Chapter 43
Emily's POV
"It's freezing out here," I tightened my coat as another gust of cold wind swept through the deserted main street of Riverstone.
"Are you sure we can't do this tomorrow?" Michael's face remained expressionless, but I noticed a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, clearly feeling the cold too.
He was right. Thomas and Daisy had already abandoned this mission, considering the bitter cold a perfectly legitimate reason to go home. But I had stubbornly insisted and convinced Michael to drive me to the pedestrian area downtown.
"Can't wait until tomorrow," I insisted, watching a plastic bag tumbling down the empty street, dancing in the wind like tumbleweed. The entire pedestrian zone was nearly deserted—not surprising considering the temperature had dropped below freezing.
"Olivia loves caramel popcorn," I continued, scanning the storefronts for the little specialty shop I remembered. "It's her favorite. She'll be touched that I went out in this weather to get it for her."
Michael raised his eyebrows slightly. "Wouldn't she be even more touched if you went out in this weather by yourself, instead of dragging someone else along?"
"That's..." I looked into his eyes, wondering if I should crack open his skull to see if there was anything besides cases in there. "That's not the point."
"What is the point, then?"
I spotted the shop down a small alley and grabbed Michael's arm, pulling him along. "The point is... it doesn't matter. I promise to buy you dinner next time as a thank you."
Michael allowed himself to be pulled along, his face still a mask of indifference, though his eyes betrayed curiosity. "Fine. But I'm choosing the restaurant."
The tiny popcorn shop was wedged between a closed bookstore and an empty storefront. Inside, the warm air smelled of butter and sugar, immediately making the journey worthwhile. The elderly shopkeeper seemed surprised to have customers.
"A small bag of caramel, please," I said, already reaching for my wallet.
"A small bag?" The shopkeeper raised his bushy eyebrows. "After trekking through this weather? You deserve the large one."
Twenty minutes later, we were back in Michael's car, a large bag of caramel popcorn sitting warmly on my lap. I wrapped my scarf around it to keep in the heat.
"So," Michael said as he pulled away from the curb, "you're saving your friendship with popcorn?"
"I'm saving my friendship with a thoughtful gesture," I corrected, unable to resist opening the bag. The sweet buttery aroma immediately filled the car. "Every relationship matters to me. I don't have many people in my life who really know me."
Michael glanced at me. "Is that why you're eating her popcorn?"
I froze with a piece of popcorn halfway to my mouth. "I'm just checking the quality. See, this one isn't perfectly coated." I popped it into my mouth, savoring the sweet crunch. "Quality control."
"Right."
I searched carefully through the bag, then pulled out a large, perfectly caramel-coated piece. "Try this one. It's perfect."
Michael kept his eyes on the road. "I'm driving."
"It'll take two seconds. Open up."
He sighed but complied, opening his mouth slightly. I placed the popcorn on his tongue, suddenly aware of how intimate the gesture felt in the warm, confined space of the car.
"Good, right?" I asked, watching his reaction.
He nodded slightly. "Not bad."
We drove in comfortable silence until we reached my apartment building. Michael pulled up at the entrance, engine idling.
"Thanks for the ride," I said, clutching the bag of popcorn. "You're a lifesaver."
"Just doing my duty as designated popcorn driver."
I was about to get out when I spotted Olivia walking toward the apartment, medical bag in hand, obviously just returning from work. Perfect timing.
"There's Olivia! Hold on," I said, quickly opening the door.
"Emily—" Michael began, but I was already out of the car, calling Olivia's name.
She glanced our way, then continued toward the entrance. I motioned for her to wait and ducked back into the car to grab the popcorn.
"See you tomorrow," I told Michael, grabbing the bag.
Before I closed the door, Olivia approached the car, bending down to look inside.
"Hey," she said to Michael, her voice cool but polite. "Thanks for driving her around. I know she can be... difficult."
"It's fine," Michael replied.
I stood awkwardly between them, clutching the popcorn bag tightly.
Olivia glanced at me, then back to Michael. "Can I have a word with you?" she asked him.
Before I could protest, she had already motioned for Michael to roll his window down completely, and I was hurried upstairs.
Olivia's POV
Michael watched Emily enter the apartment building while I studied his face. Though his expression barely changed, his eyes revealed too much. I suddenly had a thought, something I'd suspected for some time.
"Do you like Emily?" I asked directly.
The question clearly caught him off guard. Even with his expressionless face, I could detect a flicker of surprise. "She's... competent. Good at her job."
"You know that's not what I mean." I lowered my voice, leaning closer to the window. "Whatever you think you feel, whatever she makes you feel—be careful. Don't fall in love with Emily. You'll regret it."
Michael's brow furrowed slightly—for him, this was a significant change in expression. "Why would you say that?"
"Because her emotions aren't real," I felt a wave of bitterness rise in my chest. "She doesn't genuinely care about friends or family. It's all an experiment to her. A game."
"That's not fair," Michael countered, though I noticed he didn't deny liking Emily. "You don't know what's in her head."
I could only give him a smile. "At least that's how she made me feel in the past." Not wanting to say more, I turned and walked toward the building entrance.
Walking into the building, my thoughts were still churning. Emily was always like this, treating people as her research subjects, analyzing them, recording their reactions as if they were lab rats. And now, it seemed, she had turned her focus to Michael.