Team Annie had won again, their third in a row, which was apparently a record. They were calling Nathan their good luck charm. Emily watched them walk over to her together, laughing and talking and shoving each other. Beth was especially grabbing at Luke and touching him as much as she could. Emily noticed that Mei was watching this with narrowed eyes. So Emily wasn't the only one who didn't like Beth. Interesting.
But why did it even matter to her when she was currently seeing Gary? Luke can date whoever he wants. She was back to being convinced there was nothing between them again. She had misread it all.
"Beer is on me!" Tito was calling. His hand had not stopped him from playing, which he bragged about nonstop. The others whooped and hurried to pack up their gear and find their cars.
"Mei and I are gonna walk home," Nathan said to Emily. "If that's okay?"
"Go ahead," she smiled. Was her nephew crushing on Mei? It kind of looked that way. She watched them walk side by side, hands almost touching but not quite. She remembered those days.
"Help me," Luke said practically in Emily's ear, making her jump.
"What?" she asked, turning to look at him.
"You're coming, right?" Beth asked Luke then, coming up behind him.
"I gotta fix the drain in Emily's apartment," Luke answered quickly, giving Emily a pointed look, and she started nodding emphatically.
"Oh. You can't call a plumber?" Beth asked, put out.
"I know how, so why pay someone?" he countered. "See you later, Beth."
She glanced at Emily briefly, a look of concern and/or annoyance flickered in her eyes.
"Okay. See you later," she finally said. When she was gone, Luke released the breath he had been holding.
"Thank you," he said to Emily.
"You don't like Beth?" she asked, teasing. He was packing his bag up.
"She's just a bit much sometimes," he replied.
"Hmm," she said. Luke looked to see her looking out at the baseball diamond.
"You really don't play?" he asked.
"I...no," she answered. He cocked his head at her, curious.
"Why not?"
"Just not my kind of game."
"If you don't know how to play, it's okay to say so," he pointed out. She blushed.
"I know how," she said defensively, giving away that she really didn't. Gil taught her some things about the game play, but she knew there was no way she could hit a ball let alone catch one coming at her at full speed.
"Come on," he gestured, suddenly grabbing a bat and a ball and heading back towards the field.
"I don't really..." she started.
"You don't have a choice here as I'm your ride home," he pointed out. She cursed herself for not driving her own car now.
"Fine," she huffed, going after him. She met him in the field, her arms crossed.
"First, you're gonna have to stop doing that," he said, reaching to tug at her arms to loosen them. Her skin burned at his touch, just like it did last time. Her mind went back to her sitting in the chair with him running his hands up her legs, checking for bits of glass. So much for stopping thinking about him like that. She tried to force her mind to think about Gary, but it wasn't working so well.
"I suppose you want me to hold onto that and whack the ball with it?" she commented, forcing herself to come back to the present.
"Yup," he nodded, handing her the bat. "Go stand over there."
Emily walked slowly to the plate. She felt anxious and didn't know why. It was a game for crying out loud. Everyone did it.
"I won't throw hard," Luke promised.
Emily did her best to get in position like she'd seen the others do, but clearly it was not up to par as Luke came over to adjust her.
"Hands here," he instructed, sliding them into place with his. "Elbow up. Legs like this." He nudged her foot with his, hands on her waist and putting her into place. "You good?"
"If I have to be," she answered. He nodded before going back to pitch. She felt a little flustered, if she was honest, and it was not from the idea of trying to hit a ball with a stick. What was wrong with her?
He threw, and she shrieked and ducked, dropping the bat and covering her head with her hands.
"Okay," he said, going to retrieve it and get her back into position. "It's not going to kill you, you know."
"It looks like it'll hurt if it hits me," she replied.
"Not really, and I'm not throwing it that hard. You also have the bat to hit it with."
She knew he was right. When he played for real, that ball was a freaking blur after he released it.
"All right," she nodded. "Try again."
It took about ten tries before she even nicked it with the bat. After about 30 plus more tries, she clipped it hard enough to send it rolling back to his feet.
"I think we're done here for tonight," Luke said, bending to pick it up.
"Thank God," Emily sighed. Her arms and back were killing her from being tense and trying to hold her position while he threw the ball. She followed him back to his bag, handing him the bat when he reached for it.
"It's not bad for never having played before," he said as they got into his truck.
"I suppose," she agreed. As they drove, they passed a bar, and she saw Beth standing outside of it, looking at them as they passed. Emily could see Beth's eyes narrowing, and she knew she had just started a war. She wished she could tell Beth she would rather have gone home than try to hit a ball with a bat for over an hour. She also wished Beth knew that she was sort of seeing Gary.
When they got home and parked, Emily found herself sitting in the quiet of the truck with Luke while they looked at the remaining parts of the sun setting on the lake through the trees. They could both see Mei and Nathan on the rock, sitting close together, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Huh," Luke said.
"You mean to tell me that you, Mr. Cop, did not see that coming?" Emily teased. He looked at her.
"No, I did not," he said truthfully.
"Wow," she smirked.
"Did you?"
"Obviously."
"Well, thanks for sharing," he said, getting out now. Emily got out too as he grabbed his bag from the box and hauled it out like it weighed nothing. She felt as though she had somehow offended him or something.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't think it would be fair to broadcast my nephew's love life without his permission."
Luke stopped walking abruptly, making her do an awkward side step to avoid crashing into him. He stared at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Nephew?" he repeated. Emily realized then what she had said.
"Oh," she said, at a loss for words now. She was always so careful to let others believe Nathan was her son. It helped to avoid unwanted questions, questions that were no doubt in Luke's mind right now.
"He's not your son?" Luke asked. He was shocked.
"No. He...he's my nephew," she said again, her voice faltering.
"Did you kidnap him? Is that why you're on the run?" he demanded. She went a little pale, which he noticed.
"Not here," she said, moving towards the diner now. He followed, determined to get at least a part of this story. He unlocked the door, and she went to slide into a booth near the back while he dumped his bag to the side. When he sat down across from her, she looked a little upset.
"I did not kidnap him," she started carefully. "He came into my life seven years ago after my brother died."
"I'm sorry," Luke said automatically. She just waved her hand, used to hearing that response.
"It was a big adjustment for both of us, but we made do. My parents said they were too old to look after a child again, so it was left up to me, and I did it. I don't regret it," she finished. She thought about the funeral, Nathan's face as they handed him the folded up flag, and how her mother had collapsed from grief near the end of the day. Her father had stood like a stone, unavailable to all of them. Nick had survived a few tours overseas with the Navy before coming back to be a police officer, only to get gunned down by someone high on drugs trying to get away from him on the street. It was all so unfair.
"He seems happy," Luke noted.
"He is, and that's important," she added. She looked down at her hands, not knowing what else to say. Mei came in at this point, and she slowed to a stop upon seeing Emily and Luke sitting there.
"Hey," she said.
"Good walk?" Luke asked. She nodded.
"It was."
"Good."
"I should go," Emily said, getting out of the booth and standing up.
"Good night," Mei waved at her.
"Good night," Emily smiled back.
Luke watched her go, feeling a little annoyed that Mei had interrupted. He had a feeling Emily would have kept talking to him, and he realized that he had wanted her to.
...
Emily looked up when Nathan came out to the kitchen to say goodnight. She smiled at him.
"So," she said, leaning back in her chair. "You and Mei..."
"Are just friends," he finished quickly.
"Oh," she said, disappointed. "Really?"
"Yea. She was a bit upset tonight cos the guy she likes went out with her arch nemesis, and I was comforting her," Nathan said. He had heard Luke's truck come back, and he knew they'd have had a clear view of Mei resting on his shoulder.
Emily twisted her mouth a little. Luke was going to have a hayday with that information. She hated being wrong.
"What...did you want me to date her?" Nathan asked, confused.
"No, I just...I saw and I assumed..." she trailed off before clearing her throat. "It's fine. I mean, if you want to date her, that's fine too. I like her." She was rambling now. She clamped her lips shut to stop talking and embarrass him further.
"Okay," he said, giving her a weird look now. "Good night."
"Good night."
Emily was never going to live this down with Luke now. She sighed. Why it even mattered, she had no idea.
A Week Later
One day, disaster happened. Emily was standing at the counter when the door opened. She turned to see a woman standing there who she'd never thought she'd see again. She hit the floor, but not fast enough.
"Emily?"
She cringed, not knowing what to do. Luke had come out for coffee at this point, and he was looking at the woman and flicking his eyes down at Emily, who shook her head vigorously at him.
"Can I help?" he offered, moving to stand in front of Emily.
"Um, just coffee," the woman said. "But...I was so sure I just saw someone I know."
"Just me here right now," Luke said cheerfully. Emily was very grateful he was covering for her. There was no way she could let this person see her.
For Andrea Sachs just might accidentally tell someone who could tell Roger, and she couldn't allow that.
"Well," Andrea said now as Luke prepared her coffee. "If the person I thought I saw is here, then I just want her to know that I'm glad she got out."
"Got out of what?" Luke asked. Emily wanted to hit him. Of course he'd pry when she couldn't stop it from happening.
"Our boss was the Devil," Andrea explained. "She was horrible. Emily had so much potential if she got out of there, and it seems she did. I mean, if that's who I really saw just now."
"I'm sure she'd tell you she was doing just fine, if it was her," Luke said. Emily did bang her fist on his knee now, and he flinched but recovered quickly. He did reach to put his hand in her face to push her back, though, as payback. She resisted biting him.
"I wish I could tell her that I'm sorry about her brother, and I'm sorry I didn't reach out sooner," Andrea went on. "I knew she had Roger, though. He seemed like a good guy and was helping her through it."
"I'm sure she understands," Luke replied. Andrea gave a smile at him and went to leave when he called after her. "She also would ask you to not tell anyone where she was for the sake of sparing her any embarrassment, you know? If she was seen somewhere abnormal."
"I know," Andrea nodded. "I won't. I owe her that much."
"Cheers," Luke waved. When she was gone, he knelt down in front of Emily on the floor. "You wanna explain what the hell that was about?"
"She's from my old life," Emily answered. "I just didn't want her to say she saw me to anyone."
"Uh huh. Hate to break it to you, but she saw you."
"Thank you for, uh, playing along," Emily said.
"You owe me," he pointed in her face. He was burning to ask her about Roger, but he didn't. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere. She swatted his finger aside and moved to stand up.
"Actually, now we're even," she said, giving him a blatant look. Then he remembered. Beth at baseball and using her as an excuse to avoid her. Right.
"Fine," he agreed.
She looked, but Andrea was long gone. It was a close call and very odd that she even saw Andrea after all this time and here of all places.
She hoped Andrea would keep her word and stay quiet about seeing her here. She wasn't ready to leave just yet.
...
"Are you okay?" Gary asked her later that night. They were walking to their cars after having dinner. Emily didn't mind Gary's company. He did talk an awful lot, though, but it worked in her favor. If she didn't have to talk, then she didn't have to risk offering things about herself that might give her away. She knew all about his family, how his sister hates him and refuses to talk to him. She also learned about all the types of fire calls he had been on.
"Oh, yes," she nodded. "Just tired."
"I suppose you want to get home," Gary said. Emily gave him a raised brow. They had only gone on five dates. Was he already implying that?
"I should. I have to work in the morning."
"Okay."
They were at her car now. Emily found herself thinking about going home with Gary and what that might be like, but for some reason, it didn't exactly appeal to her. She didn't understand. Gary was good looking. What was the problem?
Oh, yes. Trust. She severely lacked trust in others (aside from Nathan), except for one person. For whatever reason, she trusted Luke. She didn't know why. He just gave her that vibe that he would never hurt her. She wasn't getting that vibe from Gary, even though she knew he wouldn't hurt her either. It was hard to explain.
"Thank you for dinner," Emily smiled. Gary leaned in to kiss her, and she felt...nothing. It was not spectacular. She went through the motion of it but did not feel enticed to do more when it ended.
"Good night," he said once he finished. Emily resisted wiping the wetness off her face.
"Good night," she replied, getting into her car. On the drive home, she wondered what she was doing. Maybe she should end this before it got further. She didn't really know what to do.
...
It had been one of those rare nights Luke had gone out. He never went out. He hated going out, but after work, he realized he had no food and did not feel like cooking since he had cooked all day. Mei was busy, and he was alone. He didn't know what possessed him to wind up at the bar/restaurant he ended up at, but there he was. He had watched Emily on her date with Gary, and he felt a stab inside every time Gary touched her. Then they went outside, and he saw Gary kiss her, which made him feel sucker punched.
What the hell was wrong with him?
"Another beer?" the bartender asked.
"Nah. I'm going home," he answered. He only ever had one, and he waited long enough for it to be out of his system before driving home. He gave Emily and Gary time to disperse before leaving himself.
When he got home, he noticed Emily was sitting in her car. He hesitated, wondering if she was okay and then reminding himself it wasn't his business. He got out of his truck and walked across the gravel. He couldn't help but turn his head as he passed her, and he saw that she was crying. He faltered. He was not good with crying ordinarily, but it was different with her for some reason. Against his better judgment, he went to knock on her window. She jumped, startled, before opening the door and getting out.
"You all right?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she answered, wiping at her face quickly. Luke briefly wondered if Gary had done something to hurt her, and the surge of protectiveness he felt towards her took him off guard.
"Did he hurt you?" he inquired. He couldn't help himself.
"No, no," she shook her head. "I'm just thinking about some stuff. That's all."
"I see."
They stood there looking at each other until she cleared her throat.
"Thanks for checking," she smiled weakly. "I'll see you tomorrow." She began to walk towards her side of the building, and Luke watched her. She was tough, he'd give her that. Most women would reveal everything that was upsetting them, but not Emily. It just made him want to know that much more.
Two Weeks Later
Emily lost her footing and fell backwards in a heap onto the grass, winded. The ball bounced away from her. She closed her eyes and growled in frustration.
"Not gonna catch any fly balls that way," Luke pointed out, standing over her now. She opened her eyes and gave him a bit of a glare.
"No kidding," she replied.
They had moved on from batting to catching, and Emily sucked at it. Majorly. At the same time, she enjoyed having this one on one time with Luke outside of the diner. After her share about Nathan and his covering for her with Andrea, they seemed to be even more friendly with each other, and she liked it. She was still dating Gary, though, and she knew it annoyed Luke. At one point, he had asked her what she saw in the guy, and she had deflected because she herself didn't exactly know. She still didn't. She continued to see Gary because they did have good conversations, just ones mostly about him. She knew almost everything about him by now. He mentioned going back to his place one other time since the first time he'd brought it up, and she still didn't go.
"At least it didn't hit you in the face this time," Luke commented, giving her his familiar smirk. Emily got up from the ground and dusted herself off as he picked up the ball. Her face was still smarting from where the ball had hit her. Luke had instantly felt bad, of course, but once he dubbed her okay, he had already started teasing her about it.
"If my aim was better..." she warned, pointing at him as she got into position and waited for him to throw. He didn't answer, just smirked again. She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face sometimes. It was like he enjoyed picking on her.
She missed the ball again, and she groaned loudly.
"Can we just stop now?" she asked as she went to retrieve it. "I'm clearly no good at this. Why are you wasting your time trying to teach me something I suck at?"
"Because after enough practice, you won't suck at it," he replied.
"You make it sound so simple."
"That's because it is," he said simply. She scowled at him before throwing the ball as hard as she could at his head. He caught it easily, of course.
And of course he hadn't let it go after finding out Nathan and Mei weren't interested in each other romantically. This was part of her punishment she had to endure to make him stop going on about how wrong she was.
"All right," he said now. "Let's call it a night."
"Thank you," she huffed.
The ride back home was fairly quiet. Once parked, he looked at her face where a bruise was forming. Without thinking, he reached to touch it gently. Emily held her breath. Once again, Luke's touch made her feel on fire, which was a feeling she certainly never got from Gary's touch.
"You better put some ice on that," he said. "You look like someone hit you."
"Someone did hit me," she said pointedly. "With a ball. In the face."
"I'm never living that down, am I?"
"No, you're not," she shook her head.
"Don't use your face as a mitt next time," he instructed, removing his hand. She stuck her tongue out at him, making him laugh.
She was discovering how much she enjoyed these moments with him. She wondered if he felt the same way. Then she felt bad for enjoying it because she should be enjoying time with the man she was dating.
...
"You and Luke seem to be getting on better," Lucy noted the next day. Emily was wiping down tables.
"We've never had a problem," she replied, trying to keep it vague and simple.
"I mean he's not harassing you as much," Lucy corrected. It was true. Luke had stopped going behind Emily and fixing everything she did, but they still had the odd bicker spell about something.
"I didn't notice."
"Sure you didn't," Lucy snorted.
"So how's Brent?" Emily asked, changing the subject. Lucy suddenly became very busy with a task, which Emily knew would happen and was why she brought him up. Lucy didn't like to talk about her own love life apparently.
The afternoon came quickly, and Emily was sitting out back on the picnic table when Luke joined her. This was a first since he had practically sat on her when she'd been having lunch with Gary. He set down a plate in front of her, keeping his in his hands as he sat across from her.
"Oh," she said. "I'm good, thanks."
"You never eat," he commented, ignoring her. "Not once have I seen you eat something, and it shows."
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"Only a blind person would miss it," he went on.
"Miss what?" She was irritated now.
"How you're too thin," he said, looking at her while chewing his lunch. She raised her eyebrows, staring back at him. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. She found herself feeling appalled and a bit angry.
"I am not too thin," she argued.
"I could stick this fork in you and have it come out the other side," he insisted, jabbing it in the air at her.
"Kindly don't comment on my weight, thank you," she said a bit coldly.
"I'm just saying you should eat," he shrugged. "Keep your energy levels up."
On cue, her stomach growled because what he had set down in front of her smelled amazing. If he heard, he did not let on. Making sure he wasn't watching, she picked up the fork and took a bite. And another. Then another.
Luke said nothing as he finished, stood up from the table, and walked back towards the diner. Emily finished the entire plate.
...
That night, Luke paused at the bottom of the stairs for two reasons. The first was that he saw Emily standing outside the window with Gary, and he watched as they walked around out of sight. The second was because Nathan was dancing with an imaginary person around the diner. He appeared to be alone. Unsure of what to do, Luke hovered for a moment until Nathan did a twist and saw him standing there.
"Oh," he said, stopping short. "Um...hey."
"Hey," Luke replied.
"Sorry," Nathan went on, embarrassed. "I was just...practising."
"For?"
"The school has this dance," Nathan said, going red in the face. "It's stupid."
"There is nothing stupid about that," Luke assured him, stepping down from the stairs finally and walking around to stand in front of him. "Show me what you got."
"Oh...no. It's okay," Nathan shook his head. The door opened behind them, and they both turned to see Emily standing there.
"There you are," she said. "Everything okay?"
"Yea, I was just packing up," Nathan answered.
"No, he wasn't. He was practising dance moves," Luke corrected.
"Dude!" Nathan exclaimed, shooting Luke a sharp look.
"Dance moves?" Emily asked, confused.
"For his school dance," Luke answered.
"It's nothing," Nathan answered at the same time. He grabbed his backpack and headed for the door.
"Ah, ah, ah," Emily said, stopping him with her hand on his chest. "Not so fast."
"Not you too," Nathan groaned.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," she insisted. He gave her a look.
"All right," he said. "Then show me." He dropped his bag at his feet and crossed his arms, raising a brow at her.
"You...you want me to show you," she echoed.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Nathan quoted her smugly.
"All right," she said. "Wise guy. Fine. I'll show you." She went to reach for him when he stepped back quickly.
"Not with me," he shook his head.
"Then how am I supposed to show you?" Emily asked, getting annoyed now. At this point, Luke was already behind her, and he caught her arm and turned her to face him. She was too surprised to react.
"Arm around the waist," Luke was explaining to Nathan, not even looking at her. "Other hand in hers and up like this."
Emily was still in shock from him just pulling her close like that and didn't say anything as he nudged her feet around with his.
"Feet like this," Luke finished. "See?"
"I see," Nathan nodded. He had a small smirk on his face. Emily wanted to kick him.
"Guys usually take the lead, but it doesn't have to be that way," Luke added as he started to guide her around. Emily felt her face go hot from being so close to him. It got even hotter when he showed Nathan how to do the small spin and pull back. The feel of his hand in hers and his other hand on her lower back was distracting enough that she almost tripped a couple of times.
"I get it," Nathan said. "I'm practising with...someone. I didn't really need the tutorial. I was just messing around earlier."
"Nathan!" Emily huffed.
"Well, one last thing," Luke said, unfazed. "If you really want to show her you like her..." He guided Emily into another small spin before suddenly pulling her into him hard and fast, arm tight around her back and face right in front of hers. "Do that."
Emily felt slightly mortified but also incredibly charged as she stood there looking back at him. He was finally looking at her.
"Wow," Nathan said, reminding them he was there. "Awesome. Thanks for the tip!"
"You're welcome," Luke replied, releasing Emily and stepping back. He went to busy himself behind the counter. Emily stood there feeling unsure of what to do or say next.
"You coming?" Nathan asked, jarring her back to the room from her thoughts. She cleared her throat.
"Yea. I'm coming," she nodded. She looked at Luke. "Good night."
"Good night," he echoed. He watched them leave, and Emily gave him one last glance before disappearing out the door. Luke wondered what would have happened if Nathan hadn't been watching. He'd felt something there, something small. He was beginning to think he wasn't the only one feeling something, but he couldn't be entirely sure. Then there was Gary. Luke sighed. He really needed to stop thinking about any of this and let it go. He just didn't know how to.
Days Later
A new ritual was born. Emily would go out for lunch, and Luke would bring her something to eat. He never mentioned her weight again, and she ate everything he gave her. Sometimes they talked, and sometimes they didn't. They never spoke of the dancing incident, even though Emily kept thinking about it.
Today, Luke asked her a question he'd been wanting to know, but as soon as he did, he knew he'd made a mistake.
"Why are you really here, Emily?" he asked, not looking her. Another mistake. He missed the cues to stop talking. "I mean, you show up out of the blue with no restaurant experience and no place to live...makes me think something has happened."
Emily was very taken aback. He was being so forward, which she had not expected, not about this.
"I just came here for a new start," she answered vaguely.
"From what?"
"That's private."
"Does it have something to do with Nice Guy Roger?" he asked. He'd been dying to ask since Andrea had mentioned him.
"Stop," she said harshly.
He looked up at her now, and he realized too late that he had somehow upset her.
"Okay," he said. He had hoped that by now, they would be able to talk about this kind of stuff. He considered them friends in a way, especially with the amount of time they spent together. Maybe she did not feel the same way. Maybe he had misread her completely. She was seeing Gary after all, but why, then, did she still make the effort to be around him? Shouldn't she prefer to be with her boyfriend? Were they even calling themselves boyfriend and girlfriend? He tried to stop thinking about it. It was hard.
Emily was pretty sure she had offended him, but she didn't care. She wasn't about to tell him about Roger.
"See you inside," Luke said, wiping his face with his napkin and getting up. It was a bit abrupt.
"Hang on," she said, standing as well. He walked towards the diner, not even looking back. "Luke!"
They went inside, and she ignored Lucy's looks towards them as she followed him to the back.
"Luke," she tried again.
"Don't worry about it," Luke said, going into the walk-in fridge and letting the door shut behind him. Emily gaped at the door while Tito snickered.
"Oh, I don't think so," she said, going over to yank the door open and stepping inside. It was cold, for starters. Secondly, it took her a moment to adjust to the lighting and see him near the back, unpacking boxes. She went over to him.
"What is your problem?" Emily asked crossly.
"I have no problem," Luke replied, continuing unpacking and putting things on the shelves.
"You just walked away when I didn't offer you my life story," she pointed out. "Why are you being a jerk about it?" He stopped then, looking at her. She briefly wondered if she had crossed a line, which she was pretty sure she just had. You don't call your boss a jerk. Ever.
"I'm not," he said flatly.
"You are, and it's because I won't share," she said.
"It is very clear to me that you're dealing with something major," he replied. "I was thinking that talking about it might help you."
"And you're offended that I declined?"
"No," he said, getting frustrated now. "I just thought we were friends, and friends support other friends. Clearly, I was wrong, though."
He went back to work, and she stood there feeling bad. He thought they were friends? She hadn't realized, but she guessed maybe they were after all the time they'd spent together.
"You really want to know what happened to me?" she asked, making him look at her again. "Do you?"
"I will listen, if you want to talk," he corrected.
Here went nothing. He wanted it; he got it.
"For six years, not a day went by where I thought I wouldn't get to see the next," she started. "It was subtle at first, his changes, and I was so traumatized by my brother's death that I just took anything that came my way. When it got bad, it was too late. I was already in it. I thought I could fix it, change it. I thought I could somehow avoid it if I just followed all of his rules. I thought that if I just didn't say anything, I might make it out alive one day."
Luke said nothing. He had both expected and not expected this. Hearing it out loud was worse than he'd thought.
"He did everything to me," she said quietly. "Everything you could imagine and probably far worse." She twisted her fingers anxiously just thinking about it all.
"And Nathan?" Luke asked. He had to know.
"He got thrown around a little, but it was mainly me. I was his target. He hated me but refused to let me go at the same time," she said. "I never understood it. I still don't. And I'm quite sure he's out there looking for me..." She trailed off. She hadn't meant to say so much, but once she started, it just all came tumbling out. She hadn't meant to start crying either, but she did. She put her hands over her face, trying not to flat out bawl.
Luke didn't even hesitate. He carefully went over to her and gathered her into his arms as gently as he could, and he soon felt her arms slide up his back, holding him close as her head buried into his chest. He rested a hand on the back of her head, not saying a word.
Emily was finding herself feeling surprised at how tender this hug felt. She was not used to this kind of caring from a man, and it was making her feel a little unsettled. Even Gary's hugs were quick and tight. This was different.
"Hey, Luke, I got a question for you," Tito said as he opened the door. He stopped short upon seeing Luke and Emily in an embrace, and the look Luke gave him made him turn right back around and let the door shut behind him. Emily lifted her head, looking for Tito.
"What was his question?" she asked.
"No idea. The weirdo just walked right back out," Luke answered, omitting the fact he had threatened Tito with his eyes to make that happen.
"Oh."
She had pulled away a little, but she still had her hands on his back.
"If I could change what happened to you, I would," he said after a moment. "All I can say is that I'm glad you're here now with us." He almost said "with me," but didn't want to make it weird.
"I almost didn't get here," she admitted.
"Why not?"
"We were in Tennessee, and somehow he found us there. I don't know how. I think someone recognized me, or it was one of his connections. He has so many connections, you see. We barely escaped, but I was lucky enough to spot him first and run before he actually got to me."
"Well," Luke started. "There is one thing you have here that you didn't have in Tennessee."
"What's that?" she asked.
"Me," he answered simply. She stared at him, trying to make sense of what he'd said when there was loud banging on the door.
"Luke!" Tito shouted. "I need you!"
"I'm sorry," Emily said immediately, pulling away from Luke now. "I should not have..."
"Stop," Luke cut her off. "I wanted to hear it, remember?"
"Right," she nodded.
"LUKE!" Tito bellowed.
"Excuse me," Luke said to her, gesturing at the door. "The wife." He made a face, and she started to laugh, which was the goal he'd had in mind. She followed him out, and Tito started barking out orders that Luke started helping him on instantly while asking Tito just whose diner it was anyway. She went through the swinging door, but she did look back to find him watching her, and he gave that crooked smile of his, making her smile back.
Perhaps they really were friends, like he'd said. She liked that.
...
"Something on your mind?" Gary asked. They were at his place two nights later. Emily knew what was supposed to happen here, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, even though she had agreed to come there after dinner.
"I can't do this," she said honestly.
"Do what?"
"This. Us. That," she said, gesturing to his bedroom door, which was left open. He followed her pointing finger with his eyes and then sighed.
"It's me, isn't it," he said.
"No, it's me," she corrected. "I've been hurt, Gary. Badly. I just can't jump into something right now."
"It's okay," he said, stopping her and holding up his hands. "I get it. I really do."
"Why do I get the feeling you're mad?" she asked.
"I'm not."
She surveyed him, and she knew he was lying. He was a terrible liar, that much she had found out in the last couple of weeks of seeing him.
"Okay," she said simply, letting it go.
"It's just..." he started at the same time.
"I knew it," she sighed.
"We've been hanging out for a few weeks now, and I thought we were really connecting," Gary said. There was that "connecting" word again. Emily found herself annoyed by it, and she wasn't sure why.
"When you've gone through what I have, you take things slow the second time around," she said, standing up. "If you can understand and accept that, you know where to find me."
She walked out, and he called after her, but she did not stop. She felt upset with herself. Why did she get into this situation? What had she been thinking? How could she ever have anything normal like a relationship ever again?
That was only in fairy tales.