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“You okay, Eva? You're quiet and that's rare.”
“I'm fine,” she says simply.
Glen glances at me with suspicion in his narrowed eyes, but I shrug. I don't know what may be bothering her. I haven't told her Kelly called yet, so it can't be that. Nothing else has happened that I know of. Eva doesn't perk up until we're pulling up in front of what I'm assuming is her parent's house. Beautiful flowers occupy flower beds in front of the porch, making the house a bit more eye-catching.
Eva is the first out of the car as the screen door opens. A woman opened it, but Eva is focused on the golden retriever who comes barreling toward her. Finally, she smiles. Glen and I get out as well. He makes his way to the house, calling out to his aunt, Eva's mom. I wait for Eva, who currently has her face buried in the neck of the dog.
“I missed you so much, Lady,” she says, pulling away and standing. The dog notices me and sits at my feet, waiting to be petted. I rub her head before Eva says, “Let's go meet my parents.” The dog dutifully follows Eva up the porch where she hugs her mom. “Happy birthday, Mom!”
“Thanks.” She pulls away and looks at me. “You must be Emerson. It's nice to meet you.” She holds out her hand, which I firmly shake.
“Nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Harvey. Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
Mrs. Harvey leads the way into the house. The first room is the living room and Glen and an older gentleman are already in there. The man stands, enveloping Eva in a hug as soon as she's close enough.
“Oh, I've missed my little girl,” he tells her.
“I missed you too, Dad.”
When I'm introduced, his grip is vise-like and it makes me smile. We sit down and Eva laughs when Lady jumps to sit in her lap. For the next hour, her parents grill me on everything Emerson Montgomery. Once again, I'm thrown off by Eva's silence. She mostly pays attention to the dog. Her parents eventually leave us to get ready for her birthday lunch.
Throughout the rest of the day, one would think I came with Glen and not Eva. That's how little she talks, even with her entire family. At one point, she leaves me alone with Glen and I ask him if she normally acts like this with family. He shakes his head. Other than that, the party is a blast. I feel included and part of the family by the time we're leaving to head home.
I know something is up when it's just the two of us back at my apartment.
“I think I'm going back to campus tonight.” It's the first thing she says when we walk into the living room. She's about to head to the bedroom for her things, but I grab her wrist and pull her toward me.
“Okay, what's wrong? You've been quiet all day and now you want to leave? What's bothering you, Eva?”
She glances down. “Nothing. I'm just tired and ready to get back.” She lifts her head, but I can't read her expression.
“Are you sure?” Eva nods. “Okay then.” I follow her to the bedroom. I want to let her know about Kelly before she leaves, so I sit on the bed while she gathers her things. “Kelly called last night.” How else am I supposed to bring it up? Another wave of guilt runs through me, especially when Eva falters in her movements for a moment.
“How was the conversation?” she asks.
“Do you really want to know since you're ready to go to campus?” My question comes out with more of a challenge than I meant.
“If you don't want to tell me,” she starts.
“That's not what I said,” I quickly interrupt.
Eva sighs and sits down next to me. “Sorry. I'm in a funk for some reason. How did it go?” She angles toward me to give me her full attention.
I watch her for a moment, looking for the reason she's in a funk, before telling her. “Well, it didn't last too long. I tried to find out the real reason she wanted the break, but she wanted to tell me the same crap again. She says she doesn't regret it and that if I'm happy with you, then it doesn't matter why.” This time, I sigh. “I got pissed and went off on her, so she basically said she was tired and ended the call.”
Eva's silence is really starting to both worry me and annoy me. I'm not used to it and I definitely don't like it. Her beautiful blue eyes look pained. “Are you happy with me, Emerson?” she asks quietly, her voice showcasing her uncertainty. For the first time, Eva looks vulnerable. She didn't seem surprised when I said Kelly called. Maybe she wasn't asleep. Is that what's been bothering her all day?
I cup her cheeks. “So happy I never want to let you go,” I tell her honestly. “Extremely happy, Eva. Are you sure you don't want to stay?”
She nods. “I have some homework to do that I forgot about. Thank you for talking to me though.” Eva kisses me simply, grabs her bag, and stands. “I'll talk to you later.” And then, she leaves.
Fuck, I feel like I've done something wrong, like I've hurt her. I stand, going after her and reaching her before she walks out the door. “Eva, wait.” She turns around. I cup her face and kiss her with all that I am, hoping like hell she understands what she means to me. When I pull away, I say, “Thanks for this weekend.”
She only gives me a half smile. “You're welcome. Bye, Emerson.”
Then she leaves for good and I feel like crap for not making her feel better before she did.
