Page 69 of Since the Day We Wished

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Emma, I know you’re in there,” he said through the door. “Can you please let me in so we can talk about this?”

Emma walked back over to the couch and sat down, curling her feet up under her. Although it broke her heart to leave him standing there on the porch, she couldn’t face him right now.

She continued to ignore his knocks and Luke eventually got back in his car and drove away. She just needed time, she told herself. And she needed ice cream.

Emma walked into the kitchen and grabbed the entire carton and a spoon. She took it back out to the living room, sat down, and turned on the TV. She’d been so busy with her dog treat business and going out with Luke, her Netflix queue of shows to watch had been sorely neglected. Turning on a housewives reality show, she peeled off the top of the ice cream. It was time to take it easy.

She stayed on the couch all afternoon watching episode after episode of rich women in pretty dresses yelling at each other. As the evening rolled around, she had already binged two full seasons. Emma didn’t care much for the show, but at least it took her mind off things. The entire time, Riley stuck close to her side, knowing something wasn’t right with her.

The next morning, Emma woke up with a stomachache from eating too much ice cream and mentally wasn’t ready to go back to work. She wasn’t ready to face everyone yet, especially if they all thought what Jeremiah had said was true. And she didn’t want to break down in front of her students again, which she knew would happen one hundred percent. It might be better for her to stay put for another day and let it blow over.

After she got out of bed and made Riley’s breakfast, she sat down at her kitchen table and watched him eat. Her phone was left on the table and she was almost scared to open it. She had put it on silent when she got home yesterday and hadn’t checked it since. But if she wanted to take the day off, she would have to call Principal Kennedy.

Grabbing the phone, she ignored the texts, missed call notifications, and went straight for the stored number for Hadley Cove High. She’d never called out from a job a single day in her life, and she was nervous to do so now.

“Hey, can I speak to Principal Kennedy please? It’s Emma Wright speaking.”

“Oh of course, Ms. Wright, you poor thing. I’ll patch you through,” the secretary said in a pitying tone.

Emma took a deep breath, trying to focus on how she was going to phrase her words.

“Emma, hello,” Principal Kennedy answered. “How are you doing?”

“I’ve been better,” she said. “That’s why I was calling you. I don’t think I’m ready to come back yet.”

“I understand. Why don’t you take a couple more days to yourself and I’ll check in at the end of the week. How does that sound?”

She smiled, grateful for his understanding. “That would be wonderful, Mr. Kennedy. I’m sure I’ll be back to normal by next week.”

“Wonderful. And if you would just email me your lesson plans for this week, I’ll see that the sub gets them.”

“I’ll do that right now, Mr. Kennedy. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, Emma. Get some rest and don’t worry. Everyone will forget what happened in a few days.”

Emma let out a sigh. “I hope so.”

As she hung up, a weight lifted off her shoulders. It was a relief knowing she wouldn’t have to plaster on a brave face and go on as if everything were okay. Over the next few days, Emma stayed cooped up with Riley, only leaving to take him out for walks and exercise. She kept getting texts from Lisa, Kara, and Luke, but she ignored them all.

Lisa:Emma? Are you okay??? I can bring over some dinner later if you want...

Kara:Let me know if you need anything. I can be at your place in an instant.

Luke:Emma, please talk to me. I’m worried about you.

She wasn’t in the mood to talk. Riley was the only company she wanted to keep for now. Perhaps at the end of the week she’d feel different, but for the time being she was content with her hermit status.

Emma felt terrible for not answering Luke, but she wasn’t ready to do what she knew had to be done. She couldn’t come between Luke and his son’s relationship, even if she was the happiest she’d ever been with anyone.

As Emma’s thoughts wandered, she thought that maybe fate had other plans for her. When Chad came along, she was certain she would spend the rest of her life with him. But somewhere along the way, it changed. By the time they ended, he had made her feel worthless. Now, a small voice in the back of her mind whispered that Chad had been right all along: no one else would ever truly love her. It would have only been a matter of time before Luke realized he had made a mistake and left her, like Chad had done. She couldn’t bear the thought of being hurt again, and so she made the difficult decision to push Luke away. It was better to end things now, before she was left heartbroken once more.

A tear trickled down her cheek as she thought about ending things with Luke. Although they’d only been together a short while, it felt like they’d shared a thousand moments that she’d hold on to forever. Emma had fallen deeply in love with him, but now she to fall out of it.

How do even do that—fall out of love?

To ask one’s heart to deny the very thing that has awakened their soul is a task that borders the impossible. It’s like asking the sun not to rise, or the tides not to ebb and flow. Love is a force of nature that cannot be contained or controlled. It’s the spark that ignites a fire within us, and once lit, it is not easily extinguished. To deny the pull of our heartstrings is to deny our very nature, and to do so is a feat that few have been able to accomplish.

---