Late Night Munch

6

Emma kept repeating the potential conversation she would have with Tucker over and over again. Logically she knew she didn't owe him anything. Wasn't that the reason she befriended him in the first place? She assumed the acquaintance they had with one another would be expectations free.

She tossed and turned, flipping her pillow over to the cold side while she considered her options. All the choices left her feeling guilty because it felt disingenuous to the kindness he's shown these past few days. However, she didn't want anyone to pity her.

She groaned and kicked off the covers with her feet. It appeared she wouldn't get any sleep tonight which should come to no surprise. Emma stood up and stretched her arms above her head. During these restless nights she tried to keep herself productive. She wracked through her brain and decided reorganizing her closet would do. It had been a while since she had last touched it. By the time she finished the sun was slowly coming over the horizon.

How can something so beautiful make her chest constrict in frustration?

A silent tear fell down her face and a small whimper escaped her lips as she realized that watching the light seep into her house was getting old.

. . .

"Hey." He awkwardly said.

"Hey." She responded with a soft smile.

He rubbed the back of his neck,"I was beginning to worry that something bad had happened to you."

"Oh?" Emma said, getting caught off guard.

"You mentioned that you walked to the gas station and so my mind made up different scenarios when you didn't show up for your daily dose of cheez-its." He trailed off hoping it did't come across as creepy.

"It wasn't creepy. It's actually pretty sweet of you..." Emma shyly said.

"I said that out loud didn't I." Emma giggled at his response.

"Don't worry, I completely understand." She said.

"So... how are you?" He asked.

"Better now. I just needed a night off. I'm sorry if I worried you it was never my intention." She shifted her gaze down towards her feet and nervously chewed on the bottom of her lip.

"You're good trust me. You don't owe me anything." He genuinely said. Sending her a reassuring smile. "Will you be staying or is this a quick trip?"

"I think I'll hang around for a while if that's alright." She said.

He nodded, " I swear it was only a day and I had already forgotten how boring it was without any company."

Emma scoffed," I doubt I'm that great of company to have."

"You under estimate yourself Emma." He shook his head in disbelief. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

Emma opened and closed her mouth a few times as she struggled to come up with something to say.

"It's alright." He chuckled, " I'll just have to prove it to you. You wanna deal tonight? Ten bucks says I'll beat you in speed this time."

"You're on." She grabbed the deck of cards and began to divide them in 4 categories.

Maybe one day she'd understand why it felt easy to be near him, but for now she wouldn't question it. It felt nice to just exist without any need to spill your whole life story. It's as if they had a mutual respect and understanding with one another when it came to their pasts and god was it refreshing.

AN: This is my first time writing a slow burn romance. I don't think it would be genuine to these characters to rush their story like I originally planned. However, I'm setting a goal of finishing it by next tuesday because it was meant to be a short story.