Fourteen
Waking up to breakfast in bed would’ve been nice, but instead I woke up to the sound of Emily barfing her guts out across the hall. Both of our bedroom doors were left open throughout the night, which only happens on special occasions. Like one of us over-indulging the spirits or the flu bug hit our casa.
The clock on my nightstand surprisingly read a quarter after ten. Which not only meant we had gotten more sleep than I’d anticipated, but we were both hellaciously late for work.
I padded across the hall and found Emily sitting up in bed with her head stuck in the trashcan in her lap. A silent prayer went up that she was able to use the trashcan and not make another gross ass mess. I wasn’t sure I could clean any more puke up in the near future, maybe only if it was life or death.
“Do you need anything?” I quietly asked as I sat in the bed beside her.
“I think I’m going to die.” She groaned.
“Water?”
“No, a Pedialyte popsicle, please.”
She was the only person I knew that would buy those damn things, but they were great for hangovers. I went and got her favorite flavor, grape, and brought it back to her.
“Here, I already cut the end off.”
“Thank you.” She pulled her head out of the trashcan and took the popsicle.
I took the trashcan into her bathroom and cleaned it out. This time I dried the inside and lined it with a trash bag knowing it would make it easier to get rid of sickness next time. Even thought I hoped there wouldn’t be a next time. She looked terrible. Her eyes were bloodshot and her skin was paler than usual. She wasn’t her full energy self, I hated that so much.
Placing the trashcan back beside the bed, I slipped in beside her. She didn’t smell like vomit, thank the Lord, but she did feel warm.
“You’re burning up, Emily.”
“It always happens after I tie one on.”
I pulled her into my arms as we laid there staring up at the ceiling.
“Why did you tie one on?”
She sighed. “I let you down, Arbor. That entire situation shouldn’t have happened like it did. We should’ve talked it out and then made a decision whether or not I should take Evergreen. I shouldn’t have only listened to Everett. Your opinion matters and I screwed up.”
“We all make mistakes, but I overreacted. I shouldn’t have stormed out of here without talking things out with you. That was my fault. I even made a fool out of myself at Everett’s office.” The flash of what happened made me laugh. “It was horrible.”
She looked up at me smiling. “Couldn’t have been too horrible since he was here last night.”
“You do remember.”
“Oh believe me, I remember quite a bit and heard more than you probably hoped I heard.”
I covered my face and laughed.
“We didn’t sleep together. Only showered.”
“Who does that?” She scoffed. “If I was in the shower with a man that looked like that.” She purred. “I would have done any and everything he allowed.”
“I honestly thought it was leading there, but he pumped the brakes. It was obvious he wanted to, if you know what I mean, but we spent the time silently enjoying one another and he washed your puke out of my hair.”
Emily erupted with laughter before cringing. “I shouldn’t laugh, it makes my ribs hurt.” She clenched her sides. “So you’ve seen the man naked but haven’t ridden his pony yet. How very odd…”
“Well, I can tell you’re beginning to feel better.”
“Tell me more.”
“I think you’ve heard enough.” I got out of her bed and started toward the door.
“No, come back! Don’t leave me here to die on my own.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re over dramatic. I have to go to work. We’re both already late as hell.”
“I took care of it already.” She sat up. “Left Dan a voicemail saying we both had food poisoning. He texted me a little while ago and said he hoped we felt better. Especially you since you’re leaving for your trip in a few days.”
My head dropped back against my neck. With everything that had transpired over the night I’d totally forgotten about the trip back home for Libby’s wedding. I needed a break, a peaceful retreat from all the stress and bullshit life was tossing my way.
“Don’t remind me.” I groaned. “It would be so nice to run away and unplug from everything for a couple weeks. But noooo…life has a giant middle finger it is waving at me.”
“We could do that once you get back.” Emily smiled brightly.
“I doubt Dan will let me take a month and a half off in a row. I’m pretty sure I’d be jobless if that was the case.”
“You have a point.”
“You want some food?”
“Chicken noodle soup if it’s on the menu.”
“I’ll call some in and see if Jones Diner will deliver out here. Then we can Netflix and literally chill all day.”
“Sounds like the best idea ever.” She slouched back beneath her covers while I went to call Jones Diner.
Lazy days didn’t happen very often for either of us, so taking advantage of them when they did happen was the only way to go. Even if Emily’s massive hangover was the culprit. We’d spent the entire day laying in her bed eating just about everything in the house, and binge watching different shows on Netflix. You couldn’t beat that kind of day in the middle of the work week. At least I couldn’t.
“We really need to get up and move a bit or rigor mortis might set in.”
“I think mine already has.” Emily stretched her arms above her head and arched her back, groaning while doing so.
“I don’t think either of us has moved much in four hours.”
“I’m okay with that as long as neither of us have peed the bed.”
We both erupted with laughter.
“Only you would say that.”
“So, you wanna talk about anything?” She dove right into the heavy stuff. “Your upcoming trip, the situation with Everett, or something completely opposite?”
I contemplated for a minute. “Do you have anything going on we need to talk about? I know our argument wasn’t what fully sparked what happened yesterday, and I want you to know I’m here for support no matter what’s going on. You know that, right?”
She sighed so heavily I was afraid she’d completely deflated herself.
“That bad?”
Tears welled in her eyes and I knew I was charting territory Emily usually didn’t divulge very often.
“I’m just unhappy.” She sniffled, trying to hold back her emotions. “After that night with Lonnie and seeing how Everett would do just about anything to have you, it made me realize that I’ve been living life wrong. I keep picking the guys that just want one thing from me, nothing more. I keep pretending that it’s enough, when it’s not. I want; no, I need to feel like I mean something to someone.”
“You mean more than something to me.”
She gave me a knowing look and grinned through her tears.
“You know what I mean.”
I nodded.
“I’ve always been the easy girl. The girl who loved to party and hang out with the guys. The girl other women whispered about when she walked into the room, and not in a good way. It’s way past time for me to grow up and want something more. I just can’t seem to grab onto anything.”
Emily broke down with sobs and I pulled her into my arms.
“I get what you’re saying, but life moves at a certain pace. Sometimes you can alter that pace, while other times you can’t. I love you more than words can explain. If it hadn’t been for you I wouldn’t have had the chance to start again. Well, I would have, but it most likely wouldn’t have turned out as good as it has. Yes, I bitch and complain about small things but over all, this life I live has turned out better than I could imagine…and the majority of that is owed to you, Emily Colt.”
She laughed through her tears and squeezed me tightly.
“I love you, too, Arbor Kenton. You’re the best thing that has come my way in such a long time.”
“You’re gonna make a girl’s head so big she can’t walk out of your bedroom. Then you’ll be stuck with me for the rest of your life.”
She continued to roll with laughter. “I’m okay with that.”
“But when I get back, we will start working on you. Okay? I hate that I have to leave for a few weeks, thanks to my lovely cousin Libby. I honestly don’t know why I agreed to it in the first place, but it’s a little too late now.”
“You agreed because you’re a good person. Your heart is pure.”
“Aw.” I looked up for a second. “I felt my head grow some more.”
Emily gently slapped me and giggled.
“And you said I’m the nut of the group.”
She leaned her head against my shoulder. “You sure you don’t want me to tag along in case things get shitty?”
I smiled and rubbed the side of her head. “As much as I appreciate the offer, I have to do this on my own. She probably expects me to bring someone with me. Even though I’m going to be the loner at her wedding without a date.”
“I’m sure Everett would be happy to come down for the wedding.”
The thought had crossed my mind.
“I don’t know…” I nibbled my bottom lip.
“Look at your smile when his name comes up!”
“Stop it.” I chuckled and tried to stop the mega-watt smile from spreading across my face but failed miserably. “He has a lot on his plate. I can’t just ask him to uproot for a couple days to come to Tennessee for a wedding. My cousin’s wedding at that.”
“Why the hell not?” She arched an eyebrow at me.
“I—I actually have no response to that.”
“Exactly.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “If you don’t ask him, I’ll be sure that he knows about it.”
I face-palmed and groaned.
“If you don’t want me to tell him, I won’t,” Emily back-pedaled.
“No, it’s not that. I haven’t even told him I’m leaving town for a few weeks.”
“Oh. You might want to do that.”
“Yeah.”
“It’ll be the perfect time to drop the wedding bomb on him.” She grinned.
“I just…” I sighed. “I don’t know if I want to open the door of my past to him just yet.”
“Does anyone back home know?”
“Hell no!” I stood from the bed. “The only person that knows the truth is you.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about, right?”
“You haven’t met the people back home, Emily. No one likes me there.”
“Why is that exactly? They have to be some backwoods assholes to not like you. You’re the most awesome person I’ve ever met…besides myself, of course.”
I shook my head.
“I don’t know really. I mean, people were nice to me but I didn’t have any true friends and the little bit of family I had left after my parents died pretended I died right along with them. It’s odd really.”
“Family isn’t always blood, Arbor. I know that firsthand myself.”
She pulled me into a hug.
“I couldn’t agree more.” I rolled the heart locket between my fingers.
The following couple weeks were going to be long ones. I hoped I could keep it together and make it through them emotionally unharmed.