"I'm working from home today," he explained. "You have a game tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"Would it be okay if I watched it? I've never seen you play, and I kinda want to see what the scholarship's all about."
"Umm, sure," I fumbled. "I'll text you where we're playing. I can't remember where it is right now."
"Great. Thanks."
I was about to leave when he called, "Emma."
I hesitated.
Jonathan leaned back against the island. His dark hair was disheveled but the way the waves twisted, it looked like it was on purpose. His wrinkled t-shirt clung to him, hinting at the broad muscle beneath. Taking in his casual stance against the counter, I could actually picture him in the magazine, and recognized why he drew so much attention.
"I like this," he confessed. "Us. Being able to talk. I've never been able to do it before. Not even with... Sadie. I've needed it... you. And now you're here, and well... thank you."
A chill ran through me when I found myself caught in the depth of his eyes. I blinked away and nodded. "I like this too." My voice came out small and broken as heat spread across my cheeks.
Jonathan smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Yeah," I returned with a faint smile. I suddenly wasn't so sure if his coming to see me play was such a good idea. Something felt different this morning―like my vulnerability last night allowed him to get too close, closer than he'd already been. "I'll see you tomorrow."
When I turned onto Decatur Street, I slowed to a crawl, just in case. I came to a sudden stop when her car appeared in the driveway, and quickly put my car in reverse. I huffed in frustration as I backed away, knowing I needed my shirt by tomorrow morning. But the last thing I wanted was another confrontation, or a Twilight Zone conversation where she pretended nothing was wrong.
As expected, Casey didn't think twice about where I'd spent the night. Instead, she went on about the great party I'd missed. I'd only gotten a few hours of sleep on Jonathan's couch, so I was pretty out of it most of the day. She didn't seem to notice.
I had every intention of returning to Rachel's that night, in hopes that she'd be out doing what she did best on a Friday night―but I never made it that far.
"Emma, you can sleep in the guest room," Casey's voice cut through my head. I opened my eyes to find her standing above me with the movie still playing in the background.
"Sorry," I offered. "I'm so pathetic today, I know. I'm just really tired."
"It's okay," Casey returned. "I didn't expect us to go to a party or anything. Besides, I'm pretty tired from last night too. I'll see you in the morning?"
"Yeah," I told her, dragging my feet to the guestroom. My phone chimed as I was about to slide under the covers. I didn't look to see who was calling as I put it to my ear, "Hello?"
"Hi," Evan said from the other end. My heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice.
"Hi," I returned in joyous relief. "How are you?"
"Good," he responded, sounding a little surprised. Maybe I'd come across a little too happy to hear from him. "I'm at the airport in L.A. for my connecting flight and I wanted to hear your voice. It's been really hard not talking to you."
"You have no idea," I exhaled. "When will you be home?"
"Tomorrow afternoon. Can I see you? I'll come straight from the airport."
"Um, why don't I meet you at your house? Will your parents be home?"
"My mother might be," he considered. "I don't think my father will be around. She mentioned a meeting in DC. I'll see you at my house. I should be there between two-thirty and three."
"That's perfect," I smiled.
"I should've called you, Emma. I'm sorry," he quickly added, the regret in his voice forced my pulse to quicken.
"You needed time," I stated quietly. "I deserved it."
"No. I should have called. That wasn't right, to do that to you. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
When I hung up the phone I was filled with both elation and dread. I missed him so much it ached, but I knew what was going to happen when we saw each other, and I wished it was already over. I couldn't fast forward the inevitable, so I accepted the long and difficult conversation we were about to have and collapsed in bed where exhaustion pulled me into a dreamless sleep.
~~~~~
I left a little early for the game so I could pick up my jersey on the way. I anxiously tapped my fingers on the steering wheel the entire drive, hoping she'd stayed at his place, whoever that might be, or was still passed out.
"Shit," I grunted, when I saw the two cars in the driveway. I pulled up along the street and closed my eyes while gripping the steering wheel. Focused on running in to get my shirt and back out, I didn't bother to remove my keys from the ignition. I wouldn't acknowledge her if she said anything to me.