Page 30 of Extra Grumpy
“We’re very sorry we put so much pressure on you, Emily,” my mom says softly.
My dad nods. “Extremely sorry.”
I exhale. “Thank you.”
“We’ll be better about it moving forward.”
“Does that mean you’ll stop trying to set me up with people, Mom? And stop pushing for me to get married?”
She nods. “Yes. You know it always came from a place of love, right? We just want to see you happy.”
“I know that. But your version of happiness is different than mine.”
“I understand now.”
“Okay. Thank you. I’m sorry to let all my feelings build up and erupt like this.”
“No, we’re glad you finally said something. I’m sorry we were so blind to it.” My mom squeezes my hand again. “And I’m sorry we’ve always been judgmental of Rock. It’s inexcusable.”
I glance at my dad. “Do you believe me about him now? Prom wasn’t his fault?”
He nods. “I do. I’m sorry, kiddo. I know it wasn’t fair of us. It was just easier to blame the guy who dropped off my daughter, I guess.”
As much of a mess as I feel right now, I’m so relieved that this conversation happened. I sniffle and excuse myself, saying I’m going to clean myself up. My parents nod and I step away from the table, heading down the hallway to the nearest bathroom.
As I’m walking, I feel my phone buzz in my pocket, and I pull it out to see a text from Jerry.
Hello, Emily! I have great news for you. Your apartment is ready and you can move back in right away.
His message should thrill me. But all it does is make me swallow around a lump in my throat. It feels like yet another sign from the universe that when it comes to me and Rock, things really aren’t meant to be.
16
ROCK
I slide my key into the lock, anxious to finally be home. This whole evening, I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that something’s wrong. I don’t know if it’s just guilt about not going to dinner with Emily or what. She said it was fine if I didn’t go, but…I dunno. I could tell it bothered her. I’m hoping she’s home now and we can talk about it.
I also keep thinking about the other day when Emily asked me about my past relationship with Paige. At the time, it caught me off guard, her bringing that up out of nowhere. When I told Emily that I’m bad at relationships, it seemed the best answer to give her, because it’s historically been the truth. But in hindsight it seems so stupidly obvious that she wasn’t asking that question out of the blue. Obviously she wants to know how things will be between us if we start dating for real.
So I need to tell her how I really feel, which is that even though I’ve never been great at the relationship thing, I want to do it right with her. I might make mistakes, I might not be the perfect boyfriend, but I want to give her everything she deserves. I knowit was shitty of me to not put more effort into past relationships, but people make mistakes. I’m ready now. I want to do this right.
When I step into my apartment, it feels different. At first I don’t know what it is, it’s more of a feeling than anything.
Then I see Emily’s travel bag sitting on the couch, and my stomach flips. Her bag is packed.
She comes out of the bathroom carrying her toothbrush and other stuff. “Oh. Hey. You’re back.”
“What’s going on?” I ask.
She tucks the things in her hands into her travel bag and then stands to face me. “My landlord texted me. My apartment’s fixed.”
“Oh.” The news hits me like a sobering slap in the face. I have to remind myself how much she loves that damn apartment. “I see.”
She hesitates a moment, then adds, “And I told my parents the truth about us, Rock. They know it was all fake. So we don’t have to pretend in front of them anymore.”
I’m even more pained by this news. “Oh,” I say numbly.
“I wasn’t planning on telling them. It just kind of came out. It was good, though. We ended up talking about things we should have talked about a long time ago. I feel a lot better about my relationship with them now.”
