Yes or no - Book 4 - S.E.

Extra: The talk

Homecoming had been fun. Emily had danced and goofed around with all of her old friends from school for hours, and now, as she took a shower to get rid of the campfire smell from her hair, she was finally allowed time to relax her muscles. So she stayed there, under the water for a while. When she finally did step out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around herself while grabbing another one to dry her hair a bit. She opened the door from her bathroom then, stepping into her bedroom and letting out a scream when she noticed a figure standing with their back to her, in front of her picture wall. They turned around at the sound then, and when Emily recognized them, she relaxed for a split of a second, before tensing up again when she realized she was practically half-naked.

"What are you doing in my bedroom?" She demanded.

"Your mom let me in." Sam shrugged then, his hands shoved on the pockets of his jacket. When he noticed the way Emily stood there awkwardly for a second, trying to cover herself up, he frowned. "I've seen you in less than that."

"Fine." She sighed after a second of hesitation. Walking toward her vanity, Emily threw aside the towel for her hair and picked up her hairbrush. Using it to point at her bed from over her shoulder, she turned around to look at herself in the mirror. "Take a seat if you want."

So he did. Sam sat down at the edge of her bed, watching her with gentle eyes as she brushed her hair in silence. In any other circumstance, Sam was sure he would have gotten up to stand behind her and brush her hair for her, but he knew she wouldn't allow him to do so now. So he just stayed put in his place. And Emily noticed how stiff she was so she sighed.

"We were never that awkward around each other, you know?" She pointed out. "Not even before we started dating."

"Yeah, well..." Sam shrugged then. "I guess I just... I just don't know how to act around you anymore. Especially considering you might unleash the anger of your girl squad on me at any point."

Emily frowned at that, noticing the slight annoyance behind his voice. So, turning around in her chair so she was looking at him properly, she shook her head in confusion.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know... I thought you'd be dealing with this break-up a little bit better." He said, as she scoffed. "Especially considering you were the one who broke up with me. But sending Santana to terrorize Rachel for you? That was low."

"Oh, okay, first of all..." Emily scoffed, offended, pointing her hairbrush at Sam as she squinted her eyes in his direction. "I didn't send Santana. If she went to talk to Berry, she did it on her own. But, yes, I will admit it. I don't really care. Because Berry is a little bitch and you're blind if you don't see it. And second of all, I didn't break-up with you. We agreed."

"No. You had your mind made up. I just agreed with you."

"Oh, you make it sound like it was such a one-sided thing... I asked you if you wanted to talk about it. You didn't give me a reason why we should be together. From my understanding, that's an agreement. On both parts."

"I didn't want to break up with you."

"And you think I wanted to?"

"Well, you did." Sam stood up angrily from her bed as Emily flinched just barely, sinking down a bit in her chair. "You broke up with me and you didn't talk to me ever since. All summer. Not one call, not one text. Was all we had that easy to forget?"

"Not for me." She spat, growing annoyed at all the accusations being thrown her way. "And that's exactly why I didn't call. I knew that if I did and you asked me to come back, I would. So I needed to back off. But clearly, getting over all we had was pretty easy for you."

"This is not about Rachel..." Sam rolled her eyes, as Emily scoffed.

"Of course it is!" She cried out, the so familiar tears already forming in the corner of her eyes. "She's been pining over you for over a year. I heard about her oiling you up for your first shoot, I heard about the song, the looks... Everyone told me about it. How she'd stare at you when you talked to me on the phone, how she'd grimace whenever you mentioned me. Everyone noticed it. Mercedes, Kurt, Artie... Even Blaine, as slow as he is... He texted me about it once. But I didn't do anything. Because I trusted you and because when I was there she said she wasn't trying anything."

"She wasn't."

"She is now!"

"I'm single now."

Emily breathed out a laugh then, the tears falling down her eyes as she sat back down on her chair. Sam watched her in silence. His heart aching for her, hating how he had made her cry, but unsure on how to act. Cursing at himself, he was reminded at the times they were actually together and how he would always know what to do or what to say when she needed him. He was never the brightest person in a room, but when it came to Emily, he knew all there was to be known. So how come he didn't know what to do now?

"We've been together for almost three years." She whispered through her tears, avoiding looking at Sam at all costs. "And three months after a break-up, you're already letting Berry get to you because you're single? I thought I meant more to you than this."

"You meant everything to me." Sam corrected her, his own eyes filling with tears. With his hand in his pocket, Sam fiddled with the small box inside. "That's why when it hurt so bad when you walked away. Because I thought we were going to be forever."

Emily finally turned to look at him then, but her words died in her mouth when she saw the black velvety box Sam had just pulled out of his pocket. She let out a strangled sob then.

"S-Sam..."

"I bought it about two weeks after you left from your visit to New York..." He explained quietly, trying hard not to cry as he played with the box in his hands, keeping his eyes down and trying to block the sounds of Emily's cries. "I was waiting for the right time, planning on doing this huge thing for you... Ask you to marry me after my first job as a model worked out; after I had made you truly proud. But you broke up with me before that. So, I guess the right time never came."

"I..."

"It's fine, though." Sam shrugged, placing the ring box on her bed as Emily watched him in silence. "I kind of understand now why you did it. I don't like it. But I understand. I just didn't want you thinking you didn't mean anything to me, because, honestly, you've been the best part of my entire life."

"Sam..."

"I'm gonna... Go now." He said, an awkward smile on his face as he ran a hand through his hair and left.

Breaking down again as soon as Sam had closed the door to her bedroom, Emily rushed to the ring box and pulled it open, a sob coming out of her mouth as soon as she saw the rock inside — it was different from the ring he had gotten her the year before at Christmas. That was a fake rock for a fake wedding, so it was big and shiny like he knew she didn't like just because he thought it would be funny. This one was perfect, though. Small, pretty, delicate and a perfect fit with the promise ring because he knew how much she wanted to wear both of the rings when he did propose to her for real.

She sighed then, falling back in her bed as she stared at the ceiling, angry at herself, angry at the world. Because this wasn't fair. After all, how come did she find herself the perfect guy in the most horrible timing in her life?