Chapter 51
He was wearing a mask, dressed in a suit that for some reason glowed in the darkness Emily found herself. She found herself standing in a vast empty room with sleek tiles, there were no walls or ending to the emptiness in the room, just her and the strange man standing before her. He held out his hands to her, beckoning her towards him and she obeyed, taking one step after the other, in her long flowing gown, she took his hands. His palms were soft against her sweaty ones and he whispered into thin air “Dance with me”
She didn’t need to respond because he was already leading her in a dance, his hands fitting in the curve of her waist as he pulled her closer to him, her body touching his. Suddenly, the lights came on, but dim lights that set a certain tone in the room, matching the ethereal music that she had no idea where they came from.
“Who are you?” she whispered back, not wanting to disturb the tranquility that transcended around them.
“Do you always have to be this curious?” he said back to her “Why not enjoy the moment?”
His voice sounded like butter, slippery yet sweet, she wanted to hold unto it and if possible slip it inside her purse and hold it with her forever still, but still she wasn’t satisfied, she needed to see his face. she pulled away from his hold, standing just an inch apart from the mysterious stranger.
“I want to see your face” she said boldly and adamantly,
“Fine” he said “Go ahead”
In that moment, she wanted to take his mask off and everything seemed to slip away from her as she desperately tried to hold unto it, not until her eyes popped open she discovered it was a dream, the music coming from somewhere within the house.
She quickly jumped out of the bed, trying to hold onto the remnants of the strange dream but it was slipping away fast, and without warning. She fastened her robe tightly around her waist, still feeling the magical touch of the man in her dreams as she walked towards the sound of the music. She met Ethan in the living room, dressed up and nursing a cup of coffee while he scrolled through the phone, the ethereal music she heard in her sleep playing in the background. She was surprised to see him, and when he noticed her, he smiled but she didn’t think it reached his eyes.
“When did you get back?” she eyed him suspiciously, also pouring herself some coffee to properly wake her up.
“Late last night, I didn’t want to wake you” he told her “How are you?”
She shrugged in response staring at him, the air was awkward between them and she wasn’t sure how to approach it but luckily he spoke first “How’s physical therapy going?”
She gave him a look, one she couldn’t control and one he didn’t understand “Do you care?” she snapped
“Emily ”
“Don’t even” she held her hands up to him, interrupting whatever he was going to say “You left without a word, no texts, no calls, no nothing and then you’re back talking about physical therapy”
Ethan was surprised at her outburst, but the guilt had begun to set in, the memories of his steamy night with Anita etched on his brain like a chewing gum that he could not get to remove.
“I I’ve had.. I’m sorry Emily” he stuttered, not sure what else to say but she only gave him a look and proceeded to walk away but he grabbed her by the arm stopping her movements, and he pulled her close, hugging her from behind.
“It’s been tough, with what happened to you, and work and I just can’t seem to put my head in one place, allow me make it up to you”
Emily released herself from his hold and turned to face him, while he had a sorry look on her face she couldn’t forget the feeling of being neglected, holding unto to the scraps of attention he offered, especially since her accident.
“I needed you, with my memories gone and everything. I needed you by my side and with Jackson ”
“Jackson?” Ethan cut through “What do you mean Jackson, why are you mentioning Jackson, do you remember?”
She shook her head “No I don’t, but he offered to help me regain my memories”
Ethan felt a feeling of jealousy rising within him the moment she mentioned Jackson, he had a felt a certain kind of relief when she didn’t remember him but now he seemed to be back on her radar, helping her remember things he’d rather her forget.
“Is there something ” she wanted to ask but Ethan closed the gap between them interrupting her again. “You don’t need Jackson, I’ll help you besides you can’t trust him”
“Why not?”
“Just because” Ethan said but Emily wasn’t satisfied, the frown settling on her face proved evidence.
“No Ethan, I’m tired of you giving me vague answers and leaving me in the dark, I need answers. I have been asking so many questions and I need answers, and I need them right now. Why can’t I trust Jackson?”
Ethan stayed quiet, racking his brain of what to say especially with the impatient look on Emily’s face, he was at crossroads, why did he have to say that? Now he couldn’t go back on his words because of course, she’ll go running to Jackson and he couldn’t have her remembering him because that would mean losing her, and even in the midst of his uncertainty, he didn’t think he wanted to lose Emily, especially to his brother.
“I don’t think I can say anything, I mean it’s not my place to tell” he said, hoping she’d buy it and just drop it, but instead she reached for her phone.
“Maybe I’ll just ask him myself” she was about to pick her phone when it already started ringing and it was Jackson calling, she could see it and Ethan could see it. She gave him a look, giving him an option and Ethan quickly pulled the phone out of her hands.
“Fine” he said, knowing what he was about to say was outrageous but there were no other visible options available to him.
She urged him on.
“He broke his best friend’s heart in college and she killed herself”
The air remained static as the question “Who?” flew out of Emily’s mouth.NôvelDrama.Org holds © this.
“A girl called Amelia Sinclair”