Author's Notes: Italic font represents a memory.
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I hope this isn't too messy, I didn't get a chance to edit again.
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Chapter 22: Last Chance
With a tightened grip on the steering wheel, Emma lets her thoughts drift to Dylan's words from a conversation she wasn't included in. Hearing Dylan confess his love for her, caused butterflies to flutter throughout her insides. That feeling of giddiness and nervousness wrapped into one, hasn't left. In fact, the sensation has only grown and intensified since originally hearing the young man's sentiment.
Even though she's heard those three precious little words from Dylan before, it always seemed to be a mere response to her own emotionally charged expression. Maybe he meant them as deeply as she always does, but Emma never felt her heart fill with as much joy as she did overhearing the conversation. She felt the genuineness from the declaration while she hid in the shadows, making him seem vulnerable. A vulnerability he rarely shares with her.
Dylan has always been the gatekeeper of their relationship. Everything depends on how much he's willing to give her but it seems from the earlier overheard conversation, Dylan's sturdy walls are beginning to crumble. She can take some credit for the change; however, Emma knows deep down this is all Dylan's doing. Maybe her willingness to move on without him was enough for Dylan to realize how much he wants to be with her or rather needs to be.
He's worth the wait, she knows this and that's why Emma has been willing to give him time. However frustration has steadily grown within her over time and even though Dylan would never leave her heart, Emma needs to move forward with her dreams and hope Dylan would eventually become a part of that vision.
Oddly, everything she has witnessed with her friend Norman has given her inspiration to follow the field of psychology. Delaying school should give her some regret, but it doesn't. She didn't know what path to follow until the time she spent with the Bates family and was confronted with the idea of expanding her education. Plus, postponing her education briefly gave her the chance to know Dylan. An experience she'll forever cherish.
As Emma was approaching downtown, she noticed a familiar vehicle parked on the side of the street just outside the festival area. Quickly, Emma pulls over and parks directly behind with her bug. After stepping out of the car, Emma quietly closes the door behind her and steps carefully toward the lone figure in the steadily darkening sky.
She sees the outline of a shadow, instantly knowing it's Dylan. Stepping carefully, Emma takes note of his disheveled appearance. He's facing away from her, sitting atop of one of the various picnic benches near the shoreline of the water. His shoulders are slumped forward with his forehead resting in his hands and his feet firmly planted on the bench below.
Emma halts her movements and simply stares at the young man who has been avoiding her for so long. She looks on sadly as minutes pass by, fully noticing how Dylan doesn't move from his defeated position.
With a deep sigh, Emma tentatively travels forward instantly wanting to hold him when she is in close proximity. Emma holds herself back though, knowing things won't be that easy to fix. She can't discard her own feelings of rejection so easily, even though she wants nothing more than to go back to the way they were in their happy times.
"Can I join this party of one?" She whispers standing next to him, mentally cursing herself for the embarrassing first words she's just spoken to him.
Dylan's head rises and snaps to the left while instantaneously sitting upward on the table top. "Emma?" He whispers with wide eyes. "What are you doing here?"
Emma flashes a shy smile and uses the bench's seat to step up and sit next to him. "I talked to my dad."
A wave of confusion washes over his face. "I thought you left already?"
A shiver causes her body to shake slightly in the cooler air, which Dylan notices. Before Emma can even respond to his question, Dylan pulls off his suit jacket and immediately wraps it around her shoulders.
Emma hums peacefully with the extra warmth and smiles gratefully at him, which he instinctively returns. Her head dips briefly before making eye contact with the baby blues she's missed seeing. "Well, um…" she stalls not wanting to admit she told her father to lie on her behalf. "I told my dad to tell you that if you were to drop by. It was wrong, but Dylan I'm hurt and I just wasn't ready to forgive you yet."
Dylan breaks his focus from hers and drops his head before returning his eyes to hers. "I understand," he says in almost a whisper. "I messed everything up. I shouldn't have pushed you to the side just because I was so unsure of myself. It was a huge mistake and now I probably lost you. And to be honest, I wouldn't blame you." He sighs, "I'm not good at relationships, Emma. To be honest, I've never been in one."
Scooting her body closer to his, Emma tries to comfort him but also keep her distance. It's a difficult balance. She can't just fall back into his embrace after everything that's happened, but at the same time it tears her up inside to be far from him. "I haven't either," she grins and cuddles tighter to his side. "We can do this together," she pauses suddenly out of fear that she'll be refused again.
Hesitantly, Dylan lifts his arm and closes the gap between them. Once he feels her body lax in his hold, Dylan squeezes her tightly against his side which causes Emma out of instinct to rest her head against his chest.
"I'll follow you anywhere Emma," he utters softly while leaning downward to kiss her on the top of her head. She lifts her chin with a wide grin and teary eyes. "Anywhere," he repeats.
Emma continues to nuzzle into his body until they're almost one, intertwining her left fingers with his right. A sense of relief consumes them as they enjoy the last moments of the colors painting the sky in each other's arms before the sparkle lights of the festival completely take over the darkness.
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Norma stares down at her phone, mindlessly flipping through the pictures again like she does every day. Whenever she has time alone, Norma scans through the numerous secret pictures her phone holds of Alex. Each image she holds dear to her heart, despite him thinking she may not care about him or their relationship. There's nothing further from the truth.
She's always been terrible in relationships, either staying in them too long or not long enough. There was no in between with her. Desperately Norma wants to change this pattern she's always slipped into because he's different… they're different.
Norma isn't ignorant to the fact that she's the reason they're apart, there's no question she's the one to fix what's broken. But, is she strong enough to accept the result of her actions? Can she truly handle a rejection if he decides she's not worth another chance?
Her shaky index finger swipes right to another picture. With watery eyes, Norma focuses on the image of Alex asleep peacefully. She remembers the day vividly, even though the moment actually took place months ago.
Norma watched as Alex smiles calmly in his sleep. Secretly, she's been gazing at him since she woke up almost an hour ago. It's creepy, she can admit but with this particular instance she doesn't care. Seeing someone she cares so deeply for in this tranquil state, causes her heart to swell with love. A feeling that's been foreign to her. Norma has had lovers before obviously, but none of them compared to him. No one has made her feel so emotionally tied to them before.
She finally decides to make a move. In order to not disturb her lover, Norma carefully sits up and slowly swings her legs over the edge of the bed. With cautious footsteps, Norma notices her image in the mirror and instantly panics. As she takes in her appearance, a gasp escapes her lungs. Hair in disarray, mascara in clumps in the corners of her eyes and lipstick completely gone.
Yes, this is a completely normal appearance to wake up with, but Norma still feels the need to look her best in no matter what the circumstance in this stage of her relationship. It's an irrational thought because there is no doubt in her mind that regardless of her makeup or hair status, Alex would love her. It's her personal motto to always be at her best, even though there times it's inevitable that she won't be.
As Norma completes her makeup and closes up her lipstick tube still held in her hand, she gets an idea. Norma applies an extra layer of red lipstick and smirks to herself while selecting the photo option on her phone.
With a continued sinister smile, Norma tip toes to the Sheriff's side of the bed and leans down to place a sweetened kiss to his forehead. Once Norma is satisfied with the stain she left on his skin, she hovers over him with her phone and snaps a picture. Her giggle wakes him from his slumber with a yawn and a grin before even his eyes open.
"Good morning, Love." He hums with a crack to his voice, flicking his eyelids open slowly. His arms stretch to his sides, until his left hand finds Norma's. He grips her fingers within his and with his strength, pulls her down to him in an instant causing her to squeal and giggle again.
Alex holds her steady by the waist as she settles her body on top of his. He cuddles her close, unwilling to loosen his hold. She nuzzles her chin in the crook of his neck and sighs happily as he continues to embrace her.
They stay in the same position as time begins to tick away, not realizing how much time has truly passed. The room had settled into silence, until the dreaded question was asked. "What time is it?"
Norma takes a deep breath before pushing up to her elbows, resting them on his strong pectorals. She strains her neck until the alarm clock finally becomes clear. "It's 8:30am," she whispers settling back into his hold.
After a few seconds, Norma's answer registers and his eyes fly open and his body jerks fully awake, leading to Norma collapsing to her original side of the bed. "Oh God, I'm late!" He shouts in a fright while quickly yet carefully untangling his limbs from hers. The Sheriff is a whirlwind around the room and is almost dressed, while Norma watches on debating if she should mention the stray lipstick pressed onto his forehead.
She smirks from the bed, noticing how in his rush Alex misses a glance in the mirror attached to the dresser as he attaches his belt. When he's fully ready, Norma stands from the mattress and hurries to his side while wiggling her arm around his middle.
Alex quickly paces into the living room with Norma still attached by the limb and struggling to keep up with his fast footsteps. The man then stops abruptly, halting their motion and causing Norma to hesitantly slither her arm out from around him.
Norma strolls in front of him and takes ahold of his collar, straightening it before she then aggressively grabs his shirt and gravitates to her tip toes. She lifts her chin while pulling his body forward and places a heated kiss on his lips. In an instant the Sheriff's hands swiftly move to grab her hips, squeezing a little tighter when his love guides the kiss more forcefully.
She was clearly in charge, leaving Alex putty in her hands.
When Norma finally deems it's time to pull away, she does reluctantly and with a gasp. She knows it would be unfair to escalate her actions now, when he clearly has no time to spare.
The couple shares a brief smile before he hastily rushes to his SUV with Norma following close behind. She also begins to hustle her steps in order to return home before conspiracy theories begin to bloom in her youngest son's mind about her whereabouts.
Hours later, the Sheriff gave his love a call while rubbing at his forehead with his fingers. "So you couldn't let me know that I was wearing a pair of red lips on my face since this morning?" He asks the second Norma answers the phone.
Immediately he receives a giggle in response, only imagining how much Norma is enjoying this little joke she's played on him.
For almost half the day he had been walking around the station and on traffic stops with the stain planted on his forehead. Blush graced his usually stoic cheeks when a fellow officer finally fessed up as to why they all had been snickering behind his back for the entire morning into the afternoon. The Sheriff had to come up with an explanation, but he couldn't think of one that made sense so he jogged to his office to hide. He's remained there for almost a half hour now, rubbing at the mark that has already disappeared.
Norma finds herself giggling out loud now, even with tear sliding down her left cheek. She's still focused on the image until a message from her eldest son breaks her concentration.
Immediately after reading the message, Norma pushes her chair back with a long screech on the linoleum and stands hurriedly to her feet. She runs from the kitchen with her phone still secured tightly in her left hand, not allowing herself to second guess her intentions this time.
While her heels rapidly clack against the wooden floor of the foyer, Norma slows her movement only long enough to pick up her keys from the bowl on the nearby table before she runs through the front door.
The only thought racing through her mind, is the quickest route to the festival.
She's not going to miss her last chance to prove her love.
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There's still more to come…. Thank you to all of my readers!