You Don't Love Him

Working Late

November 26, 2019

It had been exactly one month since that evening at Emily's apartment and it was another moment that her and Sue didn't discuss. Things were happening but then they wouldn't talk about it later and Emily was starting to get a little confused and wondered again if she had been reading this all wrong. Sue was pretty drunk and Emily knew that—maybe she was only being flirty when she had that liquid courage in her system but some people might say the truth comes out when you're drunk.

It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and they had a lot to get done since they were going to be off for the rest of the week after that. Emily would be going back to Amherst with Vinnie and Austin tomorrow to visit their parents for the Holiday weekend and Sue was leaving for Connecticut tomorrow to visit James' family. In short, everything had to be submitted by today and for Emily and Sue, that meant working a late night in their office while others did the same.

Sue sighed, stressfully flipping through the stack of papers that Emily kept adding to for editing, "Oh my god, does it ever end!?"

Emily laughed as she sat back down at her desk to keep working, "It doesn't seem that way, huh?"

Sue turned to look at Emily and shook her head, "No, it does not."

Emily looked up at the clock on the wall and then back to Sue, "It's 8:30... we're making good time, honestly. Usually I'm here close to 11 on the day before Thanksgiving break. I'd say we should be done within the next hour, honestly. I just have these last two articles to fix up for you."

"You going to help me edit when you're done? Because I still have forty pages of proof-reading and edits to do and if you want to be out within the next hour, I might need a little help." Sue said, stress still clear in her voice.

"I just assumed I'd finish my work and give it to you and then leave since my work would be done..." Emily said, looking for a reaction from Sue and she sure did get one.

"Don't you even think about it, Emily Dickinson." Sue shot at her, and Emily chuckled.

"I'm only teasing—of course I'll help. We're a team now, remember?" Emily smiled at Sue.

Sue smiled back, a sense of relief appearing in her composure, "Thank you."

Emily nodded and looked back down to her work, finishing her second to last article of the week, "When you call me by my full name, I swear it feels like I'm in trouble." Emily glanced up to Sue and now had the end of her pen in her mouth.

Sue looked back at Emily, finding herself focused to the pen pressed against Emily's lips. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out at first. Emily raised her eyebrows at her and Sue cleared her throat, "Well, if you left me here tonight alone without you, then you would be."

Emily smirked, "I'd love to see what that punishment would be."

They looked at each other for a moment and both girls had a smug smile plastered across their faces. Sue was the first to look away and focus back on the articles she was editing. Emily chuckled to herself and continued her work as well. She was trying to feel out this situation with Sue any chance she could. She was suddenly feeling hooked on her best friend, truly. James was starting to seriously become an issue for Emily—she was finding herself feeling jealous of him and she wish she didn't. Why after all these years of friendship with Sue she was starting to suddenly get feelings for her? Emily was crushing—internally, she couldn't lie about that, but she'd never admit it to Sue.

Emily had finished her last couple of articles and brought them over to Sue's desk, dragging her own desk chair with her so she could sit with Sue and help her.