Emma's POV
"I'm sorry I'm behind on time." Kevin said as he let himself in.
I totally forgot to bolt my door, hopefully I don't get a lesson in that someday.
"It's fine." I replied to him.
He didn't look as stressed as he sounded over the phone.
"How was your day?" I asked, and stood up to get him a glass of water.
*Who'd have thought?" He said as I got the water.
"Thought what?" I asked him, surprised.
"That we would be here, just under a year." He completed, flashing his pretty white teeth at me.
"Kevin, you don't have to be nice about what he did to you." I finally broached the topic. "
"I'm not being nice." He explained, "it's just unnecessary."
"No it isn't." I objected. "I've gotta know what happened. I mean, I don't really want to, but it happened because of me." I stuttered.
"The world doesn't revolve around you, Emma." He smiled and put a hand on mine on the counter top. "And even if it does, let it. Don't meddle."
"Kevin, things could've gone really South." I complained.
"We're grateful it didn't, aren't we?" Kevin replied.
"Kevin, please tell me what happened. Casey said it was bad and you were wounded." I pressed.
He looked more like he was getting pissed than pleased.
"Are you just trying to ask about him?" He asked me.
I didn't see that turn coming.
How could he think such a thing?
"How would you think such?!" I asked, pulling my hand away.
"It's just a logical conclusion." He looked away.
"You think I'd be asking you about Chase to find out about him?" m not gonna lie, when I said it out loud, it really did make sense.
"Precisely what I'm saying." Kevin replied.
"You're wrong." I fought the tears at the brink of spilling. "And if you think I care too much, or this isn't for you, you can always find your way out." I left him at the counter and angrily bounced on the two seater occupying a central position in my living room.
"I didn't mean it that way." Kevin said from where he stood, but I didn't reply.
I didn't want him to be a constant reminder of Chase. That would just have been disastrous.
I didn't want to be continually greeted by who I was running from.
"Emma." He started.
"I didn't have you here to constantly remind me of what happened, Kevin. If you feel like we can't have meaningful conversations around that circle, it might end up being an issue." I butt in.
"It's not you, Emma." He left where he leaned against the counter and put his hands on my shoulder.
"I don't think I wanna hear that speech." I said.
"It's not a speech, it's an apology." He replied, massaging my shoulders a little.
I rested my head in the seater, closed my eyes and soaked it all in.
I hated that his magic fingers were working the frustration out of me.
But I couldn't deny the ease and pleasure I felt.
"Can we grab dinner nearby?" He cupped my face and brought me to look at him.
His face was quite close to mine, and despite the fact that I was seeing him upside down, he still looked incredibly gorgeous.
"I want chicken." I gave in.
"Get dressed, I'll turn the car around." He said, and headed out.
I loved me a macho man, oops.
I bunched my fist and closed my eyes when I remembered Chase.
Shook the thought off, and I busied myself with picking out a dress that'd go.
I kinda had an idea to match with him, but it'd have been corny, I didn't want to do too much.
"You look pretty." Kevin said as I stepped out in the red knee length dress I finally settled for.
It's the first time I wore it, and it looked as pretty on me as it did in the store where I picked it.
"Thank you." I blushed. "Why are your arms that way?" I asked, trying to deflect.
"That's cause I got flowers on my way, but I was too eager to see you, I left them in the car." He explained, and kept his bright beautiful eyes lingering on me..
The streets were busy and noisy, but it couldn't drown out the romance in that scene.
I took the flowers from him and requested he open the passenger door for me, before I did something stupid like throwing my arms around him, or kissing him.
"You're beautiful, Emma." He repeated for the third time that night on our way to whatever restaurant he was driving to.
Unfortunately for me, it didn't sound repetitive like I expected it to. Each sound of his voice complimenting me shamelessly made butterflies swarm in my belly.
"Thank you." I gave the automated response I had given the previous times.
"You don't have to do that." He replied. "You don't have to respond every single time I say it, it makes me hesitant for a while. I wanna sing it as many times as I can till we're jammed in between strangers and I can't no more." He replied truthfully.
We settled for a rooftop restaurant, one with a nice view.
Massachusetts looked so different from up high. Watching everyone else scamper and go about their nightlife.
Men and women, everyone engrossed in their own little niches.
"It's crazy you know?" Kevin asked. We'd been looking in the same direction, and I knew he was seeing the exact thing I was, but I tore my gaze away.
Somewhere next to us, a guy was proposing to his girlfriend.
"What is?" I asked.
"Whatever she must be feeling to have said 'yes' to that guy." He replied.
"It's called love." I replied.
"I think it's more of a sacrifice on her part." He argued. "We can be a little too greedy as humans, beginning to want more and more of the other person."
"I agree." I took a sip of the red wine we'd been served, in an unsuccessful attempt to drown out the memories.
"Just so you know, I'd never treat you that way." Kevin said, and looked in my eyes.
A tear slipped past my defense,
"He's not a villain." I said.
"He's not a hero either." He replied.
"Yeah." I had to admit.
"I don't know what impression I created in you earlier, Em, but you can talk to me, I'm here to help you." He took my hand from across the table.
"Thank you." I croaked, locking eyes with the handsome young man, my one time Crush, and the guy who ease the emotional burden Chase had put on me.
"It's my duty." He smiled.
Maybe it was time for me to move on…