I Will See You Again
Drive. That was all she could think about from the moment she got in her car. She should have seen this coming. He was unwell, acting odd, & she wasn't even sure that those would have been the only blockers for her actually having a healthy relationship with him.
"Do you even like me like you should like a girlfriend Norman?"
Her words echoed through her head over and over again. There was a long silence after she asked, but she knew, his face gave it away, it wasn't upset, or sad, or even mad. It was blank, aloof, as if he wasn't even listening to what, she said. She knew then it was over. Her happy ending turned out to not be the right choice. The guy she had dreamed of being with since she met him, really only saw her as a friend, an easy convenience because no other girl was in town to distract him.
She drove into the woods.
She didn't know how to explain herself. Why was she driving up to his farm?
Dylan Massett of all people. That was who she was driving to. The brother of the guy she just got dumped by. How crazy was she?
They had grown closer, a mutual understanding. The two people on the outside knocking to be let into the home that was the Bates'. That still didn't mean she was making a huge mistake in going to see him. She wasn't sure they had reached this level of closeness for her to be able to go to him if she was upset.
The farm came up ahead. She stopped the car in front of the cabin, she saw Dylan's truck parked closer to the half risen frame of the greenhouse. With a deep breath she got out of the car and with a determined walk she headed to the door of the cabin when she couldn't see him working on the greenhouse. No one else seemed to be around. No Gunner. No Caleb. It was 8:30 in the evening she reasoned with herself.
She knocked.
The sound of footsteps growing closer could be heard through the door.
It swung open revealing Dylan, wearing a blue Henley and jeans, but he was missing his signature leather jacket.
"Emma…what are you doing here?" he asked, clearly a little stunned to see her.
Biting her lip she hesitantly looked up, "Um…Norman and I broke up, I guess. And I didn't have anyone else to um talk to about it. And you know what it was stupid, you probably don't want to hear about it…this was a bad idea. Have a goodnight." She rambled on, starting to turn away.
"No! Emma…its fine. Come in, I don't mind, I wouldn't mind the company," He assures her, stepping aside to let her into the cabin.
Unsure still, but realizing she didn't want to be alone, she gave in and stepped inside.
It was only an open room. With a small kitchen area, a table with a few chairs, and an old couch in the corner with a coffee table.
"Do you uh, want anything? A beer? Water? That's actually all I have…sorry," he asked, scratching the back of his head.
She smiled up at him, "No I am fine thanks."
"Take a seat," he offered pointing to the couch.
She followed suit, setting her 'pet' to the side. Dylan joined her, leaving a comfortable amount of space between the two of them.
"So Norman…" Dylan started the conversation.
"I was an idiot. He didn't like me. At least not the way I wanted him to. I was just convenient. With everything that has been going on with him I realized that it might not last that long, but I thought it would because he had to get help, not because he wasn't interested. I feel stupid for not seeing it," she explained her situation, sighing.
Dylan sent her a sad smile, "Norman doesn't have the best track record with girls as far as I can tell. And you aren't stupid. We all fall for someone that in the end turned out to be wrong for us. Emma, you are kind, beautiful, thoughtful and strong. I mean look what you've done for everyone. You help Norma with the motel, you have helped Norman multiple times, and you helped me a couple times too and we barely knew each other."
A small tear fell onto her cheek.
"Shit, Emma, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…I just…shit," he scrambled closer to her, taking her hand.
She let out a small laugh, looking up at him.
"I'm not upset. It's just no one has ever told me any of that stuff before. Thank you."
He nervously smiled.
"Oh…good. I don't want you to be upset. I just, I haven't really done this…comforting someone."
"You aren't doing too badly," she insisted.
"I wish I could be more help," he sighed,
Neither of them talked for a while, both didn't seem to notice that Dylan was still holding her hand, but now he began to rub small circles in her palm with his thumb.
"So the farm seems to be coming around nicely," she complimented, trying to change the subject.
He nodded, "Yeah, another month or so and he can start officially finding buyers."
"Is uh…Caleb sticking around?" Emma asked him, unsure if what the right thing to bring up at the moment.
"I'm not really sure. It depends on Norma, if she wants him gone, I'm not going to let him stay very long," Dylan confessed frowning, removing his hands from hers.
She felt the mood in the room shift. From a simple bonding moment, to that of awkwardness and discomfort.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," she apologized.
Ignoring her, Dylan stood from the couch and went to get a beer from the fridge.
"Maybe I should get going…it was weird for me to come here in the first place," she suggested, rising from the old couch, headed toward the door.
"Emma…" he sighed.
"What! I thought we had this understanding Dylan that we aren't going to judge each other! That we would listen! And yeah maybe it was too soon to bring it up, but you don't need to get all uptight when I ask you a question that makes you uncomfortable!" she exclaimed, obviously frustrated with him.
Dylan groaned, "I don't do this Emma! I don't talk about how I am feeling! I never have! I never have had anyone to tell! So forgive me for maybe being a little hesitant to be completely honest about how I feel about Norma and Norman, especially to you, you are always defending them! They don't care Emma! Norma sees you as less of a threat than she saw Bradley and that weird chick Norman was seeing over the summer, she doesn't think you are going to steal him away from her! Norman, Norman is sick! The only person he will truly care about Norma!"
"I know that now! I know that! I know he never wanted me like that! I know that all he saw us being was friends, and that if Bradley came back he would have left me in a second to be with her! Norma on the other hand has been kind to me Dylan! Yes, I know she treated you poorly, but she loves you! I know she does! And I am here Dylan! I know we get each other! We have more in common than one would think two people like you and I would!" she yelled, stepping closer to him until they were inches apart.
"You aren't alone," she whispered.
"Emma…"
They looked each other before Emma stepped closer to envelop him into a hug. He reciprocated the hug, ducking his head into her hair. She smelled of vanilla bean and laundry detergent.
"I'm sorry," he muttered.
"Shush…its fine," she said so quietly he barely heard her.
They stayed like that for some time, before it was getting late and Emma needed to head back home before her dad began to worry. Dylan now had so much he wanted to tell her. How he felt about Caleb, how scared he was for Norman, how he wanted to actually feel that his mother cared about him, how he liked her company, how brave she was, how beautiful, how he wished he had met her before she met Norman, how much he wanted to ask her to stay like that night she helped him a couple days ago.
She needed time, they both did, to figure out themselves before whatever they were blossoming into reached its full potential.
Emma felt better. She enjoyed his company. She knew she would be seeing a lot more of him. She can't say that she minds.