𝓢𝓮𝓮 𝓜𝓮

Chapter 38

-ˋˏ☀︎𝕁𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕂𝕖𝕟𝕥.ೃ࿔☀︎

"Uh, what are you doing?" I raised an eyebrow when I crossed paths Emma coming out of the cellar, the two of us pausing at the same time before she looked around then cleared her throat.

"Just putting something back in place," she simply said but I gave her an unconvinced look until she rolled her eyes, "I think Kai grabbed a drink yesterday when I slept, so I'm hiding the evidence in case Naz somehow sees it."

"That kid is gonna die if Naz figured out he drinks—"

"Which is why she's never finding out," Emma pointed her index finger at me in a warning tone, "he survived for a whole year—"

"Kai's been drinking for a year?" My eyebrows shot up, "he said it was just a few months—"

"Shh," she smacked my arm before pushing me out of the doorway, walking with me like she is running away from earshot, "what is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with you?" I snapped back, "I feel like I'm being a horrible uncle right now. Should I, like, ground him or something?"

Emma just scoffed with a shake of her head, "James you were never a good uncle," she pinned me with a look that made me frown before my expression relaxed with her next words as she patted my arm, "but that's why we love you. You're like the younger brother we all never had."

"Oh my god," I rolled my eyes until we came to a stop, lowering my eyebrows and looking around, "where is he anyway? You usually come in two."

"Ha ha," she mocked, crossing her arms, "he's still asleep, so let him be."

I watched her expression fade, her eyes somehow distancing like a cloud formed within them, making my expression drop with hers as I sighed. Her head is probably a mess right now, plus, the happy face she kept up last night in Jett's party probably exhausted her more.

"Hey," I put a hand on her shoulder, snapping her out of her daydream, watching her look up at me, blinking, "what are you thinking about?"

She took in a sharp breath, her posture tensing as her jaw clenched before she gave me a soft smile, "well, everything. But it's going to be fine."

"It doesn't have to be, you know," I reassured, "it's okay to still feel... pressured. You have all the time in the world."

"Yeah, I know," her expression went back to normal as she nodded her head, "I just don't get it. I know I'm back and safe, why am I still hung up on the last, like, five days. It makes me feel... ungrateful."

"Ungrateful?" I frowned.

"Well... because you did everything to save us. To save me," she blew out a shaky breath, brushing her hair behind her ears and swallowing, "least I could do to repay you is being happy."