𝐄𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬: 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞|𝟏𝟖+

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - 𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭

"Oh hey! How are you doing girl?" A drunk girl moved over to a shy Emma who stood near the corner of the lit-up room.

"Sandy!" Emma greeted as the girl gave her a hug. "And you're drunk."

"Well of course I am. It's New year's eve!" Sandy slurred as she drank a large gulp of her drink while Emma just shook her head. She then proceeded to catch up with a guy and jump into his arms, making her surprised.

As Sandy and the guy were making out against the wall, Emma couldn't help but feel disgusted. She looked away and thought to herself, "That must be Josh." With a sigh, she glanced around, feeling annoyed and frustrated by the situation.

'One of the Girls' by The Weeknd was playing in the background as everyone was either busy dancing, making out, grinding on others, or in some cases eating food.

Emma was eager to go home, but Tyler insisted they stay and have a little fun before the new year started.

"Em, everything will be okay. You need to go out and party because this semester you worked really hard!" That is what her best friend of 3 years had said.

He's absolutely right. Emma definitely needs to let loose and have some fun. It's possible that he just wants to see her happy, but either way, she needs to start living a little. Or that's what she thought.

She guarded her troubled history like a precious secret, never daring to share her darkest thoughts with Tyler as she knew he wouldn't stay for long. No one did and he wouldn't too.

Emma's eyes moved toward the other end of the hall and saw the green-eyed boy talking to a very beautiful blonde girl, exactly his type, her wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders and they seemed to be having too much fun.

With a heavy heart and saddened eyes, she took out her phone from her pocket and checked the time, "11:30pm" which made her sigh. She took a deep breath and followed herself out, going toward the main door to leave the party.

As she departed, a cold gust of wind encircled her, forcing her to hold her jacket tighter around her. The frigid air of December was something she was accustomed to. Suddenly, everything felt gloomy, as if the universe was aware of her broken state.

Her apartment was a walking distance from the party so going home wasn't an issue. Reaching outside her dorm, she unlocked the door and turned on the lights in the kitchen.

As the night wore on, Tyler began to notice that Emma was nowhere to be found. He politely excused himself from the conversation he was having with a girl and began to search for her. He checked every corner of the party, scanning the crowds of people for a glimpse of her. However, the more he searched, the more he realized that the party was dying down and people were slowly starting to leave. Despite his growing concern for Emma's safety, Tyler tried to keep a level head and continued to search for her amidst the dwindling crowd.

Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and dialed her number. However, to his dismay, it went straight to voicemail, intensifying his unease even further.

"Hey, have you guys seen Emma?" He approached Sandy who was much more sober now as she shook her head.

"No, I think she might've left," she replied but as Tyler was about to leave, she gripped his arm to stop him. "Tyler I think something was bothering her although it could be nothing but make sure she's okay once you get a hold of her."

Despite the jumbled state of his mind, he nodded in determined agreement and continued on his journey. Without hesitation, he made his way outside, opened his car, and decisively set off to check on Emma at her apartment, ensuring that she was alright.