I followed Emily and sat down. “Sorry about scaring you.”
She shrugged and went to fix herself another glass of Dr. Pepper. “Want anything?” she asked over her shoulder.
“I’m fine.”
She sat down and we went back to work.
An hour later, we had finished our project. I leaned back tired of working and said, “I think this is the first time I’ve done a project before the due date. I’m a last minute kind of guy.” I saw her smile faintly and I leaned forward. I wanted her to look at me. “Is that a smile I see?”
The smile faded and she peeked up at me before looking away from me into the living room. “I’m going to miss hanging out with Drake,” she whispered.
“I usually take him with me to practice. You could watch him, if you’d like,” I offered. Deep down, a voice told me that this would give me an excuse to see her.
She smiled, “I would like that. I could pick him up from school too.”
“That will be fine. Drake will be ecstatic. You can leave after school and go straight to his school. If something holds you back a few minutes, it’ll be fine too. There’s always a line.” I glanced down at my watch. We would need to get home soon. We exchanged numbers in case I needed to get up with her or vice versa. Drake rushed into the kitchen and asked for more cookies. “You haven’t eaten dinner yet. You don’t need any more cookies,” I responded.
Mike followed Drake inside. He asked if we would like to stay for dinner and, as I declined, I saw Emily sneak Drake a cookie. I couldn’t help but smile. I made small talk with Mike until Drake finished his cookie.
“Alright, Drake, we need to get home.”
We said our goodbyes and headed home.
Dad was in the recliner, as always, watching TV and drinking. I went to the kitchen and microwaved left over pizza for dinner before going upstairs and checking on Drake who had gone straight to his room. I handed him his plate and we ate on his bed in silence. Once finished, I took our plates and told him to go brush his teeth. I went downstairs and washed our plates.
I found Drake in bed. I tucked him in and went to kiss his forehead, but he stopped me. “I’m a man, remember? I don’t need a kiss goodnight.”
I smiled and agreed. I left his room and went to shower. Hopefully, I could unwind. Every time I closed my eyes, Emily’s smile popped up.
5
Emily
I woke up Saturday morning with the urge to move. I changed into some running clothes and took off. These runs happened every so often. I didn’t have a route. I just ran wherever. If I felt the desire to turn, I would. Otherwise, I ran straight.
I slowed to a stop. I was starting to get out of breath and my leg felt like it was going to cramp.
“Emily?” I looked across the street to see Jake sitting on the steps of a porch. I waved and looked back down at my shoes, still taking deep breaths, which were becoming more even.
I could hear a creak as Jake stood and then the soft steps of his feet on the grass. He crossed the street at a jog and stood in front of me. He was wearing a white tank top and basketball shorts. I looked up to see his collarbone. How had I forgotten how tall he was? “Hey, Jake,” I mumbled, deciding to take a glance. His gaze bore down on me. I redirected my gaze to his lips. Big mistake. I decided to return my gaze to his collarbone.
“What are you doing out and about so early?”
“Running.”
“Quite a ways to run. Are you sure you weren’t stalking me?”
Heat rushed to my cheeks as I heard the smile in his voice. “N-No. I-I wasn’t.”
He laughed his hearty laugh, “I was just messing, Emily. Lighten up.”
“I should go,” I said, trying to step around him. His hand caught my arm.
“Wait.”
I bit my lip and took another leap. I glanced up. “What?”
He smiled. “I have to do some things today. Could you watch Drake for me?”