Perfectly Dysfunctional
Thirty three
“What?” Both Nathan and I said at the same time.
“Uh, well, I uh... H-he eh...”
“Emma, tell us,” Nathan half asked, half demanded.
“Well, when I was in that shop, I saw this guy talking to someone, and I thought he was sorta cute, so I kept glancing over, and I saw him talking to and older guy... a-and it was the guy who took me back here,” she said guiltily and I glanced at Nathan as she continued, “Well I saw them looking over at me and stuff but I didn’t think anything of it...” she said quietly looking down. I looked at Nathan who looked a cross between horrified, scared and a tad angry and then to Emma who was still looking at the floor, looking like she was about to cry.
“Emma, come here,” I said and patted the space right beside me. She was hesitant at first, but then slowly made her way over. I held my arms open for a hug, “It’s not your fault; you had no idea.”
“I know, but I still feel like shit for it,” she said quietly, not looking at Nathan. If I hadn’t seen her lips moving I wouldn’t have believed she’d even spoken.
I hugged her tighter and looked at Nathan, “Nath?”
“No, no, Emma, she’s right. It’s not your fault, not at all,” he looked at her, but she still didn’t meet his eyes. “Emma,” he leaned over and tilted her chin up over my shoulder to make her look at him, “I promise, it’s not your fault, I don’t blame you...” he tucked a bit of her fringe behind her ear and chuckled lightly, “C’m’ere.”
She sniffed and I let her go so that she could crawl over the bed and Nathan could hug her. “So... what, Dave knows where you live now?” I asked.
“Well, yeah...” he said as him and Emma pulled apart, “But he doesn’t know you’re here yet.”
“I don’t know if this will be of any help whatsoever,” she said, “But he was telling me that he and his son took a trip to Nottingham about a week to two weeks ago...” She began to trail off towards the end, and said it as if it was the world’s most useless piece of information, but I felt my stomach drop and I felt sicker than before. My head started spinning and my breathing became laboured, and Nathan launched himself across to me.
“What? What is it Jenny? What’s wrong?” he said both his hands on my shoulders, his head dipped down slightly so he could keep eye contact with me.
“That’s when we were in Nottingham,” I gulped, trying to calm my breathing rate. “When you told me about him, the bus crash, remember?”
“Fuck,” was all he said, his hands staying on my shoulders but his eyes looking to the bed for a moment.
“Where’s your anxiety meds?” Emma asked me.
“Oh, they won’t do me any good right now,” I said, and Nathan tilted his head back.
“Right, well, now there’s something worse that him knowing where I live,” he said simply.
“What could be worse?” Emma asked, half not wanting the answer.
He opened his eyes and looked right at me, “He knows that you’re living with me."
“Uh, well, I uh... H-he eh...”
“Emma, tell us,” Nathan half asked, half demanded.
“Well, when I was in that shop, I saw this guy talking to someone, and I thought he was sorta cute, so I kept glancing over, and I saw him talking to and older guy... a-and it was the guy who took me back here,” she said guiltily and I glanced at Nathan as she continued, “Well I saw them looking over at me and stuff but I didn’t think anything of it...” she said quietly looking down. I looked at Nathan who looked a cross between horrified, scared and a tad angry and then to Emma who was still looking at the floor, looking like she was about to cry.
“Emma, come here,” I said and patted the space right beside me. She was hesitant at first, but then slowly made her way over. I held my arms open for a hug, “It’s not your fault; you had no idea.”
“I know, but I still feel like shit for it,” she said quietly, not looking at Nathan. If I hadn’t seen her lips moving I wouldn’t have believed she’d even spoken.
I hugged her tighter and looked at Nathan, “Nath?”
“No, no, Emma, she’s right. It’s not your fault, not at all,” he looked at her, but she still didn’t meet his eyes. “Emma,” he leaned over and tilted her chin up over my shoulder to make her look at him, “I promise, it’s not your fault, I don’t blame you...” he tucked a bit of her fringe behind her ear and chuckled lightly, “C’m’ere.”
She sniffed and I let her go so that she could crawl over the bed and Nathan could hug her. “So... what, Dave knows where you live now?” I asked.
“Well, yeah...” he said as him and Emma pulled apart, “But he doesn’t know you’re here yet.”
“I don’t know if this will be of any help whatsoever,” she said, “But he was telling me that he and his son took a trip to Nottingham about a week to two weeks ago...” She began to trail off towards the end, and said it as if it was the world’s most useless piece of information, but I felt my stomach drop and I felt sicker than before. My head started spinning and my breathing became laboured, and Nathan launched himself across to me.
“What? What is it Jenny? What’s wrong?” he said both his hands on my shoulders, his head dipped down slightly so he could keep eye contact with me.
“That’s when we were in Nottingham,” I gulped, trying to calm my breathing rate. “When you told me about him, the bus crash, remember?”
“Fuck,” was all he said, his hands staying on my shoulders but his eyes looking to the bed for a moment.
“Where’s your anxiety meds?” Emma asked me.
“Oh, they won’t do me any good right now,” I said, and Nathan tilted his head back.
“Right, well, now there’s something worse that him knowing where I live,” he said simply.
“What could be worse?” Emma asked, half not wanting the answer.
He opened his eyes and looked right at me, “He knows that you’re living with me."
♠ ♠ ♠
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