“Well, your friend has amazing taste,” he replied, giving her another grin. “Come on, let’s go get you a drink.”
“Okay,” Emmy nodded then followed Adam back through the crowd to the kitchen.
“Beer or wine?” Adam asked as he turned and looked at Emmy expectantly.
“A beer please,” Emmy replied as she gave him a nervous smile. She looked around the crowded room, as once again she questioned what the hell she was doing there.
Adam grabbed two bottles of beer from the cooler, then grabbed Emmy’s hand, leading her back through the crowd, and out the back door. He found two chairs in the corner of the backyard, overlooking the swimming pool.
“You have a pool here?” Emmy said as she looked at the people that were screaming and jumping into the cold water.
“It’s California,” Adam said as he sat down on the chair, and Emmy sat down next to him. “You’ve gotta have a pool.”
“I guess so,” Emmy said, taking a sip of her beer.
“You look nervous,” Adam said, giving her a smile.
“I wasn’t expecting so many people here,” Emmy replied as she nervously picked at the label on her bottle of beer. “I don’t really know that many people from class.”
“I’ve noticed that you’re kind of quiet and a little shy,” Adam said as he moved a little closer to Emmy, but still kept some distance between them. “It was part of the reason that I liked you. You’re not really like most of the other girls. Some of them can be really mean, extremely bitchy too.”
Emmy smiled, as Shelby popped into her head. She thought about how bitchy and cruel she had been to her and Emmy wondered if Adam was referring to her, when he said about some of the other girls being bitchy. However, she barely knew Adam at all, so she decided not to comment on what he had said.
“So,” Adam said with a nervous smile. “If you don’t mind me asking, you’re a little older than most of the class.”
“That isn’t a question?” Emmy replied with a nervous laugh.
“No,” Adam laughed, blushing a little, “No, I guess it’s not.”
“So what’s the question?” Emmy asked, knowing that he was going to ask it one way or the other.
“How come you’re only coming to Stanford now?” He asked, but there was something about how he asked the question, something that said he knew more about her than he was admitting, or at least he thought he did.
“I took some time out before; I wasn’t ready for college,” Emmy lied, refusing to tell this perfect stranger all about her private life. That was something she was not ready to share with anyone.
“I guess I get that,” Adam nodded, taking another sip of his beer. “I took a year out too before I started here. I went travelling in Europe and realised that I needed to grow the hell up if I wanted to survive college.”
“Wow,” Emmy replied, surprised by his revelation. “That must have been so much fun. I always wanted to go to Europe.”
“Maybe someday you will,” Adam said, as he gave her a breathtaking smile. “But tonight; tonight you’re here with me.”
Adam slowly leaned in, pressing his lips to Emmy’s. His kiss was soft and tender. It was everything Emmy hoped it would be. He pulled back slowly. Looking down into Emmy’s eyes.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” He whispered softly, still holding her eyes with his.
“Am I?” Emmy asked as her face burned with embarrassment. She didn’t know why, but at that exact moment, she recalled her kiss with Finn. Suddenly she felt a little sick. Adam leaned in to kiss her once again, but this time, Emmy pulled back.
“I’m sorry,” Adam said, giving her a worried look. “I’m moving a little fast, aren’t I?”
“Just a bit,” Emmy replied with a smile, wishing for the millionth time, she wasn’t wearing her ridiculous costume.
“The thing is,” Adam said as he reached out, taking her hand. “I have liked you since the first day I saw you in class. You came into the class, and you looked like you were about to burst into tears, and I remember wondering how someone so pretty, could look so sad.”
“I looked sad?” Emmy asked looking up into his eyes.
“You always look sad,” Adam replied with a smile. “And I would love to know why?”
“Adam,” Emmy sighed. “My life is complicated, but I’m not ready to talk about it.”
“That’s fair enough,” Adam nodded, smiling again.
“Well, well, well,” Shelby’s voice broke into Emmy’s private moment with Adam. “Now this is a surprise.”
When Emmy looked up and saw her standing there, dressed in the costume, Emmy thought she was going to throw up. She knew exactly who Shelby was supposed to be and it almost broke her heart.
“Shelby,” Adam said as he stood up. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought everyone was invited to this party,” Shelby purred in her usual, sickly sweet tone of voice. “I’m surprised little orphan Emmy didn’t bring her boyfriend.”
“Her boyfriend?” Adam repeated, giving Shelby a confused look.
“Didn’t she tell you about her and the good professor?” Shelby asked as she looked from Adam to Emmy as her smile widened.
“There’s nothing going on with me and any professor!” Emmy exclaimed as she stood up, pinning Shelby with a glare. “So you can stop telling your lies.”
“Really,” Shelby hissed as she took a step closer to Emmy. “That’s not how it looks to me. I think you and professor look ever so cosy together. But then I come here and see you cosying up to my boyfriend…”
“I’m not your boyfriend, we dated a couple of times,” Adam quickly corrected her. “And you have no business being here. You weren’t invited.”
“But I went through so much effort to find the perfect costume,” Shelby retorted with a laugh before she turned to Emmy once more. “What do you think, Emmy? Do you think I nailed the look?”
“I think you are a sick fucking bitch,” Emmy replied as she choked back the tears.
“I don’t get it,” Adam cut in, as he looked from Shelby to Emmy. “Who is she meant to be?”
“She is dressed up as my mom,” Emmy whispered as hot tears spilled down her face. “My mom used to work in the college. That’s the outfit my mom is wearing in the picture that hangs in the faculty office.”
“Well, except for the bullet hole,” Shelby said as she pointed to the big red blob of fake blood on her head. “I added that part myself.”
“Jesus!” Adam exclaimed, but Emmy had heard enough. She also realised that they had attracted quite an audience. Emmy just wanted to get out of there.
“I’m sorry, Adam,” she sobbed without even looking at him. She set the bottle she was holding, down on a table beside the pool, but she moved so quickly, it toppled over, and fell to the ground with a smash. “I need to go.”
Without waiting for his response, she pushed past Shelby, heading back into the house. She quickly pushed her way through the heaving party goers, until she reached the front door and pushed her way out onto the front porch.
“EMMY!” Adam called from somewhere inside the house, but Emmy didn’t slow down. Once she was down the front steps of the house, she ran as fast as she could in the stupid sneakers she was wearing, putting as much distance between her and the house as she could.
When she was sure she was far enough away, she stopped for a moment, to allow herself to catch her breath, but it was hard to do through all the tears and the sobbing. She tried to continue once more, but instead she crashed to the ground, where she stayed for a moment, just sobbing her heart out.
Finally, she composed herself enough to pick herself up from the ground to walk to a bench at a nearby bus stop and sat down. Emmy wished she had never agreed to go to that stupid party that night. She wished she had never met Shelby Cooper Smith either. She had no idea why this girl disliked her so much, but one thing was for sure, she was going to make that bitch pay for what she had done at the party.
Suddenly a fresh wave of tears took hold, as Emmy buried her face in her hand, as she began to sob once more.
“Emmy?” A familiar voice seemed to come from nowhere. Emmy looked up, surprised to see Professor Murphy standing there. This just made Emmy cry even harder. The last thing she needed right at that moment was for him to see her there, dressed the way she was, completely falling apart. “What is it, what’s happened?”
“Nothing,” she replied as she rubbed the tears from her face. “I’m just being stupid.”
“You’re sitting on a bus bench in the middle of Campus, sobbing,” Finn said as he sat down next to her, pulling a tissue from his pocket. “I hardly think that you’re just being stupid.”
“It’s nothing, honestly,” Emmy insisted, as she tried to calm her breathing down. “I just want to go home and forget this stupid night ever happened.”
No sooner were the words out, when another fresh wave of tears began, and Emmy began to sob harder.
“Well, you can’t stay here,” Finn said as he stood up, taking hold of her by the arm. Without saying a word, Emmy stood up too, allowing Finn to lead her to his car. “I’m taking you home, and you’re going to tell me exactly what happened.
Without saying another word, Emmy sat into the passenger seat of his car, as he closed the door behind her. Once she was in the safety of his car, Emmy closed her eyes and prayed that all of this was just a bad dream.
Chapter 10
Finn pulled into his driveway and turned off the engine. He knew bringing her to his home was probably a bad idea, but he also knew that leaving her on campus alone, in such a state was not an option either.
“Where are we?” Emmy asked as she looked up, realising they were not at her apartment building.
“My house,” Finn replied as he gave her a strange look. “I thought maybe you would like to talk, I have a bottle of Scotch in there, and well I just thought…”
Emmy looked at him for a moment. Finn knew that she was trying to figure out what the hell she was doing there. If he was honest, he was wondering the same thing, but when he started to drive, it just felt right for him to take her home.
“Why were you on campus?” She finally asked.
“I was working late in the Library,” Finn replied. “And I was driving past, I saw a girl crying. It wasn’t until I got out of the car, and got closer to you that I even realised it was you.”
“I see,” she replied, and Finn didn’t know what was going through her mind at that exact moment. She sat there for another couple of minutes without saying a word.
“Emmy,” Finn finally said, knowing he needed to say something to her. “Would you like me to take you home?”
“No,” she replied without looking up at him.
“Then are you going to come into my house?” He asked, and he was surprised how much he wanted her to say she would.
“Okay,” she replied as she looked up at him, trying her best to give him a genuine smile.
Finn opened his car door, climbing out of the car, before he hurried around to Emmy’s side, and opened her door for her too. Finn held his breath as he waited for her to climb out of the car.
When she climbed out of the car, Finn led her up the steps to his front door and pulled his key from his pocket. Once the door was open, he stepped back to let her into his hallway.
What the fuck are you thinking, bringing her here? He asked himself as she stepped in and she looked around his hallway. This is beyond insane!
“You have a beautiful home,” Emmy said as she finally turned, allowing her eyes to meet his.
“Thank you, Emmy,” he replied as he watched her closely. She looked so odd. He had no idea what the hell she was wearing, but she certainly didn’t leave much to the imagination. And her eye makeup was now black mush down her cheeks. Finn guessed it was from the crying, but being Halloween, he wasn’t really sure.
Still, despite all of this, he still thought she was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen.
“Maybe we should start with coffee,” Finn said as he threw his car keys into the bowl on the hall table before he led Emmy through to his kitchen, but as she turned to follow him, she caught a glimpse of herself in the large mirror on the hall wall.
“OH, HOLY CRAP!” She exclaimed as she walked closer to the mirror. Even through the make-up that was smeared on her face, Finn could see she was mortified.
“You can use the bathroom,” Finn said, unsure if his offer would make things worse or better. “If you want to clean up, I mean.”
“That would be great,” she nodded, giving him a nervous smile.
“I’ll show you where to go,” Finn replied as he walked back down the hallway and led her up his stairs. When he reached the bathroom, he opened the door and switched on the light. “There are clean towels there.”
He said as they both stepped into the pristine, white tiled bathroom.
“In fact,” he continued, having no idea why he was so nervous. “If you would like to shower, or… well, you’re more than welcome.”
“Thank you, Professor,” Emmy replied as she gave him a grateful smile.
“Finn,” he said, feeling that maybe somehow using his first name would make her feel a little more at ease.
“Finn?” Emmy repeated, surprised by his reply.
“My name,” he clarified. “It’s Finn.”
“Okay,” Emmy nodded, smiling once more. “Thank you, Finn.”
Finn nodded, staring at her for a moment, before he turned and stepped back out of the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind him. He stood on the landing for a moment, considering if there was anything else he could do to make her feel a little more comfortable. Then he thought of her costume, and while he knew it wasn’t his place to judge, he knew it was clearly something she wouldn’t normally wear.
Finn hurried to his bedroom, pulling a pair of running shorts, and a t-shirt from his closet, then returned to the bathroom. He took a deep breath before he tapped lightly on the door.
“Emmy,” he said softly against the white, bathroom door.
Slowly the door opened, and Emmy peeked out from inside.
“I didn’t know if you needed some, um…clean clothes,” he said as he held out the running shorts and t-shirt. “But you’re welcome to use these. They will probably be a little big, but…well, I thought I would at least offer.”
“Thank you, Finn,” she replied with a smile as she reached out with one arm to take them, and Finn realised she was just wearing a towel.
“I will go make some coffee,” he replied as he quickly dropped his eyes down to the floor. “Take as long as you need.”
“Thank you,” she repeated before she closed the door once more.
Finn turned, hurrying down to the kitchen and set about making coffee. As much as he didn’t want to, he couldn’t help but focus on the fact Emmy was in his house, and was naked, up in his bathroom, right at that moment.
You’ve really done it this time, he thought to himself miserably, as he switched on his coffee machine, taking two mugs down from the cupboard above the counter.
His phone pinged in his pocket, and he reached in and pulled it out. It was a text message from Landen.
Amelia wants to know if you’ve got lost in the library. You’re missing the party? L.
He had completely forgotten about the party. Landen and Amelia were having a Halloween party. Finn knew all his family would be there, but if Finn was honest, he hadn’t really wanted to go, to begin with. He told Landen that he had to work late, but that he would call in on his way home.
It was where he was heading when he found Emmy. He sighed as he quickly tapped in a reply. He knew that his family would think he was making excuses not to go, but right at that moment he really didn’t care.
Somethings come up. Please tell everyone that I’m sorry.
He was just setting his phone back down onto the counter when a very different looking Emmy appeared in the
doorway of his kitchen. She was wearing his t-shirt and shorts, though on her the t-shirt was more like a dress, and the shorts that came to the middle of his thigh, fell below her knees, and Finn couldn’t help but smile.
Also the pink and blue had gone from her beautiful, blonde hair, and even though it was hanging around her shoulders, in damp tendrils, and her feet were bare, she had never looked more beautiful.
“Feeling better?” He asked as she nervously moved slowly into the room.
“Yes,” she nodded, smiling as she stopped next to the breakfast counter in the centre of his kitchen.
“Please, have a seat,” he said as he turned back to the coffee pot, pouring out two cups for them both. He picked the mugs up and turned back toward Emmy, then set one down in front of her. “Cream and sugar?”
“No thank you,” she said as she reached out for the mug. She held it close to her as if it gave her comfort.
“I think I like your hair better without the blue and pink,” Finn said hoping to try and break the ice a little before he took a sip from his coffee.
“The costume was my friend’s idea,” Emmy sighed as she looked up at him from behind her mug. “Sometimes I wonder why I listen to her.”
Finn smiled but didn’t reply for a moment. Instead, he leaned against the counter behind him, watching Emmy as she drank her coffee.
“So,” he finally said as he stood up straight, walking closer to the breakfast counter. “Would you like to tell me what happened this evening.”
“It’s a long story,” she shrugged, and Finn knew she didn’t know if she wanted to tell him or not.
“Well, I’m in no rush this evening,” Finn replied as he gave her a smile. “So you can take as long as you need to.”
She stared at him for a moment, and he knew she was considering what he had said.
“I was at a party,” she said finally. “I don’t even know why I agreed to go... I guess that when Adam asked me; I thought that for once, it would be nice if I was the girl who got to have fun.”
“Adam?” Finn asked, and he was surprised by how disappointed he felt that she had been out on a date with someone else.
Finn (The Murphy Boys Book 2) Page 9
