Emily, Please Don't Go Away

Five

 "Well, maybe it was just a bad memory. I mean, I don't know about you, but all of my exes are exactly that for a reason." Sayra was hanging upside down on my couch. She had come over to make sure that I was okay and to try and cheer me up. It had been almost a week since our date, and I hadn't even seen him since. I tried to knock on his door a few times, but either he wasn't home, or worse, he was ignoring me.

"I guess. I was just starting to get to know the guy, and I went and fucked it up."

"I don't think it's a total loss. He might just be busy?" She was trying to see the optimistic side, but I could tell that she didn't even believe it herself. "Even if not, we will get you someone else. It's no biggie."

"Yeah, I guess..."

* * * * *

I locked the door before heading down the dimly lit hallway. As I turned the corner, I collided with someone.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry-" I looked up into his hazel eyes. "Oh, hey. Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." I looked away nervously.

"It's fine. I wasn't either." I could hear the gentle smile in his voice.

"I should-"

"Listen-"

We both stopped and stared at each other before laughing nervously. I gestured towards him.

"You first."

"Okay. I just wanted to apologize for the other night. I got in my head, and it was a really immature way to handle it. As soon as I pulled my shit together, I went back to find you, but you'd already left. Then, I came back and waited up until I was sure you had made it home."

"It's fine-" He cut me off.

"No, it's not fine. I feel like a real dick about it. Then, to make it worse, they've been making me work late, so I haven't had a chance to properly apologize. That being said... Do you have plans tonight?"

"Not really. I'm going shopping with Sayra, but I don't have anything after." He grabbed my free hand and smiled brightly.

"Come over, please. I can make us dinner."

"Eh, I don't know. She might-" His eyes held a mixture of hope and disappointment.

"Please, Em... I really want to do this. I need to make it up to you," he pleaded.

"Em?" I laughed before sighing dramatically. "Okay, I guess so." His face lit up like a kid in a candy store.

"Great! Say, eight?" I nodded, and he smiled before starting down the hallway. He stopped and turned around. "Hey! No allergies, right?"

"No, sir."

"Good, 'cause I'd really hate to kill you. It wouldn't make a very good impression." I grinned at him before continuing down the stairs.

Maybe this wasn't a total loss after all.

* * * * *

I glanced at the clock on the stove. Finally, it was five 'til eight. I headed out of my apartment and knocked on the door to his. Within a few seconds, I heard the latch click, and the door opened. He smiled gleefully.

"Hey, you. Come on in!" I stepped inside and looked around. The structural layout was the same as mine, but somehow, it seemed more open, less cramped. "Make yourself at home. Dinner will be ready in just a few." I nodded and wandered into the living room.

There was a small couch that sat across from a medium sized TV. There was a corner desk with a chair. I saw a few pages with little drawings, and as I picked them up, my amusement changed to awe. I flipped through them, noticing how much detail was put into such small pictures. The last one caught me off guard. It was a profile of me, with a carnation tucked behind my ear. My heart fluttered as I examined each detail. It felt like I was looking at a photo.

There was a nervous cough from behind me. I turned to see him leaning against the wall, watching as I went through his things. I set them back on the desk and smiled sheepishly at him.

"I'm sorry. They caught my eye, and curiosity got the best of me. I guess I just wanted to see what your style was."

"It's fine," he smiled. "Well, what do you think? You can't see another artist's work and not give feedback. It simply wouldn't be very professional."

"They're beautiful. The amount of detail in such a small space is impressive. I just have one question," I stated. Before I could ask, he put his hand up and nodded.

"Why did I draw you?" I nodded slowly. "Well, I draw the things that I see beauty in. Sometimes, others might not see it, but to me, it's one of the most beautiful things that I've ever seen." My heart was beating so loud that I was almost certain he could hear it. "Well, come on, angel. Dinner's ready."

I followed him to a small table, and he pulled the chair out for me before he began serving our meal. I watched him as he moved gracefully through the small kitchen, retrieving two wine glasses from the top shelf of a cabinet. He set the glasses down and brought the plates to the table. Before he sat down, he pulled a bottle of wine from the freezer.

"I didn't know you could freeze wine," I commented. He smirked as he poured it into the glasses.

"Well, just for future reference, wine will freeze, so you aren't supposed to leave it in there. However, it hasn't been in there for very long. I was just chilling it." I felt stupid for having said that outloud. He sat across from me. "So, about the other night..."

"No, it's okay. I shouldn't have asked. It wasn't any of my business," I said quickly, trying to prevent him from shutting down again. He put his hand up.

"Well, you'll probably find out later anyway. I owe you an explanation for my actions. I do have a few exes. My most serious relationship lasted about four years. Her name was Victoria, and I was head over heels in love with her. So much so that I asked her to marry me."

"Oh, wow."

"Yeah. Well, things were going great until the day of the wedding. Right before it was supposed to start, my best man tells me that Vic cheated on me the night before, at her bachelorette party, with our neighbor."

"Jesus."

"It gets better. So, naturally, I confronted her about it, and she admits to it, showing absolutely no remorse. So, I tell her that I needed some time to think things over. Then, as I am walking away, this bitch decides to scream 'I've been fucking him since we moved in.' I shit you not."

"What the fuck?" He shrugged and shook his head.

"So, I walk out and head to a bar. Well, before I knew it, I was drowning in alcoholism, and soon, the drinking wasn't helping anymore. So, I started to take a less legal approach. It took me almost two years to get my shit together."

"Well, you seemed to succeed, didn't you?" I asked, trying to follow along with what he was saying. He nodded, smiling slightly.

"I did. I got eighteen months clean. It's been rough, but I just realized that life isn't really that bad, and nothing is worth wanting to die over." I nodded in understanding, and we sat in silence for a minute before I decided to speak.

"Well, if it means anything, I'm really glad you're still here."