Page 12 of Make It Without You

So. Adorable. “Hi.”

“Come in.” Emily says as she opens the door wider for me.

It’s the first time I’ve ever seen the inside of her house. Even with the people that lived here before her family, my family never ventured over here. It’s grand. But also warm.

The entryway is painted a muted blue with oakwood floors and a mosaic runner leading to what I’m assuming is the living room. A sitting room is right off to the left with stiff-looking furniture, an unused fireplace, and a coffee table that looks like it was freshly waxed.

Emily closes the door behind me. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Sure.”

She walks toward the kitchen with me following.

The warmth of the house doesn’t hit until we reach the living room that opens to the kitchen. An expensive, but worn, black leather couch takes up the majority of the living room. Seasonal pillows are spaced haphazardly on the seats with throw blankets in baskets and one crumpled on the couch. Pictures decorate the walls. Some of Emily and portrait shots of the city I’m assuming she’s from, along with some beach stills.

“Is water okay?”

“Yeah. That’s great. Thank you.” My attention moves to the spacious kitchen that overlooks the family room. It’s quiet. Way too quiet for a Saturday. “Is it always like this here?” My house is the complete opposite if my brothers aren’t still asleep.

Emily turns to answer me with a tinge of pink on her cheeks. “No. Not all of the time. My parents are usually home. But like I said last night, they had to fly to New York at the last minute. And our housekeeper only works for a few hours on the weekends.”

“So you’re home alone a lot?”

Her shoulders lift up in a shrug. “Yeah. But it’s really not a big deal.”

I can tell by the tightness in her response that it is a big deal, but I choose to let it go. For now. “Well, I am now claiming myself as your weekend buddy.”

“A weekend buddy?” Emily asks with a quirk of her eyebrow as she places my water in front of me.

“Yeah. Every weekend we hang out. Do homework, study, practice, read, watch movies, and eat food. A weekend buddy.”

“That sounds like a normal relationship.” Emily can’t hide the smile even if she wanted to.

I fake think about that for a second. “Woah! I like that better.”

“You’re silly. Come on. Let’s get to our homework.”

I follow Emily up the stairs to her room. Which is double the size of mine.

“Wow! Your room is huge.”

“I guess. When we went back to New York for the summer, my parents had my room remodeled. They wanted me to have a study room/ practice room. So this part of my room is completely soundproof.”

“Really? That was thoughtful of them,” I tell her.

“Yeah. It was.”

Emily rifles through her backpack for her books and sets them on her desk. I’m sure she can feel the hole I’m burning in her face as I wait for her to meet my eye.

“You can set up on the couch and use the coffee table if you want.”

Her mood has shifted fast and I wonder if it has to do with her parents. I don’t want to pry but I want the playful girl from last night, the one who asked me to dance as the movie credits rolled. I look at the girl before me, burying herself in her work. Is it a mask? Is she hiding her pain? Does she wish her parents were more involved? I want to know her.

“Emily?” I have to tread lightly.

“Yeah?” She responds without looking at me. Her pencil moves as she writes down notes that probably won’t make sense.

“Are you okay?”

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