Hiding In Plain View: Normily

Chapter 4: Comic Con Day 2-With a Side of Guilt

Chapter 4: Comic Con Day 2-With a Side of Guilt

Waking up to her alarm clock, her body ached. Last night was the best night ever until her head got in the way. How could she let it take over? Let all of them come back in and hurt her so deeply around him. Around Norman. It was inevitable. All the pain any of her previous male companions gave her came flooding back last night. She was never treated with such love and care. Never touched so gently and full of love.

Norman wasn't any of them. Those sadistic assholes who broke her heart, built it back up, and then smashed it again leaving her raw. No. Norman wasn't any of those guys. He was gentle, considerate, funny, charming, caring, and so much more she just never had before in her life.

Getting out of bed, felt like a battering ram to her body. Her lower half felt bruised and yet at the same time wonderful as she remembers why it hurts. She gets dressed quickly and places Norman's pjs in her laundry that needs to be done. As she goes to open her door, Lauren is about to knock on it and almost hits her in the face... by accident of course.

"Well, don't you ever answer your phone?" Lauren's accent annunciates the word ever. Emily adjusts her hair so it's in the pony tail better as her black and white crop top slides a lil too far North and her matching skirt a little too far South.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night. In the bathroom too much." Why is she such a liar lately?

"Oh, are you alright? We were worried about you last night." Lauren places an arm around Emily and walks her down the hallway toward the elevator.

"Yeah, I think it was something I ate at the party."

"Yer walking kinda funny also. Are you sure your okay?" Shit. She should have known being this achy, she'd be walking funny.

"Airplane ride from New York was bumpy. That wave from the beach yesterday didn't entirely help either."

"Poor thing. Anyway. We're all heading to breakfast and then back to do some more fun things around the symposium." The elevator dings open and they get inside and right a the door's about to close, a hand stop it and Norman jumps inside.

Trying not to have any awkward vibes come off of them both, they try to act normal around Lauren.

"Morning ladies. How's everything going?"

"Good Norman. Expect our Emily's not really feeling well today." Norman gives her a sideway glance of almost panic and have anger. He's not necessarily angry cause of last night, just that she didn't tell him she wasn't feeling good this morning. Though it's none of his business really.

"Oh no. Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Fine..."

"She's been up all night and the plane ride from New York has her body aching." Lauren cuts in and Norman know that's not why she's aching. As for being up all night, he can only assume that was also her fault.

"Sorry to hear that Em."

"It's fine. You know plane rides and party foods don't always work out the way it's planned." He can hear the apologetic tone in her voice. He gives her a sorrowful smile but that doesn't mean he understands what happened any better.

The elevator opens to the ground floor and they hitch a ride in the private SUV the cast was arranged to have. Norman awkwardly sits in between Emily and Lauren as Steven rides in the passenger seat.

His mind is racing through what happened. All he did was step out of the shower and hand her a towel. Was that not what she wanted or needed? Was it him? He just doesn't know or understand the circumstances of what happened.