Chapter 3:
He rides his bike into the patio, his stomach in knots. He couldn't really sleep well last night and this morning he tried to drum his nerves away but it didn't work. He doesn't want to do it, he doesn't want to tell Daphne that he is… well what is he doing with Bay? Is he dating her? He can hardly say "I am hanging out with, and kissing, Bay a lot", that would not go over so well with either girl he guesses.
He feels like if he says this, if he says "I am dating Bay" to Daphne then he will never get to be with her, then this idea of finally being loved back by her… it will just vanish, poof, be gone. A week ago he would never have done anything that could put his (imaginary and future) relationship with Daphne in danger. But not saying anything puts his relationship with Bay in danger… or even ends it. And he doesn't want that either.
Then again he thinks, maybe Daphne doesn't mind… after all she seems to be having some fun times with the most despicable hearing guys she could possibly find. She does seem to have a special knack for finding repellent guys lately, not just hearing guys, which would be bad enough, but actually gamblers and… well Bay's ex-boyfriends. So maybe she is fine with it, maybe she will just laugh it off, he kind of hopes, them remembers the last few times he mentioned Bay in conversation… him being friends or more with Bay seems to be a sore topic for her. Daphne asked him point blank if he was interested in Bay, if something was going on, and he said no (quite emphatically as well), though he wasn't being quite honest and now he really is between a rock and a hard place. If he could he would just ride his bike far far away from either girl, but he can't.
Bay is waiting for him to act and he doesn't want to let her down, the image of her big tearful eyes still very fresh in his memory. And Daphne is probably pretty pissed off about his lack of texting yesterday. Then again, maybe this is not the right time, both girls have had a really hard week, maybe he should tell Bay to wait for a few more days, so things can calm down… and he can make up his mind. No! He has to tell Daphne! But maybe not quite yet, just a few days. Yes, he should talk to Bay, or shouldn't he?
And then there is the whole hearing thing, he never truly believed that a hearing person could have a relationship with a deaf person and for it to work. Different worlds. So if this between him and Bay is not going to work anyway, why should he even tell Daphne? Why not end it right now and be done with it? The knots inside of him seem to get tighter and heavier as he thinks of confronting Bay, but that may be the only solution, because if he fucks things up between him and Daphne, just to have Bay freak out on him and stomp off again next time she can't understand him sign or he can't follow her 250 words a minute speeches, then what is the point? But he does really like her… so what should he do? Talk to Daphne… or end it with Bay?
He gets off his bike, puts the helmet down and walks a few steps towards the guest house, then turns around and walks to Bay's garage, knocks and enters.
She is sitting there, her back to the door, in front of her computer, big headphones covering her ears, watching intently at a lady signing on a little youtube video and imitating the signs as she says the words she is trying to sign: "sometimes… always… never. Sometimes… always… never". He doesn't dare to move in case she sees him, his determination wilting away and a smile spreading wider and wider on his face, as she clicks the next window and starts anew "yesterday… today… tomorrow. Yesterday…". The knots in his stomach start loosening up and moving around, turning into tiny little butterflies, as he watches this hearing girl work so hard for him. And he knows that he was wrong and he knows what he has to do, he turns around to go and tell Daphne.
She hears a noise behind her and turns around to see the garage door swinging shut. Taking her headphones off, she jumps to the door and opens it wide. She can see the back of Emmett as he is walking towards the guest house and she runs up to him, grabs his hand and drags him back into the garage, closing the door behind them.
"Hey you… did you watch me learn?" she asks and signs with a little smirk, a little bit embarrassed that he would have witnessed that, but also a little bit happy to be caught, that he got to see that she is trying hard for him, that she isn't slacking. His eyes seem full of tenderness, she thinks, as he leans down and just hugs her tight to him. The hug lasts a little bit longer than she expects and when he finally lets go she feels a little bit emotional and isn't quite sure why. He sits down in her comfy chair and pulls her down onto his knees, then he signs "I was going to talk to Daphne". She nods at him but instead of getting up to let him go she just settles herself more comfortably into his lap and says as usually signing the random words she knows "it can wait a few minutes" before she leans down and kisses him. He kisses back, first tenderly, then more and more fiercely, and soon one hand is in her hair. The other one creeps to the seam of her t-shirt, allowing just one finger to cross that barrier and stroking her lower back, then a second and finally his whole hand is at the small of her back, touching her skin and making her get tiny shivers up and down her spine.
He feels her shiver ever so slightly under his touch and grins into a kiss; the butterflies from before are doing a happy dance in his tummy and he can relax in her arms. This is great, he can't really understand what he was thinking before… ending this, not getting this moment together. They should never leave this garage, really. He has all but forgotten the reason of his early morning (hey, 11 am is REALLY early morning when you are a teenager) visit to the Kennish's when she suddenly sits up straight and stares at the door behind him with wide, fearful eyes. He thinks for a split second, please let it not be Daphne, then turns around.