Page 47 of Right Where You Left Me
“Babe—”
“The inside jokes, the giggling. It was all just very… sweet.”
She still isn’t looking at me and I can’t take it anymore. I force myself in front of her, looking up into those golden green eyes I love so much and grab her face, pulling our foreheads together. “Sage. I do not like men.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
I reel back as if she slapped me. “Excuse me?”
“The way you two were together. I just don’t think— Emma this isn’t going to work out. You should go home and talk to Liam.”
What. The fuck. Is happening right now.
“Sage.” I say as evenly as I can. “I don’t like Liam. I don’t likemen.I’m not sure if all the sex we’ve been having has clued youin or not, but I very much likeyou.You are being ridiculous right now.”
“Ridiculous?!” She shouts, and I flinch. It’s been a long time since I’ve had her anger directed at me and I don’t like it. It’s scary, and I know that if I can’t get through to her she’s going to not let this go.
“Sage—”
“No! Listen, Emma. We had some fun, but I’m not going to let you break my heartagainwhen you decide to go back to him. So, I’m ending it now before you can. We’re done. You can leave.”
“I’m not leaving.” I choke out. I can feel the tears streaming down my cheeks. The air stinging my lungs as I try to breathe through this sharp pain in my chest. She’s not going to throw me away like this, I’m not going to let her. We have somethingreal. It isn’t just having fun. She’severythingI’ve ever wanted and I’m not going to run away just because she told me to.
“Emma, get the fuck out of here.” She snaps. She turns her back to me and storms toward her bedroom. I can hear the lock click and that sound is what breaks the dam. A sob rips from my throat. Why won’t she listen to me? I can’t do this. I can’t leave. I?—
I collapse on the couch and cry. My eyes burn and my head is pounding, but I can’t leave. I won’t. She has to come out eventually right? And when she does, we’ll talk about this rationally. She’s just letting her fear talk right now. She’s going to see that and everything is going to be okay.
The front door knob jiggles and River walks in, takes one look at me and immediately drops the groceries in his arms. The groceries that he got to makefamilydinner tonight. Oh my God, this is ending. I can’t— I sob even harder and River’s eyes widen in concern.
“What the fuck, Emma? What is it, cheri? Where’s Sage?” He scoops me up and wraps me in his big arms. It’s like a cocoon of warmth and love and I press into his chest, my tears soaking his shirt.
“In her room.” I manage to get out.
“In her— and why are you out here crying all alone?” He asks, his voice getting heated as he looks at Sage’s closed door. “What the hell did she do?” He mutters under his breath in French, I’m sure cursing the situation he just walked into.
“She broke up with me.” I whisper. His body stiffens beneath me.
“Emma.” He sighs. “What happened?”
I tell him about Liam, about the lunch that I should never have made her go to with me. I tell him about how I planned to apologize, but the second we got here she shut down and ended things.
“Shit.” He says when I’m done.
“About sums it up, yeah.” I mumble.
“Emma.” He shuffles me so that I’m looking at his face. “I am always Team Sage. She’s been my best friend since we were twenty-two, and she’s been there for me through a lot of bad shit that’s happened in my life.”
I nod. “Of course.” I say and try to get up, but he hugs me again.
“But,” He starts. “She is wrong here. I’m not going to tell you that everything is perfect or that she shouldn’t be hurt. But she did over react, and I know she’s processing some of her own shit with this, I’ll talk to her okay? I’ll try to make it better. You two have something special, and I promise I’ll try to get through to her.”
I let out a breath. “Thank you.”
He squeezes me one more time and lets me go. “Do you want me to drive you home? I don’t know if you should drive when you’re this upset.”
I shake my head. “I’ll be fine.”
“Text me then? When you get home. So that I don’t worry.”
