Run

Luke

I finished my set and jumped off stage. If I know Emma she is already gone. I couldn't keep my eyes off her the entire time I was singing. I wanted to find her quickly before she had the chance to leave. 

As soon as I jumped off stage I was greeted wth multiple people wanting to catch up and I couldn't just push them off at a charity event, where they had paid money to see me. 

What feels like an eternity later, I finish speaking to each person who came up to me. Whether it was for an autograph or just to meet me. As I escaped the last person I looked around to find Emma, assuming that she had already fled, but was pleasantly surprised to find her still here. But not so pleasantly still talking with the man she was laughing with. I walk feverishly over to her and interrupt their conversation. She turns and instantly loses her smile.

"E, hey there, can we talk?"

"No."

"No?"

She pulls me to the side from the man she is talking with. "Luke I made it clear I didn't want you to come back, that I didn't want to see you again. And now that I know you have been keeping a secret from me, pretty much, our entire life I definitely don't want nothing to do with you." She looks away with what looks like tears in her eyes. "I can't believe you did that tonight. I am already struggling with moving on from Tuck's death and the guilt from what we did weeks ago, even though it was amazing. I can't move on with my life with you around. And I have really been trying my hardest, so please just let me go."

"So, you thought our night together was amazing."

"Of course, that's all you heard."

"E, I am not going any where. I am not trying to cause you pain. I let you go before and I spent years regretting it.  Would you like to try and at least be friends again if possible."

"So you want to be friends? You just told me tonight that basically you have had feelings for me most of our friendship and you think you can just be friends?"

"I will always want you, in more ways than one." She blushed and rolled her eyes at me. "But if friendship is all I can get than I will take it."

"Luke I don't know if I can even do that. I am still mad you didn't come back when Tuck died." In the midst of our conversation I almost forgot about Tuck and the things I had so badly wanted to tell Emma, but surprisingly she seemed to be considering being my friend and I didn't think now was the time. 

"I understand, I hope you can give me a chance to earn back your trust. Can we just start out as friends and see where things go?"

"Luke I can't have more than a friendship with you, cause you were my husband's best friend. It's not right."

Eventually I would tell her and she will look at it differently. I nodded and simply replied, "ok, friend." With a wink.

She smiled and she started to walk off and I grabbed her arm, "where are you going?"

"I am going to finish my night talking with an old friend and then probably head home. It's been an exhausting night. Maybe I will see you around before you leave." No shit you will see me around. And why is she so set on talking with this man.

"Who is your friend?" She looked back and simply made it clear she was done with our conversation for the night.

Tonight was a small victory. I am one step closer to having Emma in my arms.