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The comfortable and trusting feeling she had whenever she was around him got stronger the more they talked. When she slipped a second time, telling how Charlotte was her only family, she didn’t mind as much as she had before.

Their food and drinks were long gone when the conversation turned to Taylor and his childhood memories. Mostly he shared stories of their travels, and how Gabe drove everyone crazy. On both sides, the conversation was easy and relaxed.

The sun was beginning to set as Taylor told her his favorite Gabe story. “After spending all day with Gabe using my stuff and drinking my soda and stealing my food, I had the worst headache. Being the useless bastard that he is, he refused to get me an aspirin, which meant I would have to cross the hall to my parents’ room. No way was I going to look for pants just to go get an aspirin in the middle of the night. I looked up and down the hall and, seeing that it was completely empty, I went outside in my underwear and a t-shirt, got the aspirin from Mom and hurried back to my room.

“When I got there the door was closed shut. I knocked and asked Gabe to open it, but the idiot just laughed and asked me for a password.” Emily started to laugh herself, imagining the situation. “All of a sudden I heard the beep of the elevator, and a bunch of women came out of it. Apparently there was some kind of womens’ retreat going on in the hotel.”

Emily’s stomach was starting to hurt from all the laughter and Taylor couldn’t help but to laugh with her as he continued. “The women were getting closer and closer and there I was, in my tighty-whities and holey tee. I told him to open it, that there were people in the hall, and pounded so hard on the door it nearly came loose from its hinges—and still the bastard just laughed.”

“And did he open the door?” she asked, a little breathless.

“Yeah, I threatened to go call Dad and the next second, the door opened. I was so pissed off when I entered the room that I punched him, right in the temple.” His face held equal amounts of humor and regret. He shook his head and chuckled as he continued. “He went down like a sack of potatoes. It freaked the living shit out of me.”

Being absolutely against violence, Emily was trying her very best not to laugh or think that Gabe had it coming, but it was impossible. After all the stories Taylor had told her about his brother, she was coming to the conclusion that growing up with Gabe must have been hell. “And was he all right? After you punched him, I mean.”

Taylor laughed at her worry. “Don’t worry. He’s got a thick skull, no damage whatsoever. Besides, I didn’t hit him that hard, I just lucked out on the spot. But he never pulled shit like that again.” Just as Taylor finished his story, his phone started to ring. “Speak of the devil,” he said, showing her the picture of his brother flashing across the screen.

Emily smiled as he answered the call. She didn’t hang out around many men, and wasn’t used to the blunt way they spoke to each other on the phone. In person, the interactions between Taylor and his brother had been warm and fun, but on the phone, there was a curtness that was foreign to her.

Seconds into the conversation, Taylor’s brows pulled together, twisting his handsome face into an aggravated frown. “I’m having coffee with Emily, why?” He listened for a while and his jaw tensed before speaking again. “I’ve got my keys with me. I’ll be at Poppy’s soon and we’ll go together.”

As he listened to Gabriel, Taylor rubbed his eyes with the heel of his free hand. When he spoke again, his tone was beyond exasperation. “Look Gabriel, I know you’re driving yourself, but it’s my apartment. We’ve talked about it. You go there when I go there. Like I said, I’ll be at Penelope’s in half an hour, I’ll take a shower and then we’ll leave.
Together
. If you’re unhappy with that, you’re welcome to go now and check into a hotel.”

Gabriel said something else that made Taylor’s face turn murderous as he hung up the phone without another word. He looked at Emily who offered him a smile that calmed him almost instantaneously.

“By the look on your face, I bet you’re glad you punched him that day,” she teased.

Taylor laughed. “Actually, I was thinking about doing it again.”

“I’m starting to think he deserves what comes his way.” Emily laughed, too, and checked the clock on her phone. “I should be heading back as well. There’s a stack of books almost as tall as me waiting to be read.”

On their way out of the coffee shop Emily waved at the baristas and wished them a good night. Taylor couldn’t help but to smile at how nice she was to everyone, even flirty Josh.

He walked her to her car and once again pulled the door open for her. Before he could say anything she stepped inside, turned on the engine and rolled down the window. “I had a great time this weekend. Thank you Taylor,” she said, her shy smile concealing the agitation that once more was taking hold of her.

Taylor looked straight into her beautiful blue eyes. He wanted to ask for her number.
We’ve already established we’re friends. It’s okay for friends to share phone numbers, right?
But, as he reached down to pick up his phone he noticed the conflicting emotions flashing across her eyes. Even the sweet, shy smile she was giving him was different. There was a mixture of excitement, unease and something else, something not very good, dancing in those blue pools. He stopped in his tracks.

He desperately wanted to have her in his life; that much he was sure of. But their relationship was still too recent and fragile. If he wanted to have any hope of building the friendship he wanted so badly with her, then he couldn’t make any moves she might misinterpret. He was going to take the friendship slowly, and getting her phone number to call her from China just to chat, was the opposite of that.

With that in mind, he gave her the biggest and most honest smile he could muster and took a deep breath. “I did too, Ems. And next time I come into town, I know where to find you.”

Emily was drowned in a tsunami of feelings, most of which she was unable to name. However, she knew that in some way and for some reason, he understood her and, most importantly, he respected her. A new wave of appreciation washed through her and her smile morphed from shy to blissful. “You can never go wrong with Starbucks and OJs,” she informed hopefully.

“Noted.” His heart tugged as his forefinger tapped his temple.

They gazed at each other for a long moment. They were both completely unaware that they were carefully studying the lines of their faces and committing them to memory.

“Have a great trip and I hope to see you soon, Tay.” Emily’s voice was almost a whisper.

It was the first time she had called him by a nickname, and the fact that she didn’t say goodbye gave him renewed joy. “You sure will. Have a great week, Ems.”

With that, Taylor turned and walked towards his car. As he sat and watched her drive away, he considered how insufferably long the next two weeks would be.

W
HEN SHE
arrived at her apartment, Emily took a shower with the latest Chickenfoot album playing in the background. Clean, and wearing her most comfortable clothes, she settled on her couch with a paranormal romance in hand and started reading. Keeping her mind busy was key to keep her sanity amongst all of her crazy, confusing thoughts.

While she worked on a sandwich she found herself thinking about Taylor. His face, his stories, the many things they had in common, how easy it was to be with him . . . it all danced around in her mind, as did the fact that he would be across the world for the next two weeks.

Plopping back down on the couch with her dinner, she realized how unpleasant not having any contact with him for two weeks would be. Her head fell back against the cushion in frustration at how everything that was normal and safe to her seemed to go right out the window whenever he was concerned.

To Taylor, the drive back to New York felt longer than ever. He cussed his family for arriving so early the next day, he cussed China and his idea to travel there, but above all, he cussed his stupid gut that had kept him from asking for Emily’s number. All of the excitement he felt about photographing all of the amazing sites vanished the moment he met her. From that moment on, all he wanted was to stay in New Haven for at least another day. Actually, he wanted to stay with
her
for at least another day.

Despite the constant distraction his family provided, he found himself thinking about her constantly. In truth, he didn’t know much about her, but he knew that sweetness poured out of her, mixed with a witty sense of humor that was adorable. She had a captivating passion for books and music, and her laugh was like a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day. In one word, she was perfection.

Trying to keep his mind occupied, he went to his bedroom to pack his bag and try to get excited about his long, long trip.

When Zack walked into Emily’s apartment Sunday morning for breakfast he saw her asleep on the couch, her red-rimmed glasses still perched over her nose and a book resting on her chest. He sat next to her and removed the book and her glasses, before brushing away the strands of black hair that covered her face.

She opened her eyes just a fraction to look at him. “Did I fall asleep on the couch?”

Zack smiled at his friend’s sleepy voice. “Apparently you did.” He noticed that, through her sleepy expression, she was smiling. “Pleasant dreams, Cheesecake?”

“Yeah . . . we were running,” she said, closing her eyes and rolling to the side.

Sleepy Emily was always an amusing sight. The relaxed and carefree quality she had in the mornings was a delightful contrast to the controlled way she usually behaved when she was wide awake.

As Zack prepared breakfast, a thought crossed his mind. She’d referred to her dream as plural:
we were running
. A slow, contrite smile spread across his lips.