In Your Wake

Broken Hearts

Emily's POV

"I think I should follow Mark." Noelle spoke up for what seemed like an eternity.

She turns her head my way and flashes me an apologetic smile. Her eyes are sympathetic and I know that she will talk to me when I leave.

"Emily, I am sorry for all of the commotion." Maria quickly apologizes and then looks at Jake and something in my heart breaks, "I didn't expect for him to come and trust me, it was a surprise for the both of us." A sad smile breaks through her lips and something in my heart breaks a little more, "Of course, the surprise differs. I don't understand why he didn't book a hotel room or something, but he has been searching all day and I am sure he will find something for the both of us."

"The both of you?" My mom and I asked simultaneously.

"Yeah." She nods her head, "I haven't seen Jake in a year, Adele. To say that I missed him would be the biggest understatement. I want to spend some time with him before he goes back again."

He has just come back and she is already talking about his trip back. He really hasn't changed one bit, hurting everyone with the constant reminder that he will be leaving again soon.

"Yeah, but you don't have to leave." My mom reasons, "I mean if Jake doesn't want to stay here then-- Okay, wait, no." My mom shakes her head and chuckles lightly, "I don't know what I am saying exactly."

"Look, I have no intentions of even staying here." Jake took a sip of his water before continuing, "So you really don't have to make a big deal out of this."

He has no intentions of staying here? He says that he has no intentions of staying here and yet he doesn't even make any sort of reservations. I don't know what or how this man thinks. I just can't understand him.

I don't want to do what I am about to do, but I know that this is the right thing to do. I don't have it in my heart to tell her that she has to leave. I know that she hasn't seen her son in a year, and she has gone through a ton of sh*t during the past year too. I don't want to add to that with all of this unnecessary drama.

"Well, you can do whatever you want." I told Jake and I waved my hand at him, "Maria, you can stay here and if he wants, he can too. I really don't mind. I was.... just surprised, that's all."

"Surprised? You call that---" Maria cuts Jake off.

"Shut up for god's sake, Jake. Have some respect."

My mother is smiling, like a really big, gigantic kind of smile. The kind of smile that almost breaks your face. The reason why she is smiling? I have no idea. I don't understand why she would be so happy with our current situation, but for some odd reason she is and I am not really keen on knowing why that is at the moment.

"I hope you decide to stay, Maria. I am genuinely speaking."

I am definitely not. I hope that Jake doesn't stay, but of course, I wouldn't mind if Maria stayed, but if that means Jake gets to stay then, I am sorry, but I prefer both of them to leave.

"I will go and talk to Mark. I will be back later." I told them, not giving any of them the time to talk to me, and I tried my hardest not to bolt right out of the house.

I inhale deeply just as the cool night air hits my face. I feel like I can finally breathe again now that we are not in the same house. I can't believe that he is here. Jake is back in France, in my town, and in my house.

In. My. House.

Why? Why couldn't he have just called her and told her to meet him anywhere else but at my house? I mean why come to my house and take the risk of meeting me? Why would he want that? He knows that it is inevitable, yet he is here anyway.

"Are you okay?"

I lift my eyes to see Noelle standing before me, her eyes apologetic.

"I'm fine." I offered her a small smile to put her at ease, "I just didn't expect that to be the great surprise."

"I promise I wanted to tell you but when I found out, your mom begged me to give her a chance to talk to you about it. I don't know why she wants you to give him a chance but--"

I held up my hand, interrupting her.

"She wants me to give him a chance?"

"Yes." She answers, then her eyes widen, "No, she doesn't want you to give him a chance that way. I mean, I guess she does want you to. Look, I don't know." She sighs, "All I do know is that she doesn't exactly want him to leave."

"Why?"

"I don't know, so you should definitely ask her and not me."

I shake my head, praying that all of this will just blow over by morning or, by some crazy miracle, in the next fifteen minutes.

"I don't want to even know the answer." I started to walk down the stairs with her by my side, "Where is Mark?"

She grabs my arm and stops me, "You are seriously going to talk about Mark? You are not going to talk about him?

I shrugged, "There is nothing to talk about really. He is not going to stay, and I won't have to see him, so we are all good."

"Are you really, though?"

I don't know. I don't exactly feel anything, and I don't know what I should feel, so I guess that I am okay.

"Yes."

"He is standing by your car," Noelle says and points to Mark. "I have never seen him hurting this much before, Emily. I think this time it is really over."

I know what she means, and it pains me so much to see him hurting this way.

I called Mark two days after the Jake incident when I thought that I was mentally ready to speak with him. I had already been feeling guilty that I delayed calling him. I had no idea if his father was okay or not, or if he was doing okay or not. When I did return his call, he was relieved that I had decided to give him a chance.

I had been too doubtful about whether I should tell him why I didn't receive his calls, but I had decided against it. Now that Jake is back in our house, I am sure that I have made the better choice.

Mark and I made up and we soon fell back into our normal routine. Surprisingly enough, we didn't find it awkward at all to communicate given the one-month gap. He told me everything about his father and what was happening at the time.

Mark's father passed away a few days later after he started college there in Texas. I booked a flight the second the words came out of his mouth and I was there in Austin just in time for his father's funeral. A few days later, Mark decided to transfer to WSU and that is how Mark ended up here at our house in France for the second time in a row.

Having him in town has been the best thing that has happened to me this summer, and him being around takes my mind off from everything and keeps me from sinking into my own thoughts.

"Hey."

Mark lifts his eyes and as soon as they meet mine, my heart clenches. He walks up to me and wraps his arms around my figure, his arms enclosing tightly around me.

"Emily." He breathes my name so softly, "Tell me the truth, please. Tell me."

Which one?

"Mark, everything is fine. I'm alright, okay?"

He pulls back and his hands cup my face, "You're not lying to me, are you?"

I smiled softly at him, "You are just looking for an excuse to kick him out of the house, aren't you?"

His face breaks into a smile and that is all I am looking for.

"You cannot blame me though."

No, I can't. Because this time I want the same thing.

"So, since everything is cleared out. Why don't we spend the night out?"

Noelle suggested and wiggled her eyebrows at us. "We can go and get drunk." She bites her lips.

"Yes."

"Bad idea."

"You are a party pooper, Emily." Mark comments, "Let's go and get drunk tonight."

I crossed my arms over my chest.

"And how many drinks will that take? One glass? Or perhaps two and you will be passed out."

He bumps his shoulder with mine, "I am not a lightweight, well at least not anymore. Plus, what are we going to do if we don't go out?"

"We can talk about what is bothering you."

"Lame." Noelle sticks her tongue out as though disgusted, "We can just drink our night away."

"What is going on with you two?"

"Nico." She says simply and then quickly changes the subject, "Come on, Emily, let's go."

"Yeah, Emily. Be our designated driver if you don't want to drink." Mark held both of my hands tightly as though his life depends on me right now.

"Whatever." I relent, "Whatever. I'll just go and get my car keys."

Mark reaches into his back pocket and raises my keychain into the air.

"I already got that covered." He smirks.

I move my finger between the two of them.

"Did you two...?"

"One glance and we both are thinking of the same thing. Broken hearts get each other." Noelle chants as she climbs into the car.

"God, help me please." I rolled my eyes as I stepped into the car after her.

"Ohh, tonight will be amazing." Mark smiles and drums his hands on the dashboard as I pull us onto the road.