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“That doesn’t sound like you” Kieran’s word echoed in Emma’s head. She did not know it at the time, but his reaction to her opening up about wanting to hit her dad caused a distance between them. He placed her on a pedestal, not wanting to see any cracks in her appearance. Yet the cracks were always there and widening further with the current stressful events.
She played the role of the happy girlfriend. Wanting to prove that everything was ok and picture perfect. Throwing Kieran a big birthday party, thinking that is what he wanted, when it wasn’t.
During the birthday, she was taken out of the bubble she created for herself when she was with Eli. They almost kissed and they would have if they weren’t interrupted by Brooke.
“Did you want him to kiss you?” Brooke asked when Emma told her about it.
“I’m with Kieran. It’s Kieran’s birthday!” Emma tried to deny, but Brooke saw through it.
“That’s not answering my question Emma” Brooke stated while holding back a smirk.
Emma knew the answer, but did not want to confess to anyone that she wanted to kiss Eli at that moment. Not even to herself.
Since he got enrolled in Lakewood high school, he did not expect to connect with Emma on a personal level. The two gravitated towards one another, bonding on their troubled pasts and complicated relationship with their parents. It was easy to talk about it with one another when the other accepts even the darkest thoughts and relates to it… even laugh together about it.
Then they faced a bump in their friendship when Eli was caught lying about Kieran wanting a birthday bash and the almost kiss. Emma spent the following days angry at him, knowing that she was mostly mad at herself for wanting him to kiss her. She maintained her distance; however, she could not avoid him any longer when he started working in the same coffee shop.
“How long will you stay mad at me? I’m truly sorry” Eli broke the silence during their break from the shift.
“There’s nothing between us for me to get mad at” Emma was harsh, but she needed to severe their relationship before it grows into something messy.
Her words crushed him. He lowered his head in defeat, finished his shift and left without saying another word. His intention was to only mess with Kieran, which cost him Emma.
Growing closer, Eli could closely her cracks, which made her more beautiful in his eyes. He knew he was falling in love with her, but he never imagined that he had a chance with her when she is with someone like Kieran. Since childhood, everyone perceived Kieran as the golden boy, while he was shunned as a creep… But that night. When hanging the banner with Emma in the kitchen during Kieran’s birthday, he saw it. Emma’s eyes set on his lips. She wanted him, even after calling him weird the day before.
Now, he lost her and did not know how to get her back. He decided to keep his distance and search for a new job. He could not stand another day being so close her yet so far. When he thought things couldn’t get any worse, his drunk mother accidentally threw an empty glass at his face when he denied her another drink.
The next day, Eli called in work to give in his notice. His boss pleaded with him to work until the end of the week until she finds a replacement.
He showed up with a bruised face and felt embarrassed when seeing heads turning. Emma gasped when seeing the cuts and bruises on his face.
“What happened?” she asked pulling him to the side and talking to him for the first time.
“Car accident” Eli quickly came up with a lie and Emma saw through it. She did not push him, instead offered to cover his bruises with plaster and makeup.
They sat in the staff break room and Emma took out her concealer and dabbed it on the bruise under his eye. Eli winced and she panicked.
“Did I hurt you?” She asked alarmingly.
“Not at all” He lied again. He would withstand more if it meant being closer to her. He clinched his jaw, struggling not to let out a smile. This felt good. Being cared for and he wished it would last forever.
“I missed you” he finally confessed and hoped they could reconcile.
She only answered him with a smile and that is all he needed. Eli withdrew his resignation and knew that things are getting back to normal between them.