Page 13 of False Start
This entire time, I’ve beaten myself up for my mistakes and wallowed in pity. But she’s right. In all that time, I’ve forgotten to give myself a little bit of grace, and remind myself that I was only seventeen. I was just a kid, making decisions based on fear and hurt. I’ve grown a lot since then, thanks to therapy, and learned from my mistakes. While I have a lot of growing and learning to do still, I need to give myself credit for trying now.
“Thanks, Emilia. I didn’t know how much I needed this until now.”
“That’s what friends are for. Or, at least, I hope we’re friends after you left snot all over the neckline of my dress,” she teases, and I look down to see a giant wet spot on the neckline of her dark red dress.
I burst into laughter, and it honestly feels so good to genuinely laugh like this.
“Yeah, we can definitely be friends.”
“Good. Because like it or not, we’re in this together. And thank you for sharing all of that with me. I know it must’ve taken a lot, so I’m glad you felt like you could.”
“It feels easy to talk to you. Like we’ve been friends our entire lives.” Talking to her has lifted a small weight off of my chest, making me feel a bit lighter. I’m still bogged down with so many emotions, but talking with Emilia feels like talking to Lainey or Bellamy..
“I was thinking the same thing.”
I wipe my cheeks off and we continue to talk as Brayden and Beckett walk over.
Beckett throws his arm over my shoulder and winks at me and then Emilia. “What’s going on over here, ladies? Let me guess, you’re talking about how handsome and irresistible I am.”
I make eye contact with Emilia and we burst into laughter that has me clutching my stomach from how much it’s shaking.
“In your dreams, Becks. First of all, I know too much about you to ever date you. Second,” Emilia says as she pulls my arm and drags me toward her. She wraps her arm around my waist and puts her head on mine, smiling at the boys. “This one here is mine. So run along.”
She smacks a kiss on my cheek, and I lean into her, soaking up her hug for as long as she’ll let me.
“Don’t ruin my fantasies, Em. It was just getting good,” Beckett teases, and we all laugh. “Anyway, we came to ask if you ladies wanted to join us for some dancing downstairs.”
Emilia looks at me, still wrapped in her hug, and smiles. I nod my head, and let myself be led to the dance floor.
I might feel a little bit lighter after talking to her, but there are still so many emotions and questions to sort through.
Chapter 6
Kailyn
The weekend rolled by faster than I anticipated.
My family helped me move all of my things into my new apartment, and of course, that was a fun time.
My mom took charge right away, delegating tasks to everyone. My sister and I went through all of my personal items while the boys were tasked to bring in all the boxes, which wasn’t much, honestly.
The apartment was fully furnished and I didn’t have anything except my clothes, toiletries, and massive book collection. It didn’t take too long to bring everything up, but I left some stuff still in boxes that I’ll get to when I have the chance after work.
As I walk into my new office at work, I take in everything around me, from the medium sized desk on the back wall, a computer monitor and keyboard and some chairs opposite the desk. It’s a bit bare, but it still makes me smile to see an office that has my name on the door, even if it’s only on a temporary placard.
It reminds me that I’m on probation this season, havingto earn my spot or be let go and start over with a new team. Despite that, I still want this office to feel like mine in some small way, like maybe adding some pictures or plants to liven up the space.
It also makes me more determined to earn my place with the Blaze and see a permanent placard with my name on the door.
A knock on my door has me swinging my head to see who’s looking for me, and I’m greeted with the lovely sight of Emilia holding two drinks in her hand.
“Happy Monday.” She sings in a cheery voice that has me rolling my eyes and suppressing a smile.
“It’s too early to be this chipper, girl. I know it's eight a.m., but in less than an hour, I'm gonna have over fifty guys in and out of the Physical Therapy room, and I already know it’ll be a long day.”
“Exactly why I brought you some iced chai. It’s nothing fancy, but I ran into Brandon in the hall and he mentioned you don’t really drink coffee and he said this was your favorite. So I stopped by the cart in the lobby and got you this.”
She hands me the cup, and I’m so grateful that she’s here with me.
