K. Robinson - Twisted Ties

What the hell is she doing with Sam if she’s dating Andy?

I was torn between getting the hell out of this house and checking on Emma. I knew I needed to talk to her, but now was definitely not the time. My protective side won, and I closed the space between them and me.

I grabbed Sam’s shoulder and pulled him off of Emma.

He spun around. “What the hell?”

“She has a boyfriend.”

“She never mentioned him, so I think you have her confused with someone else. Mind your own business.”

I laughed. “Emma is my business.”

“This is my house. Get the fuck out.”

“I’m not leaving until you let Emma go.”

He lifted his hand so that it was no longer wrapped around Emma’s waist. She stumbled a bit, but she managed to catch herself before she fell. It was obvious that she was drunk.

Where the hell is Andy?

“See, I’m not touching her,” Sam said sarcastically.

“She’s fucking wasted. She’s leaving with me.”

“I don’t think so. Get the fuck out.”

I ground my teeth together, trying to keep my cool. “She’s leaving with me.”

Sam stepped closer until we were inches apart. “I’m going to tell you one more time—get the fuck out of my house.”

I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but I was pissed off. I drew back and hit him as hard as I could. He dropped to the ground. I’d knocked him out cold with one punch.

Emma looked at me with dazed eyes as I stepped over Sam to get to her.

“Emma, you need to come with me.”

She only nodded as I wrapped my arm around her waist and led her to the door. No one got in our way as we walked out the door and back to my house. I was practically carrying Emma as we went.

I kept my arm around her as I unlocked my door and pushed it open. I stood in the doorway, debating on where to put her. The couch was the most obvious choice, but I didn’t want Ally to come home and see her. With the way she’d been tonight, I wasn’t sure what she would do if she saw Emma. I had no idea how long Ally would be gone, and I didn’t want to take a chance. I had only two other options—Ally’s room or mine. Again, things would definitely end badly if Ally came home and Emma was in her bed.

I knew it was stupid, but I carried Emma to my room anyway. I put her down on the bed and placed a trash can beside it in case she needed to puke. Her eyes stayed shut as I covered her up. I sat down beside her and watched as she slept. This was a big mistake, but I couldn’t leave her there with Sam. It was pretty obvious what he’d wanted from her. I wondered again where the hell Andy had been while his girlfriend had been out, getting trashed.

She moaned and opened her eyes. They widened in surprise as she stared up at me.

“Where am I?” she whispered.

“My house. You’re drunk.”

“Am not,” she mumbled as she closed her eyes again.

I couldn’t help but smile. She was always so damn stubborn. I made sure that she was lying on her side in case she got sick. Once I had her situated with a few pillows behind her to keep her from rolling over, I slipped silently from the room to go take a shower. On my way to the bathroom, I grabbed a pair of shorts from the dryer. After stripping down, I turned on the water and stood beneath the spray.

The simple thought of Emma so close and in my bed was enough for me to turn on the cold water.

“Get your head out of your ass. She’s drunk,” I said out loud to myself as the cold water covered me.

I knew I was avoiding the situation as I prolonged my shower, but I couldn’t help it. I loved her, and she was in my fucking bed. Drunk or not, it was enough to drive me nuts.

When the cold shower finally calmed me down, I shut off the water and stepped out. I took my time drying off before finally pulling my shorts on. I took a deep breath as I opened the door and returned to my room. Emma was still in the exact same spot where I’d left her.

I settled down next to her on the bed and moved the pillows so that she could roll over if she wanted to. As soon as they were gone, she rolled until she was facing me. I was silent as I watched her sleep. She looked so damn peaceful as she slept. She looked like the Emma I’d known long ago, not the person she was now. I couldn’t forget the look in her eyes when I stumbled across her on campus. In her sleep, her guard was down.

She mumbled something in her sleep. I leaned forward, trying to hear her better.

“Jesse.”

My heart started beating faster as she said my name again. She smiled in her sleep as she mumbled something else that I didn’t catch. She was dreaming about me—that much I could tell.

Her lips parted, and I couldn’t stop myself. I leaned forward a few inches and pressed my lips against hers. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help it. I expected to kiss her and move away. What I hadn’t expected was her reaction. She moaned and threw her arm around me as she kissed me back.

It was like the last two years had never happened. I was drowning in her as I kissed her with everything I had. My body was on fire, and I pulled her closer until there wasn’t an inch of space between us. She fit perfectly against me, just like she always had. I knew it was wrong to do this. She was with Andy now, but I didn’t stop. I kissed her lips, her cheeks, and down her neck.

When she pushed her hand between us and cupped me through my shorts, I nearly came right then and there. When it came to her, a simple touch was all I needed. It took everything I had to push her away from me. If I didn’t stop now, I knew I wouldn’t.

She opened her eyes to look at me. As I saw the tears in them, I felt as if someone had reached into my chest and ripped out my heart.

“Why did you have to ruin it all?” she whispered before she passed out.

I felt my world crumbling around me as I closed my eyes.

“Ugh, my head.”

My eyes snapped open at the sound of Emma’s voice. It took me a second to realize that I wasn’t dreaming. She was really in my bed.

She gasped as she opened her eyes and saw me next to her. “Where am I? Why are you here?”

“You’re at my house. I found you drunk at Sam’s house last night.”

“Oh god.”

“It’s fine. Don’t freak out. Sam was getting a little grabby, but nothing happened.”

“I don’t remember very much from last night. The last thing I remember is Sam handing me a drink. Actually, I remember him handing me a lot of drinks.” It was obvious from her tone that she was pissed. “Where was I when you found me?”

I didn’t want to tell her. “It’s not important.”

“Jesse, tell me where I was at.” She glared at me.

“You were still at his house. He had you up against the wall.” I felt rage fill me again as I remembered how I’d found her. Sam better hope that he doesn’t cross paths with me for a very long time.

“Fuck,” she groaned.

“It’s fine. I saw you before anything happened. I bet Sam has one hell of a headache though.”

“Why?”

“I punched him.”

She smiled for a split second before she winced. “Did you hit me, too? Because my head feels like it’s going to explode.”

“No, that wasn’t me. That was the alcohol.”

We were silent as we stared at each other. Emma seemed to realize that she was in my bed because the next thing I knew, she was throwing the covers off and trying to stand up.

“Where are you going?” I asked, afraid that she would run.

“I shouldn’t be here. I need to go.”

I wanted to ask her if she was going back to Andy, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I knew the answer, and I didn’t need to hear her say it. The thought of her and Andy together made me sick to my stomach.

“At least let me make you some breakfast. You can shower here, too, if you want. You’ll feel better once you’re clean and have some food in you,” I said, trying to get the image of her and Andy out of my head.

She seemed unsure. “I don’t know. I shouldn’t even be around you.”

“Please? We don’t have to talk about…anything. Just a shower and food, and then you can leave.”

She studied me for a moment before nodding. “Shower and food—that’s it. Then, I’m gone.”

“Deal.” I stood up and walked to my dresser. I pulled out a pair of my sweatpants and one of my shirts. “Here—you can wear these.”

I knew it was wrong, but I got some kind of sick satisfaction out of having her wear my clothes. I knew I should back off because she was Andy’s now, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted Andy to see her wearing my clothes. I walked out first to make sure that Ally wasn’t home. When I was satisfied that she wasn’t, I showed Emma where the shower was.

I left her alone and walked to the kitchen to start searching for food. I grabbed a bottle of water and a bottle of pills for her headache, and then I headed back to the bathroom. The door opened silently, and I walked in to put the bottles on the counter. I couldn’t help but look at the shower. The glass was fogged over, so I couldn’t see anything but her outline. I forced myself to turn and walk away before I did something stupid. I didn’t think she’d appreciate it very much if I decided to help her in the shower.

That thought brought back memories that I’d tried to bury. When we had been in London, I’d offered to help her shower. I’d promised to be good, but she hadn’t. I felt my body tighten as I remembered what that shower had led to. I focused all of my attention on making breakfast, so I wouldn’t think about things that could never happen again. There was no use torturing myself.