I think this is more than just puppy love

Emily POV

“Finally home!!!” I literally ran through the door. I wish I just knew that there about a hundred people inside ready to yell ‘surprise!’ I jumped back out and ran behind David. He laughed out loud. “Surprise.” My dad said coming out of the house.

“What are you talking about? I thought we were coming home to a quiet house.” I whined. My dad chuckled as he led us into the house. As soon as I got in people I knew and people I never seen started to tell me how glad they were to see me better. That got me thinking about what really happened while I was unconscious at the hospital. Right now I was at the snack table taking big spoons of pudding since my mom still thinks I can’t eat solid food yet. David’s mom came to stand next to me.

“Hi Mrs. Ashworth.” I said politely. I haven’t talked to her since before the incident. I have to admit it, I actually miss her.

“Hi Emily. How’s it going?”

“Pretty good. How about you?” She got a sugar cookie from the table. How much I wanted one of those. But I knew I couldn’t because I knew my parents and David were watching me to make sure I didn’t. Sometimes being cared for so much has it consequences.

“Better. Did you know when you were in the hospital and they kicked out David since the visiting hours were over, all he would do is pace around saying things like: what if she doesn’t make it, what if she loses her voice. Stuff like that. Do you know how many times I had to tell him to shut up?” I laughed. Good to know she still likes me. I searched the room for David. My eyes landed on him looking at all the photos of when I was a little girl. Oh god I never told him I wore glasses. He picked one up making almost all of them about to fall. When he put one back another was going to fall.

“You think we should help him?” I asked her.

“Nah I got it. Good to see you.” She smiled at me warmly before going over to help her. I walked away from the table and up the stairs. I stopped in front of my room. I avoided coming up the stairs so many times.

“You don’t have to go in there if you don’t want to.” I turned to...Greg?

“Oh hey Greg what’s up?” He smiled but his eyes...

“Nothing just seeing you struggle on going inside your room.”

“Oh its nothing.” I tried to wave off the subject with my hand but of course my nervous laugh gave it all away.

“Would you like a drink?” I was about to answer him when David interrupted him. “Emily.” He said it as he just found me. Wonder if he was really looking. Greg decided to keep talking as if David wasn’t behind him practically breathing down his neck. Scary as it sounds it looked like David was challenging him to do something.

“I mean you don’t have to. If you just want to go with David.” I looked between the both of them. Greg smiled nervously and David just looked at me. Me being the type of person I am, “Why don’t the three of us go together?” They both actually laughed at me. I’m guessing David got way to scary because Greg said never mind and walked away. David walked up to me, didn’t say anything, just looked at me until he slowly leaned down and started to kiss me. Being in the hospital for the two weeks that I was awake and constantly being watched didn’t leave me enough alone time with David. The only reason we pulled away was to catch our breaths.

“Do you know how much I missed you?” He asked, his voice husky. I nodded my head dumbly. He chuckled and started to kiss me again. I pushed him back. “Little retard. Don’t you know my parents are here?” I pointedly asked him. He looked me straight in the eyes and smiled. “Do you know my parents are here?”

“Shut up!” I pushed him and started to walk downstairs. He came up beside me and intertwined our hands together.

“Want to go outside? There’s a lot of stars out.” I laughed and nodded my head yes. He led me out the back way because both of our parents were by the sliding doors probably looking for us. He kept going past the other people and all the way to a river that I didn’t know was there.

“When did you find this?”

“Well when I got kicked out cuz visiting hours and my mom and dad came over I just wandered. I didn’t have anything to do.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“I thought you would like it. The moons out.” I sat down by a tree pulling David with me. I put my head on his shoulder while he lightly stroked my hair. We didn’t say anything. Just sat in comfortable silence.

“You know David...”

“What?” He seemed far away.

“Something wrong?” I sat to look him right in the eyes. He was looking back at my house.

“David?” Suddenly he turned to face me. His face was flushed with excitement. He couldn’t keep his smile off his face. Ok...

“Let’s go somewhere far.” He stood up slightly pushing me. “Sorry.” He pulled me up with him. I stared at him confused. Where the hell did that come from?

“What are you talking about?”

“Yeah somewhere far where we could get just forget what’s going on right now. Even if it’s just for a little while.”

“David I’m sorry but I don’t think that’s a good idea. If we just disappear then my mom is going to think something bad happened.” His smile slowly faded. I put my hand on his chest feeling his erratic heartbeat.

“Yeah you’re right.” He tried to hide the hurt in his eyes.

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” I started but he interrupted me.

“You so did not hurt my feelings. I’m David Ashworth.”

“Oh shut up.” I smiled trying to enlighten the mood. He just returned a small one. I pulled him to me before he could say anything else. Our lips attaching, David pushed me against the tree. I suddenly had this image of running on a beach laughing with the air going through my hair. David had come up beside me. As if we were playing tag. He grabbed me from behind lifting me up and turning me around to face him. I had put my arms around his neck. Since he was lifting me above the ground I had bent my head down to kiss him.

I got this big smile on my face. David pulled back confused. Now I know why he was so excited about just getting out of here going somewhere, anywhere. Feeling the freedom. I want it to. “Are you ok?” He asked me. “Let’s do it.”

David looked at me weirdly. And that’s when I realized what I said. “Not the nasty.” He laughed out loud. “I mean let’s do what you said. Get out of here.” I told him kind of fast so he didn’t quite understand me. “Let’s go somewhere we could just forget everything that’s happening right now.”

“Really? What happened to the ‘I don’t think this is a good idea Emily'?’”

“She ran away.” I smirked at him. He shook his head.

“And where would you like to go?”

“A beach.” David kept staring at me thinking I was going to keep explaining to him. But then he realized that I wasn’t so he spoke.

“Right now? Its almost winter you know.”

“No duh Sherlock! Somewhere far.”

“No need to make fun of me.” He said it childishly while kicking the dirt and looking down with a pout.

“Sorry. What do you say?” I noticed I was out of breath. Whoa...must have had an adrenaline rush.

“Are we going to tell our parents?” He looked slightly worried. Sometimes I wonder if the rebel side of David is an act. Time to tease him!!!

“Is David Ashworth actually worrying about getting in trouble with his parents?” I walked around him. Slow circles making him squirm.

“No! I thought you were worried.”

“Excuses!”

“You know what Emily...”

“Yeah I know I’m awesome.” I smirked at him. He gave me one of those looks as if telling me to run. I didn’t wait to hear what he said. I darted back to my house. Gosh I didn’t see how far we were. Of course David being as athletic as he is caught up with me quickly. He tackled me to the ground. Tackled me! Can you believe that?! We landed with oomph!

“David! Get your tub of lard off of me!”

“First of all we had this conversation before and the tubs of lard are my muscles.”

“Whatever makes you sleep at night.”

“It does!” I laughed and got up. He intertwined our fingers again. It like he doesn’t realize that every time he does that it sends little jolts of electricity up my spine. When we got to my back door almost everybody was gone. The only people left my parents were saying goodbye. David’s mom and dad were in the kitchen talking.

“Hey Mr. and Mrs. Ashworth.” I waved at them.

“Hello Emily.” Mrs. Ashworth said. David’s dad was busy looking at a paper on the counter. My mom and dad came in looking worried.

“There you are! Where have you been?”

I pointed at David who in return pointed at me. I smacked his hand away. He stuck his tongue out at me. “He wanted to show me something.”

“Whose is this?” David’s dad said before anyone could say something else. He looked up as if barely realizing he wasn’t at his house. I silently chuckled.

“That’s a homework thing from Emily for her English class.” That’s when I remembered that Ms. had gave me extra time to do it.

“I’m supposed to write an essay about how my parents met and how they fell in love.” I told Mr. Ashworth.

“Oh yeah I remember David telling us about that. Don’t y’all have the same classes?”

“Yeah I got stuck with him.” I smirked at David who slightly glared at me.

“Didn’t your mom request that y’all have the same classes?” Mrs. Ashworth asked.