Daddy Issues

55 - Sensible

The rest of the night is pretty fun. Dan and I win another round, much to Pete's dismay, but he beats us all in Uno so by the end of the night everyone is still in good spirits. It's past 1 when everybody gets ready to leave, so I'm more than ready for bed. It's kind of a relief not to have to go into the cold and on the bus anymore.

But when everybody starts to make their way to the door, I get a little uncomfortable again. Like I asked, we didn't tell anyone I'd be spending the night here, but of course, it doesn't go unnoticed that I'm the only one who isn't grabbing their coat.

'Aren't you coming, Emma?' Avery asks me while she puts on her jacket.

'Oh, actually, my bus won't be here for another 20 minutes,' I lie. 'So I think I'll just wait in here, where it's warm.'

I don't dare to look at her, so I just busy myself with cleaning some of the glasses off the table and only look up again to wave them goodbye when they make their way to the door. I let out a small sigh of relief when everyone's left the living room. Tonight was fun, but having Yuki's eyes on me all the time was also pretty nerve-wracking.

After I take the glasses to the kitchen, I realize that Dan still hasn't come back yet. I want to help him tidy up, but I'm not sure where to find everything, so I decide to leave it till he's back and go to the toilet first. When I walk into the hallway, I notice that the front door's slightly ajar and Dan's nowhere to be seen. So he must be outside saying goodbye or something.

When I walk into the toilet, I realize he's talking to Yuki. Worse, I realize he's talking to Yuki about me. Because I can clearly hear their voices through the small window to the open gallery that leads to Dan's apartment.

'... make her uncomfortable when you say shit like that,' I can hear Dan say.

'I don't want to make her uncomfortable, it's just... I'm worried about that girl,' Yuki says in response.

Shit, I probably shouldn't be hearing this. I remember the last time I listened in on a conversation between Dan and my mom, he wasn't happy about that. But I'm too curious. So, instead of actually going to the toilet, I keep standing in the little room and strain my ears.

'She hasn't seen her dad in years,' Yuki continues. 'Her bitch-mother doesn't care about her, of course she's gonna become attached to you.'

'So, how is that a bad thing?' Dan asks, clearly agitated. 'I want to be there for her, and she's there for me too. Isn't that what friends do?'

'Don't be naive, Dan, I know you're smarter than that. This would all be fine, if you weren't in love with her.'

In love? Did he tell her that? Or is that just what she thinks? My heart jumps a little. Of course it was obvious that there were feelings involved, but he couldn't be in love with me, could he? It was all way too short and too complicated for that.

Although, I'm pretty sure I did fall in love with him, so why couldn't it have happened the other way around? Maybe he felt more deeply about me than I thought. Maybe he still does.

But then I shake myself to rid the thoughts from my mind. Because it doesn't matter. Feelings or no feelings, love or no love, he's made it very clear that nothing should ever happen between us. Which is exactly what he tells Yuki now.

'Emma and I are just friends,' he says, sounding a little tired. 'We've talked about it and she's on the same page.'

'Okay,' Yuki says, disbelief clear in het voice. 'You're just friends that look at each other like you want to tear each other's clothes off and fuck untill your dick falls off.'

'Jesus, Yuki.'

My own mouth falls open too. I guess I was right to stay away from her tonight. That woman is intense.