When Emily emerged into the arrivals area of the airport, she came to a sudden stop the moment her eyes alighted on a familiar face. She knew that she'd been spotted as well, given the way their eyes had locked.
She wasn't entirely certain what reaction to expect – good or bad – especially after all these months...
Tentatively, she waved, forced a smile.
Alex too forced a smile. Neither of them tried to pretend this was anything other than an expected formality. If there was one thing they were both quite skilled in, it was faking a smile for the sake of appearances...
When Emily drew nearer, Alex surprised her by pulling her into an embrace. "Your father is here," she whispered in Emily's ear, fixing her with a pointed look as she drew back from the embrace.
Emily's eyes went wide. "Shit..." she said under her breath. She attempted to surreptitiously glance over Alex's shoulder in search of her father.
Alex laughed softly, silently agreeing with the sentiment.
Before either of them could say anything further on the subject, Emily's father had joined them. He clapped Emily on the shoulder and, in his booming voice, declared, "What kind of greeting was that, Pumpkin? You haven't seen your girlfriend in half a year, give her a kiss!"
Eyes once again going wide, Emily locked eyes with Alex, silently conveying an apology for the awkward situation before leaning in for a quick peck on the lips. Quickly changing the subject, she said, "I'm starving and I could really use a shower."
"I'm really sorry about this..." Emily apologized, the second the bedroom door was shut behind them. "If I'd known he was going to invite you for the holidays as well, I would have..."
"Would have what?" Alex asked. It wasn't harsh or judgmental, merely tired and, if Emily wasn't mistaken, a little sad. "We both agreed it was easier lie to our parents..."
Emily laughed, perhaps a little bitterly, because nothing about this situation had been easy. She didn't say that, though. She didn't have to. She turned and opened up her suitcase in search of her toiletry bag. "We can take turns sleeping on the floor," she said after a moment, hoping to ease some of the awkwardness between them by changing the subject.
"I'm sure we can manage to share a bed platonically," Alex said dryly. A beat. "Unless you have a problem with that?"
"No, no problem!" she was quick to insist, not wanting to make Alex think she was in any way uncomfortable with their being in close proximity.
Alex didn't seem to entirely buy her quick insistence, but she thankfully didn't say anything about it either.