Emma's Story

by Mitchel Grace

  “Can I trust you?”

  “Yeah, but let me ask you something. Why are you so afraid to trust?”

  “That’s a story for much later.”

  “Okay, but if you’re not going to tell me, then it’s going to cost you another kiss.”

  Sadie smiled and kissed him.

  “Maybe I will trust you. Call me after this sleepover is finished. We’ll do something,” Sadie said as she walked to her room.

  Evan wanted to ask one more request of her. There was a snoring man in his room, and he would have loved to sleep with her. Even if it was just to sleep, he figured Sadie would get the wrong idea, and she already had trust issues, so he put his glass in the sink and headed toward his room.

  “Hey, are you actually going back in there? I can hear him snoring from here,” Sadie called out.

  “What else can I do?” Evan asked as he stepped into her doorway.

  “I don’t know why, but I’m going to trust you. You can sleep in here.”

  Evan lay down beside Sadie and attempted to wrap one arm around her, but she swatted it away.

  “What’s wrong?” Evan asked.

  “I thought I told you I have trust issues. Let me make this simple. I like you, but I’m really guarded. I want you to get some sleep so we can talk tomorrow. That’s why you’re staying in here. Here’s my rule for sleeping in the same bed as me, though. The middle of the bed has an imaginary line running down it. Any part of you that crosses that line from now on is getting cut off. Be very careful what you stick across that line,” Sadie joked.

  “Point taken. Thanks for this. I promise not to try anything. Goodnight, Sadie.”

  “Goodnight.”

  Sadie watched him as he fell asleep. Evan truly didn’t have any ulterior motives for being in there. It was hard to, but she had to trust someone, and he seemed like the perfect person to take a chance on. Sadie crossed her imaginary line and wrapped one arm around him. Then she slept peacefully for the first time in days.

  Chapter 24

  Morning

  The next morning, Emma awoke and walked into the living room. Something caught her eye in Jasper’s room, however. Sadie and her brother were in the bed together. Jasper walked into the room and spied it right after her.

  “Well, I didn’t see this one coming,” Jasper said in surprise.

  “Me either. Should we wake them up? I don’t exactly like the idea of her sleeping with my brother. Why would she do this?”

  “Calm down. This isn’t as bad as it looks. She’s your friend, and Evan’s your brother. What would be so bad about them getting together?”

  “You do realize what they probably did in your bed, right?”

  “Yeah, I don’t want to think about that. I’m just saying that it might be good for you not to do the typical sister thing. Evan deserves to be happy, and I didn’t think Sadie was ever going to trust a guy. This is definitely weird, but it’s also a good thing.”

  “What are you guys looking at?” Paul asked as he walked out of his room.

  After a second, he spied Evan and Sadie, too. He was surprised. Evan had always been the shy type. This was completely unexpected. Then again, he was happy for him. Paul noticed that Emma didn’t look very thrilled, however.

  As everyone stared at them, Evan and Sadie woke up to see three people all looking at them with different expressions. Jasper’s looked the most understanding. Paul’s was a smirk. Evan halfway expected him to high five him when he got out of bed. Emma’s looked closer to rage, though. Sadie knew they needed to talk. Nothing had happened the night before, but some day it might. She needed to convince Emma that her brother was safe with her.

  “Why is everyone staring? Paul was snoring, so I ended up in here. What’s the big deal?” Evan asked.

  Emma simply rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. While Sadie went to the bathroom for her morning shower, Paul took Evan into the next room to get details. There was nothing to tell, though. They just slept.

  “Come on. I’m not an idiot, Evan. You don’t go to bed with a girl who looks like that and just sleep. What happened?” Paul asked.

  “I’m telling the truth, but even if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t tell everyone about it.”

  “Not even me? I’m just proud of you. I can remember when you were scared to death to talk to women. Now, you’re outdoing me. I couldn’t even get her to look at me yesterday, and somehow you ended up sleeping with her.”

  “Thanks, but we really did just sleep.”

  “Hey, can I talk to Evan alone for a second?” Jasper asked as he stepped into the room.

  “I guess. Don’t go ruining his moment, though,” Paul joked.

  “What would I do?”

  “That thing you always do where you overanalyze the moment and make something fun into serious talk.”

  “Just go. Emma’s fixing breakfast. You should go help her out.”

  “Why is everyone so concerned with me and Sadie? Nothing happened. I just needed a place to sleep,” Evan said as Paul walked out.

  “I don’t care if something happened or not. Do you like her?”

  “Yeah. Who wouldn’t?”

  “Good. You’ve always been one of my best friends, and I’m happy for you. She’s a good friend, too, and there are some things you should know about Sadie. If you’re with her, everything is going to move a little slower . . . well, maybe I’m wrong about that. You did end up in bed with her immediately. You get what I’m saying, though. She doesn’t trust easy. Treat my friend right.”

  “Do you even have to ask me to? Don’t you know I would?”

  “Yeah. That’s why I’m not freaking out like Emma.”

  “Why is she freaking out?”

  “Because you’re her brother, and that’s her best friend. Things could get really awkward if you guys end up hating each other. Plus, think how you would feel if you discovered Emma in the bed with someone she barely knew. It’s weird for her.”

  “I can see why she thinks it’s weird. It really isn’t, though. I’m giving you my word that nothing happened between us last night. I don’t even know what I am to Sadie. I want to find out, though.”

  “I can tell you now if you ended up in her bed, even if all you did was sleep, then she trusts you. She wants more. The only question is, do you?”

  “I do.”

  “Great. How about joining us in the kitchen and clearing the air with Emma?”

  “That sounds like a good idea.”

  When Jasper and Evan walked into the kitchen, Emma left without saying a word. She went into the guest bathroom to find that Sadie was done with her shower and dressed. They needed to talk.

  “What were you thinking?” Emma blurted out.

  “What are you accusing me of?”

  “You know what I’m asking. Why would you sleep with my brother? Do you have any idea how weird things are going to be now? I . . .”

  “Emma, we just slept. I’m a little offended, though. I actually like Evan. Do you not think I’m good enough for him?”

  “Of course I think you’re good enough. It’s just that relationships can get messy, and if things don’t work out, I’ll have to pick a side. I don’t want that. I love both of you too much. Plus, you have to admit that it’s weird to discover your brother in bed with your best friend.”

  “I guess it is a little, but I would never disrespect you by doing something like that in your house. I think Evan’s sweet, and that’s why I like him. I feel like I can trust him, and you know that’s hard for me. I give you my word that nothing happened, and no matter how this works out, we’re all going to be friends at the end of it.”

  “Okay. You really like him, though? I didn’t see that one coming.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. You’ve known each other through me for a long time. I didn’t think there was a spark there.”

  “For a while, there wasn’t a spark between me and anyone. I think you know why. It’s time to tr
ust someone again, though. I trust you, Jasper, and I don’t see why I can’t trust your brother. I’m not his girlfriend, and we’re nothing serious at all, but a date or two might not be a bad thing. That would be a big step for me, too. I always run away from situations like this. For the first time, I don’t want to, though.”

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m happy for you. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you and my brother dated. It actually makes sense on some level. You’re not that different from each other. Evan probably thinks I’m mad. We should go in there and let everyone know things are fine.”

  “Agreed. Give me a minute, and I’ll be in there,” Sadie said while brushing her hair.

  Evan stopped Emma before she got to the kitchen, however.

  “Hey, we should talk. I . . .” he said before Emma cut him off.

  “It’s fine. I was being ridiculous. If you like Sadie, then I think that’s a good thing. I know nothing happened, too. Just do me a favor in the future, and don’t almost give me a heart attack by suddenly ending up in bed with one of my friends. It was a little awkward.”

  “Sorry. I really just wanted to get away from Paul’s snoring, and honestly, Sadie’s a lot better to sleep beside.”

  “Okay. Now that our talk is out of the way, we need to figure out what we’re going to do today,” Emma said as they walked into the kitchen.

  After a minute, Sadie joined them, and they all talked about what they wanted to do that day.

  “We could go hiking again. I . . .” Emma said before Jasper cut her off.

  “Please, no! I don’t want to spend my day off jogging for miles,” he said.

  “I second that actually,” Evan said.

  “Well, what do you guys want to do then?”

  “Why do we have to go anywhere? Let’s stay in and play a game. We haven’t done that since we were kids,” Jasper said.

  “What game, though? I don’t want to spend four hours playing Monopoly,” Paul said.

  “We got a new game. It’s designed for couples, but we can alter the rules a little to make it more fun. Normally, you draw a card and ask the person to your left whatever the question is. It’s supposed to help couples get to know each other, but we can change things up. How about we make it a drinking game?”

  “You do realize our parents are just a few doors down, right? What if they come over and we’re all wasted?” Paul asked.

  “We won’t get drunk, and I’m pretty sure they’re doing their own thing today. It could be fun. You can ask the question on the card, and if anyone has ever done that thing, they have to drink. We’re all young. It’s not like we’re going to have done much, so there’s no way we’ll have to drink a lot.”

  “I like it. I’ll use my connections to get us some drinks. Want to come with me?” Sadie asked Evan.

  “Sure.”

  Once they were in the car, Evan told her he thought this might be a bad idea.

  “Why? We’re just going to play a game,” Sadie said.

  “Think about it. We’re just getting to know each other, and you’re going to find out all my dirty secrets immediately.”

  “An innocent boy like you can’t have many,” she teased.

  “Who says I’m innocent?”

  “I can tell. For one, you never crossed my imaginary line last night. That’s very characteristic of someone who’s innocent.”

  “You said you would cut off whatever crossed that line. What was I supposed to do?”

  “You did the right thing, but I’m just saying you could afford to be a little more daring.”

  “Speaking of crossing the line, though, I noticed that you did.”

  “What can I say? It turns out I like to cuddle. Sue me.”

  “I didn’t mind. I could be your cuddling partner more often. Maybe we could talk about crossing more lines, too,” Evan said with one eyebrow raised.

  “Wow. Maybe you’re not so innocent, after all. I hate to break it to you, though, but that’s the last line that’s going to be crossed for a while. Still, maybe you do have a few secrets. I can’t wait to get a little truth serum in you and find out.”

  “What about you? Got any dark secrets?”

  “A few, but I’m a really good liar. You probably won’t learn anything about me today.”

  “I don’t buy that. As a matter of fact, maybe we should start the game a little early. I wouldn’t mind learning more about you.”

  “I’ll answer one question, so make it good.”

  “Okay. Since I’m going to date you, I need to know this. What’s the most irritating part of dating to you?”

  “Feeling like you have to be something you’re not. Sometimes I just want all the dating rules thrown out.”

  “Good to know. What’s your most embarrassing moment in life?”

  “I thought I said you only get one.”

  “Oh, come on!”

  “Those were the rules. Now I get a question, and I think I like yours. What’s your most embarrassing moment?”

  “Do I really have to tell you?”

  “You’re the one who wanted to play. Just tell me. I promise not to make too much fun of you.”

  “I don’t know if I should be talking to you about this.”

  “Evan, just come on. You can trust me.”

  “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. I was fourteen, and like a lot of fourteen year old guys, I couldn’t really control myself yet.”

  “What do you mean control yourself?”

  “I had a massive boner in the school hall. I covered it up, though, and things seemed fine until this guy who didn’t really like me walked by. As he did, he reached over and pulled my pants down. My boxers came down with them, so there I was in the school hallway naked and with an erection. That was the day everyone got to know what my penis looked like. I was so embarrassed that I swore I would never go back to school. My parents made me, though.”

  All through his story, Sadie was trying to keep from laughing at him. When he finished, she couldn’t contain herself, however. As she burst into laughter, Evan smiled. He never wanted to tell that story to anyone, but if she still liked him after that, then he was in a pretty good situation.

  “Hey, don’t laugh at me. Enough people did that back then,” Evan said.

  “I’m sorry. I would’ve never gone back to school. It could’ve been worse, though.”

  “How exactly?”

  “You said you had a massive boner. It could’ve been a tiny one. Then you never would have heard the end of it.”

  “I guess there is that, but I didn’t hear the end of it. I still hear about that story from my friends. I just want to forget it ever happened. I don’t think anyone’s going to let me, though.”

  “I’m definitely not going to.”

  “Come on. It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

  “It was so bad that you’ve earned yourself a free question. Ask me anything,” Sadie said as they pulled up to the store.

  “Can I kiss you right now?”

  “That’s the perfect question,” she said and leaned over.

  As Evan kissed her, a feeling overtook him that he had never experienced before. For the first time in his life, he felt like everything was going to be okay. He had a beautiful girl on the other side of his lips who accepted him, an incredible sister, and two great friends in Jasper and Paul who knew everything about him and still wanted to be around him. It was all finally starting to come together for him.

  They got the drinks and drove back home. Once they started the game, it became clear to everyone that the questions were a bit tame. They needed to spice it up a little.

  “This is stupid. We should abandon the cards and ask things we really want to know. At this rate, we’re all going to be wasted because these questions are so tame that no one on Earth wouldn’t have done these things,” Paul said.

  “Okay. We’ll start with a question for you. I’ve never had sex in a public location. What
about you?” Jasper asked with a smirk.

  “That’s pretty low. You know about the aquarium.”

  “Be quiet and drink.”

  “Fine, but I’m next. I’ve never asked a girl to marry me.”

  “All right, enough with the obvious questions. I’ve got one for everyone. I’ve never truly been in love. How about you guys?” Sadie asked.

  The only two who drank were Jasper and Emma.

  “Seriously? None of you guys have been in love. That’s just sad,” Jasper said.

  “Yeah, what’s up with you, Sadie? You end up in bed with my brother, but you don’t even love him. That’s pretty bad,” Emma joked.

  “We already told everyone that nothing happened,” she said.

  “Sure. Like we would ever believe that.”

  The friends played for a while longer, but eventually the game got old, and Sadie decided to ask a serious question separate from the game.

  “All right, this one has nothing to do with the game. I just want to know. When are my best friends actually getting married?”

  “We haven’t decided yet. I think we should wait a while so our parents have time to get more used to the idea,” Jasper said.

  “And what do you think, Emma?”

  “I thought that before.”

  “I sense a but.”

  “Yeah, there kind of is one. Our parents seem fine with it now. I don’t think we should rush things, but I wouldn’t mind speeding them up a little. We haven’t even started planning yet.”

  “So how soon do you want to get married?” Jasper asked.

  “I don’t know. You’re involved in this, too. What do you think?”

  “Is December too far away? We would be off school then, and we can go on our honeymoon.”

  “I like December. This is real now, isn’t it?” Emma asked with a grin.

  “Not quite. You haven’t announced your maid of honor yet. Who could that possibly be? I think you should choose someone who brought you guys together. Maybe she would even be someone who was in a fake relationship with Jasper to make you jealous. I’m just saying,” Sadie joked.

  “Real subtle.”