Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Switched at Birth.
She wasn't in love with him.
Their relationship was too premature for declarations of everlasting love. She had already done that with Ty and she wasn't ready to jump into another giant commitment. But Daphne's newfound perspective couldn't help but shake her. And not just a little, but a hell of a lot. She acknowledged that a part of it was jealousy; Daphne was a part of Emmett, she knew things about him that she didn't. Not yet anyway. There was also a very large part of fear. Things with Emmett were easy and she felt like he really understood her. But maybe she was the consolation prize. Maybe if Daphne revealed her feelings to him, he'd jump at the chance to be with her.
Suffice it to say, Bay was having doubts about her relationship with Emmett. It had barely taken flight and already they were hitting some serious turbulence. As if the whole switched at birth situation wasn't shaky enough, there had to be a love triangle added to the catastrophic mess. It was too much for the sixteen year-old to take.
Emmett was already Daphne's rock, Daphne's best friend. To be a little canine about it, Emmett was Daphne's territory. She had been adamant about Daphne staying away from Liam, claiming that it was too weird for her, that she couldn't take it. How could Daphne accept them when she had been so cruel as to cut off her budding romance prematurely? Bay didn't realize how much it could hurt Daphne then. Karma, she decided. She was finally getting hers and it tasted like righteous pain.
Daphne was the nice one, the smart and thoughtful one. She put her own feelings aside for the sake of others. It was annoying as hell and it gave Bay a sense of satisfaction seeing how easy it was to sway Daphne, but it was also a quality that she admired in the girl whose life she should have lead.
It wasn't fair to her, to Daphne. It wasn't fair to carry on a relationship with Emmett without letting Emmett decide what he wanted. Sure, she wasn't in love with him.
But there was still an even larger part of her heart, bigger than the jealousy and much bigger than the fear, that pounded away with each breath she took. It was hope. And she desperately hoped that Emmett would choose her over her formidable contender in the battle for his heart.
Emmett deserves so much more than me, Bay thought to herself. He deserves to be with Daphne. But I can't help wanting him, too. And I can't help wanting him to want me back.
Emmett would have to make a choice. And Bay would have to hold on to that chunk of hope that with time he would open his heart to the girl that should have been with him all along.
It is usual for me to write teaser pieces. They can usually stand alone if no one's interested or can be continued for a long time if people are. So, if you do want a longer continuation, I hope you'll review with what you hope to see. Thanks for reading.
- Cage
