7. Emily
Emily
I dismissed James way too easily. I know that. But how do I admit that my parents being away so much affects me? Because the only person who knows how I feel about my parents being gone a lot is Gloria.
This is the part of my life that I was scared of James to see. What does he think of my lackluster homelife? Does he think less of me? Does he worry about me?
I look at the clock by my desk and notice that two hours have flown by. My last meal was hours ago and I’m starving. I know that James is too. He’s a football player for crying out loud. And he’s super tall. I peek over my shoulder and see he’s engrossed with his studying.
When I opened the door and saw him patiently waiting on the front step, my heart about fell to my stomach. I’m new to this dating thing. And being around boys is a completely new territory for me. I may have ruined what little easy-going nature we had when I snapped at him.
So I spent the last half hour re-reading the same two pages of my History textbook until I couldn’t take it anymore.
Taking a deep breath I stand up and walk towards where he’s sitting. He doesn’t notice me until I’m seated next to him. I tuck my leg under my thigh as I pick at my too-long fingernails and wait for my voice to make its way up.
“Hi,” I say to him, awkward, even for me.
“Hello.”
Rip off the band-aid Emily . “I’m sorry for how I spoke to you earlier. I kind of dismissed you.”
“That’s okay, Em.”
He’s too good for me. Too forgiving. And maybe that has to do with how he grew up.
“No. It’s not. I just...I get kind of guarded about my parents and how little they’re around. That wasn’t fair to you for me to dismiss you like that.”
“Apology accepted.”
“Okay. Cool. Are you hungry?”
“Starving.” James quickly answers, followed by the grumbling of his stomach. He throws his pencil in his textbook and closes it, placing it on the small table in front of us.
“I can order a pizza or two,” I offer.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
I find the number online and order us two large pepperoni pizzas. “Alright. Thank you.” I hang up the phone and turn to James. “Fifteen to twenty minutes,” I announce to him.
“What do we do until then?” James asks me.
“I want to show you something.” I stand up and make my way to the built-in bookcase that was installed. My parents made me promise not to tell anyone. But I feel safe around James and I know I can trust him. I find the book that’s hiding the doorknob. Twisting, I push the door open.
“Woah!” James exclaims.
Once the door slides open, I hold my hand out to him. When James takes my hand I lead him up the short flight of stairs.
“My parents had this installed as a sort of safe place for me. I’ve always loved the night and being surrounded by it.” I explain to him as we get comfortable in the small room. It’s sort of like an attic but with a huge skylight. I took the liberty of getting a thick mattress pad, blankets, and tons of pillows up here.
“It’s like a cloud,” James muses as he settles into the space by my side.
“Yeah. It’s perfect for me.”
“This is really good pizza.” James praises between bites.
It really is. “It’s from this hole-in-the-wall place that my parents found one day. They took me there and I was hooked. Now anytime we get pizza, it’s from Frank’s.”
“I agree. Best pizza I’ve ever had.”
We continue eating in silence until I tap out. “I’m done. I can’t eat anymore.”
James sends a victorious squirrel-like smile my way. “I was wondering when you were gonna stop.”
“Who said this was a competition?” I challenge him.
“I grew up with four brothers. Anything to do with food is a competition.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
A comfortable silence washes over us. I take a moment to study James. He’s devastatingly, boyishly handsome. He still has some of the baby fat that most fifteen-year-olds have. Have I mentioned how much I love how much taller he is than me?
“Do I have something on my face?” James asks as he wipes at his face with a napkin.
“Oh no. You don’t. Sorry. Do you want to watch a movie or something?”
He eyes me warily before getting up and walking to the couch. He plops down and pats the spot next to him, leaving his arm against the back of the couch.
This boy.
I walk over, swipe the remote, and plop down next to him pulling my feet up onto the couch.
“What do you wanna watch?” I ask James and will my racing heart to slow way back down.
“Anything with Paul Walker?”
“You’re a fan of the Fast & Furious series?” I ask him, hoping that the answer is a resounding yes!
“Who isn’t?”
“Exactly! Probably one of the best series ever!”
“A girl after my own heart.”
I blush at James’s words and press play on The Fast and the Furious . Do I lean back on the couch and lean into James? What should I do? James answers that by pulling me into his side.
“That’s better,” he says.
Calm your freaking racing heart, Emily!!
After mentally telling myself that our feelings for one another are mutual, my heart rate finally slows down. I take in everything. The movie. James sitting next to me.
In a flash, I see the future and he’s in it. Scary. We’ve only been “dating” for like twenty hours. And it’s impossible for me to know that James could be the only boy for me. Right?
I mean, my mom and dad met when they were in high school so it’s not totally impossible. Although they never talk about their past, they must have such a deep-rooted history that they stand by each other’s side through thick and thin.