Emily, Please Don't Go Away

Eight

 I followed behind him nervously. He had insisted on carrying both of our bags, so I had nothing to fidget with but my hands. He walked up to the door, knocked once, and stepped inside.

"Ma? Pops? I'm home!" He called out. There was a sound that resembled a small stampede before a tall, lanky guy came bouncing down the staircase.

"Gee!" He greeted as they embraced each other tightly.

"Jesus, Mikes. Did you grow another foot since I last saw you?"

"Nah, but I think you may have shrunk a bit," he laughed as he poked Geard in the ribs. "This her?" He had turned his attention towards me. I nervously tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Yeah," Gee confirmed. Without warning, the guy I'm assuming was Mikey picked me up and squeezed me close to him. "Mikes, put her down, man."

"Sorry, Em. I'm Mikey, if you hadn't figured that out." He stared at me for a second. "Dude, how old are you? You look twelve."

"I turned nineteen in September," I replied, slightly offended by his comment. His eyes widened.

"Nineteen? You do realize Gee's almost thirty, right?"

"I'm only twenty-seven," Gee defended, smacking him in the chest.

"Still, that's over a seven year age difference. You know, I'm only twenty-four," he smiled slyly. Gee smacked him again. "Kidding. I'm kidding. Whatever floats your boat, dude."

"Where's Mom and Dad?" Gee asked, shifting the topic.

"They took Grandma shopping. She insisted on getting ingredients to make some Christmas goodies."

"Awesome," Gee said as he looked at me with a huge smile on his face. "Her sweets are to die for."

"Unless you're a diabetic," Mikey chimed in. "Then, they might actually kill you." I laughed quietly as I listened to them banter back and forth. A little less than an hour later, the front door opened.

"Gerard!" A deep voice bellowed. Gee headed towards the door and greeted his dad, mom, and grandmother. After a couple minutes of family chat, his dad looked over to me. "You must be Emily. Nice to have you, dear. You been keeping my boy on the straight and narrow?"

"Yes, sir. As best as I can," I replied, playing along with his lie.

"Glad to hear it. He could use some good influence in his life." As his dad walked by, he patted my back. His mother smiled politely as she walked by, not saying a word to me.

"Emily, you are definitely as beautiful as he described," his grandmother said with a soft smile. I looked at Gerard, who was hiding his face behind his hands. She came closer to me and ran a soft finger over my cheek. "He's a special boy. I know he can be a lot to handle, but I promise you this. To have his heart like you do? That is a very special gift, and it's not one he gives lightly."

"Yes, ma'am."

"He may not say it out loud, but he has had a really hard time. When it gets rough, just try and ride it out. It'll be worth it." I smiled at her.

"Yes, ma'am. I will do my very best, but I do agree with you. He is very special indeed." She gently patted my cheek before heading into the other room with his parents. I looked back to Gee, who still looked very uncomfortable, but he no longer hid behind his hands. He smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry. She just says whatever comes to mind. She doesn't filter anything," he rushed nervously. I smiled as I stepped closer to him.

"People with no filter are some of the best to know. At least you know that they will be honest with you."

"Yeah... Well, that was super awkward." I reached forward and took his hands in mine.

"Did you really tell her that you thought I was beautiful?" He blushed and looked down at his shoes.

"Yeah," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. I lifted his chin with my finger and looked into his hazel eyes. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"That may be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said," I whispered in his ear. That precious, crooked smile played on his lips. He cleared his throat and picked our bags up off the floor.

"So, follow me," he said as he tossed the bags over his shoulder. I followed him up the stairs. "There's a bathroom. There's where we keep towels, washcloths, toilet paper, stuff like that." He opened the last door on the right. "This is my room." We stepped inside, and he shut the door behind us. I looked around the room as he set our stuff down. Artwork covered the walls. Some were done by well-known artists, but most of it was his.

"Whoa, this is so cool," I commented, taking it all in.

"Thanks," he responded nervously. "So, this is where we'll be sleeping..."

"We?"

"Well, they think we're together, remember? It'd be weird if we slept in different rooms, but if it makes you feel better, I had planned to sleep on the floor."

"I guess so," I said with uncertainty. I had never shared a room with a guy before, let alone one that I barely knew.

"I'll be right back," he announced before leaving quickly. I looked around the room again, lost in awe at some of the artwork. Some of them were simple, doodle-like drawings, but some were larger, more breathtaking pieces with painstaking amounts of detail. I heard the door creak and turned to see him smiling.

"You hungry?" He asked cheerfully. I nodded slightly. "Good, because the family's going out tonight."