and Emily was comfortable with him. She realized how much she missed hanging out. “Boy, you can eat.” Jeremy laughed, indicating the now clean plate. Emily smiled self consciously. “Wow, I really just made a pig of myself.” She wiped crumbs off of her costume.
They stopped talking, Emily staring at her empty plate and Jeremy looking anywhere but at her. Okay, this was becoming weird.
“So…” Jeremy began, his voice trailing off. “So…” Emily responded. They finally looked at each other, grinning sheepishly. “You don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself particularly.” He noticed.
“I always look like that Jeremy.” Emily joked. Jeremy’s answering smile was halfhearted. “No, I get it. You don’t really want to be here.” He got up and threw his plate away and then leaned against the counter. Great, here we go, Emily thought.
She followed him and stopped until she was standing directly in front of him. Jeremy was looking at the floor, pretending to find the Spanish tile completely fascinating.
“Jer. I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t want to. You know that.” She told him. Jeremy, continuing to stare at his feet, made a noncommittal noise in his throat. “I don’t know. I did kind of guilt you into it.” Emily didn’t want to say it, but yeah, that’s exactly what he had done.
Emily suddenly realized that Jeremy was looking at her, his brown eyes troubled. “What happened to us Emily? I just don’t get it. You and I have always gotten along. We get each other’s weird sense of humor, we like the same movies, the same books. I’ve always been able to tell you stuff that I could never tell anyone else. So why didn’t it work? And please spare the ‘it’s not you, it’s me line’ of b.s.” Emily swallowed audibly. She had avoided this conversation with him for a long time; obviously her effective evasion was at an end.
“Jeremy, I do like you. It’s just I don't ‘do’ relationships. I thought you of all people knew that about me.” Emily threw her trash away and looked longingly at the door, wishing for an escape. A sudden blizzard, a nuclear explosion...anything. “Yeah, I guess I did know that. But then you went out with me and I really thought things were going well. I get you have baggage Emily. But who doesn’t?” Emily fidgeted on her feet. He was right; she had agreed to go out with him and then dropped him without much of an explanation. That was pretty hateful. She felt bad about it because he was also right in that they had always understood each other well. But…it just wasn't enough. It had never been enough.
Jeremy took her silence as encouragement and moved toward her, still not touching. “Emily, you’ve always been one of my best friends. And the truth is...I really love you.” Emily’s stomach flip flopped. Oh great, the big L word. That had been the nail in the coffin before. How was she supposed to get out of this now? Jeremy’s eyes pleaded with her. Emily, despite the voice inside yelling at her to back away and quickly, felt herself weakening. It wasn’t really in response to a change in feelings toward him, more like a desire to share her life with someone . And she did care about Jeremy.
Emily sighed heavily and sat down at the table. Jeremy quickly sat beside her, scooting his chair until he practically sat in her lap. “What do
The two of them munched their food. They fell into an easy silence and Emily was comfortable with him. She realized how much she missed hanging out. “Boy, you can eat.” Jeremy laughed, indicating the now clean plate. Emily smiled self consciously. “Wow, I really just made a pig of myself.” She wiped crumbs off of her costume.
They stopped talking, Emily staring at her empty plate and Jeremy looking anywhere but at her. Okay, this was becoming weird.
“So…” Jeremy began, his voice trailing off. “So…” Emily responded. They finally looked at each other, grinning sheepishly. “You don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself particularly.” He noticed.
“I always look like that Jeremy.” Emily joked. Jeremy’s answering smile was halfhearted. “No, I get it. You don’t really want to be here.” He got up and threw his plate away and then leaned against the counter. Great, here we go, Emily thought.
She followed him and stopped until she was standing directly in front of him. Jeremy was looking at the floor, pretending to find the Spanish tile completely fascinating.
“Jer. I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t want to. You know that.” She told him. Jeremy, continuing to stare at his feet, made a noncommittal noise in his throat. “I don’t know. I did kind of guilt you into it.” Emily didn’t want to say it, but yeah, that’s exactly what he had done.
Emily suddenly realized that Jeremy was looking at her, his brown eyes troubled. “What happened to us Emily? I just don’t get it. You and I have always gotten along. We get each other’s weird sense of humor, we like the same movies, the same books. I’ve always been able to tell you stuff that I could never tell anyone else. So why didn’t it work? And please spare the ‘it’s not you, it’s me line’ of b.s.” Emily swallowed audibly. She had avoided this conversation with him for a long time; obviously her effective evasion was at an end.
“Jeremy, I do like you. It’s just I don't ‘do’ relationships. I thought you of all people knew that about me.” Emily threw her trash away and looked longingly at the door, wishing for an escape. A sudden blizzard, a nuclear explosion...anything. “Yeah, I guess I did know that. But then you went out with me and I really thought things were going well. I get you have baggage Emily. But who doesn’t?” Emily fidgeted on her feet. He was right; she had agreed to go out with him and then dropped him without much of an explanation. That was pretty hateful. She felt bad about it because he was also right in that they had always understood each other well. But…it just wasn't enough. It had never been enough.
Jeremy took her silence as encouragement and moved toward her, still not touching. “Emily, you’ve always been one of my best friends. And the truth is...I really love you.” Emily’s stomach flip flopped. Oh great, the big L word. That had been the nail in the coffin before. How was she supposed to get out of this now? Jeremy’s eyes pleaded with her. Emily, despite the voice inside yelling at her to back away and quickly, felt herself weakening. It wasn’t really in response to a change in feelings toward him, more like a desire to share her life with someone . And she did care about Jeremy.
Emily sighed heavily and sat down at the table. Jeremy quickly sat beside her, scooting his chair until he practically sat in her lap. “What do
Similar Books
