Emily and Samuel ✔️

ELEVEN

Oh, isn't this amazing?

I took a deep breath for the 22nd time as I continued studying the details of the Smith's front door with my eyes, wiping my palms against my dress for the 15th time. I took another deep breath and –

I can't do this.

It's my favourite part because, you'll see

Sandra's voice stopped me in mid-turn. Why was I freaking out? He said that he was up for it, didn't he? He even sounded ecstatic at the idea of going on a date today. But what if he was lying and he was only ecstatic because I'm beginning to fall for his tricks?

Here's where she meets prince charming

No, I can't do this. Not to Samuel who has been nothing but nice to me, the least I could do was give him the benefit of doubt. Right? It's what he deserves after what he did for me yesterday.

Without putting too much thoughts into it, I brought my hand up and knocked louder than necessary on the fiberglass door with bohemian designs on it.

But she won't discover that it's him

Before I could even take the 24th breath to prepare myself, the door flung open abruptly and a mass of brown came tumbling out of the house, attaching itself on me.

"till chapter three!" I looked down at the singing six-year-old girl wearing her matching Belle jammies with her arms wrapped tightly around my waist. "Hi Em! I missed you! Are you here to play with me today?"

I felt my heart constrict with guilt at the way she was looking at me. The way her green orbs was glued on me with so much hope in them, the way the corner of her eyes crinkled with happiness as she gave me a toothy grin, the way I know I was going to take that look away from her once I told her the truth and the way her eyes looked so much like Samuel's and I was finding it harder to breathe as I slowly drown in the kind of green that pushed its way through the piles of gritty snow to remind you that spring was coming.

Putting on an assuring smile, I scooped her up into my arms and studied every inch of her face, from the birthmark on her forehead to the freckles dotting her nose and the slight dimple on her right cheek when she smiled. "Hey Sandra, I can't play with you today because I have to do something with Samuel first. How about tomorrow? We can go on a special cookie date and I can buy you all the chocolate chip cookies that you want. How does that sound?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Wiggling out of my hold, she giggled and ran towards the direction of the kitchen screaming, "mummy! Mummy! Emily says she's going to bring me out for a date tomorrow!"

I walked over to the kitchen after her and greeted Mrs Smith who was mixing a huge bowl of what looked like chocolate chip cookie dough. Smiling at the wide-eyed Sandra trying to climb up the stool to get a better look at the batter, I excused myself after explaining to her that I was here to surprise Samuel for our date.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on his door thrice.

Silence.

Frowning, I opened the door slightly to take a peak just in case he was indecent only to see that he was indeed indecent. Laying on his bed in just a pair of sweatpants, hugging his pillow with faint snores coming out of him.

Adverting my eyes from his toned chest, I pondered if I should wake him up since he did tell me he would pick me up at six in the evening and it was only ten in the morning right now. But because we didn't exactly have all the time in the world, I wasn't going to just let the time go to waste, even if it makes me a selfish person.