Amidst love and heartbreak

Emily and the particular encounter

Emily's POV

All my life I have been a good girl. My parents were always there for me and I tried not to give them any trouble. In high school, I had many friends but never a best friend. I was always keeping superficial relationships with whoever I met, always being polite and respectful but never shared my secrets with anyone. 

We moved a lot from one State to another so I barely got to really know anyone. Everything changed when it was time for me to start college. 

Being a very good student, I had many options open. My parents offered to pay for everything since they had saved all their lives for this moment. But as much as they could offer, I didn't want to limit myself to one profession all my life.

I love children, taking care of them and I see myself teaching in the future. I also love reading and writing, so here comes my second choice of English literature. And to be honest I see myself writing as well. Why not: writing children's books?

But having a double major was not an easy job to do. Balancing the lesson and the assignments was never that easy. That brought a non-existent social life and let's not even mention a not-imaginable love life. 

I would not have had any friends during college as well if it wasn't for Aron. He has been my first friend in this town, my closest thing to a best friend, and the first to light in me the sparks of more than friends. We've been teasing and flirting with each other for a long time now, but I being the very focused type and him being the shy polite type, never gave us the opportunity to explore what this weird relationship we had could bring.

I had my plans, focus on school, graduate, and then have a boyfriend or social life for what matters.

This plan was thrown in the trash by none other than Mister Ethan. He came into my life just like Aron, trying to find the stupidest excuse to talk to me. The difference between the two was very clear though. 

While Aron was sweet but joking all the time, Ethan went on full force with the flirting. He seems like the person that never takes no for an answer and I don't like it. He texts all the time and for starters, I have no idea how he got my number. Then he wastes no chance to ask me out, which to be fair I am sort of interested in.

I don't know what is really happening to me, but when my phone pings or vibrates, I jump to read what he wrote this time. In the beginning, it started as a push and pull, because I didn’t like him. I never liked to be a sheep, as I call the ladies that go after one man without noticing that he is just playing them. Yes, you heard it right. He is a player, as far as I have seen, and I wanted to keep myself far from him. Then he started to push everyone away and give me attention, which I don’t know why but I like.

What Miss Maggie told me to go out with him, I didn’t know what to think. She told me to get to know him and give him a chance to expose himself. Well, that I am doing right now and I hope it goes for the best.

I went straight for the diner. I know that Ethan might be there because he hangs out there all the time, at least that’s what he has told me. I opened the door and went straight for my favourite table and the left side of the diner. I didn’t scan the place because between me and me, I had already decided that I was not going to make the first move if he was here. I took out my laptop and notebook. Making it look like I am here to study and grab a bite. 

The diner is pretty quiet now so I might as well get some work done. I don’t hear his voice so he probably is not here. Once deciding that, I open the laptop but take out my phone in case someone, anyone, tries to contact me.

In less than ten minutes my phone vibrates and when I look at it I start feeling a bit excited. 

Ethan: Hey love, how are you?

Emily: Hello to you, too. I am fine, thanks.

Ethan: What are you doing?

Emily: Getting some studying done. 

Ethan: What kind of study?

Emily: Boring stuff your little brain will fail to understand, even if I explain to you.

Ethan: I am intrigued. Do you want some help?

Emily: What can you help me with? 

As soon as I pressed send I knew I served it to him and I was waiting for the s****l reply. Here we go… one… two… three… ping. My phone pinged to notify me that there was a new message.

Ethan: I have some ideas but you might not be happy with them. 

 Emily: I don’t want to hear your ideas.

Ethan: Then what about we share an amazing banana split after you are done with your delicious hamburger.

But, how does he know I am eating as well. I didn’t even tell him where I was. My first instinct was to raise my eyes and search for him in the room. As suspected, I found a set of brown eyes looking at me with amusement. My heart skipped a beat but I was kind of angry as well with him. He has been here all the time and hasn't said anything. He stood up from his seat and came to my table.

"Hey, gorgeous. Nice to meet you here," he said but I was still trying to keep the act of the tough girl.

"Hey, deceiver. What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you. Where is the side dish?" He asked and ignored my question.

"What do you mean? I don't like potato chips or fizzy drinks. What else should I have,"

"I was not talking about food, Emily," he said and I finally realized that he was talking about Aron. A sense of protection came through me at the moment.

"Don't call him that. He is my friend," I said with anger in my voice.

"Well, he is always attached to you…" he trailed the sentence but didn't finish. I lowered my head back to my notes and took the pen to scribble something, I don't know what. I just didn't want to continue this conversation with him.

" I am sorry, love. I will not call him names anymore," he said in a tone I didn't recognize. I was used to his teasing or flirting tone, but this one was different. It seemed like he actually cared. Impossible if you ask me.

"Apology accepted," I said with a smile. Aron was all the time attached to me, though, but the way he called him I really didn't like.

"What are you working on?" he asked and I raised my eyebrows.

" Like you are actually interested in knowing what I do," I said sarcastically.

"But I do, though. I want to know everything about you," he said not in the teasing voice he uses normally. It made me feel like it was true. Was it? Was he really interested in me? 

"I am finishing up my last assignment. These next two weeks I will have three more final tests and I am done," I say in a cheery voice. I am feeling a little bit proud of myself. After all this effort, I will be free to do what I really want and most of all I will be free to live my life. 

“Great, then you will finally have time for our date,” he said with his usual cocky smile on his face.

“Who said I don’t have time to date now?” I teased back.

“Then I will pick you up at 7 tomorrow. Give me the address and I will be there punctual,” he said without even blinking. It’s not what I meant though. It looked like I wanted to be invited. Not that I didn’t want to, but the idea was not to make it that obvious.

“I only said I have time to go on dates. I didn’t say I would be going on one with you,” I said just to make him feel a bit on the edge.

“I guess I deserved that,” he said and turned his head on the side to look out of the window. I didn’t want to make him feel embarrassed so I took the pencil and started scribbling ideas here and there, making it look like I was really busy. But after a couple of minutes, though I felt a little guilty or was it nervousness. I don’t know. I put my pencil in my mouth and before I thought it too well, I decided to make the situation a little less awkward.

“Maybe… you could have a bite with me now. I have already ordered but you can order something and we can talk. It will not be called a date, though. Right?” I asked just to make sure.

“Right. Just two people eating something in a diner and talking about stuff. No dating,” he said and I was less nervous.

He asked for chicken nuggets and french fries. I love them both but I needed something more filling today. In ten minutes both our orders came and we started eating in silence.

“So… how long have you lived in this town,” he asked, I guess to get the conversation started.

“It’s been only since right before college, so four years ago. What about you?”

“All my life. I know everyone, and everyone knows me. I left for a year to travel to Europe, though, right before college, so I am a year older than you guys,” he said and my interest got higher. Even though I travelled a lot during my childhood and high school, it was always in the states. I always wanted to travel to Europe. The culture, the literature. What’s not to love about Europe?

“Europe?” I asked trying to get more information about the topic of my interest.

“Yeah, I want to get out of this town and everyone. I have been here all my life and I needed a break. My parents were going through a divorce and I had enough of everything,” he said in a plain voice but his eyes showed a different story. My parents have had their ups and downs but are still together. I can only imagine what he went through with this.

“I bet it was a nice break,” I decided to say just to make the situation less emotional for him. He took a deep breath and the smile came back to his face.

“Yeah, it was. I loved Italy and Greece with all the amazing places and their culture. I went to Barcelona to check the “Sagrada Familia”. The black Mary was incredible. I went to the Vatican and checked the ruins of Rome. I read somewhere about this little country above Greece and the amazing nature in there,”

“What’s its name?” I was mesmerized and curious about it. Not that I had any plans to go there anytime soon.

“Albania. Endless crystal clear blue sea down south and amazing and potent mountains surrounded by greenery and lakes up north. And the culture is as old as Italy and Greece. I love that side of the world,” he finished his inspired description. Wow, he is impressive when he talks about something that really interests him. 

“Wow, good to know,” I didn’t know what to say any more than that.

“I will bring you for our first anniversary. So the sooner we get together the sooner we go there,” he finished and winked at me. The nerve this guy has. But a part of me was flattered.

"As if..." I said and lowered my sight to my notebook so he wouldn't see my blushing cheeks. but he took my hand in his and looking me in the eye he said:

"I promise, baby..." What do I say to this now?