Page 110 of One Nightstand With My Ex's Uncle

EMILY’S POV.

I wiped my wet eyes, not wanting the nasty tears to fall, or for John to see them. It would be embarrassing, and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction he craved.

“I think you should go alone.” I said, wrapping my scarf closer around me.

“Why?”

“I think I’m having stomach ache. It hurts too much to keep walking. I’ll be in the car.” I said, and began to walk away.

He wouldn’t force me to continue with his stupid business idea when my stomach was aching, would he? No way.

I got back to the warm car, and leaned backwards in the car seat.

If I had married John, would none of the bad things I went through still occur?

I didn’t think so, but one thing was sure: Lucas would still come, and I’d find myself attracted to him, then John would start showing his true colors out of jealousy.

It was all bound to happen anyway. John couldn’t hide his true colors forever.

Minutes later, I saw John at the large gates, talking to two teachers, and I slid down, not wanting any of them to see or talk to me.

I stayed there until my waist began to hurt, but shortly after that, John opened the door, and came in.

“What are you doing?” He asked, and I sat up immediately.

“Finding the best position for my stomach.”

“Why didn’t you eat? Your stomach aches because you didn’t have anything for breakfast.” He scolded, and I rolled my eyes.

What was he saying?

John drove me to a nearby restaurant that made me feel worse.

Lots of students crowded the restaurant, and chairs had been arranged outside with little umbrellas in the middle of the tables.

We took one of the chairs outside, and John called a waitress who was busy trying to take many orders at once.

It wasn’t the students or the crowded atmosphere that stung me, rather, it was because I had gone there so many times. My friends and I had breakfast there about a million times on our way to school.

We could have easily gotten meals at home, but they were particularly obsessed with the handsome guys who also ate breakfast there every morning, and it was where one of them met her first boyfriend.

John ordered hot dumplings and chicken broth with a sexy full chicken by the side. I couldn’t deny the rumble that attacked my stomach at the sight of it.

I dipped my spoon into the broth, and felt a trickle of warmness cascade down my chest.

“Emily?” I heard someone call, and choked on the hot broth. John quickly handed me a napkin, and I turned to see Leah, and Tommy. Tommy was John’s friend, and Leah was Tommy’s girlfriend. Since I was John’s girlfriend, the four of us hung out most of the time.

“Oh my God. You’re still here?” John said, getting up to hug them both. I stood up too, and Leah came to hug me.

“I have a job at the bank. I’m going nowhere.” Tommy replied, laughing.

“How have you been, Emily? Gosh, you look so beautiful!” Leah said, as they took seats opposite us.

“Please two more bowls of this.” John called out to a waitress.

“You guys are still together?” Tommy asked, and John put an arm around me.

“Of course. What will part us?” John replied.

“Aww! We’re still together too!” Leah said, wrapping her arm around Tommy’s arm.

“Seriously?” I asked, and they nodded.

“Just like old times.” John said.

“Today’s my day off, so we decided to have breakfast here. I got myself a lazy wife.” Tommy said, and I raised a brow, which made Leah laugh.

“You guys are married?” John asked.

“Did you expect us to date forever? Aren’t you two married?” Tommy asked.

“Not yet.”

“Not yet? We heard news of your engagement, and thought maybe you guys called it off. No one heard news of your marriage.” Leah said, and John smiled.

“We just have a lot going on. Work and stuff… we’re still going to get married.” He replied, and I took his hand off my shoulder.

“I need to eat.” I said, and he laughed.

“What’s with that icy tone?” Leah asked, with a teasing smile

“It’s winter.” John replied, and the three of them laughed.

We talked, and ate together, and in minutes, I found myself laughing. It felt like I had gone back in time, and we were high school kids hanging out together again.

The four of us walked around town, recollecting memories, and I was surprised at how active I was in remembering things.

“You fell in there once, remember? There was a hole!” I said to Tommy, pointing restlessly to a field which had a part of it dug up and covered.

“I recall! We had been warned, but he insisted on seeing what was there.” Leah chipped in.

“And he wanted to take me too.” John said, and we all laughed.

“We were teenagers. Being told not to do something only made us want to do it more.” He said, and we shook our heads, laughing.

We parted in the evening, saying dear goodbyes to each other after long hugs. John and I took another route, and I discovered with a shock where the route led to.

The garden where we had our picnics—the garden where John had first proposed to me.

I stopped without intending to.

So many times, we had visited that place. I could see us; goofy teenagers running around, eating sandwiches, fruits, laying down and staring at the sky, doing homework, reading for tests, kissing, laughing, teasing and taunting each other…

So many memories, and just then, I felt my heart rate pick up—Beating faster. The love filled in those memories had been endless. I was so willing to spend all my days with him.

My heart pounded hard, and it felt like we were teenagers once again, and were still madly in love.

“We can always go back to how it was.” John said softly next to me, and I turned and stormed off, with my heart pounding crazily in my chest.

I didn’t want to leave. No, I wanted to sit in that garden, close my eyes, and get lost in my sea of my memories; throw myself into the comforting arms of the past, and embrace moments that were long lost, and stuck in the cruel grip of time.

By the time we got back to the car, night had fallen, and it was snowing again.

At the house, we had a quiet dinner, and gloom was heavy in the air. I asked myself once again, a question I had asked myself countless times over time in the mansion. How did my life go from sweet to weird? Why did John turn out like that?

I pondered on that question for a long time. Even when I was on the bed, with my back turned to John. The question rang in my head, without an answer.

Stuck there, like a painting without an interpretation.

“Emily.” I heard John call.

“Emily.” He called again.

“What?” I replied, icily.

“Can I say something?” He asked. “Can I?” He asked again, when I didn’t reply.

Then I turned to him.

“Say what? That you’re sorry for fooling me about a business idea trip that was just a lie?” I asked.

“No.”

“No?” I asked, getting annoyed.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“For everything. Truly, I became a monster, and I can’t change that, nor can I erase it from your memory.

I’ve been thinking a lot, and today only made me more aware of what I threw away.

I threw away something beautiful—us. I was so jealous of Tommy and Leah.

They fought most of the time, unlike us, but look at us now.

“They, who fought day and night, are still together, and we, who couldn’t do without ourselves for just a night are broken apart like this—Like shards on a tiled floor.

It made me wonder where it went wrong, and the obvious answer was from me.

There’s nothing I can say to make you change your mind about me, but I hope I can at least find forgiveness in you.

I’m sorry, Emily. Even if we can’t get back together, I’m sorry. ”

My heart melted, and tears sprang to my eyes. The apology I had long awaited had finally come. It had come so quietly that I hadn’t noticed or expected it.

Finally, he was apologizing.

In that moment, I saw sincerity in his eyes.

I saw…the old John.