I know it's been a long time and I am back for now but unfortunately I will be going away again soon (please don't hate me) I will try and get another chapter up before I leave :)
Thank you to Truewriter1995, adryrules99 and sherrie123456 for your reviews :)
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Here Joe was sitting right next to me after all these years of dodging him there he was in all his glory. Maybe I could pretend that I haven't seen him and continue to do so for the rest of the weekend. Okay that is probably the most immature plan ever.
Just as I was contemplating how to ignore him he looked up and caught my eye. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity but neither of us could break away. It was like one of those moments when you know you have to look away but just can't bring yourself to do it.
Everyone around us clapped so I assumed Kevin had finished the speech and without breaking the contact Joe and I both began clapping. Shortly after people began chatting among themselves but I just couldn't bring myself to start anything with Joe, unfortunately he could bring himself to start something.
"So Em..." he began before Mrs Gray cut him off.
"Emily how have you been dear? We haven't seen you at the house in years." Six years to be exact. Hesitantly I pulled my eyes away from Joe's and put my focus on her.
"I have been very good thanks and yourself?"
"Oh very well dear, missing having you around though." She said while muttering thanks to the waiter.
"Thank you," I said to the waiter before turning back to her "well work has been really busy lately and I just haven't had the time to come visit." It was a blatant lie I knew it, she knew it, hell everyone at this god damn table knew it but all choose to keep quiet.
"Oh yes Heather was telling me all about your column in the paper," My mum actually said something positive about my life, I'm impressed "very helpful young lady aren't you." She said with a smile.
"I try my best." I smiled and then looked down at my dinner, what kind of an advice columnist can't even sort out her own life.
A little while later Joe looked back towards me once again bringing himself to say something.
"So Em I was..." but once again he was cut off this time by Kevin.
"So Em where are you staying this weekend?"
"I was thinking about checking into a hotel."
"Nonsense," Mr Gray called out "you'll stay at the house with us." I started to panic at the prospect, I couldn't go back there I didn't spend the last six years avoiding that place to then end up staying there for a whole weekend.
"No it's fine honestly I don't want to impose or anything."
"Don't be silly dear, it would be no trouble at all," Mrs Gray said smiling "it makes sense considering we are all going back to ours for drinks wouldn't want you to miss out besides it would be so nice to have all of us under one roof again." She looked so happy about the prospect that I couldn't say no.
"Okay but only if your sure it's not a problem." Mrs Gray gave a dismissive wave before going back to talking to my mother.
"Oh Em this will be so great I miss having you around." Ash said and managing to keep me occupied for the rest of the meal so I didn't have to talk to Joe which was a relief but could I keep this up for the whole weekend.
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I arrived a little later than everyone else for the drinks because I got "lost", I had no intention on staying here more than I needed to. I walked up the drive my suitcase trailing behind me and had a strange sense of déjà vu but decided to ignore it.
"There you are dear," Mrs Gray said when she opened the door "I was starting to get worried about you."
"I managed to get myself lost." I chuckled while pulling my suitcase in the door.
"Oh leave that dear Joe will take it upstairs." With that she walked off.
"No it's..." I called after her but Joe had already taken hold of my suitcase and was taking it up the stairs. Yep major déjà vu.
"Maybe he will do a booty shake when he gets to the top." I heard from behind me and turned around to see a smiling Nick.
"Oh my god Nick look at you," I said while pulling him into a hug "You're all grown up."
"I know I can see over your head now when we hug."
"Your lifelong dream finally came true." I said pulling back from the hug.
"Come on you," he said placing an arm around my shoulder "get ready for the love." I glanced up the stairs to see if Joe was coming back but he wasn't so I let myself be led into the living room by Nick.
The scene in the living room was almost too much for me to bear. I got hugged, kissed and pinched so many times, by so many people who hadn't seen me since I was "knee-high to a grasshopper", I thought I was going to die. Just as it was all getting too much for me my saviour came in the form of Kevin Gray.
"Come here Emz," he said pulling me into a hug "you look like you could use a drink."
"Oh god yes," I said looking up at him. He chuckled and placed arm around me and led me into the kitchen.
Just as Kevin handed me a glass of champagne my mother walked in, Kevin took this as his sign to leave.
"I am going to go find Ash." He said pointing to the door and then swiftly backed out of it and just like that my saviour had gone.
"Hello Emily."
"Hello mother." I said in the same tone she had just used on me.
"I see you came alone."
"Really? What gave it away?" She gave me a look over her glass.
"Emily you need to stop messing around and start getting serious."
"Well being alone worked so well for you I thought I would give it a shot."
"Em please promise me something," she said moving a piece of hair out of my face "don't end up like me." She gave a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. Least she was gone and I could finally relax.
"Hey Em." Or not.
"Hey Joe." I spun around to face him and gave him over-enthusiastic fake smile.
"Look Em I was wondering..."
"Bathroom!" I yelled suddenly and he looked quite dumb folded "You know champagne, goes right through a girl." And with that I ran off to the toilet.
"But you haven't had any yet." He called after me but I ignored him and locked myself in the bathroom and looked in the mirror.
"Smooth." I said to myself before downing my champagne and heading back to the party making sure to avoid the kitchen.
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After a while I was getting tired of running away every time I saw a flash of black hair and believe me there were a lot of people with black hair I decided to take a seat in the dining room. I had my head down on the table so didn't see anyone come by but I felt a chill up my spine when I heard the chair next to me be pulled out. Could Joe have possibly found me?
I looked up to see Miley looking at me with a sympathetic look in her eyes.
"Not enjoying yourself then?" she asked handing me another glass of champagne.
"I've had more enjoyable experiences yes," I said taking a swig of the champagne.
"Could be worse," she sighed and I raised an eyebrow at her "least you know everyone here if one more person comes up to me and calls me "nick's lady friend" I swear I will shoot myself. I feel like tattooing Miley on my forehead."
"I don't think that's the best idea Nick's lady friend, a tattoo is for life not just for parties."
"Hey you be nice to me I brought you champagne." She said giving me a nudge.
"And I am eternally grateful for that Miley" I said putting extra emphasise on her name. She gave me a smile before glancing down at our glasses.
"I guess I better go get us some refills I will be right back." I gave her a smile before glancing round the room to check Joe wasn't in sight as I wasn't in the mood for a quick dash now that I was alone again. Miley soon returned, with a whole bottle, and I managed to relax again as we chatted back and forth for a while.
We were starting to get quite tipsy and loud and I was pretty sure everyone in the room could hear us swapping stories and rating guys at the party.
"I read your column all the time Em," she polished off another glass of champagne and began to fill both of our glasses up "and I would like to get some advice, you see I have a friend," I raised my eyebrow at her the typical I have a friend that's really me thing "no honestly I do have a friend, well actually I have more than one friend I have quite a few but that's not the point. My friend is madly in love with this girl, has been for ages now, and I am 99% sure that the girl loves him back but neither of them has the balls to do anything about it what do you suggest they do?"
"I think that both of them should just go for it and stop being such wimps about it I mean that's the logical thing to do in this situation right?"
"I dunno, I think maybe you should start taking your own advice don't you?" Ah so this mysterious friend was Joe and I was the girl he was in love with, but she was right why couldn't I just take my own advice.
"I think," I said glancing down "we need another bottle" and got up and took off for the kitchen.
"I won't let this drop you know that right Em?" she called after me. I grabbed two bottles from the kitchen this time it's not like they were going to miss them they had another 20 in the kitchen and god knows how many others in the outside fridge.
"I thought I would get us one each." I said returning to Miley.
"You're a star you know that," Miley didn't bother with the glass and just drank straight from the bottle so I decided to follow suit "and what about that guy over there definite 10 am I right?" I looked towards the blonde guy she was referring too.
"You are totally right." I laughed. We continued giggling and slowly getting louder until we were about half way through our bottles.
"Oh my god I totally forgot our conversation from earlier." Miley exclaimed suddenly clapping her hands together.
"To what are you referring Miles?" Okay since when did I talk so posh, apparently when I was avoiding a conversation that's when.
"You know about you and Joe being in love and how neither of you have the balls do to something about it."
"Oh that," I gave a dismissive hand wave "I don't believe Joe and I are in love." Again with the poshness what was wrong with me? I smiled at Miley hoping she wouldn't notice and then took another swig from my bottle.
Miley opened her mouth to protest when a woman came up to us.
"Hello Emily dear," she said giving me a kiss on the cheek "and you must be Nick's lady friend."
"Miley." She hissed through gritted teeth.
"Of course dear," she smiled down at Miley "It's so nice to see you two getting along so nicely just think shortly you could be sister-in-laws, oh look there's Mark I simply must say hello wont you excuse me."
"Sister-in-laws?!?" I exclaimed a little shocked were people under the impression I was betrothed to Joe? God even in my mind I was posh.
"Nick's lady friend?!? What have I got to do to make people notice me?" Miley slurred at me, we were both beyond tipsy now good job we were sitting down.
"You need to stand up and say 'I am Miley Stewart a strong, confident and independent women and I am nobody's lady friend.'"
"God Em you're right, I mean you're so right. I don't think you could possibly be more right." Just then Nick and Joe walked up to us, the sight of Joe caused me to down the rest of the contents of my bottle.
"Hey Miles, hey Em" Nick said
"Nicholas I need to talk to you" Miley said rising from her seat "I am Miley Stewart a strong, confident and independent women," she gestured to herself "and another thing..." was all she managed to get out before she fell to the ground.
I couldn't stop myself I just cracked up and when I looked up I could see Joe trying to control his laughter, Nick on the other hand just looked plain worried.
"Em could you help me up I seem to have fallen." Miley slurred raising her hand. I shot up so fast that all that champagne sort of hit me at once but I couldn't let Miley down I had a task to do.
A task which I failed in doing. Instead of helping her up I fell in heap on top of her this time neither me, Miley nor Joe could contain our laughter but Nick still looked worried.
"Come on Joe lets help them up" he said while bending down and taking my hand. Once he had pulled me up hr moved me onto Joe and then began helping Miley up. It was the closest I had been to Joe all night and I just said the first thing that came into mind.
"You look really pretty."
"Thanks Em you look quite pretty yourself tonight." He chuckled.
"But seriously Joe you look amazing, like male model pretty. If you weren't taken I would snap you up right now." Joe's eyes lit up a little after I said this.
"Actually I'm not..." he started before he got cut off by Nick.
"Let's get these upstairs to bed." He said heading off with Miley and me and Joe following behind.
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By the time me and Joe had got upstairs Nick had already placed Miley on the bed and was walking back out of the room.
"She's passed out on the bed," he said just as we reached the top step "What took you guys so long?"
"Well first Em decided that, and I quote, I was too sexy for the boring office worker tie look and it would look better on her," Joe gestured to the tie placed loosely around my neck and I nodded along with his story "she then decided she could walk up the stairs alone which we then found out she couldn't," once again I nodded "and finally Em thought it was unfair as I didn't have to walk up the stairs in heels so spent the whole journey upstairs trying to put her shoes on me." And once again I nodded.
"I see," Nick said raising his eyebrow at me "well let's get you into bed." Nick then held his arm out to me.
"It's fine I can do it myself thank you very much." I said defensively.
"Fine suit yourself." Nick said bounding down the stairs but Joe refused to let go of me.
"Honestly I am fine Joe." I said looking up at him, I had never seen such love and concern directed at me before and I felt my eyes welling up thinking about what I did to him.
Just as I was beginning to detach myself from Joe he pulled me back into a kiss. I should have pushed him off or stopped it in some way but I just couldn't. All those same sparks I felt in that summer returned, all the butterflies in my stomach returned and all the feelings just came rushing back to me.
After a while I came to my senses, I couldn't hurt Joe not again I wouldn't let myself.
"I'm sorry Joe," I whispered "I have to go now." I turned quickly so he wouldn't see the tears in my eyes and shut the door forcefully behind me. I glanced at the other bed and saw Miley face down on the bed snoring lightly and then glanced at the mirror.
I felt the same as I did all those years ago and I wasn't up for a repeat performance this time I wouldn't let Joe know how I felt I would just act like I felt nothing for him and that I had moved on.
I slowly climbed into my bed and cried softly until I eventually fell asleep.
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Ok please review you know how much I love it truly makes my day :)
And again sorry for the wait :)