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“Good night, Emerson.”
Just as I said I would, I wait until she's safely inside and has closed the door before I leave.
THE RUSH OF being with Emerson is completely gone by lunch the next day. My mind seems to have zoomed in on that one odd spot of our date where something changed in him. I said his name three times before he finally heard me. This is the second time he's zoned out on me and it's starting to worry me. I don't want to think about him possibly thinking of her when he's with me. They have history and she is part of his past, but she's not here now. She let him go, but maybe he is mentally checking out because something has reminded him of her and he's still struggling with it. I don't know for sure because, I don't know anything about the girl or her relationship with Emerson.
Catherine and I are out on a post-first date lunch. Every time one of us dates someone new, we have this lunch to fill the other in on what happened.
“So?” she eagerly asks as we take a seat with our food. “How was it? I'm guessing pretty damn good based on that kiss I saw.”
“It was great,” I agree.
Her eyebrows rise, disappearing underneath her bangs. “But? Why do I feel a 'but' coming? How can there be a 'but' after that kiss?!”
“Let me start from the beginning.” I recount the entire date and then swing back around to what is bugging me. “He started acting weird the moment we were around more than one family member. Do you think it has anything to do with that girl?” I know her name because Glen mentioned it, but I can't bring myself to say it. Emerson may not be here, but I know her name holds power over him. I feel like if I say it, the power will grow.
Catherine shakes her head. “Okay, this isn't even going to have a chance in hell if you start overthinking everything because of what you know about her and him. As far as we know, there isn't a current relationship between them. You don't need to feel as if you're the other girl or as if she is. Maybe he was acting funny because he doesn't have a good relationship with his aunt,” she tries.
“I don't think so. They acted fine around one another.”
“It doesn't matter. He returned to normal. You need to pretend you know nothing about his past. He doesn't know you do, and you're going to think too much if you keep acknowledging it. Until he gives you a reason to, maybe you should listen to your best friend and not worry about the girl who forced him to leave her and date other people. If you don't think you can do it, then don't see him anymore.”
Catherine makes sense, but I'm still feeling a little uneasy about it. This whole wait to see what happens crap is harder than I thought it would be. I mean, it's pretty much my life motto, yet I can't seem to follow it as well when it comes to him.
“I'll figure it out when I hear from him again. What are you doing this weekend?” I'm ready for a change of subject.
“There's a party tonight, so I'm going to that. I might go shopping tomorrow. Do you want to come?”
“I don't know yet. I should probably get started on my homework, especially since I work today and Sunday.”
We talk a bit longer while we eat before I have to leave for work. We picked up my car from the auto shop this morning, so Catherine doesn't have to take me. Another coworker is with me for a few hours before she clocks out and it's only me. Unlike Wednesday, this place is bustling. As soon as one person leaves, another one comes in. It leaves me no time to think about a certain boy.
Saturday, I skip on shopping with Catherine to do my homework like a good student. I've just finished my homework, my stomach grumbling out of control, as Glen comes into my room.
“Hey,” I grin, standing up to give him a quick hug. “What are you doing here?”
“I'm meeting Emerson at Smitty's. Want to come with? It seems you two have a thing going on now, right?”
I plop down onto my bed while he sits on the edge of Catherine's. “We went on a date, yeah. Who wants to know if I'll come? You or Emerson?”
“Emerson brought it up.” Any time Glen wants to say something or has something on his mind, he absentmindedly cracks his knuckles. Just like he's doing right now. He sighs. “Eva, you know there's a reason why I've never introduced you two. I didn't want to chance y'all hitting it off and then that chick coming back into the picture and you getting hurt. Emerson's a good guy though. He hasn't mentioned her in a long time, but are you sure you want to push this further?”
Glen is worried about the exact same thing I am. Only, we have hit it off now. “I don't know,” I finally say. “That's what I've been wondering as well.” I pause, replaying Glen's words in my head. “He hasn't mentioned her to you in a while?”
He shakes his head. “No. Not since she was out of town again when he went home at Christmas. He finally started seeing other people after that. He hasn't tried to contact her since then either. I asked when he told me y'all went out.” My eyes widen a little and he says, “You're my cousin, Eva. Did you really think I wouldn't grill him about it?”
“I didn't think about it.” I pause before adding, “You talked to him. Do you think I should see him again?”
Glen is quiet as he thinks it over. “He seems to have moved on. If you want to see him again, then get your shoes on and let's go eat.”
I should probably be embarrassed at how fast I move. Thankfully, Glen doesn't laugh at me. He's a good guy. He patiently waits as I not only slip my shoes on, but also brush my hair and apply a tiny bit of make up. Plus, I changed my clothes first. When I'm finally ready, he leads the way to the parking lot.
Those darn butterflies have woken up in my belly. It's a gentle fluttering at first, but the closer we get to Smitty's, the faster their wings beat. They might as well be bees for how fast they're swarming around. It gets worse when I catch sight of Emerson's truck. He must have gotten it fixed because there's no damage to the rear anymore. There's an empty space next to his truck, which is where Glen parks.
Emerson was waiting in his truck for us, so we meet in between the vehicles at the same time. Emerson has a huge grin on his face. It causes me to smile.
“You couldn't invite me yourself?” I ask as he takes my hand and starts walking toward the building.
“Well, coming to Smitty's was Glen's idea. You coming was mine,” he answers, opening the door for me. We walk over to an empty booth and Emerson pulls me down next to him.
