Rough Hands

Chapter 5- Emberly

"That's Brooks?" I asked in awe, unable to pull my eyes away. The girls giggled as they watched me gawk at Brooks.

"Isn't he a dream boat now?" Kimmy cooed as she nudged me. "Not the same guy you knew in high school and college, huh?" Kimmy added. I laughed and nodded my head. "Well let's go say hi!" Kimmy said, grabbing my hand and starting to pull me over him, the other two following behind. My heart was beginning to race, this would be the first time that I spoke to Brooks in 5 years.

"Kimmy, I don't know if thats such a good-" I began to speak but was cut off due to the girls hiding me behind them and stopping in front of Brooks. The girls giggled as they began talking to Brooks.

"Oh, Brooks~" Kimmy sang annoyingly, which earned a laugh from Brooks as he turned his head towards us.

"Well, ladies, nice to see you too. How can I help y'all?" Brooks asked with a smile. That damn smile. His eyes lingered for a moment as he waited to hear what my friends had to say.

" Oh well, we have a surprise for you!" Jordan chimed in and smiled. Brooks' face wavered with confusion. The girls pulled me forward, and Brooks's eyes grew wide. He stood up, looking down at me. "Em? W-what are you doing here?" he asked in disbelief. My face grew hot, and I felt my cheeks burning as he looked at me. Those hazel eyes stared back into mine, causing me to become nervous.

"Well, I'm back. I'm home." I could barely get out words as he stared at me. He never smiled; he just stared deeply into my eyes. I wanted to speak again, but the words wouldn't leave my mouth. "I don't know what to say; it's been almost 5 years since I last saw you," Brooks spoke in an almost cold demeanor. I was taken back, I figured he would have been slightly happy to see me. The tension began to fill the room as we stood there.

"You look great, Brooks. I've missed seeing your face." I spoke as a small smile formed on my face. He never shared a smile with me he just kept a poker face and never broke his gaze. "Well, that's what happens when you up and leave to chase some city asshole." He said cold-heartedly. My smile faded, and I began to feel my heart pounding in my chest harder than before.

"Brooks, come on. You didn't miss her at all?" Jordan snapped, crossing her arms. Brooks let out a slight laugh and finally broke his gaze from me and grabbed his cowboy hat, placing it back on his head.

"Why would I have missed someone who abandoned her family..." He trailed off as he stepped closer with each fragment of his sentence. "Her job..." Brooks spoke coldly, and it gave me goosebumps as he took another step toward me, looking me dead in the eyes. "Her friends..." He took another step toward me to the point where my chest was touching him, and he was almost towering over me.

"And me." He finished speaking, his eyes filled with anger and pain. I was about to speak until he took a step back, looked back at my friends, and tilted his hat. "Have a good day, ladies," he said. He made one more painful glance at me, then turned away, walking straight out the door.

I let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. The girls looked at each other and at me with concerned glances.

"I'm okay, it's okay," I said reassuringly. The girls smiled and pulled me into a group hug, and I laughed. "He just needs time; he was so upset when you left," Amelia spoke softly. As we pulled away, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"That's one way to get rid of a guy." My brother laughed and tried to cheer me up. I rolled my eyes, sighed, and looked over at him. "I would be pissed, too; after all, that man was in love with you." Tobias gave me a 'you're blind look' as he returned to the table. My heart was pounding. Did Brooks have those feelings for me?

"He's got a point, you know..." Kimmy said, trailing off and biting her lip. I shot a look at her and sighed. "He did ask about you a little when you first left," Amelia added to the conversation. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to process everything they had just told me.