Finding Heaven

Emily sidestory | I've Got You



Letting her feelings out made her feel better next day. She had cried until her eyes nearly bulged out, but it somehow helped her accept that Alex couldn’t be hers.

“Thanks, Dakota,” she said with a sweet smile.

Dakota looked at her worriedly, “Are you—“

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Emily looked up at Joshua, “Thank you to you too. I guess I won’t be here when you come back to Ontario, but I hope we can still see each other again.”

Joshua smiled and nodded his head.

“I’d better fix my stuff now. The flight’s really early tomorrow,” Emily excused herself. “Advance Christmas to you guys.”

“You too, Em,” Dakota said.

~

Emily had finished packing everything she needed. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and noticed how puffed out her eyes were.

How many times are you going to cry, Emily? she asked herself, holding back the tears.

Someone knocked on the door.

Joshua stood there, wearing a white shirt beneath a black leather jacket. His face was flushed and hands were inside his pockets.

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Oh, hi,” Emily offered for him to get inside and out of the cold. Joshua walked in, and stopped to stare at her luggage.

“Can you carry that stuff to the airport?” Joshua asked.

Emily smiled, “Yes.”

“Want me to help you?”

“You don’t need to trouble yourself, Josh. I can handle it.”

Joshua turned and looked at her with piercing almond eyes, “You’ve been crying, aren’t you?” he asked bluntly.

And then there it was again.

The pain on her chest started to smother her inside. It was painful. Love was painful.

“Hey—“ Joshua panicked when Emily broke down and fell to her knees. He quickly knelt next to her and calmed her down. “I’m sorry!”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help it…I don’t want to cry anymore...but it just won’t stop pouring…I know that I look so messed up right now—I’m so sorry.”

Without thinking, Joshua pressed her against his chest.

“J-Joshua?”

“It’s okay,” he whispered, his face turning red. “You can cry. I won’t look at you. Cry all you want.”

His chest felt warm and safe. It was a safe haven, somewhere she could cry. Joshua was someone she could lean on.

It was weird, since they’d only known each other for a short time. Look at the two of them now—holding each other in her room.

“It’ll all be okay,” Joshua told her reassuringly.

As Emily poured all of her emotions into him, she knew.

She knew everything would be all right after this.

~

After Emily had her emotional outburst, Joshua treated her to ice cream and sweets.

“There’s ice cream on your face,” Joshua chuckled, pulling out a hanky from his pocket and leaning in to wipe it off from Emily cheeks.

Emily tensed when the smell of his perfume signaled their proximity. Up this close, she noticed how handsome he really was. It was as if she had realized just now that Joshua was a guy too.

“Okay, all do—“ Joshua stopped abruptly, his eyes meeting hers.

They stayed still for a moment, until he averted his eyes, “Umm, sorry about that,” he continued.

Emily looked down nervously, “It’s okay.”

The awkward silence broke when an idea popped into Joshua’s mind.

“How about we go to an amusement park? My treat,” he grinned.

Emily raised an eyebrow, her lips slowly forming into a quizzical smile, “Are you sure?”

“Of course! Anything to make you happy.”

Her heart beat faster when he said that.

~

Emily screamed her lungs out at a rollercoaster, tears silently escaping from her eyes. The rush of the wind that caressed her cheeks felt good, and the velocity of the coaster made her feel as if her soul was being vacuumed out of her body.

She looked at Joshua, who had his eyes closed the entire ride.

After the coaster, they went to a bunch of other rides. They checked out the stalls, and Joshua had won a big panda bear for her.

“Thanks,” she said. “For cheering me up like this.”

Joshua grinned widely. “It’s nothing.” He looked straight ahead, and caught sight of the giant Ferris wheel.

He pointed at it, “Do you want to ride there?”

Emily nodded excitedly, and unconsciously grabbed Joshua’s hand to tow him towards the Ferris wheel’s line.

Joshua stared at their linked hands, and then looked up at Emily’s back.

Something throbbed inside him.

~

“Whoah,” Emily’s hands leaned against the glass of the cart.”I think I can see Fortsworth from here.”

Joshua chuckled, “You seem to be fascinated with high places, huh?”

Emily turned to face him and gave him her sweet smiles, “Yeah!” she exclaimed. “When
you’re up in high places, it’s almost as if you could reach the sky. Everything seems miniature around you, and somehow, you feel like you’re on top of the world, even for a slight moment.”

His heart sank briefly—

But not in a bad way.

It was the same as the throbbing a while ago when Emily’s hand grabbed his.

“Emily…” he began.

“Hmm?” Emily looked hopefully at him.

Her flight would be next thing in the morning, he reminded himself. “I’m glad you’re not crying anymore.”

Emily chuckled, “That’s because you’re with me.”

I’m in love with you, Emily.