Not a Chance(89)

"No!" Emma shouted. "I told him and I'll tell you, I was not talking about getting married tomorrow. I was talking about getting married someday. Why should I keep secret my intentions? And don't I deserve to know what his intentions are? God, what is wrong with you people?" She fell back onto the bed and sobbed some more.

Arden stared at her stunned. "Okay," she said softly. "So you weren't pressuring him. Then why did he want out?"

"I don't know!" Emma wailed.

"Well, then," Arden said, thinking. She told herself she should just listen, but she really wanted to fix the problem. "Were there any other problems that you know of? I mean...was the sex good and all?"

Emma sobbed louder.

"It wasn't good?" Arden asked. "What was the problem?"

"There was no problem. There was no sex. I'm waiting."

"What?" Arden made the mistake of laughing.

Emma immediately stopped crying, sat up and punched her hard on the shoulder.

"Ow!" Arden shrieked, holding her now-throbbing shoulder.

"What does it say about you as my best friend that you didn't know this about me?" Emma asked. "I couldn't talk to you about it because I knew you'd either laugh or tell me I was being illogical or something. You're so freaking selfish!"

"Hey!" Arden stood off the bed and backed up a step, still holding her shoulder. "I know you're upset, but that's no reason to go lashing out at me. Did you ever consider that Dustin broke up with you because you wouldn't sleep with him?"

Emma's eyes narrowed and her jaw set. Arden actually felt a flicker of intimidation as Emma stood to answer her. "If he were so shallow, and so self-centered as to break up with me over my wanting to wait for marriage, I never would have allowed myself to fall in love with him. He was very supportive. And he wasn't like all the other freaks I've dated who didn't even want to have sex with me. They all just wanted some pearly white virgin to bow down to and worship. Dustin wanted me. And he promised me he'd wait as long as I said. Because he knew that I have a right to test his faithfulness before I commit my life to him."

Arden couldn't help herself. She wasn't angry. She simply felt very strongly that her best friend was extremely naive. "Are you sure that's not just what he told you in hopes that you'd eventually cave?"

A flicker of doubt crossed Emma's expression. "I trust him. He never pressured me. He loves me."

"Then why did he break up with you?"

Emma's lip started quivering again and then the tears came. She fell back to her pillow and sobbed some more.

Arden once again sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her back. Once she had calmed, Arden said, "Why don't you just invite him over, sometime, in such a way that makes him think you're going to sleep with him. And if he accepts, then you'll know that's why he broke up with you."

Emma glared up at her. "You are a horrible person."

Arden gritted her teeth. "I have feelings, too, Emma."

"Then why would you suggest such a conniving, cruel thing."

Arden threw up her hands. She stood and crossed the room, sitting on a stool in front of the vanity on the far wall. "Fine. Then why don't you just sleep with him for real and see if he sticks. It's stupid to wait anymore. Nobody else does."

"It's not stupid, Arden, just because it doesn't make sense to you. I'm waiting because I want the only man I've ever been with to be my husband. And I do it because I know if he is faithful to me by waiting, by showing the self-discipline required to wait, then he'll be faithful to me when we're married."

Arden raised one brow. "So you're saying Travis is going to cheat on me because I didn't wait?"

"No! I'm not talking about you at all. I don't care how you live your life. I don't call you stupid or a slut because you choose to have sex outside of marriage. I love you. You're my best friend and I respect your decisions for your life. Why can't I talk about my decisions without you attacking me for them? Why can't you be supportive like Dustin?"

And then she burst into tears yet again and Arden buried her face in her hands. Arden decided, not a moment too soon, that her best course of action was to keep her mouth shut. She waited while Emma finished crying. Then she went back to her bedside and apologized. The two women hugged for a couple of minutes. Emma apologized for speaking so harshly.

Then she sat back. "Do you think you could find out why he broke up with me?" she asked.

Arden sighed. "I'm sure Travis will tell me when he finds out."

"Well he's had plenty of time to talk to him. Maybe you could call him."

"I think you should let it go for tonight," Arden said. "He was very drunk."