She could do this. She could.
It was a party. She’d been to parties. In fact, she usually liked parties. But… this was a remake of Halloween, except with less pumpkin. She walked up the stairs to the room that Lewis and Harry had booked. Various masked people swarmed around, laughing and giggling. Some in costume and others in party clothes.
Maybe she shouldn’t have worn red, she thought. Not that it would make her stand out on today of all days, but it made her look more involved than she felt. She smoothed a hand down the velvet of the suit jacket. What did it matter, as it felt beautifully soft under her fingers? She adjusted the mask on her face. She couldn’t wear the one she gave to Gee for Christmas, it had felt weird going into his room while he was away. Instead this cheap black satin one would have to do.
She’d put in an appearance, talk with Lew’s team and then leave. At least with all these costumes, she wouldn’t have to see Jamie and Gee together. She had seen Gee briefly last night as he’d come in from his flight. There had been a tired but awkward hug. But when she got up this morning he was gone. This was her future, glimpses of Gee while he got on with his life.
Although she wished she hadn’t checked Jamie’s Instagram feed and seen his costume. He made a delightful Cupid, with that good body he usually hid under the pussycat bows and floral shirts.
She didn’t know what Gee was dressed as. He probably matched Jamie.
She stopped dead. Couples’ costumes.
Nope, she couldn’t do it. She’d have to tell Lewis.
‘Emma.’ A short and curvy devil exploded from the group by the door and grabbed her hand.
‘How do you do that?’ she said, frustrated that yet again he’d figured out who she was.
‘Talent, darling, talent.’ Lewis laughed. ‘Anyway come and meet the team. Harry. Harry.’ He called and the tall angel turned around.
‘What, love?’ The voice revealed it to be Lew’s husband, Harry.
‘Just taking Emma here to meet the team,’ Lew said, with emphasis on her name. Great so now at least some people knew what she’d come as. Harry gave a large over the top wink to Lewis.
‘Dear god, he is as subtle as a sledgehammer,’ Lewis muttered. ‘Now don’t get that cape caught.’ He took her arm and led her into the party.
She wrapped the edges of her red cloak around her hands to keep it closer. It was the only thing from her Halloween costume that she’d decided to wear again. It seemed right to be all in red. Not to go with her usual uniform but to go with the flow, even if the scarlet of the cape clashed with the ruby of the suit.
Thirty minutes later she had finished making notes on her phone and was saying goodbye to Lew’s manager.
Okay, she had a job. The edge of panic she’d felt since becoming unemployed eased a little. But this party was still making her anxious; she could go now, couldn’t she? She’d done her bit for Lewis. And all she could see were couples, either wrapped all over each other on the dancefloor or canoodling in corners. She knew Lewis meant it for the best, but she couldn’t stay here. She had to work out how to live when she was on her own. Because she never had been before, no matter what she had thought.
She knew she’d be fine. She was doing great. She had a job already, didn’t she, maybe she could freelance for more people, and build her own little business. Her mind automatically started making plans, working out the strategy. In three months, maybe…
No. She was supposed to be giving up plans for the time being, she needed to spend a bit longer learning to live in the moment.
‘Ems.’
Crap.
‘Hey, Jamie.’ She could feel her fists clenching. It would be too rude to push him aside and make a run for it, but she wanted to.
He was grinning wide. But then why wouldn’t he be? He was with Gee, perfectly imperfect Gee.
‘It is horrible at the office without you. Dan has turned into a dictator, in fact if it weren’t for, you know, reasons…’ He nudged her. ‘… I’d leave too.’
‘Reasons?’ she asked blankly. Could she get away before she had to see them cuddle? Sweat was beginning to trickle down her spine, it was gathering at the edges of her hairline.
‘You know…’ He nudged her again.
She really didn’t know and the nudging was getting annoying.
‘Hey babe.’ Jamie shouted over the crowd and waved.
Damn, her heart picked up speed. She couldn’t throw up, not here.
‘I really have to go.’ She touched his arm, trying to get past him. She couldn’t watch this. She couldn’t. No one would expect her to.
This was the downside of living in the moment, she thought fuzzily. You got some very deep lows to go with the highs.
A short satin heart barrelled out of nowhere. There was an arrow which matched the one in Jamie’s quiver right in the centre of it. The man in the heart costume waved happily at her.
He was short. And his hair wasn’t black. The eyebrows were not expressive. And he’d definitely never won a Teen Choice award.
It was Rob from Tech Dev. What was he doing here? How could he handle being around Jamie when he was with Gee? And still smile that happily. Maybe he could teach her how to survive heartbreak?
‘Really, Jamie…’ she began, when… Well, that was a surprise.
‘Why are you snogging Rob?’ she asked. How could he do that to Gee? Any sickness fled as anger began to build. How could anyone cheat on Gee and in front of his best friend?
‘Sorry.’ Jamie didn’t look sorry at all as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. ‘Can’t bear to be without this sweetheart for too long, can I?’
Even from behind his mask, he looked dopily in love with Rob, who was acting like the one huge heart he was dressed to represent as he cuddled up to Jamie.
Oh.
Jamie and Rob. Rob and Jamie.
She really was crap at this matchmaking lark.
‘I know you don’t like me,’ Rob said sadly.
‘Well…’ She spluttered. ‘That meeting when… Well.’
‘When I rolled over and took the blame? I know it looked bad but the team member who supposedly buggered it up was set up. They’d got tangled up with someone in senior management and it went bad. I needed to cover for them to give them some time to find a new job. That, and make sure the guy who did do it was caught.’
Jamie smiled incandescently at him.
‘Wow.’ There wasn’t much else she could say. Maybe Rob was too good for Jamie. No, she shouldn’t say that, they looked so happy it must be the right choice.
But that meant…
‘I thought you were in love with Gee,’ she whispered into Jamie’s ear not wanting to upset the walking cloud of love that was Rob.
‘Oh, that was because he was so nice after the Dan thing. And maybe at New Year I thought there could be something, but he invited Rob along. No idea how he knew about him.’ Emma was glad the mask hid her guilty blush. ‘Well, when it hit midnight and Gee was desperately trying to call you, Rob was there and…’ He broke off to smile at the smaller man again.
They started snogging again.
Gee wasn’t taken? He wasn’t with Jamie. Which meant…
Her heart raced and she felt as light as the helium balloons that grazed the ceilings.
Except… even if they weren’t together it didn’t mean that Gee wanted to be with her. She hit the ground with a bump.
‘I’m really happy for you,’ she said, averting her eyes. No one should have to see that amount of tongue action. ‘If you ever feel like you want to leave Mega! then let me know. I might have a few leads.’
She didn’t think Jamie heard her, but it didn’t matter.
‘Pssst… Woodward.’ She felt someone poking her shoulder. She turned away to give Rob and Jamie some privacy, but it was more to get away from seeing so much happiness.
In front of her was a small Danny from Grease. Black leather jacket, blue jeans and a white T-shirt. His hair up in a quiff, a black mask covering the top half of his face. But she recognised his smile.
‘Will!’ He pulled her into a hug.
‘What about me?’ The voice was low and gruff, seemingly incongruous coming from the tall and gangly Sandy at his side. The big curly blonde wig, the shiny tight trousers, lips painted red as she pouted. Except it was…
‘Ed?’ she said incredulously. Damn the boy for having such a great pair of legs.
‘Shh,’ he said with a grin. ‘We’re in disguise.’
She hugged him.
Releasing him, she stood back and stared at them. What could she say? The last time they’d been at a party had been when she had tried to forcibly closet them. And yet, here they were, holding hands.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said again.
‘Nothing to be sorry for,’ Will said, grasping her fingers and squeezing them. ‘If it hadn’t been you, it would have been someone else.’
‘Yes but…’ How could they forgive her?
‘No, Emma, you didn’t have to do what you did. You could’ve just resigned and moved on but you didn’t.’
‘And we heard from Paul how you covered for us after the wedding tableau,’ Ed said grabbing her other hand.
They smiled at each other.
‘Did you get his wedding photo back to him?’ she asked.
‘Ha, as if.’ Ed guffawed.
‘I thought it would be the best frame to show off the latest shot of “the girlfriend”… It was caught in the background of the lovely dovey Instagram couples photo that went out this morning. It turns out that it has a very distinctive engraving… and that Dan bloke doesn’t check things half as well as you did,’ Will said and winked.
They were still fighting. She hugged them both again.
‘Our song,’ Ed suddenly said, dragging Will away with him as You’re the One That I Want started playing.
She watched them with a smile before turning and pushing through the crowd. She could stand tall. She was going to survive, she was beginning to build a different and new life for herself. It was scary but it would be real and true. Because Emma Right Now was working towards a proper happily ever after.
A figure stepped in front of her, stopping her.
‘Ems?’ It was the wolf from Halloween. He pushed the mask up and there in front of her was Gee. He looked serious, his trademark eyebrows frowning down at her.
She pushed her mask up.
‘Hey, Gee,’ she said quietly.
‘I didn’t think you’d come but Harry told me you had, he pointed you out.’ So that was why Lew had been so definite about saying her name. He was a meddling matchmaker.
‘I came to meet his management, work out some business.’ She shifted her gaze from his eyes, unable to meet them. ‘Good business this time, nothing shady.’ She wanted him to know.
‘I know. I think you’ll do an amazing job.’ She was watching his mouth so saw him smile.
‘Thanks.’
The silence between them felt heavy.
How did they end up here after ten years, neither knowing what to say to the other? Not knowing what they each wanted?
‘Emma, I know…’ He coughed, swallowed and carried on. ‘I know you wanted to forget what happened the last time we did this mask thing.’ He flicked his fingers, were they shaking?
‘You wanted to pretend it really had only been between Red Riding Hood and Mr Wolf. But the thing is, it wasn’t for me. It was always Emma for me and I was always Gee.’
She couldn’t breathe. What was he saying? She couldn’t help but look up at him then. No masks between them at last. She raised a shaking hand and smoothed the crinkled skin between his eyebrows.
‘I lied,’ she said. ‘It was always Gee for me too.’
‘Does that mean…’ He went silent for a moment. She couldn’t breathe.
‘Ah hell, Emma. You know me, I don’t do the speech stuff. If I loved you less, maybe I could make an impassioned speech, maybe even sing someone else’s love song. But I can’t, because you know who I am. You know me. You get my words.’ He grasped her hand from where it was still hovering near his face. He clutched it to his cheek. ‘You know you only get the truth from me. And the truth is I love you, I’ve always loved you. Because you really are the only one who gets me, did you know that? Always, since the beginning.’
‘Even when I was spinning my tales?’ She wasn’t sure where the air came from to answer him. This was everything she’d ever wanted but she needed to know that he was serious.
‘Tales and all. I know why you did it, Ems. I didn’t like it or what it did to you but it never stopped me loving you.’ He pulled her closer. ‘So?’
‘I love you,’ she said as she reached up and pulled his head down to her. She felt his breath on her lips and then his mouth over hers.
It was as if the world had stopped briefly, hesitating. Then she was sure she heard a click, before it started spinning again, faster but she had never felt so safe. Because she was home.
The End