It had been a little under a month since the events in the cafeteria. Emma and Blake had fallen back into their normal routine. Emma still tutored Alex, but instead of coming into the room to pick him up, she let Alex go out to meet Blake at his car. Blake had respected her wishes and hadn't tried to reach out to her at all, much to her slight disappointment. She still had his jacket in her room, along with his Green Day shirt, which she sometimes wore to bed because it gave her comfort.
Emma's life had pretty much gone back to the way it was before she met Blake, hopping from one extracurricular to another. She was drained, but somehow she made it work, just like she always had. Her mother and father seemed in good spirits with her again; they had even given her phone back. Even though everything was almost exactly the same as it was before she met Blake, it still felt off. She missed him.
A part of her wanted him to break into her house, despite her parents' wishes, just to hang out with her again, but nothing like that ever happened. She knew it was for the best, and she knew this was probably the best solution there was, so someone please tell her why she was standing outside the auto garage where Blake worked when she didn't even have a car?
He looked so good in that dirty white t-shirt, bent over the front of somebody's car, working on it. His hair was tied back in a low ponytail, except for a few strands that stuck to the sweat on his forehead. And those dark blue jeans were absolutely killing her.
"Emma? Is that you?" He stood upright, looking cocky, wiping some sweat off his forehead.
She smiled shyly as he passed the wrench to his coworker before making his way closer to her, trying to hide his excitement at seeing her again. He tilted his head, watching her. "How did you find out where I work?"
She shifted from side to side under his intense gaze. "Um, some girls in the bathroom at school were talking about how you work here and how hot you look working on cars." He crossed his arms, grinning at her shyness. The girls at school weren't lying; he did look good working on cars, but she honestly hadn't meant to say that out loud.
"What? Wanted a free show?" He laughed, and her eyes widened. He turned his back to her, walking toward the back of the shop. She followed behind him.
"No, no, of course not! That's not why I'm here." as they reached the back, he leaned against the wall, looking at her, scanning her outfit. She was wearing a dark blue ballerina leotard with a flowy skirt to match. The outfit made his eyes instantly roll. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?" he asked, crossing his arms.
She clicked her tongue, looking down. She did, in fact, have somewhere else to be; her dance practice was starting in a few minutes, but she just needed to see him. "Don't be like that," she whispered.
He shook his head, looking annoyed. "Like what? You made it perfectly clear... we don't belong in each other's lives." He straightened up to walk away. She quickly grabbed his wrist. He stopped and turned, looking at her hand wrapped around his wrist. She immediately let go.
"I actually came here for automotive help," she blurted out.He let out an unattractive snort, looking around in disbelief before looking at her again. "What, Emma? Because the last time I checked, you didn't even have a car." Her cheeks quickly heated up, and she tried to think of another excuse to keep him around.
He laughed softly, rubbing his jaw. "Get out of here, Emma. I know you don't want to get your pretty tutu dirty. You made it pretty clear that I'm not good enough to be in your life, so... don't waste my time," he whispered. Was she really wasting his time? Kind of. She knew she had hurt his feelings by just cutting him out, but she did actually come here for a reason other than to kind of stalk him.
He started to walk away again, feeling done with her and the drama.
"Wait!" she said, perhaps a little too loud. He faced her, hands on his hips, watching as she pulled a small rectangular piece of paper out of the waistband of her skirt. "You're invited," she whispered, handing him the paper.
He looked at it in her hand for a moment before reaching out and grabbing it. "What's this?"
She swallowed, finally finding the courage to speak. "I know it's not really your thing, but I'm in a play this Friday at the local theater, and I want you to be there. Um, I'm Eponine from Les Misérables." He scratched his head as they both fell into silence for a minute.
He bit his lip, looking from the ticket to her. "What about your parents?"
She smiled softly, knowing he would bring them up. She answered while looking down, "They can't make it. They never do. They stick me in extracurriculars and don't bother to show on opening night."
He crossed his arms, looking at her, holding back his smile. Tucking some stray hair behind his ear, he asked, "I thought you wanted me out of your life, Pear, so... what is this really?"
She sighed, frustrated with his attitude. Sure, she kind of deserved it, but could he cut her some slack? "Maybe this is me telling you that I want you in my life again, and I was an idiot to cut you out that way."
He smiled widely, as if that's exactly what he wanted her to say. It had been a while since she'd seen him smile, and it melted her heart. He raised an eyebrow, waving the ticket around. "Do I have to wear a suit?" he said, cringing at the thought.
She shook her head no as he pretended to think over coming or not for a moment. "Maybe I'll be there, but... no more cutting me out like that again, for real, Emma." He looked down, reading over the ticket.
She grinned. So he had missed her like she missed him. Even though he would probably never say it, she had a feeling he would be there Friday night, even though he said "maybe." "Well, I would very much like it if you do come." She gave him a small smile before walking outside.
She made her way around the grass before hearing her name being called, turning her head to see Blake leaning against the side of the auto shop, his eyes scanning over her. His coworkers continued to work on the car behind him.
"You know this is a bad idea, right... us hanging out?" He slid a cigarette out of his pocket, putting it into his mouth, his green eyes locked on hers as he lit it, blowing out the smoke. It sent a chill through her body; the danger of hanging out with him excited her.
"I know."
His lips curved into a small smile as he finally looked to the side. "Cool..."
She held back her smile as she started making her way down the sidewalk, feeling his eyes on her the whole way.
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
