Page 45 of Echoes of Us

“And you’re drunk,” she replies laughing. Our eyes remain locked before I notice her eyes move to my lips, lingering there.

For a moment, the world fades. What would it be like to close the distance? I look down at her lips, waiting to see if she moves closer. My breath quickens as I wait in anticipation to see what she does. Wait, what will I do? There is no way I can kiss her. That is taking it way too far and is wrong on so many levels.

“Emmaline? Where the hell are you?” I quickly snap back into reality when I hear Mills calling my name from the hallway. I jump back and quickly backpedal toward the door, my cheeks burning.

“Uhh…are you coming back down?” I ask breathlessly.

“Oh, um…no. I’m going to watch a movie up here. You go have fun,” she replies looking disappointed. I turn and leave the room. The thought of crossing that unspoken boundary still sends shivers down my spine.

Did that really just happen?

Chapter 49

Teagan

Did that really just happen?I swear she looked like she was about to kiss me… or let me kiss her? I shake my head at the thought. No way. She’s just been drinking. We’ve gotten so close lately, she was just checking on me. It was a weird moment and it’s over. My mind wonders again to the thought of ‘what if?’ If I had leaned in and closed the gap, would she freak out? No shit, Teagan. Of course, she would. She jumped back when Devan called me a dyke and just now at the sound of Mills’s voice. We weren’t even touching, and she freaked. A kiss would definitely ruin everything.

I put on a sports bra and finish getting ready for bed in the bathroom. I go into the hall and whistle for Eli. He comes running up the stairs, looking exhausted from his host duties all evening. I crawl into bed and scroll through Disney+ for the next movie on my list. I stop when I see ‘Lady and the Tramp.’ “Eli, why don’t we watch this for you? You can enjoy the pups. I can sulk over dogs having a better love life than me.” He jumps into my bed, facing the TV. I press play.

A few hours later, Eli is snoring at the foot of my bed. I am about to start another movie when I hear the screams of people counting down to midnight. FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE… an eruption of cheering and laughter fills the entire house. I smile at the thought of everyone enjoying Em’s party. Then, my heart sinks that I’m not with her at midnight. Not that anything would have happened. She made that clear earlier. Still, it would have been nice to share that moment with a friend instead of alone in my bed.

I must have fallen asleep shortly after midnight because I wake up in total darkness to the feeling of my mattress dipping behind me. I smile, knowing it is Emmaline. Her silent presence causes my chest to tighten. She lays her hand over my waist, snuggling into my back. I am about to turn over when I freeze. I feel her lips brush the back of my neck. I take in a deep breath and roll over to face her. She gasps slightly.

“Shit. I thought you were asleep. I’m sorry if I woke you,” she says frantically.

“It’s okay. How was the rest of the party?” I ask sleepily.

“It was a lot of fun, but I wish you had come down,” she replies.

“I’m glad you had fun. Did you get a midnight kiss?” I tease.

A few moments pass before either of us speaks again. Emmaline keeps sighing as if she is trying to figure out what to say.

“I was just kidding. I’m sorry if that joke upset you,” I finally say. I find her hand and squeeze, “Are you okay? You’re being weird.”

“I’m okay. I just… I’m sorry about earlier.” She says softly.

“Devan is an ass. Don’t apologize for him. You did nothing wrong,” I reply.

“That’s not…. Never mind,” she says and drops my hand.

“Please just tell me, Emmaline.” I ask.

She takes another deep breath. This silence is making me so anxious. I keep playing out the last few days wondering what she is apologizing for. “I’m sorry I ran out earlier. I thought… I thought you were going to try to kiss me. Then I heard Mills and freaked out. I’m sorry,” she finally says.

“Em, don’t…don’t apologize. I…I wasn’t trying to…or maybe I thought about it for a second. I… I don’t know. Maybe I did think about it, but I wouldn’t,” I ramble on. She moves her hand to my face.

“I’m not like that, Teagan,” she says softly.

“I know you aren’t. I’m sorry I shouldn’t…” I begin before she cuts me off.

“I can’t be like that. But all night, I kept replaying it…” She pauses for longer than I can handle, “And I realized…I don’t think I would have stopped you,” she finishes.

My pulse races. The space between us feels charged like it could change our friendship forever. I quickly shake those thoughts away.

“Emmaline, I won’t…I know you can’t or shouldn’t but…” Before I can finish, she closes the gap between us. Our lips meet, soft and tentatively. Both of us were hesitant to make any other movement.

Emmaline pulls back slightly, exhaling deeply. She presses her forehead to mine. “I’m scared, Teagan,” she whispers.

---