Tethered To You

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Emalyn is perched by the foot of my bed, her blonde hair twisted into a messy blob. She hugs her knees to her chest and tugs on a sleepy smile.

"Good morning?" I chuckle.

She rubs her eyes and sighs.

"Good is subjective, but morning it is."

"When did you get back? I didn't hear you come in."

Emalyn smirks, then buries her face into her knees.

"Are you doing the walk of shame?" I gasp.

"No, not really?" She frowns. "We disagreed about what party we should go to, so I flew solo and made new friends. We've just been out having an adventure, enjoying our night."

"You look wrecked."

"I still feel drunk," she admits.

"You should get some sleep then."

She stifles a yawn and nods her head.

"I want to know about your date! Did you see him last night? It's the only plausible excuse for not hanging out with me."

We did hang out, so it wouldn't be a complete lie. I don't know how to describe our relationship or how much I should say. I don't want her asking questions or expecting to meet him, especially if our relationship isn't based on something solid.

Everything and everyone is different on holiday. I can't hitch my heart on something that isn't real.

"I ended up working until the bar closed and was dead tired, so I went home and slept. The other waitress bailed because her kid was sick."

"Ugh, I'm sorry you had to spend the night with my brother." She rolls her eyes. "I hope he behaved and didn't leave you with all the work."

"We were too busy for him to do anything else." I laugh.

"So, details!"

"Right, details!" I rub my face and smooth my hair back. "It was a lovely date! We went to dinner out of town and we talked about our families, our future goals, and traveling."

"Are you going to see him again? Is he boyfriend material?"

"Um, I don't know."

"Was he boring? Or is this because of the holiday fling guy?"

If only she knew they are the same guy.

"He's nice, but maybe I'll keep my options open. It's college after all, who knows where we'll end up after this."

"When can I meet this mystery man?" She beams.

"If things get serious, you can meet him."

"Aw."

"We've only been on one date and I don't know how things will pan out."

"Fair enough."

"You should get some sleep now."

"You're right." She nods.

Emalyn stumbles over to the bed and slides under the covers. She looks at her phone before tossing it toward the end of her bed in a huff.

"What's wrong?"

"I just..." She sighs. "I have a million and one thoughts racing through my mind and the lack of sleep isn't helping."

"What's on your mind?"

"Perhaps I shouldn't have ditched my boyfriend for another party? Perhaps I did it because I felt him pulling away. Everything has been great until it wasn't. We were messaging lots, but he's blown me off a couple of times. I had to call Maverick to take me home from work."