Page 41 of Between Here and There

Rob’s brows knit together, his arms crossing over his chest, a skeptical look flashing in his eyes. He shifts his weight, not quite confrontational, but definitely not comfortable. “Huh. You, uh... seem like the last person I’d expect to be in a committed relationship,” he says, his tone light but laced with something more. Something accusatory.

My jaw tightens, but I don’t let him see the irritation creeping up inside me. I keep my hand on Emily, steadying her as much as myself. “People change,” I say simply, my tone controlled.

Rob scoffs, the sound low but biting, like he’s not buying a word of it. “Really? Because, from what I remember, you’re the guy who’s always keeping things casual, right? So what, you’re just going to string her along like you do with everyone else? Until you get bored?”

I take a slow breath, steadying myself. I’m not gonna let this slide. “Robert,” I start, my voice calm.

Before I can finish, Emily steps forward, cutting me off. She’s had enough too, and I can see the shift in her posture as she faces him, her chin slightly raised. “Hey,” she says, her voice low but firm. There’s no hesitation in her words, no room for argument. “You lost the right to care about me the secondyoucheated onme.”

The air shifts. Rob’s face pales, his smugness dissolving in an instant. He stumbles back, his arms dropping to his sides. For a second, he just stands there, blinking, like he didn’t see that coming.

“I—” Rob stammers, his bravado completely deflated. “That was… different. I didn’t mean—”

Emily’s gaze doesn’t waver. “Doesn’t matter,” she says, cutting him off again, sharper this time. “You don’t get to question my choices, especially not after what you did. So, no—whatever you think you know about Joshua, you’re wrong.”

Rob’s mouth opens as if he’s going to argue, but no words come out. His shoulders slump slightly, and I can see him struggling to regain his composure, but it’s too late. The confidence he walked in with is gone, and now, he’s just standing there, exposed.

Emily grips my hand, her fingers lacing tightly with mine. “Let’s go,” she tells me. With one final glance at Rob, she pulls me away, leaving him in the past where he belongs. I don’t say a word, just follow her lead as we walk in silence, her pace quick and determined.

We walk past Manang Linda, and she’s smiling. She lives for this stuff. She’s already whispering—loudly—to Freida. All I hear is “...always knew Joshua was the one…” I wonder what she says next.

We walk and walk, the weight of what just happened hanging in the air, but I don’t push her. I’ll go wherever she needs to go.

Eventually, we stop at the old treehouse in the middle of the neighborhood, one we used to play around with as kids. We don’t go up, we just stand beneath the towering trees. It’s starting to get hotter, now that the sun is making its way out from behind gray clouds. Emily wipes sweat off her forehead, but she doesn’t remove my hoodie. Instead she just turns to me, her eyes softer now, her voice small. “I’m sorry,” she says, her grip on my hand loosening slightly. “And thank you. I didn’t want to face him alone.”

I look at her, the strength and vulnerability in her all at once, and shake my head. “You never have to face anything alone when I’m here, Em.” I don’t know why I said that, but it feels right. We’re still holding hands, and I gently stroke her hand with my thumb. “And you were amazing back there. Tantrum-thrower, indeed,” I say to lighten up the moment.

Her lips curve into a small smile, the kind that makes something inside me twist. That smile—it mirrors the clouds parting after a storm. I want nothing more than to lean in and kiss her again, do anything to feel that electric pulse between us like I did just minutes ago.

But then the voice in my head reminds me, loud and insistent: that kiss wasn’t real. It was a quick-fix solution to make Rob jealous. Nothing more. The only reason we’re even here, standing under this tree, holding hands, is because we agreed to pretend.

Emily shifts beside me, her thumb brushing mine, bringing me back to the moment. She doesn’t know the war going on inside my head. She doesn’t know that every instinct I have is screaming at me to pull away, to protect myself from what this could turn into. But instead of letting go, I tighten my grip on her hand, holding on to her because… because I want to.

“You okay?” she asks, her voice soft, but there’s an edge of concern there.

I let out a small laugh and shrug, brushing it off. “Me? Always. Why?”

Emily raises an eyebrow, giving me that half-smile she does when she knows I’m full of it. “You just look… tense. Like you were thinking really hard about something.”

“Nah, just trying to figure out why the hell Manong Jose always wears socks with slippers. Deep thoughts, you know?” I give her a playful nudge, trying to lighten the mood.

She laughs softly, shaking her head, but her eyes linger on me a little longer. “Right. Keep your feet fetish to yourself.” And then we both laugh harder.

Her laugh does something to me—it eases that tight knot in my chest, just a little. I squeeze her hand, holding on a beat longer than necessary, and give her a grin. “Besides, you’re the one who just verbally drop-kicked your ex.”

She rolls her eyes but can’t hide the small smile creeping up. “I didn’t drop-kick anyone.”

“You kinda did,” I say, grinning. “And it was glorious.”

She smiles, but there’s something in her eyes now—something softer, warmer. And even though I keep making jokes, part of me wants to stay in this moment with her a little longer.

I feel that pull again, that familiar push-and-pull inside me that keeps me teetering between wanting more and holding myself back. I brush it off. For now, I’ll just go with it until we’re back in New York, until the show ends. When I’m back there and she’s out of reach, maybe I’ll be able to remind myself that this was all just pretend.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Emily

Haley’s hosting a game night at Lily’s. It’s apparently a regular thing within the past two years I’ve been gone. Josh and I enter, and the atmosphere is so different from when we stayed here a couple of nights ago.

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