Chapter Text
"Stay out of trouble and call me straight away if anything happens." Emily looked like she was about to pass out from the amount of worries that weighed on her heart. "I have Coach Andy's number if I can't reach you."
"Mom, can I just go to the bus?" Roark asked, but he didn't seem too bothered by his mother's behavior; rather, he felt shy yet glad about it.
Emily knelt slightly as she hugged him tight, her arms wrapping around him, her hand ruffling his hair. "Look at you, all grown up," she smiled, tightening her hold as Roark murmured an Mummm under his breath,
And when she let him go, she carefully watched him get on the bus. It was almost 6 AM; their departure had to be early in the morning because a three–hour trip awaited them. Luckily, they were kids and yet to be cursed by old age. If Emily had to do something of that sort at her age, she would've simply gone mad.
The other parents were all crying, ugly sobbing, which she would never do (allegedly) and found sort of embarrassing,
It was just a trip, after all. Then it'd be graduation, college, and then...
"Ms. Charlton," Andy appeared—literally out of nowhere, as usual—bringing Emily to the present moment, "I thought your ex–husband would see Roark off. Don't you have work?"
"I do, but," she saw Roark through the bus windows; he was laughing with one of his teammates, "this is more important."
Andy smiled as she heard that. "So, you two talked?"
"We did," Roark had promised Emily he would tell her everything after the trip, and that he was sorry, and Emily had agreed, "I mean, we agreed we'd talk properly once he's back."
"It seems like it's going to be two long weeks."
"As long as he has fun, I can wait," she said calmly, but couldn't fight back a bittersweet smile, which made Andy quickly glance away for a moment,
Emily noticed, "What's up with you?" she teased. "You were hoping to see my ex–husband instead of me, were you?"
Andy immediately locked eyes with her. Her cheeks soon became flushed, Emily could see them perfectly due to the early morning light. "No, that's not who I was hoping to see," her voice trembled like a kid who's been found guilty of eating too many cookies,
Emily's eyes widened, the corner of her lip nudged upward. Why had she suddenly gotten so worked up?
"Doesn't seem like it," she taunted again, never seeming to get enough of her reactions, and for a moment, she saw something else in her eyes,
Something way more dangerous than just some banter.
"I have to get going; we are about to leave." So, no answer to her mock? That was weird. "I'll write to the group chat when we arrive," she said hastily, without properly looking at her.
"I'm not in it," she felt the need to say. Usually, Frank handled all the communication. "You could text me separately, if it’s not too much trouble—"
"It's no trouble!" she almost immediately blurted out, without letting Emily finish her sentence, and perhaps she had realized it, because she soon added, "It—it's never a trouble, Ms. Charlton, never."
"Well then," she said as Andy tried her hardest to keep her gaze low. She sighed, "You can call me Emily, by the way," and suddenly her eyes lit up brightly, "I guess, if you don't go blowing it up."
"May I?" Did she just puppy–eyed her? "I, alright, Emily... Em?"
Emily crossed her arms. "Nowhere near yet."
"Okay," she smiled. "Thank you."
"For letting you say my name? No worries," it didn't even need to be thanked, and she definitely didn't have to be so happy about it.
"That, and for allowing yourself to be comfortable around me," she added, watching Emily's confident smirk turn upside down, her eyes now looking confused. "I wouldn't have ever guessed," she said softly, "some strangers we are."
"We’ve never been strangers, Andrea, let's be honest." She dropped her name like she despised the nickname she always forced people to use, "And you don't exactly get strangers promising a so–called stranger's kid that they'll protect them, do you?"
"I guess we weren't meant to be strangers from the beginning," and, somehow, that phrase, the way she had phrased it, the way her eyes were looking at her, made Emily feel a sudden wave of nervousness,
Andy paused. "After the trip, can I ask you something?"
And Emily's cheeks immediately became warm. Wait, why? How? "Everyone's been dying to talk to me after this trip," Roark, and now her.
"Yes," she confirmed, "I guess you're that important."
"Just hop on the bus," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to buy herself time to cool off.
Andy nodded, "Later, Em."
And she walked faster away from her, that infuriating woman.
ꔛ
Around ten, chaos erupted within Emily's office walls when some random dude wiped out a week's worth of work, sending everyone into a state of complete madness as they all hurried to call every available technician. Naturally, Emily was already doing her part in the mess caused by her soon–to–be–fired coworker,
Thankfully, she always kept a USB with all of her past works, especially those of the present, so the crisis immediately cooled down. Now it was time to find out who the culprit might be, something Emily wasn't in the slightest interested in,
Rather, her attention shifted from her surroundings to her phone (waiting for a text from Andy) and then back to her surroundings—a constant cycle.
Then, her phone light up. She had texted her,
Andrea Sachs: We've just arrived safe and sound!
And she proceeded to send her a photo of Roark playing with her teammates. Emily noticed that there were other adults around; perhaps other teams had been included in the trip,
What was the trip even for?
Emily Charlton: Thank you.
Andrea Sachs: Don't mention it!
So, Emily thought that was it, until Andy sent her another text,
Andrea Sachs: Oh, and good luck at work. Try not to let people ruin your spirits.
That was weird and also... rather sweet?
Emily Charlton: Unfortunately, it has already happened.
Andrea Sachs: Really??? Well, I'm sure it's nothing that you can't fix.
Emily smiled. Their texts went back and forth, and for a brief moment, Emily could have forgotten the horrendous environment in which she worked,
Just for a moment, though.
ꔛ
Bronwyn wasn't with Emily that night, and neither was Roark, so the house was empty of laughs, smiles, and strangely articulate questions. She hadn't been alone in her house for a while, without the kids running around,
It felt almost too surreal.
More than that, she had kept texting Andrea for hours; her replies were witty, fun, and she could (weirdly enough) picture her saying the things she had written so freely,
If Emily had been more strict, she might have thought she was slacking off at her job, but that wasn't the case, because she also updated her on Roark, his whereabouts, and so on.
She couldn't really understand the warmth in her chest each time a text from her appeared and the smiles she gave to the screen when something funny was written. And also, what did Andrea want to talk about?
The waiting certainly didn't help her mind.
Alas, she tried her best to relax; after all, it was rare for her to be alone. Why not use up this occasion?
ꔛ
Emily had finished her skincare routine precisely at 11 PM. This had become a habit of hers and a pre–sleep ritual which, in a way, helped her to prepare her mind for rest,
She jumped onto her bed, eyes shut, until her phone started ringing. Even at night, people still bugged her with calls, texts, or whatever. She let out a big sigh before grabbing her phone from the nightstand.
To her surprise, Andrea was calling, and to an even bigger surprise, her heart was beating loudly in her chest.
So, Emily answered the phone, unsure what tone of voice to use. "Andrea?"
"Ms. Charlton," she said, her voice shaky, and Emily could hear murmuring around her, footsteps going left and right. By the way she had called her, she must have been around other people. "Roark got sick."
Everything paused for a moment, especially within Emily's mind, and her grip on her phone loosened up,
"It's a fever. For now, his temperature's 102," Andrea stopped, perhaps to let Emily take the information in. "I called because we need your permission to give him medication and to know what he usually takes."
Fever. A fever of 102. How on Earth did that even happen? He didn't look sick, he never gets sick easily.
Emily's ears were ringing. "Andrea, now listen," she breathed in and out quickly. "Give him Tylenol and please monitor him until I arrive."
"You're coming here?!"
"Yes," she confirmed. "Text me your location, the address, everything. I'm heading over now," the call ended.
Emily got out of bed. A three–hour drive, she could do it, she had to.
ꔛ
Thank the Gods, the traffic wasn't that bad, so Emily could (law permitting) speed up when necessary. It was around 2 AM; she had driven nonstop, no toilet breaks, no food breaks, nothing, just surviving on pure adrenaline,
The place they stayed at was a 4–star hotel with a beautiful view of a nearby forest, a view that Emily didn't quite care about as she parked messily and horribly, and surely no one would mind that late at night.
She got out and immediately sped up towards the hotel's entrance. Andrea was waiting for her there—as she had texted her earlier—and when their eyes met, Emily rushed her steps even more,
"Emily—" But Emily had gestured for her to pause whatever she was about to say.
Her gaze had grown cold. "Where is he?"
"In my room," Emily blinked, "we quarantined him, and since I have a room with two beds and the other coaches don't, we thought it was best for him to stay there."
"Show me the way, please," she sounded calm yet stressed, worried yet trying to keep it together.
Andrea nodded, and they both started walking.
ꔛ
Emily hastily opened the hotel room door. Roark was in one of Andrea's beds, face flushed, eyes closed, and she could hear him whining, probably from fever,
She got closer to him. "Roark," and he slowly turned his head and opened his eyes. He looked at her, eyes wide and fixed on hers. "Mummy's here. It's okay."
Andy stood behind them; she waited at the door threshold, watching from afar in case she was needed.
"Mom?" he mumbled. Gods, even his voice was weak. Emily sat on the bed, her palm on his forehead to check his temperature, but Roark seemed to have more to say. "I–I don't understand," he coughed. "Don't you have work? Did you drive all the way here?"
"Yes," she replied quickly, as her eyes never left his, "and no need to fret about anything else, okay?"
"Mum, no, why did—" he tried to get up, but Emily stopped him from doing so, "—work... how will you..."
"You're the only one who matters to me, Roark," she went to hold his hand, tightening her hold. "Nothing else comes close."
And he sniffed loudly, tears welling up, and Emily didn't mean for that to happen, as he shouldn't have strained himself that much.
"Mum, I've been sick with worry because I couldn't stop thinking about what I had to say to you once I returned," his nose had gotten stuffy. "I'm sorry, we should've talked sooner. I wanted to, but I was scared to."
"Oh, Roark," she paused briefly, "I know that you took the divorce badly, that you feel guilty for what's happened, and that you want to change to somehow make it up to me,"
"But you don't have to do anything, Roark. I know your dad has been giving you a hard time, I know that when we fought it got really bad, and you were upset about it, but you don't have to keep it all to yourself."
Roark's tears streamed down his face, and Emily wiped them away, cupping his cheeks as she caressed them. "Your dad and I, we—we might have taken different paths in our lives, but none of it is your fault, and you should never change who you are to try and fix it,"
She took a breath in. "You're perfect just the way you are—kind, gentle, and incredibly smart. That's not a weakness; it's your biggest strength. I'm so proud of you, Roark, and I forever will be."
He tried to reply, to get the words out, but the tears wouldn't stop. All Emily could do was hold him tight, just tight enough to make him let it all out.
ꔛ
Emily watched Roark fall asleep. His fever had greatly gone down. With him asleep, she might allow herself, perhaps, to have a meal or send a text to inform her workplace of her absence.
It was around 4 AM, and she could hear some birds chirping. So, she stood up and walked (even though her legs felt wobbly) to the door, getting outside as quietly as she could.
Andrea must've been asleep, even if Emily briefly wondered where, since her room had become Roark's quarantine room. Thinking about it more than necessary had caused Emily's cheeks to turn red,
And thinking about how Andrea had heard all of her words with Roark made her blush even more.
"Long night?" Emily immediately turned around and met Andy's eyes. She was smiling, but of course, she couldn't hide her tiredness well.
"One might say that," she sighed as she saw Andy's gaze softening. Emily coughed, "Have you been up all night?"
"Well, my room is currently unavailable," she said, laughing quietly. Emily's nervousness had only increased. "The other rooms are one bed only. I can't exactly share a bed."
"I'm so sorry, Andrea, let me sort a room out for you. I'll cover the cost—"
"No," all the giggles had gone, now her tone was much more intense, "It's fine, really, and I think all of the staff is asleep now. I'll just stay up!"
Emily's gaze focused elsewhere. "We can—" Gods, she felt her head spin. "—We can keep each other company. I need to keep an eye on Roark's fever anyway, and there's no way I'll be able to sleep."
And when her eyes met Andrea's again, there was something different in them, in her stare, in the color of her skin. "I'd appreciate that," she said while scratching the back of her neck. "Thank you, Emily."
"Oh, so it's 'Emily' now, is it?" She teased and Andy's face turned away.
"Jeez, I'm sorry for nicknaming the most nicknameable name ever."
Emily smiled at her. "Let's get a bit of fresh air," she said as she headed for the nearby balcony on their floor. It was more of a shared place, perhaps used by smokers, but that didn't matter. Andrea followed behind.
ꔛ
Emily rested her elbows on the balcony railing. Her eyes wandered to the forest she had once ignored; the view was beautiful, especially with the first lights of the day. Andrea stood near her, not too close but not too far either.
"I've been meaning to ask," Emily finally broke the awkward silence, "What's this trip all about?"
"No way, you seriously don't know?"
"Guilty as charged," she replied with a faint smile.
"Well," her eyes lingered longer than they should have on her smile, "This trip is a celebration. Roark and his team stepped up their game and are moving to a new team. There are other teams here that are similar to Roark's. They may start playing a lot more seriously, and who knows? Maybe they’ll get him into the big games one day."
"I really don't know anything about this sports center you work at," she rolled her eyes. "Wait, does that mean you won't be training him anymore?"
"Yes," she confirmed, eyes quick to look away, "I won't anymore, but I know his future coach, so don't worry."
For some reason, that thought bothered her. "I just hope he doesn't quit over that."
"I talked to him about that. I made him promise he wouldn't do it, and that we'd still stay in touch even if I'm not coaching him anymore."
"And you're not one to take promises lightly," she leaned slightly toward her. Andy noticed the sudden shift, but she didn't seem to mind. "Thank you for everything you've done for Roark up until now, and for everything else."
"You did most of the work," her voice sounded quieter than usual as the heat on her skin grew, "give yourself some credit."
"Perhaps," and Emily noticed the atmosphere had changed; it became more intimate and exclusive. She definitely had to drop the subject. "So, you said you didn't want to share a bed," she said casually, hoping it would be a good change of subject, but that only managed to make Andrea's cheeks flush even redder. Emily was amused by that. "Got a boyfriend waiting at home?"
"No—No, I don't have a boyfriend, no," she stopped. For a moment her throat went dry, and she could barely maintain eye contact with her, "or a girlfriend, for that matter! I swing both ways!"
"Is that so?" Well, not that Emily cared, but she was surprised, clearly, and somehow intrigued by what she'd just learned.
"Yes, I'm bi," she replied with a nervous laugh. Then, she paused for a brief moment, only to ask, "Do you?"
"Do I what?"
"Swing both ways," and Andrea desperately tried not to sound too desperate, "or one way," she stopped, "no way?"
Emily was surprised by that question. Was it posed out of pure curiosity or with an underlying intention? It made her heart beat a little faster when she thought about it,
"I'm not sure, I mean," she gave her a half–smile, "I do find women attractive. I've always had bad luck with men, but I've never actually been with a woman. "But I guess," she saw a flicker in her eyes, "if I like the person, man or woman, it doesn't really matter."
Then everything went quiet, or at least Emily really hoped everything would shut up. Her mind, her thoughts, her heart,
"I actually found out in college," Andrea dared to continue the conversation, "with a girl."
"You had a girlfriend?"
"No, not really a girlfriend," her ears turned red.
"Well, well, Andrea," she gazed deeply at her, her eyes narrowing with interest. "How scandalous to have a relationship based entirely on mutual pleasure!"
"Don't—" she buried her face in her hands "—phrase it like that!"
Emily found that adorable. "You're awfully shy for someone who loves a bit of banter."
"It was college!" Andy was able to look at her now. "You know, hormones and all that."
"The wonders of human biology, isn't it?"
And thankfully, Andrea laughed heartily at that. It made Emily smile too, as she scooted closer to her, "I'll go and check on Roark, if you don't mind."
"Sure, but..." Andrea was unsure, Emily saw that. "What are you going to do with Roark?
"I'll bring him back home once the fever comes down," she replied. Andrea tightened her jaw. "We'll see."
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan."
"Yes," she said, "I'd better go now."
Andy smiled as she watched Emily get back inside. For how long would she keep her heart at bay?