Delicate - Emily Blunt x Reader

23 - You All Over Me

"But no amount of freedom gets you clean. I've still got you all over me."
——————————

As the party dies down, you know it will be difficult to make it back downstairs without people making the assumption that you and Emily were upstairs doing exactly what Nolan was convicted of tonight.

Emily tells you more about the stories that she has read, but you're more interested in the ones that she has lived. With every character she describes, she makes a connection to someone she knows in real life. With every event and lesson learned, Emily relates it to something that happened to her in real life.

You finally understand why she likes reading so much. In movies, she has to pretend to be the exact person the writers wrote. In books, there is so much open for interpretation. You can make connections where the authors left room to and create your own depictions of the characters and their motivations. You can make books what you want them to be.

In a way, that's Emily. Being such a famous celebrity, people are always pretending they know who she is and then telling her what she has to do to fit that mold. You've seen many sides of Emily, as if each one is a temporary role in a movie. It makes you wonder what side is the real her, or if that version is lost somewhere in between the lines of all of the rest.

You watch her carefully and admirably. The crinkle in the corner of her eyes when she smiles and the glow in her blue iris that reminds you of the sun reflecting off of a calm ocean, so much underneath the surface that you want to dive in and explore every bit of its depths. The perfect line that makes the bridge of her nose, outlining a side profile that makes her beautiful from all angles. The natural flow of her blonde hair, making you remember what she looks like as a brunette and realizing that she looks stunning either way. Her accent that is so familiar as it is the same as yours yet so foreign because you don't hear anything like it very often. It reminds of you the comfort of home, yet more "home" than home every was for you. Her voice sounds like swallowing a spoonful of honey with a sore throat.

You never want her to stop talking or moving or breathing.

"What?" She says through a laugh, one that you could listen to forever, as she notices your elongated stare.

"Nothing," you can't help but smile, "You are just the most beautiful woman I have ever met."

Emily turns away in an attempt to hide the pink blush filling her cheeks like food dye in a glass of water.

You know you should apologize or tell her to forget what you just said, but you don't. How long are you expected to hide your feelings? You shouldn't feel sorry for feelings things that you can't control. If anything, Emily should apologize for being so easy to love and so difficult to try not to.

Emily continues to read her book, and you detect a slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

You move to sit against the pile of pillows at the head of the bed, letting your body sink into them and your heavy eyelids flutter closed.

You dream as you usually do, holding hands and watching the sunset and going back to your place and her falling asleep on your chest. These used to be dreams you were sad to wake up from but happy they happened. But now, they are more like torture. A perfect depiction of everything you want but might never have. What's even worse? She is right within reach.

Dwayne gently shakes your shoulder awake, but instead of his broad figure the first thing you see is Emily curled up on the end of the bed like a puppy unable to stay more than a few feet away from its owner. She holds her book droopily in one hand, her finger on the page she must have left off on. You smile at the sight. It's not the ideal way to wake up next to someone, but every time you're next to Emily, you feel like the best version of yourself.

"Alisa called," Dwayne says plainly.

Your heart drops. What if it didn't work like you thought it would've?

"She says that the magazines are taking down the piece about you from their publishing timeline," he doesn't say it happily, which makes you wonder.

You swallow.

"With all of the blogs posting about Nolan's affair, it would look really bad for these elite magazines to bring you into the picture. It'd make it look like they're taking Nolan's side," Dwayne explains further.

"That's great!" You exclaim, careful not to be too loud and wake Emily.

Dwayne simply nods.

"What aren't you telling me?" You ask, realizing again that Dwayne does not at all seem enthusiastic about the news.

"I don't know how Emily is going to take it, Y/N," Dwayne finally tells you, "She has been through so much these past couple months. Now the press is gonna paint her as a pity story going into the movie premiere and press tour. Emily is so strong. She doesn't need that."

"Then what does she need?"

Dwayne shrugs, "I don't know. You should ask her."

You look down at the edge of the bed. Emily looks so peaceful. You wonder if this is the only time of day where her mind isn't fluttering with the worries of everything going on. Or maybe even now she is haunted by the nightmares of the what is and what could be.

"I also think you should be the one to tell her the news," Dwayne says confidently, "It's about you, after all. I think everything Emily has done since the moment she met you has been about you."

——————————

"Now every breath of air I breathe reminds me of then."