It had been a few weeks since that day on the porch, since that stolen moment with each other. Emily would sometimes catch herself reflecting fondly on it, and immediately quash it of course. Right? Yes. Focus. Then she would shelve the thought for another unbidden moment. In the meantime, Daniel had been trying again to legitimately get his life in order and although dealing with a faked pregnancy from his mother's stalker, he found that she thankfully had enough enemies that it was found out that she lied. Again. Another sobering and bitter lesson that taught him of using that form of intimacy to get him ahead. Promiscuity has certainly lost it's appeal. One afternoon, he found himself at the Club and that brought him back into Emily's sphere that day.
Emily was in the process of being 'reasoned with' by Nolan who was once again concerned by her choices in handling her father's business. She had rationalized that Daniel said, fight, so instead of dealing with feelings and Victoria she was digging again but on her own terms.
"Ems you need to stop. What do you expect to get from these answers, if and when you get them?"
"You don't understand Nolan, I have to know who kept him from me and if he won't tell me then I need to do it myself."
Sitting back and about to retort with one of his typical passive aggressive puns is when he saw Daniel walking up, so it died on his lips.
"Hey Emily, how are you?" He looked between the two sensing some tension and worried he was interrupting at the worse moment.
Emily, taken aback but too well trained to show it, glanced up and smiled serenely, "Hello Daniel. I'm ok thank you, just finishing up lunch with Nolan." Leaving Nolan with a sarcastic pursing of his lips and looking in the other direction.
"Oh, well I didn't mean to interrupt but I just wanted to see how you were when I saw you sitting here. If you're leaving maybe I can walk you out."
Taking the easy out she stood up and said, "Sure! Goodbye Nolan, thanks for lunch!"
As she turned she looked again at Daniel, "So tell me, how have you been? How's business? I've noticed you have been conspicuously absent from these parts lately."
"Thanks for noticing then, I kind of missed being here." Missed seeing you too, he wanted to add but decided that was decidedly clingy and uncalled for. "Business is doing well. Although, I think I have you to thank for that, I have a few new clients who popped in out of the blue giving me their business so I'm quite content and busy right now. Happy to be free of my family although clearly indebted to you."
"I have no idea what you mean." she responded sweetly and then added, "But even if I had, let's just call it a thank you for giving me faith that people can change, even if I'm stuck in my own personal hell." She suddenly quieted and look away wondering why she said that.
"Don't." he said touching her arm. "Don't do that, don't talk about yourself like a lost cause. You're so much more than that. I can recognize that now that I've had some space giving me some perspective. Instead of focusing on the lies, I've come to appreciate the ways you have tried to help me and I'm grateful for that and I wish there was some way I could do that for you too."
Feeling the fear that raw emotions instilled and feeling her arm burn where he delicately held her, she did what she did best. She pushed away.
"Well I'm ok and I'm glad you have things in order. Hope you keep doing well." she responded lightly ignoring his indirect offer.
"Now I know how Nolan felt when I interrupted your lunch back there." "You didn't interrupt I was…" "Yes, I know you were just leaving. Look Emily, I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I know that you are a force of nature I cannot and will not ever try to control. But I just wanted to remind you that being free of here, free of this… it's reviving and if you ever want to escape for a while, you know where to find me. We don't have to talk about anything except the weather and dinner. Not feelings, or revenge, or even anything physical but just good old fashioned support of a friend."
Her eyes began to glisten as he spoke, remembering the Daniel she had begin to develop feelings for before he was altered. If he only knew how she hadn't changed and didn't deserve people like him. She was so proud of who he was becoming but so ashamed of what she still was and didn't feel privileged enough to breathe his same air in the off chance of contaminating it with her own poison. She cleared her throat. "Thanks Daniel, but for your sake, don't bother with me. I'm, ok.. well if not ok, I'm distracted and still digging and looking for the answers I was deprived from." she tried discreetly to wipe away a tear. What was it about him, about this Daniel, that made her feel? That didn't let her stay cold and detached no matter how she tried. She shrugged it off to his good timing for fear of where that thought process would lead.
"Well if you don't like those answers when you find them, you know where to find me." Now he turned fully to hold both her hands and as he tried to convey unsaid words through their electrifying contact, he looked her in the eye and said, "I know what it's like to want answers and to feel more lost and alone after 'seeing the light' than when I was ignorant. So please," he squeezed her hands in his and continued, "please promise me you won't go through it alone. I promise not to judge, I know you're strong, and I know you can handle it alone, but why, you don't have to. You can share that weight with me."
Stunned by his honestly the stinging behind her eyes intensified as tears threatened to release. She finally admitted, "Thank you Daniel. I just may take you up on that, or not. Guess we will see." and with that she tore herself away from someone she thought was too good for her, even if that wasn't true it fit with the self loathing which the feeling of abandonment from her father had imbedded in her heart now.
She got in her car and as valet shut her door the phone rang. Nolan. "Yes Nolan?"
"Excuse me for eavesdropping on the conversation between you and Prince I've See the Light, but maybe you should get some space from this."
"What I need is focus."
"I don't ever doubt your brilliance and genius Ems but please consider it. Get away, be whoever you want to be for a little while." Then he ended the call.
Whoever I want, she pondered. With sudden sadness she wasn't sure what that meant. She tried to think to happier moments, she thought of moments with Jack but he wasn't someone who could make her happy, just someone she knew was in her corner and she was thankful for. A good man he surely was, but too conflicted now to bring her any peace. Aiden, made her heart hurt so she quickly moved on in her thoughts and then was brought back to a memory. Fleeting but sweet when she first saw him, buzzed with his friends in college discussing the merits of leaving his family inheritance and expectations to become, as his then friends said, 'to become a penniless poet' .. she chuckles to herself when she remembers that boy and his idealism. Then she realizes she hasn't genuinely chuckled about anything in a long time and it's in that moment that it's decided. She is going to call Daniel. Before she can talk herself back out of it, she calls him and as it's ringing. She feels the butterflies in her stomach. The nervous excitement of letting herself be whoever she wants for a moment.
"Hello?"
She freezes.
"Emily? Is this you?"
"Hey! Daniel. Um, I was thinking about what you said… and yes let's get together, I could use a break."
"Great! How about we get you away from the Hamptons and we drive out to Cape Cod, grab ice cream at a little place they have there."
She smiles. Icecream… This more frugal and simple Daniel is refreshing. "Sure. Can we leave today or do you have work?"
"Today is great, like I said earlier I already finished with work here, let me just check out of my hotel nearby."
"Ok see you soon."
When the call ended Emily looked in the mirror and was nervously excited and afraid of what she saw. She saw a smile, a true, happy, genuine smile. Let's see what happens, she thought, let's hope there is no catch. With a quick text to Nolan, 'took your advice, see you in a couple days' she goes to pack a bag.
Thank you for the positive feedback! Hope this one didn't disappoint. Keeping in mind their personalities and traumas I don't think insta-love would have worked well. Hopefully next chapter will have some more fluff and less anticipation.. Let's see. ;)
