thanx to all my faithful reviews. for you i (and with the help of my starbucks non-fat mocha with rasberry syrup. mmm.)crunched out one more chapter before break.

ronluver88: sorry, but it's gonna be a while till they get together… yeah, becka's pretty dense. it's kind of the joy of the emma story. :o)

Marilolo: thanx for liking my chapter titles (lol)

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Chapter 17

Morning After

Jeremy slogs out to the kitchen around ten o'clock on Sunday morning, expecting his usual breakfast of Luck Charms and left over spaghetti. When he sees me, not only already up but already making breakfast, he stops in his tracks and just stares at me.

"Morning Sunshine," I smile, flipping another pancake.

"What is this about?" asks Jeremy. His still fuzzy from sleep but not fuzzy enough that he doesn't remember it takes me being in an awfully good mood to get me up early on a Sunday.

I play dumb. "What's what about?" I say, bringing the plate of pancakes over to the table. Jeremy sinks down into a chair, still eyeing me warily. I smile sweetly at him and wander back into the kitchen for supplies—syrup and peanut butter.

From behind me, Jeremy voices a suspicious question. "Is this sex afterglow? You and Chase? Is he here?!" At this idea, he shoots back out of his char and begins glancing around nervously as if Chase might pop out from under the sofa and yell "Surprise!"

"No, no, and no," I answer, as I bring the syrup back, slamming it down on the table with the last 'no' for emphasis. "I just felt like making pancakes."

"Becka," Jeremy begins in his best explaining-something-to-a-small-child voice. "There is enough food here to feed a small army. Surely you did not just feel like making pancakes. Tell me what is going on."

"You're falling off the deep end, Jeremy. Spending too much time by yourself," I answer evasively. I sit down across the table from him. He keeps looking at me skeptically. I wait till he gives up, shrugs, turns his attention to his breakfast. Then I say, very casually as if its not the monumental thing it is, "Christian and I made up last night." And I start eating.

When I look back up, Jeremy has stopped eating and is staring at me again, with an expression I can't read this time. Then he nods slowly. "Of course you did," he says. Its all clear to him now. "Of course you did." He looks around for a moment, then he looks at the piled plated pancakes and he says, "Becka. Who is going to eat all this food?"

I grin. We both know where this is headed. Jeremy slides me my cell phone which was sitting on the table next to him. "Call your boy then," he says, rolling his eyes.

Well. First I put Christian back on speed dial. Then I call him. This time he picks up.

"Howdy stranger."

"I made too much breakfast," I say.

"You made breakfast? Somebody's in a good mood."

"Dude, can't I even make pancakes without the whole word over analyzing it?" I ask laughing.

"Absolutely not, Miss I-never-stpe-into-a-kitchen-unless-I'm-being-threatened-with-knives."

"Somebody needs to come eat my extra pancakes," I say, ignoring that remark. "Where are you?"

"Funny you should ask that," Christian replies. "I'm at your front door."

I biting my bottom lip to keep my smile from growing ridiculously large and cheesy. I got and get him. Jeremy is rolling his eyes again. "Welcome back," he says to Christian when we're walking back into the kitchen.

"I know you'd miss me, Jeremy," Christian replies, sitting himself down and helping himself to some food.

"Actually, I was rooting for Chase," Jeremy says matter-of-factly.

"Actually, me too," Christian agrees. "Still am."

"Actually it's not a competition," I interject dryly.

"Who says?" They both ask at once.

I scowl and them both and groan. "Now I remember why I always hated you two together. You gang up at me."

"Only because you're such an easy target," Christian says, reaching over to attempt to push me off my chair. I duck away from him.

"That's it. You're not invited to breakfast anymore," I say.

"Too late. I'm already here," he grins.

"And what are you going to do about that?" Jeremy adds.

"What are you going to do about that?" Christian repeats.

"I poisoned your pancakes," I answer solemnly. You will both die slow and horrible deaths."

Christian looks at Jeremy and sighs. "In which case, Chase wins," he says.

"Which is good for you since you were both on his side anyway," I say cheerfully.

"I thought there weren't sides," Christian says with mock shock and horror. "So there are sides," he adds dramatically.

"Okay, now you're twisting my words.

"Like I said, you're an easy target," Christian laughs. Then he continues, "So how's your day shaping up, Becka?" The question I knew would come.

"Mmm," I say with a slight frown. "I think I have to have lunch with Chase." I wrinkle my nose like that's a real chore.

I was expecting some reactions from that confession, but not the ones I get: Jeremy looks up at me sharply and he frowns like he disapproves. Christian, on the other hand, doesn't react at all. He says, to me or to his pancakes (hard to tell), "Hey, don't act like you don't like it on my account. If I get breakfast, Everhart can have lunch. Fair enough." Then he looks up at me and grins, like its all part of the joke.

Jeremy remains solemn—or pensive or thoughtful or whatever the hell it's called when Jeremy gets like this—throughout the rest of breakfast. Doesn't talk much at all, in fact, until Christian leaves. Then he's got plenty to say.

He barely waits for the door to close behind Christian before he starts up at me. "What are you doing, Becka?" he asks, elbows on the table, head in his hands like he just can't believe me.

I really don't think we're on the same page here. For one thing, I've got know idea what Jeremy's talking about, and I'm not playing dumb this time. I pick up the dishes and walk them to the kitchen. I set them in the sink. I ask him. What is he talking about?

"Becka. Darling. You know in my book the whole dating thing is one big mistake to begin with. But if you're going to do it, you could at least play by the rules."

Let me repeat, because I still don't have a clue here: "What are you talking about, Jeremy?" I turn around to face him now, because I'm feeling this (whatever it is) might turn into something of a battle. I cross my arms.

"Oh, come on Becka," he says like he thinks I am playing stupid. When I don't move, just stand their staring at him, he continues. "Okay. The rules, Becka. One guy at a time. Those are the rules in the dating world. I mean, it was look for a while there like it was going to be you and Chase. Which, I have to say, reflected sadly on your judgment but at least you'd made a decision."

"I think you're a little off base here, cousin," I say coldly. "I'm not dating anyone. And there are no rules about how many friends a person can have."

"So you're saying—you and Christian are just friends, you and Chase are just friends. You're all just friends,"

I just glare at him. That's exactly what I'm saying. He says, "I'll take that as a yes." Then: "Have you let the boys in on this?"

"Are you saying Christina needs letting in on the fact that he and I are just friends?"

That question hangs in the air for a couple minutes. Jeremy stands up and begins walking across the room. I stand in my place, watching him with my eyes. He stops when he's beside me and says, "Are you saying he doesn't? Think about it, Becka." Then he continues down the hall.

I turn around and begin washing the dishes. I do that about it. I think: that's laughable. And then I think: last night, that dance… And then I stop thinking. Because it doesn't matter. Jeremy's wrong. We are all just friends. And everyone knows it. Christian included. It's fine.