Pieces of Love

Chapter 14

Jacob

During the car ride back, Rosa was apologising profusely to Emma for letting her stand out in the cold while she, in her own words, 'took a huge dump'. Emma didn't look like she was really paying attention and instead only nodded dazedly. Somehow, I couldn't help but feel angry at myself. If only I hadn't gone to check on Rosa, none of this would have happened. I clenched my fists in anger. I would do anything to make it up to Emma. Watching one of my closest friends being traumatised was something nobody wanted to see, forget about it being their fault. Something stirred uncomfortably in my gut as I thought of the 'friends'. Honestly, I feel like we should be something more than that.

Snap out of it Jacob! Emma sees you as a friend and only a friend. Anyway this couldn't be a more inappropriate time to think about this. Rosa could tell that something was amiss and she kept silent for the rest of the car ride back. As we rolled into her driveway, Emma grabbed onto my wrist, which made the hairs on my arm stand. Together, we clambered out of the car and the movement didn't go unnoticed in Rosa's eyes. A spark of understanding went off her in her eyes and she smirked to herself, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'young love'.

Great, now Rosa thinks that Emma's behaviour is due to our 'young love'. I rolled my eyes at her thinking and led Emma into the living room. She let go of my wrist and I felt a slight wave of disappointment but I soon understood when she asked Rosa for the first-aid kit. I shook my head. Of course, trust Emma to put other people first before herself. I could hear Rosa curiously asking her for the reason why and her coming up with the reason that she tripped on her heels, resulting in a deep cut.

A few minutes later, Emma took my hand and pulled us to our room. She took care to hold gently so that I don't feel pain in my knuckles. Her skin rubbed soothingly against my own and despite the throbbing pain I squeezed her hand reassuringly, reminding her that I should be the one comforting her. Once in her room, she wordlessly gestured for me to sit on the bed so she could tend to me. I noticed that her hands were shaking and I suddenly realised that she was doing this not only to help me, but to give her something to do as a distraction. As she tended to my hands, she did not say a single word but kept her head bowed down to focus on the task.

I stared at her while she worked, thinking about my recent feelings for her. Do I... do I... like her? My brain tried to come up with reasons to deny my feelings towards me but for once, it came up empty. Emma suddenly looked up and met my eyes, making me turn away, flustered. Yup, I definitely liked her. A lot.

My heartbeat picked up, and I felt a trace of nerves at the thought of liking my best friend. But I swore, I was going to do anything in my power to make her mine. "I'm done," she murmured, her eyes never leaving mine. Deep in those hazel brown irises, I could see the fear and worry, as if the old man was going to burst in through the window at any moment. Now that she was done with me, it was my turn to take charge.

Emma was kneeling so I took hold of her warm hands and pulled her to her feet. Pressing her body against mine, I kissed her hairline softly. "It's okay. I'm here. Come on, let's go to sleep," I whispered in her ear, my lips gently brushing her cheek. She shivered at my closeness and I left the room to give her some privacy. Rosa had already retreated to her bedroom, probably to have another Skype session with her fiancé before going to bed.

When I re-entered the room, Emma was sitting perched on the bed, fiddling with her fingers nervously and staring off into the distance. "Come on, Em," I said, gently pushing her to lie down on the bed. I clambered into bed after her and adjusted the blanket to cover both of us.

"What...what are you doing?" Emma exclaimed, propping her elbow up to support her head. Her eyes were widened in shock and her cheeks flamed red. My heartbeat accelerated as she looked at me questioningly with her innocent gaze. "I'm sleeping with you tonight, unless you don't want me too," I answered, fighting against the blush that threatened to appear on my face.

"No...no...I want you to stay," Emma hurriedly replied, her tone laced with anxiety. Then, if it was impossible, she turned even redder. I cleared my throat and looked away, clearing my mind of Emma and I doing...things.

Without a word, I walked over and switched off the lights, plunging the room into total darkness. I stumbled towards the bed and tripped what must have been one of our suitcases, resulting in me crashing onto the bed, trapping Emma beneath me. I immediately asked, "Are you alright?" Emma mumbled a yes and only then did I realise how close we are. Our noses were almost touching and I could just make out her plump full lips. Oh, the temptation to capture her lips with mine was so strong that I subconsciously leaned forward. Emma was frozen to the spot and she made no move to push me away, yet she didn't lean forward either.

Just as my lips brushed gently against hers, realization hit me hard like a charging bull. What was I thinking?! This is Emma we are talking about, my best friend, who probably didn't want to kiss me. Was I really going to flush down our few months of friendship due to a spur-in-the-moment kiss? I leaned away, frowning as a wave of disappointment washed over me. With a plop, I settled down on the spot beside her and turned away, feeling frustrated.

"Jake? Did I do something wrong?" Emma's soothing voice sounded out into the empty silence. "Of course not! Just...just forget about it alright? Remember, Em, we have a studio tour tomorrow," I reassured, imagining Emma smiling despite her inner turmoil. I felt like slapping myself, preferably with a red hot iron bar. Here she was, suffering emotionally, and I tried to do something as selfish as trying to kiss her.

A comfortable silence draped in the atmosphere and I assumed Emma was already sleeping, thus getting ready to go to sleep myself when I heard a sob. Panicking, I got out of bed and saw Emma's body shaking with silent tears, her legs curled up to a ball against her chest. A lump formed in my throat at the vulnerable sight of her and without further hesitation, I pulled her back into my chest till we were spooning.

No words needed to be spoken. I ran my hands up and down her arms, trying to comfort her. I understood that she wanted to be alone in her thoughts, but she still needed someone to hold her and I was going to be that person. I nuzzled my face into the crook of her neck and made hushing noises, effectively calming her down. Now that Emma was quiet, I was silently praying that she wouldn't notice the frantic beating of my heart at our closeness. And with that in mind, we both fell into a deep slumber.