“You’re such a dork Carter!”
Emma laughed and threw a Skittle at Nick’s head; they had just finished the latest round of Uno and Nick was doing his touchdown dance to celebrate his third win. Emma had beaten him six other times but he was so proud of his accomplishment that she didn’t mention it. The sight of him being goofy made her smile and she was glad that they could be in each other’s company without constantly going at each other.
They raided more of Howie’s candy stash and managed to make it through five more rounds before Emma started to yawn. She had tried to stay awake for as long as she could because it had been fun to spend time with Nick again but she the struggle was too hard.
“I think I’m going to head up.” Emma stood and handed Nick the rest of the cards. “The other guest room is empty if you want it.”
“You can’t go up there.” Nick said adamantly. “The storm hasn’t ended yet and being on the second floor is too dangerous.”
Emma looked in his eyes and could see that he was genuinely concerned.
“Where are we sleeping then?”
Nick went over to the couch that Emma had just vacated and flipped a switch on the back. She watched, with a gaping mouth, as the sofa turned into a bed once it was done moving.
“Do you need me to pick up your jaw?” Nick asked with a laugh as he did the same to the one he was sitting on. “Bet you didn’t know they made these.”
“Uh no.” she answered after a minute. “I’m used to the ones that you have to take the cushions off and manually pull out the mattress.”
“Howie’s too lazy for that plus he likes all these new high-tech things.” Nick replied. “Why don’t I go grab some clothes for us and we can change in the bathroom here.”
Nick started up the basement stairs and, before Emma realized what he was offering to do, she called out to him.
“Mine are on the…”
“Edge of the left-hand side of the bed.” Nick called back without thinking. “That’s where they always are!”
Emma didn’t say anything in response because he had caught her so off-guard. She never realized she was so predictable nor did she think Nick would remember anything from living with her. It was so strange to be in this situation with him and, because of that, she didn’t have time to yell out that she could get her own things.
It took a few minutes for him to make his way back down to her. Apparently, one of the boards on the door had come loose because of the pounding winds and Nick needed to make sure it was secure before heading upstairs to get their clothes. The same weird feeling that had come over Emma had finally passed over him as he handed her the pajamas he’d found in the place he knew they’d be.
He let Emma change first and made sure she had shut the door before doing anything else. It had been surprising to him how much they had loved spending time with each other and he had forgotten how much he enjoyed her company. Being apart for as long as they had made these feelings come back stronger and it sadden him that tomorrow would probably come and go as if this night had never happened.
While Emma was changing, Nick pulled out the pillows and covers that he knew Howie stored in one of the basement closets. He managed to make two suitable looking beds by the time she made her way back into the room. Not saying much, he nodded at her and climbed into bed; his body might have been tired but his mind was running through a maze. He couldn’t decide whether being with her made him angry for all she’d put him through or glad that she was back in his life, at least for a fleeting time.
“Thank you,” Emma called out quietly, “I appreciate you staying over and setting up the beds.”
“No problem,” he responded, “get some sleep.”
Even though they were both exhausted, neither one could sleep knowing that they were in the same room together and not lying in the same bed. The two had been through so much and, although he had been furious with her for hurting him, having her there was comforting. That feeling unnerved him and, before he could think through the implication of his words, he called out to her.
“Hey Em?”
“Yeah?”
“I miss my friend.”
“Really?” Emma said with a giggle. “I’ll make sure to tell Howie when he gets back. I’m sure it will make him smile.”
Nick’s voice cut through the darkness a minute later.
“I don’t mean Howie.”
Emma didn’t know what to say; she had assumed he had meant Howie since she was sure he no longer considered her as anything to him, even a friend. She felt hot tears slide down her cheeks as she sat there and thought about everything they had been through. Their entire relationship had been built on the friendship they’d developed after meeting and she found herself missing that connection to him. Losing their romantic relationship was hard enough but losing him as a friend hurt even more. She’d come to rely on him for the longest time and not having him around for the last three years had been tough.
Nick wasn’t sure Emma had heard him since she hadn’t responded. In a way, he hoped she hadn’t heard him in the case that she didn’t feel the same way. He already felt foolish enough for saying it but it would be worse if she didn’t feel the same way.
Rolling over to face the other direction, he heard something that sounded like sniffling on the other side of the room. He knew it was Emma crying and he felt awful for being the reason she was doing it; it killed him that he couldn’t bring himself to open up enough to go over and hold her. Wiping his hand across his own eyes, he lay there for a few minutes before he heard anything again. Her voice was so faint that he wasn’t even sure he had heard anything.
“I miss my friend too.”
Last Chance by Kyrie
