Crossroads (19 page)

Em pulls from my embrace and walks over to the couch. 

“So how was dinner with the folks?” I ask,
sitting next to her and tucking her into my side.

“Good.  Oh, except for Mum trying to set me up with Jake again,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“Is that something I should be worried about?”

“What?  No.  Of course not!  Jake and I
don’t see each other that way.  We’re like brother and sister.  You know that.”

“L
ike me and Hailey are only mates?” I ask, giving her a sly grin.  She jabs me in the ribs with her finger and chuckles.

“Okay, I said I was sorry
, alright?”  I nod and she smiles.  “Mum won’t try to set me up again.  I told her about you.”  Em ducks her head looking worried for my reaction, her cheeks a little blushed.

“You did?” I
ask, my heart rate spiking.  “And what did you say?”

“Just tha
t we’ve started seeing each other.  She remembers you from Ethan’s party.  She wants you to come to dinner next week.  But don’t feel you have to, I didn’t really give her an answer.”  She says that last bit in a rush making me wonder why.

“Do you want me to?” I ask
slowly and cautiously.

“
Sure, I mean, if - if you want to,” she stutters, shyly. She sighs and in a more confident voice she says, with a smile, “Yes, I would like that.”

“Good, me too.”

“Really?”

The look in her eyes is so hopeful that I wonder what I can do to convince her
just how much she means to me.  I don’t want her to feel like she’s pinning her hopes on an uncertainty. She doesn’t need to worry, I’m a sure thing. I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.

I want Em.

I love her.

She’s right, so much has happened i
n such a small amount of time.

Maybe she needs
a little more time for that, for those thoughts to be spoken.

Maybe we both do.

They’re on the tip of my tongue, those three little words I’ve never once said before.  But I swallow them, when she kisses me on the lips.

Before long, I end up straddling him on the couch, our kisses intensifying, hands roaming
.  I’m desperate for him, can’t get close enough.

“This is insane,” I say between kisses.

“What is?”

“
Us.  It’s insanity.”

“Why?”  Nick pulls back to look at me, his hands still cupping my face and his eyes searching mine.

“Pretending that you’re not leaving… moving in together.”

“W
e’re really doing this, huh?  Living together?”  A wide smile breaks across his face causing my heart to jump.  “It is a little crazy, but I’ve never felt clearer.  I’ve never wanted to be anywhere more...  Em I-”

I slam my lips back against his.  I’ve never wanted anything more either.  This man is all that I want, all that I need.

Nick’s hands glide up my bare thighs, pushing my dress up, squeezing.  He tugs on my bottom lip with his teeth and I feel the desire coursing through my body.  My hands grasp his hair and I grind my body against his.  Nick stands from the couch, his legs moving towards the bedroom and mine coming around his body, ankles linking at his back.

“There is no one I would rather be crazy with than you,” Nick says, lowering me onto the bed.

Glancing at the clock at the station I see that it’s almost time for Em to be here. 
I needn’t have looked though because I can feel electricity in the air, before I even see her approaching the booth.  She is looking as radiant as ever this morning, in a long flowing summer dress with a beautiful smile on her face.

“Just a
sec,” I say, holding up one finger to the customer in front of me.  I walk backwards to the door, open it and then go back to serving.  Em shuts the door moments later and I glance in her direction giving her a wink.  Handing the customer his change, I sigh when the next person approaches.  Em leans against the now closed door and I feel her eyes on me as I serve the lady as quick as possible.

Finally there is no one waiting and I can turn my attention to Em.

“Good morning,” I say, giving her a kiss on the lips.

“Hey.  I didn’t hear you go this morning,” she says sadly, “I missed you.”

“You looked so peaceful sleeping; I didn’t want to wake you.”  I brush some hair from her face and wind my arm around her back.  My heart is racing with the thought that she missed me.  I missed her too.  “I’ll be sure to wake the hell out of you next time.”  I chuckle.

“Is that a threat or a promise?”  She smiles a sexy smile
, placing her hands on my hips.

“Ah, I cannot wait for the weekend, b
ecause then I get to wake up with you and we don’t have to go anywhere or do anything.  No work.  No commitments, just us.”

“
Mmm, sounds like heaven,” she says pressing her lips to mine.

“Are you sure you don’t want to call in sick again today?”
I ask.

I don’t wait for her answer -
instead I kiss her, slowly and passionately.  The heat between us is instant and as strong as ever.  She puts her hand in the front pocket of my jeans and tugs me closer to her.

“It is
very
tempting,” she says, breaking from the kiss.  “But I feel guilty enough already.”

As if on cue the train pulls in
. We both glance in that direction and let out a collective resigned sigh.  Watching her leave the booth and board the train is hard.  I think more so due to the fact that I will be the one leaving soon and it won’t be on a small train ride to work for a few hours.  I already miss her and she’s still in my sights.  We wave to each other as the train pulls out.  I shove my hand in my jeans pockets and sigh again as the last train carriage goes out of my vision.  That’s when I feel a hard metal object in my pocket.  I pull it out and flip it over in my hand.  A key.  Em must have slipped it in there.  It may just be a key to her apartment, but it feels so much more important than a piece of metal that opens a damn door.  It’s symbolic, a key to her heart, to her life.  She trusts me and has let me in - I’ll guard it with my life.

Just as I’m about to put my earphones in, my phone chimes with a text message from Nick:

Sneaky

I’m guessing he’s found the key I slipped into his pocket.  After hours spent making love last night, I’d forgotten to give it to him. 
Well my mind was on other things
.  When I woke this morning to an empty apartment, realisation had hit that Nick had no way of letting himself in.  And even though we will only be living together for a short while, I want him to feel right at home.

Who’d have thought
that Josh’s old key would have a new owner so soon?

I send Nick a response:

;)

To which he quickly replies:

<3 xxx

It’s a simple text exchange really, so why does it feel like it means so much
more?

***

“Are you feeling better?” Julia asks when I get off the elevator.

“Yes thanks,” I reply, trying my hardest to look a little under the weather and hoping like hell that she doesn’t as
k for further information.  I continue to walk past her in the direction of the office I share with Sophie.

“That’s good.”

Luckily, Julia remains standing where she is rifling through some papers, looking distracted, as I pass.  Sophie on the other hand, stares right at me when I enter the room.

“Morning Sophie,” I say, dumping my bag beside my desk and taking a seat behind it.  I boot up the computer and try as hard as I can to seem unaffected by her stare.

“Everything alright?” she asks, and my eyes finally latch onto hers.  I can’t help the small smile that plays on my lips.  It’s too hard to hide exactly how more than
alright
I really am.  “Personal day?  I take it you weren’t really that sick yesterday.”

Fuck!
  I haven’t even been in the office for more than a minute and she has me sussed.  My cheeks go red and I look down at my desk trying to think of what to say.  I’ve never been good at lying and I feel terrible for chucking a sickie, I really do.

Sophie laughs, “Em,
it’s okay, we all do it.  I won’t tell.”

“Okay,” I smile, “I wasn’t sick.”

“There is more to this story, I’m sure.  And you will fill me in, but first I need a coffee, you want one?”

“Why not?”
  I stand, grab my mug and follow her to the kitchen.

While I’m making my
tea
, not coffee, I catch Sophie glancing at me more than once.  Pete comes in and we all exchange pleasantries.  Thankfully he doesn’t push for any answers on why I was away though.  In fact, he doesn’t mention it at all.  When we get back to our office Sophie shuts the door that we usually keep open. 
Uh-oh she means business.
  We both take our seats.

“Very interesting,” she says with a slight nod of her head.

“What is?”

“Well, it’s obvious to me that you are happy because of a bloke.  But it’s not Seth that much I can tell.  You never lit up quite like this for him. 
Plus I know he’s living in Sydney and that you haven’t spoken.”  I should feel annoyed that she knows so much, and I do wonder if she is in contact with Seth, but I don’t say anything.  “So, I’m intrigued, who is this mystery fella?” she asks, with a wiggle of her eyebrow.

I laug
h then.  “How do you do that?”

“I’m gifted, what
can I say?” she says with a shrug.

Over the course of the day, Sophie manages to extract almost the entire story out of me.  Somehow chatting about Nick, and
thinking
about Nick, helps the day pass relatively quickly.  Losing track of the time I jump excitedly from my chair when I realise that it’s already five.  I gather my belongings and Sophie and I head out the door together.  By the time I enter the elevator my cheeks are hurting from the smile I have again plastered on my face. 
I’m going home to Nick. 
Sophie’s parting words only make me want to hurry home even more.

“
Make sure you
do
something I wouldn’t do,” she had said, referring to her non-interest in men.  I really like Sophie and her sense of humour.

I’m on the train now, see you soon x

The text from Em had said moments before the phone call from Hailey.  I’m racing out the door to go to Hailey’s flat
- the last place I should be going when Em is on her way home.  But Hailey is upset and she needs me.  I feel obligated to help her out; she was there for me when I needed her.  She’s a good mate.

I grab my keys, lock the door and head down the stairs, all the while wondering how to tell Em that I’m ditching her.
 
Shit!
  Once seated in my car I grab my phone and call her.

“Hello you,” she answers happily.

“Hey Em.”

“I’m nearly at the station, so I’ll see you there in a couple of minutes.”

“Yeah, about that… I won’t be at the station.  I’m sorry, I need to, um, I need to see Hailey.”  I get nothing but silence down the line.  “She called a little while ago, she was crying and she needs a friend right now.”  Still nothing.  “Em?”

“Okay.”

“She’s just a friend.”

“I know
that.  Do what you’ve gotta do, it’s okay,” she says, but it doesn’t sound too convincing.

“Really?
  You’re not mad?”

“No it’s fine.  I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Of course.”  She hangs up before I can say any more.

I almost
get back out of the car and walk to the station just to make sure things are okay between us, but I don’t.  She said she trusts me - I’ve got to believe that.

I put my phone back in my bag and slump against the seat.  He’s being a good friend, it’s nothing to worry about. I know that and I trust him.  But I’m still disappointed, I can’t help that, I was looking forward to going home to him for the first time.

When I climb from the train I give the bald guy in the booth, now known as Frank, a wave.  He’s a friendly sort of fellow and when he smiles I feel a little better.  So what?  Nick has gone to see a friend, why do I keep overreacting?
  It’s no big deal, I’ll see him later.

When I get home to my empty apartment I find fresh flowers in a vase
and my mood skyrockets to a euphoric one. 
Wow!
  Nick bought me a beautiful arrangement of colourful gerberas, my favourites, and left them for me on the kitchen bench.  I immediately send him a text.

Thank you for the
beautiful flowers x

I snap a photo of them
with my phone and contemplate sending a text to Kat.  Normally I would share something like that with her, but for some reason I don’t feel like sharing.  As if I have somehow telepathically communicated those sentiments with her, my phone starts ringing.

“Hello Kat!”

“Well you’re sounding rather chipper!  How’ve you been?”

“Really, really good,” I answer
, lightly running my hand along the cool vase in front of me.

“So you and Nick are still doing this stupid casual crap?”

“Actually, no.”  I bring my hand up to my forehead, ducking my head. 
She’s my best friend, I have to tell her
.

“
I want details.”

“Kat I don’
t want to jinx it, but…
oh my god!
”  I can’t help but gush.