Want You Back | c.h.

5.

Emerson felt her mouth go dry as she stared at him. She hadn't seen him in person in years and she certainly hadn't expected to see him today. She wasn't prepared and she stared gaped mouthed at him trying to formulate even two words she could say.

To be fair, Calum didn't seem to be fairing much better. They stood only mere feet apart in an awkward silence, though all the things they had left unsaid hung in the air between them.

Emerson broke the eye contact and stared out at the room behind him, blinking back tears as she focused on anything but his face. The sadness she had seen there when she looked at him broke open emotions she knew she shouldn't feel.

She thought about the last time she had seen his chocolate brown eyes in person. It was the morning she had left and she could still see it so clearly in her mind.

The fight the night before had been bad. An extended display of childish behavior and red-faced screaming as he begged her to come with him. She had felt so lost, she'd been talking about culinary school for months, since the day she had received her acceptance letter, and dreaming of it since her childhood. Calum knew that, and still he insisted she give it all up to follow him around. In the end he'd asked her to choose culinary school or him and she'd chosen her own future.

She'd spent the night lying awake, tossing and turning until her decision was made. Then, she'd packed up her things, cleaned the house, gotten fresh groceries, fixed herself a cup of coffee and waited for him to wake up. When he had she'd told him through her tears, everything she had been holding back. When she had gotten everything off of her chest, she'd rinsed her coffee cup and placed it back on the shelf, gathering her small pile of belongings and shoving them into her car. She'd driven out of his life, not chancing a glance back, knowing that if she did, the look in his eyes may be enough to make her turn around.

She'd thought that would be the last time she saw him and yet here he stood, more than two years later, both of them seemingly lost for words.

"You can't just show up here like this. I--I have to get back to work." She said turning to re-enter the kitchen. His hand on her wrist turned her back around to face him.

"I'm sorry, Emi." He breathed. "For everything."

She tugged her arm free, trying to avoid the pained look in his eyes as she broke their contact.

"I can't deal with this right now. But I think we should talk, how long are you in town?"

"A few days." He mumbled, looking to her.

"Can you stay, or come back here around eleven? I'll be closing up around then."

His head snapped up and he cocked his head to the side staring at her as if waiting for her to realize something.

"What?"

"Can you come back or?" She said shaking her head, clearly not understanding his question.

"Emerson it's my birthday, the boys and I have plans." He didn't have plans per say but he didn't want her to know all he'd done for months, really in the two years since she'd left him, was sit home and sulk about her.

Her eyes widened looking at him and her heart ached when he used her full name, she'd always been his Emi. His eyes brimmed with tears and just hurt from the realization that she had forgotten his birthday.

"Cal, is it the twenty-fifth?"

He nodded and she slumped immediately,

"Fuck! I'm sorry, everything's just been so bus—" she started but he held up his hand to stop her.

"Don't." He said fixing his gaze on the wall behind her. "I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this." He turned to walk off but this time it was Emerson who grabbed his wrist.

"I know your birthday, Cal. We dated for four years it's not something I can just forget. We've been swamped and nothing's going right and I just didn't know what day it was." She said honestly. "Can you meet me here tomorrow night?"

He closed his eyes and thought for a moment wondering if he would ever be able to forgive himself if he turned her down.

"Our schedule can get pretty hectic. I'll hang with the boys but be back here at eleven."

With that, he spun around, freeing his wrist from her grip and returning to his table. Six pairs of questioning eyes lingered over him but he ignored them. He unrolled his silverware and cut into his eggplant parm, humming in contentment when the delicious concoction melted on his tongue.

Some things never changed, like his love for Emi and her amazing cooking.

Emi did her best to stay focused the rest of the night. The first hour was hard as he was still just steps away from her. There was so much she wanted to say to him but she wasn't sure how. She hadn't expected this ever, let alone tonight.

Now though, with the opportunity right in front of her she knew their were things she wanted off of her chest if for no other reason than to finally feel at peace with the whole mess.

The second hand on the clock seemed to mock her as her poor excuse of a dinner rush finished up and the late night crowd strolled in. She prepped and managed and spoke to customers, doing everything she knew to do to try and encourage them to come back. She had no clue if she was doing enough, she could only hope and pray that something she did would help.

When she finally locked the doors and bid her staff goodnight she was exhausted. She changed from her kitchen shoes to her sneakers and traded her chefs coat for her quilted jacket. She stepped out into the cold and felt her lips tug upwards at the sight of the tanned skin man with jet black hair sitting on the brick wall.

"Surprised you actually came." She called to him.

He startled but stood and moved quickly towards her.

"You know I was never much good at saying no to you."

An: ahhhh they saw each other!!!

What did you think?

What do you think they'll talk about?

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If you're bored checkout Sprinting_Ginger 's stories bc they're amazing and bc she is letting me live through her as she sees the 5SOS boys tonight!

I love you all!
Sav 🖤