Hi everyone! I can't tell you how sorry I am not to have updated sooner. I'm going through a pretty stressful and busy time in my life, with lots of changes on the horizon, and neither my mood nor my schedule has been very conducive to writing lately. I will update when I can and I sincerely promise to finish this story. I don't envisage it going beyond 20 chapters, but I'll see where the words take me.
Friday evening two weeks later saw Rose ringing the doorbell of Emmett's house and tucking her hair nervously behind her ears. Between the long hours she spent writing her thesis and Emmett's workaholic schedule, they hadn't had a chance to meet since their first coffee date. There had been a few texts and emails and one painfully awkward phone conversation since then, but Rose couldn't help wondering if they'd have to start back at the very beginning.
She blinked in surprise when an enthusiastic Emmett opened the door in jeans and t-shirt - she'd never seen him out of a suit - and beamed as he ushered her inside.
"Rose - hey! I'm so glad you could make it. Please, come in."
He stepped back to allow her into the hallway where Rose hovered uncertainly and tried not to crush the bunch of flowers in her hand. Should she kiss him? Hug him? Shake his hand? Emmett decided the matter for her when he placed a hand on her shoulder and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. He slid his hand down to her wrist and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting go.
"Dinner is almost ready, but I need to warn you about the state of the place. I'm renovating it myself, so only a few of the rooms are finished. The kitchen, bathroom and master bedroom are all complete, but the rest of house is still pretty bare. I apologise in advance for any paint cans or ladders you find lying around."
He led her towards the kitchen as he spoke, passing a large sitting-room on the right that was empty save for an old, stone fireplace, a beaten-up couch and a TV.
"You said you're renovating it yourself. Are you serious? You've done all this?"
Rose couldn't keep the disbelief out of her voice, as she surveyed the warm and inviting kitchen kitted out in cherry wood, granite counter-tops and every high-tech kitchen gizmo imaginable.
Emmett chuckled. "Not everything - I know my limitations. A friend of mine designed and fitted the kitchen units and I obviously hire professionals for all the wiring and plumbing. But I tiled the walls and floor myself and I do all the painting, of course."
He trailed off and smirked at the incredulous look on Rose's face.
"I wasn't born in a suit, Rose. I like to work with my hands. I'm rebuilding this house from the ground up and I want to do as much of the work on it myself as I can."
"You want to earn it." Rose observed. Emmett acknowledged the truth of her words by dipping his head bashfully.
It was as if a veil had been lifted from her eyes. As he pulled out a stool for her at the centre-island and moved about confidently, putting the finishing touches to their meal, Rose suspected that this was a side to Emmett that people rarely saw. For some reason, he had dropped his walls for her and she wanted to demolish them entirely in time. It was time to stop expecting Emmett to behave a certain way and maybe destroy a few walls of her own as well.