“It’s nothing, Ara. Really. It was just a summer fling—it ended.” She braved a teary glance at me as I stood beside her.
“Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen,” I said.
The corners of her lips twitched, turning downward. “I was in love with him.”
“Love?”
“Mm-hm.” She grabbed a tissue from my desk and wiped her nose, nodding. “We dated for the summer and then, when it got cold and the fun of the sunshine disappeared, he just left.”
“Left? As in—he moved, or he just didn’t come back?”
“Just gone.” She stood back, wiping her face again.
“Really? Without a goodbye?”
“Can you hear how fast my heart is beating?” She touched her chest. “That was the first time I’ve heard his voice in nearly a year.”
“So, what, he never even left a note to say where he’d gone?”
“No—that was the worst part. He just didn’t show for our date and stopped answering his phone. I asked David if he knew what was going on, but he said his brother was a player—that I’d just been one of his victims.”
“Victims? That’s a pretty cruel way to put it.”
She nodded. “David had a way with words.”
We both laughed.
“Yeah, he did,” I said. “Actually, he told me his brother was a bit…malevolent. Why would you be with a guy like that, Em? You’re gorgeous, you can do better.”
She sniffled. “That’s just it; he wasn't like that at all. I don't know what David was talking about, but Jason was really sweet.”
I smiled. Brotherly love. I guess it was the same as me telling everyone Sam was a troll. He wasn’t actually a troll. And I was glad for that—that Jason wasn’t…malevolent. I could never picture David's twin being a creepy, stalking vampire. I tried so many times, but putting the face of David on anything cruel just never fit. “So, is it true they’re identical?”
She nodded. “Yep. Like, perfectly identical.”
“That must’ve been hard for you then—after Jason left, you know, being friends with David—always seeing his face.”
“Not really. They were very different people. David was cute, but he had boundaries you couldn't cross. You could never be, like…relaxed with him.”
I shrugged. “I could.”
“I get that.” She gave a soft, distant smile. “I really do. It was the same with Jason and I. People always seemed to avoid him, you know, and I just didn't see what they saw.”
The predator.
“He was gentle and loving and…” She looked at my bed then. “He jumped through my window on the morning of our six-week anniversary and filled my room with frangipanis, waking me up by running one over my face.” Her fingers traced the memory over her skin. “I loved him, enough that we talked about growing old together and what we’d name our kids.”
“And then winter came.”
She nodded. “Yep. Literally.”
I wished I could tell her about the Set laws and vampire migration. She probably blamed herself, deep down inside, for making him leave. “Guys do that,” I said instead. “Summer flings.”
She lifted her hand from the fold of her arms and wiped another tear, nodding. “It just hurt to think we had something special—only to find out it was just a game.”
“Is that what you really believe? That he didn't love you?”
“I never used to believe it—never wanted to. But it has to be the case. You don't just walk out on those you love.”
I shrugged. “Maybe he was like David—maybe he had secrets, too.”
“No. I think they’re both just ass**les. I mean, how could David just go and leave like that, too? He saw how broken I was when Jason left—he was the one who picked up the pieces. Surely, he must know what he’s done. Why couldn’t he have just said goodbye—at least to me?”
“Maybe he just thinks it’s better this way.”
“Better for who?”
I clicked my tongue. “I wish I could fix this, Em. I really do.”
She shook her head, looking out the window. “There is no fixing it. There's not even any point. They're gone and we just have to move on.”
“Exactly,” I said, waving my ring hand in front of her.
She smiled. “I guess I see your point now. But…David still wants you, Ara. I’m sure of it. If I had that choice—with Jason—I would’ve taken it. No matter what.”
“I know.” I rubbed her back gently. “Do you think he still thinks about you—Jason?”
Emily stood quietly with her arms folded, her eyes on the dreary day. “I hope so. I think about him from time to time. You never genuinely get over your first love, Ara. This—” She lifted my ring hand. “This will be a long journey for you.”
“I know.” I nodded. “Trust me, I know.”
“Just…” she took a breath, “—if Mike steals you away, takes you back to Oz, will we still be friends?”
“Of course,” I said, dragging the word out. “I think we’ll always be friends.”
“I hope so.” She hugged me. “I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re so real, you know, you just, you’re honest with who you are.”
“You think?” I half groaned.
“Yeah. I mean, you have this weird bad joke thing, you dress how you wanna dress, and you tell it to me straight—you aren’t even pretending not to be in love with David, even though you’re marrying another man. I think that’s really cool.”
“Well, thanks, Em.”
“So, what does Mike think—about David? Does he know how you feel?”
I nodded. “He’s okay with it.”
Emily sighed and looked out the window again. “I really don’t like him.”
“You don’t have to like him, Em. I do.”
“I know, but, I think that—” she hesitated, “—if he weren’t here, you would’ve gone with David.”
“Nup.” I shook my head with certainty. “I wouldn’t have.”
She suppressed a conceited smile and shrugged one shoulder. “I think you would.”
As I waved goodbye to Emily, Mike stood behind me with one hand in the small of my back and the other waving. “She hates me,” he said as her car disappeared down the street.