Untouchable

Emma thought. She thought of all the times Cody had said he loved her—promised to never leave her. In a mere second, all of the inaccurate feelings he had toward her came flooding back in. And all of a sudden, Taylor didn’t seem worth trusting with her heart.

“I can’t.” She stared at her clasped hands settled in her lap.

“You can’t love me?” Taylor’s voice was manipulated by the pain he felt.

Emma knew that she couldn’t love him, but that was too hard to say. Selena walked past the Ferris wheel just in time for Emma to think of an excuse. “I told you I was scared of heights. I want to get down from here.”

Taylor was surprised. “Sure, Em. If that’s what you want.” Taylor motioned to the Ferris wheel operator and Emma released a light scream when the machine jerked. Taylor reached out to grasp her shoulders reflexively, but let go when she flinched away.

Once she was back on her feet, she said, “I can’t love you. It hurts me too much.” Emma ran after Selena and tried desperately to forget about the sad-faced boy she’d left behind.

Several days later, Emma was still mulling over the idea of loving Taylor. Her heart screamed at her, telling her to love him. But her head was a bit more reluctant. It yelled to love him, but to be careful.

Taylor and Emma hadn’t broke up because of what she’d said, but they weren’t being very warm toward each other. Emma was taking him to have dinner with her parents that night and she wasn’t exactly happy about it. She knew that her father would be angry and her mother wouldn’t approve of Taylor whatsoever. She could care less what her siblings thought of him or if they were still on this planet for that matter.

She sat in her car outside of Selena’s home and thought of how her life had changed so rapidly. It was a hard thing to take in all at once. Selena was thrust into her life and Taylor followed. Emma had discovered the love of a best friend and the love of a boy in the same week and it was humbling yet terrifying.

An insistent tapping on her car window startled her. Emma rolled down the window, still engulfed in her trance.

“She’s been in that house for days,” a familiar voice sounded off in Emma’s distracted brain.

“I’m sorry, Kellan. Just give her time and she’ll come around,” Emma advised and stepped out of her car.

Kellan didn’t seem to take her advice. “What if she doesn’t? I need to see her.”

“I’ll talk to her and see what she says,” Emma replied. “I’m taking Taylor out to dinner with my parents soon. Come back in an hour and see if you can talk to her. I’ll convince her to open the door for you.”

Kellan smiled gratefully, but his expression changed briefly. “Tell him you love him. I know you do even if you’re scared to admit it.”

“Are you psychic? Seriously, how the hell did you know I was afraid of committing to him?”

He laughed. “Because, face it. I’m basically like your big brother and I just know these things. You‘re already dating him, so that means you‘re already committed to him. Admitting that you love Taylor is not going to change how amazing your relationship is.” Kellan stared over Emma’s head at the house settled behind her. “I know how it feels to be the one who’s in love with someone who doesn’t love them back.”

Emma stared at him in a different light. “Are you—”

“Tell Selena I’ll be back later,” Kellan informed as he turned to walk away.

Emma glanced at Selena’s bedroom window and walked up to the front door. She knocked on the door lightly. “Open the door, Sel. I already know you can hear me.”

Selena opened the front door slightly and stalked back up her stairs. Emma stepped inside and shut the door behind her.

“Don’t forget to lock it,” Selena shouted over her shoulder.

Emma sighed and did what she was told. “This is ridiculous, Selena! You can’t stay cooped up in your house forever! Sooner or later you’re going to have to stop being afraid of Steven!”

Selena stopped walking abruptly and turned around with tears in her eyes. “You’ve only known me for a month! Don’t judge me like my mother does!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it seem like I’m judging you.” Emma strode forward to give Selena a hug. “And you know that I know you better than anyone else and I would never think of judging you.”

Selena grinned slightly. “I know. That’s why I love you. Nice dress, by the way.”

Emma accepted her compliment gracefully. “What are you going to do about Kellan? He was outside the house again.”

“Did you tell him I didn’t want to see him?”

She sighed. “No. I told him to come back in an hour.”

“Great, thanks. Now I have to actually open the door and talk to him,” Selena paused in thought and a dark grimace crossed her features. “Tell him I’m not going to be here to open the door if he decides to show his face. I’m going somewhere.”

Emma laughed. “Sure. Where are you going to go?”

“Away. I’m going away.”

“Sel, even if I told him that, he would never buy it. You’re scared to leave your own home.”

“It’s a precaution.”

Emma clapped her hands together when she heard the car horn outside. “Taylor’s here! Gotta go! Can I leave my car here?”

Selena held her hand out for Emma’s car keys. “Sure.”

“Thanks, Sel!” Emma hugged her best friend briefly and glided down the staircase. Selena called out to her once she’d reached the bottom stair.

“Em,” Selena called to her friend. Emma turned to smile at her. “I’ll never find a better friend than you.”

Emma smiled brightly. “I won’t either.”

The stoplights were bright as Taylor passed under them. Emma focused on her purse to keep from getting sunspots in her forest green eyes. She scanned over what Kellan had told her earlier about Taylor in her mind.

“You’re really thinking hard about something.” Taylor’s voice broke the silence. It echoed emptily in Emma’s mind.

Emma half-lied through her teeth. What choice did she have? “I’m just worried about Selena. She‘s been scared to come out of the house.”

Taylor frowned. “Because?”

“It’s nothing. Nevermind.”

“Why are you acting so distant toward me?

Emma ground her teeth together. “Because that’s what I do when I’m scared of something. Don’t you understand that I’m afraid to be in love with you?” She yelled loudly as Taylor parked the car at the restaurant. “Let’s just go in and pretend to be the happy couple that we’re not!” Emma stepped out of the car and Taylor followed behind her.

“I’m happy to see that you care so deeply for me, Emma. It’s so heartwarming to know.” Taylor whispered angrily as he opened the glass door for his frustrated girlfriend.

Eric and Eliza Roberts stood in the middle of the restaurant arguing with the waiter. “We made reservations a week ago for this table and we better get it,” Eric threatened with Eliza’s arm slung around his waist.

“Yes, sir,” the waiter nodded.

“Hi, Eliza. Hey, Dad.” Emma smiled and looped her arm through Taylor’s. “This is Taylor.” Eliza’s nose scrunched together and Emma could spot the disapproval on her face.

Eric stepped forward and shook Taylor’s hand. “I’m Eric and this is my wife, Eliza.” He turned to his daughter. “Darling, I thought you were with that Cody boy.”

“No, Dad. Not anymore. I haven’t been for a while.” She turned her head to the side so that she may roll her eyes. Emma was growing more and more annoyed.

Eliza intervened as Eric talked to the waiter once more. “Cody was a nice boy, quite civilized and well-mannered. Didn’t you love him, sweetheart?”

“No, I didn‘t.”

Eliza shook her curls. “What a shame. He was so handsome, not to mention suitable for you. I don’t understand why you’d have feelings toward anyone short of that.” She purposely glanced at Taylor. “Are you sure you don’t love him?”

Taylor had heard enough and his voice was full of fury. “I love your daughter whether or not she loves me back and I’ve just about had it with all your snide remarks and stares.” He grasped Emma’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Emma pulled her hand away gently and faced her step-mother again. “I don’t love Cody and I never will! Do you want to know why? Because I have something that’s called a boyfriend and I love him, so I suggest you get off your high horse and stop acting like you’re the Queen of England because you didn’t exactly marry a prince!” She grabbed on to Taylor’s hand and moved out of the glass doors.

Once outside, Taylor smiled. “You love me?”

“Yes, I do, damnit! I’m so tired of trying to lie to you and my heart. I love you, Taylor!” Emma yelled over the buzzing cars, her hands clenched in to fists.

“I love you, too, Emma,” Taylor gasped with urgency. He grabbed each side of Emma’s pale face and kissed her with a passion that could force the sun back in to the evening sky. With their eager lips moving together impatiently, Emma felt something deep inside catch fire. And it spread. To her arms, her legs, her heart, the butterflies in her stomach….

Taylor groaned and broke away as his phone rang out into the occupied parking lot. “Hello,” he asked, agitated. A few seconds passed and Emma could hear someone panicking on the opposite line. “Call the ambulance! We’re on our way.”