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“Then we’ll go to the funeral. But if it becomes too much, you must promise you’ll tell me.”
Her lips brushed my cheek. “I promise.”
Each wheeling a suitcase and toting a bag containing our laptops, we made our way to the room we’d been given. It was clean enough, if a little run down. Two double beds were separated by an old, scratched bedside table in the middle with a lamp on each side. The covers and drapes had seen better days, and the carpet was worn to the point of being threadbare in some places.
Two chairs with a small, round table between them sat under the window, and a cabinet opposite the beds held an old-school television and a miniature fridge underneath. An empty ice bucket sat next to the TV, and the cupboards underneath bore only a few extra coat hangers. A very small wardrobe and the two long drawers underneath were all the space provided for clothing.
We unpacked the clothes we’d brought for the funeral—a black suit, crisp white shirt, and black tie for me, and a black suit and black silk blouse for her— and hung them up on the hangers we’d brought with us. The rest of our clothing remained in the cases, except for the shoes which we placed underneath the window out of the way.
I’d brought an expensive pair of black dress shoes for the funeral to go with my suit and was wearing my sneakers. Emilia’s black Louboutins sat next to mine, their red soles easily identifying them. I’d been with her when she’d bought them in Paris a few years previously.
“What do you want to do for dinner?”
Her question had me gazing over at her. “Do you feel up to going out to get something or do you want to order in?”
The exhaustion in her eyes gave me the answer before she spoke it. “Let’s order in.” She’d taken the death of our foster parents a lot harder than I’d anticipated, and I hated that she was so upset about it. I wished I could do something to take that pain from her.
I placed the order and then made myself comfortable on the bed closest to the window. “Come sit with me.” She came to me willingly, climbing onto the bed and curling into my side, her legs stretched out next to mine. I stroked her hair softly, my arm around her, holding her close. “Want to talk about it?”
She didn’t answer, instead closing her eyes and burying her face in my neck, so I didn’t speak. Just held her in my arms, letting my warmth seep into her. I welcomed the weight of her in my embrace. When she was in my arms, I knew she felt safe and loved.
Because she was. I’d never let anything or anyone ever hurt her again, and I would always love her.
We only got up when the knock at the door heralded the arrival of dinner, and I slipped the delivery boy a hundred dollar bill as thanks. His eyes lit up as he pocketed the cash. “Thanks, mister!” I figured him to be a senior in high school, probably working to earn some money for college or a new car. Something he was dreaming about.
“Do you want a soda?”
Emilia, who’d just taken a seat at the table, looked up and nodded, so I ventured downstairs to the vending machines and bought two sodas, along with two candy bars for dessert. When I came back upstairs, she’d only eaten half a slice of pizza.
Placing one of the cans in front of her, I slid into the seat opposite and helped myself to a slice. It was extra cheesy, which meant grease slid down my hand as I ate, but it filled a hole in my stomach. We didn’t talk much, but I managed to coax my best friend into eating two slices and finishing off her drink.
Once we were both done, I washed my hands and crammed what remained of the pizza into the fridge. When I made myself comfortable on the bed once more, she crawled onto it and sat next to me. “Ready for dessert?”
“Dessert?”
I took the 3 Musketeers bar from my pocket and handed it over. She let out a small, excited squeal as she ripped open the wrapper and took a huge bite. I knew it was her favorite candy bar, and I’d been pleased to see it. I’d opted for a packet of peanut M&M’s, which I happily shared with her.
We watched the local news for a little while before pulling out our laptops and going through our emails. Anything that wasn’t urgent was flicked through to Marian or our company heads to handle as appropriate, and we responded to those that needed our attention straight away. Once that was done, we signed out for the night.
I took a quick shower and changed into sweats to sleep in, then brushed my teeth. Once I was done in the bathroom, Emilia did the same. She appeared in a pair of comfortable pants and an old tee I knew had been mine, and something primal inside me loved seeing her in my clothing.
“Which bed do you want to sleep in?”
My question had her looking between the two on offer for a few moments before she answered. “Yours.”
I merely nodded. I’d anticipated her wanting to sleep with me tonight, and if she needed that I’d give it to her.
I chose the bed by the window and affixed the chain across the door before making sure it was locked securely. It wouldn’t stop anyone who desperately wanted to get in, but a false measure of security was better than none.
Once we were both under the covers and the lamps had been snuffed, I turned on my side toward her. She was already facing me, and her hand came up to rest on my cheek. I kissed her palm. “Talk to me, Em.”
She let out a shaky breath. “Part of me doesn’t want to be here. It stirs up too many bad memories.”
“I know. And we can leave again any time.”
“But we can’t, Jase.” Although the room was pitch-black and I couldn’t see her face, I could sense the tears. “We owe it to ourselves to say goodbye. If they hadn’t taken us both in—”
She stopped speaking, and I wiped away her tears with my thumbs. “I know, sweetheart.” I kept my voice low to soothe her. “We would never have found each other. And for that, I’ll be forever grateful.” I paused for a few moments as emotion suddenly hit me hard. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it, Emilia.”
