Love Triangle

Part Four

Emma avoided Killian as much as she could for the next week. It was too awkward. She had kissed him. And it was a good kiss. But, he didn't like her the same way she liked him. Or at least that's what she thought. But she didn't want to think about how he responded to her kiss. She didn't want to think about the fact that she made the move to kiss him. She didn't want to think about what he was thinking. God, he must hate her.

She was going to go for a walk around town. She put her hoodie on and her shoes. She grabbed her phone and went downstairs. Liam looked at her as she went to the door. It wasn't strange for her to want to take nightly walks lately. She gave him a small wave as she left the house. She jogged down the steps and onto the road, jamming her hands in her pockets and getting lost in her head.

"Emma?"

She turned around to see Neal jogging up to her. "Hey, Neal."

"You know, you've been taking these nightly walks lately. Why? You've done that a lot lately."

She sighed. "I just need to get lost in my head for a little while."

Neal held out his arms for her and she walked into them, putting her head on his shoulder as they hugged. "What happened at the carnival?"

"Nothing," she quickly responded.

"Emma, cmon. No need to hold back information. You can tell me."

"I kissed Killian," she confessed quietly.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I kissed him and I don't know how to feel about it." She pulled away and started walking again, but Neal walked next to her.

"That's why you've been avoiding him?" He asked.

"Yeah. We've been friends for a long time. All of us have. I can't even begin to imagine what he must be thinking right now. He probably hates me and hates the fact that I kissed him. I didn't even mean to! We were at the top of the Ferris wheel, looking at the carnival lights when it got cold. He wrapped his arm around me and when I looked up at him, that's when it happened."

"Did you kiss him first or did he kiss you first?"

"I kissed him."

"Was it a... good kiss?" Neal asked hesitantly.

"On my part it was," she mumbled. "I have two more weeks to spend with him in such close quarters. I need him to know that it was a mistake and I didn't mean to do it."

"So tell him then."

"If you think I could, I would have done it by now?" Emma sighed and stopped walking. She put her hands over her face. "I can't do it."

"I'll do it!" Neal suggested, a little too excitedly and eagerly if you'd asked Emma. "I mean, I have no problem doing it if you are that uncomfortable. I'm sure Killian would understand that you aren't interested in him."

"Actually, I-" but before Emma could say another word, Neal was already on the phone, dialing Killian's phone number. She didn't want to hear the conversation so she walked away as fast as she possibly could.

A few minutes later, Neal reappeared at her side, panting for breath. Emma laughed and stopped walking. "You walk fast," he said in between gulps of breath.

"Sorry," she quickly apologized. She stopped walking, allowing Neal to catch his breath. "What did Killian say?"

He shook his head, "nothing. He didn't answer."

A rumble of thunder was heard in the distance. Emma and Neal both looked up at the sky, just in time to see a flash of lightning. "We should get back to the house before it rains."