Page 39 of That Last Secret
But the door swings open, and my scrambled thoughts are out the window when I take her in.
She changed in the twenty minutes I was gone and still looks just as perfect as she did before. Her messy hair is pulled into a bun on top of her head, her sweatpants look three sizes too big on her small frame, and her T-shirt is of the periodic table of elements.
The corner of my lip lifts before my eyes land on her face. That’s when I notice she’s been… crying.
“What are you doing here again? Is everything okay?” she asks.
I step into her apartment without an invitation. “I’m having déjà vu, Em,” I say, hoping to bring a smile to her face. “I think that’s the same thing you asked me a little bit ago when I showed up.”
“And I’m asking again,” Emiline says with a bite to her tone.
I shouldnotfind her sass as attractive as I do right now.
“Relax, Emmy,” I joke in an attempt to ease the tension. “I wasn’t convinced you were okay. So I ordered breakfast and coffee to be delivered here.”
She releases a long, drawn-out sigh as she shakes her head and goes to the living room. She’s clearly frustrated I’m here. I’m just as frustrated with myself for being here because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. It’s why I find myself still standing in her entryway.
It’s annoying how much I care, but I can’t let it go.
“And what? We’re just going to sit around and talk about my weakness, Logan?” she asks, her tone laced with annoyance. “I regret ever telling you or having you pick me up that night. I was doing fine, not having anyone worry about me or wanting to talk about my feelings. Plus, you worked last night. Go home and go to bed.”
I shake my head as I make my way to the living room, standing directly in front of her.
“That’s not what this is,” I tell her. “I figured you need a friend.”
“I have plenty of them,” Emiline retorts.
I cross my arms over my chest, and her eyes trail my movement. The way she looks at me with those eyes sets an inferno raging through my blood.
“How many of them do you have to talk to about this?”
She opens her mouth to speak, and I lean closer, pressing a finger to her lips.
This is getting more dangerous by the second.
Her soft pink lips against my finger are enough to tell me I should bolt. I should run out of here and get away from her. But I don’t. Instead, I just pull my hand away like I just touched fire.
“Don’t say another word. But back to what you said before… This is not a weakness, Emiline. You are not weak, and there is no part of me that thinks that about you. Let me keep you company and enjoy breakfast on the first day of your summer break.”
Her lips part in uncertainty as she scans my face, looking for an ulterior motive or something.
She nods in agreement before she makes her way to her couch. It’s small, likely because it’s really only for her. I can’t help but watch intently as she sits closest to the armrest, tucking her legs under her, pulling the blanket off the back, and draping it over her thighs.
“Want to watch a movie or something?” she asks. “Although, I don’t know how you’re awake right now. When I get home from work, I immediately crash.”
I shrug a shoulder and sit beside her, my elbows resting on my thighs. She’s a little too close for comfort, and I’m afraid if I sit back or she moves even an inch, her thigh will graze mine.
“Sometimes…” I pause, trying to figure out what to say. But immediately, I feel a comfort in her I don’t usually have when I get home. “Sometimes our shifts are intense, and I have trouble falling asleep right away.”
Emiline nods in understanding. “And last night was a lot.”
“It was,” I tell her honestly. But it wasn’t being called to at the hospital that’s causing me this turmoil. It was worrying abouther.
“I called Brooke after you left before. She told me she talked to you.”
“Yeah, we talked briefly,” I say as I relax back in my seat. My body instantly feels heavy from the lack of sleep and the comfort of this couch. I turn my head to face Emiline, and she’s already looking at me. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she was actually worried about you.”