Emily, Please Don't Go Away

Nine

 "Hey." I looked towards the door to see Gee leaned against the frame.

"Hey," I replied. He smiled timidly as he stepped closer to me.

"So, it's Christmas." I nodded slowly as he sat next to me on the bed. "We don't usually do the whole gift thing anymore, since we're older. If anything, we get money or something small that made them think of us."

"I get that." He coughed nervously as he pulled a small, neatly wrapped package from his jacket pocket.

"Well, don't be too mad, but I got you something. If it makes you uncomfortable as a Christmas present, think of it as a thank you gift."

"For what?"

"Well, for coming with me. For going along with my insane lies. For just being you," he said with a smile. He handed me the box, which I unwrapped very carefully. When I opened it, I felt tears build in my eyes. Inside the small white box was a silver bracelet. There were six charms on the links. A comic, a palette, a flower, a coffee cup, a skyscraper, and a sapphire heart.

"I don't know what to say. When and where did you find these?"

"Well, I've actually been looking at some of them for a couple of weeks. I saw the cup, and I immediately knew what I wanted to get you. The palette, the comic book, and the coffee cup represent our mutual interests. The building represents New York, where you got your fresh start. The flower is because of our discussion about our grandmothers, and the sapphire is your birthstone, but it's also a heart because you have a great one. You're very loving and compassionate, and that's not something I've seen a whole hell of a lot."

"This is the most thoughtful gift I have ever received," I smiled as he put it around my wrist. He looked up at me and grinned.

"So, you're not mad? You like it?" I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"I don't like it. I love it." He leaned his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes to prevent the tears from falling, but I could still feel him smiling.

"Well, I'm glad I could do something right."

* * * * *

After breakfast, his family packed up to go to another relative's house through New Years Day. That meant that it would just be the two of us for the rest of the trip. Once they all left, he turned to me and smiled brightly.

"Em, you are the most amazing girl I have ever known. Thank you so much."

"Eh, there are worse people to pretend to be in a relationship with. Plus, your family is actually pretty awesome. They're a lot more loving than mine."

"Well, still... I owe you big time. I'm not gonna lie. I was so fucking scared that you were just gonna say no, and I wasn't sure how I was going to explain that one to them. So, again, thank you for going with it and not totally freaking out on me."

"Well, you're welcome." There was a short silence. "So, what are we going to do now?"

"Well, we could go out, see the town. I remember you saying that you never really left your hometown, so I figured that maybe I could show you mine?"

"That sounds like fun," I agreed. He smiled again.

"I'm gonna grab a quick shower, and then, we can go, yeah?" I nodded and watched as he bounced up the stairs. While I waited, I went to change clothes and fix my hair and make-up. As I was finishing with my eyeliner, he walked into the room, drying his hair. I blushed as I realized he was shirtless.

"Sorry, I was using your mirror," I stuttered nervously. He raised his eyebrow and smirked.

"Why do you look so scared? Haven't you ever seen a guy without a shirt? It's not like I'm naked or anything." His teasing made my embarrassment worse. He grabbed a shirt from the closet and pulled it over his head. "Better?"

"Sorry, it just caught me off guard," I mumbled. He shook his head, laughing to himself.

"Well, I'm ready if you are," he declared as he slid his jacket on. I nodded as I stood up. He gave me a more genuine, less cocky smile. "Then, let's go."

* * * * *

"So, what did you think?" He asked as we exited the small movie theater.

"Personally, I thought it was lame as hell, although you seemed to thoroughly enjoy it."

"Oh yeah. This place never gets any big titles. It;s all low budget, worse than B-films. Some of them are really good. Others, not so much. I'm just a sucker for cheesy slasher flicks."

"No way!" A voice behind us cried out. We both turned to see what was happening. "I knew that was you!" I looked to Gerard, who had a huge smile plastered on his face.

"It's been a while,Toro," he called back. They both ran towards each other, embracing one another like long-lost brothers.

"How have you been, man? You back or just around for the holidays?"

"Just for the holidays. I'm still in New York for the time being," Gerard replied.

"Damn, it's good to see you! It's been since..." The guy trailed off. "Well, it's been too long. Who's this?" They both turned towards me.

"Oh, this is Emily, my..." He seemed to be struggling.

"Girlfriend, and neighbor," I finished for him, holding my hand out towards the guy. He pulled me into a tight hug.

"I'm Ray. It's good to meet you," he said as he released me. Gerard shifted uncomfortably before clearing his throat. Ray seemed to get the message. "I'm heading home. Just thought I'd say hello. It's so good to see you. You look great, man. Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"I won't," Gee agreed as they hugged again. Ray waved at me.

"Take good care of this one. He's a mess." I smiled in acknowledgment as he turned to walk away.

"Sorry about that," he apologized awkwardly. "Ray's an old friend of mine."

"It's fine. Seems like you two are pretty close. I wasn't sure if we were still pretending, but I figured, just in case..."

"We are close. Well, not as much as we were. He was the best man at my supposed-to-be wedding. I don't know. Shit happens. Anyways, thank you for that. I'm sure him and Mom will discuss it, so that was a good move. You truly are a lifesaver."

* * * * *

We went out for dinner, and afterwards, we decided to head back to his house. We watched TV for a while before I started getting sleepy. He turned off the TV, and we headed upstairs to get ready for bed.

"So, this has actually been a lot of fun," I admitted as I laid down on the bed. He smiled as he grabbed a pillow and a blanket. "Where are you going?"

"Well, they aren't here, and there's a guest bedroom. It'd be more comfortable than sleeping on the floor again." I felt a little guilty for having made him sleep on the floor, but I also didn't want to be alone in the room.

"You could sleep with me. In the bed, next to me, I mean." He arched his brow in disbelief.

"You want me to share a bed with you?"

"Well, I feel like you wouldn't try to do anything, and I really don't want to be in here by myself, but I also feel bad about making you sleep on the floor..." He shrugged as he tossed the pillow and blanket onto the bed. I watched as he pulled his shirt off. He looked at me, as if he were trying to read my thoughts. He walked over to the side of the bed and sat on the edge.

"Are you absolutely sure about this? I don't want to make you uncomfortable. If you really want me in here, I can sleep on the floor..." He said cautiously.

"No, it's fine," I assured him. He nodded slowly before laying down. I turned off the lamp and laid next to him. There was an uncomfortable silence. I rolled over to face him, only to see that he was already staring at me.

"You really are something else," he said quietly. He rolled onto his back and moved his hands behind his head, and I laid my head on his chest. He tensed up momentarily before moving one of his hands and resting it on my side. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah. It actually feels nice to be held," I admitted. He wrapped his arm a little tighter, and I soon drifted off into a peaceful sleep.