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"Oh yeah, of course, of course! Would you like to go to her room? It's always messy, but I'm sure you know my daughter already."
"Mom!!!"
Emma just laughed at that, clearly enjoying my embarrassment.
"What? I'm just telling the truth," Mom added with a shrug. "Anyway, Emma, if you prefer, she can come to your apartment so she can look at it."
Wait—what? Did she just offer to let me go? I looked between the two of them in disbelief.
"Oh no, Sue. It's fine. We can go to her room. I don’t want to break her punishment." Emma replied politely.
"You're such a nice girl, Emma. I'm sure you weren't a headache to your mom growing up." My mom said with a chuckle, throwing a pointed look at me.
What’s with the look?
"Ohh, I actually was. I have my stories. I’m sure you and my mom would have a lot to talk about in that area." Emma said, laughing lightly.
"Really? Well, if she ever visits, it would be lovely to have coffee."
I turned to glance at Anne, who was watching this whole interaction with a smirk on her face. Her expression practically screamed “The in-laws are bonding! Wedding bells soon!” Okay, maybe not exactly, but close enough. It was weird, I know, but that was the vibe she was giving.
Emma followed me down the hall to my room. I was relieved that, even though I’d been in a bit of a daze earlier, I had managed to fix my bed. Not perfectly, sure—but good enough.
"This is your room?" Emma asked as she closed the door behind her, her gaze wandering around the space.
"Yeah," I replied, shifting to lean against the wall, watching her.
"It’s cute." She said with a smile, then placed her purse on the bed and walked over to me.
In one sudden movement, she closed the distance and pressed her lips to mine. Her hands braced against the wall on either side of me, effectively trapping me.
Without thinking, I responded—one hand wrapped around her waist, the other sliding up to hold the back of her head. The kiss didn’t last long, but it left me reeling. Every suppressed feeling, every moment we had been apart, rushed into that one kiss.
She pulled away, breathing slightly heavier. "Wow! That was... wow!"
I remained pressed against the wall, too stunned to move.
Emma laughed quietly and sat down on my study chair, never breaking eye contact. Once I regained control over my legs, I crossed the room and sank into the beanbag near her.
"I told you I’d find a way," She said, smiling.
"You sure did."
"I like your room."
My eyes wandered around the four simple walls. There were no posters, unlike the rooms of most teenagers. A few framed quotes hung on the wall. A single family photo sat on the shelf beside some books and succulents. My double bed stood in the middle of the room with the study table and this beanbag chair completing the setup. It wasn’t much, but I was glad she liked it.
"Jen?"
"Yeah?"
"I broke off the engagement." Her voice softened as her gaze held mine.
My heart skipped a beat. Relief washed over me like a tide, and for a moment, everything else ceased to matter.
But the flicker of sadness in her tone didn’t escape me.
"Are you okay?"
"Well, I fought with my parents. For the past two weeks, I’ve been going over to their house every other night, trying to explain my situation."
"Oh…"
"It’s fine." She said. "They’ll understand. Eventually… hopefully."
The sadness deepened in her eyes, and I felt it in my own chest.
"What situation? You mean—?"
"Yeah. They asked me why I was calling off the engagement. First, I told them that I didn’t love Adrian—not romantically, at least—and that he felt the same way. And second… I told them I was in love with someone else."
I held my breath. Was she really going to say it?
"I told them that I love a... girl."
She did it.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I shot up from the beanbag and threw myself at her. She caught me quickly, wrapping her arms around me. I ended up kneeling in front of her, my head on her lap and my arms around her waist.
She placed both hands gently on my back.
"I love you, Emma," I whispered.
Every nerve in my body was buzzing. The joy surging through me was overwhelming. This wasn’t a phase. She wasn’t confused. She told her parents. She stood her ground—for us.
My heart felt like it could burst, and I had to blink back tears.
"I love you too, Jen. I hope you know that."
I looked up at her, smiling through the emotion.
"Are you kidding? You telling your parents about us is kinda my tell." I joked.
She laughed and pinched my nose before pulling me back into a hug. One hand stroked my hair gently, and for a second, everything felt still, calm, right.
I could get used to this.
"I’m gonna go, Jen." She said softly.
"What?? Why??"
She chuckled. "Because your mom thinks you’re just helping me with something, and that doesn’t take all day."
"It’s okay." I said quickly. "My mom doesn’t know anything about computers. She won’t know how long something’s supposed to take."
"Jen." Emma said with a smile, "I want your mom to like me. I mean really like me. So when you eventually tell her about us, she doesn’t think back to today and get the wrong idea."
I frowned. "Wait, you don’t mean I should tell her now, right?"
"No! No, no. Take your time. I’m not pressuring you."
"Okay… but…" I sighed. "What do you think she’s going to say when I finally do tell her and she remembers that I slept over your place—multiple times?"
Emma paused, thinking that over.
"We’ll… we’ll cross that bridge when we get there." She said eventually. She reached for my hands, gave them a gentle squeeze, then stood up.
"Also, your sister is cool. I like her now."
"What do you mean now?"
"I mean, I didn’t like her yesterday. She pretended to be someone else when she held your hand and called you 'babe.'"
I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yes. Judge me if you want, but I hold a grudge sometimes."
I laughed. God, she was adorable.
My heart felt full—like dangerously full.
"She was making you jealous. And it worked." I said, grinning.
"Yes, it did. That’s why I was holding a grudge." She started walking toward the door, and I followed her.
Before she could reach for the doorknob, she leaned in and pecked me on the lips. But I wasn’t ready to let her go just yet. I grabbed the back of her head and deepened the kiss.
I didn’t know when I’d get to kiss her again—probably not for another ten days. And ten days felt like forever.
So I poured everything into that kiss—my longing, my love, my gratitude, my hope—and made sure she felt every bit of it.
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