Emma frowned down at the calendar app she'd pulled up on my phone. Her eyes widened as her thumb continued to scroll down the screen.

Her hair was still wild from sleep, with curls exploding in every direction. When one fell in her face, she pushed it out of the way impatiently and continued with her scrolling.

"Okay... Well, this relationship has been lovely but apparently you and I won't be seeing each other again till... well, ever."

"Very funny," I muttered as I adjusted the knot of my tie.

She tossed my phone to the side and crawled back to the head of the bed to curl among the pillows. She watched silently as I sat next to her on the edge of the bed and laced up my shoes.

"Seriously, Tom," she mused. "If you're using your sister to break up with me there are a lot more efficient ways of going about—"

My kiss silenced her teasing for a long minute... that is until her phone began to ring from the other room.

She groaned as she unwound her arms from around my neck and pulled herself out of bed.

"I'm sure that's Cynthia," she sang as she padded into the living room to retrieve her phone. "With something else to add to our diaries!"

I rolled my eyes but didn't fight the goofy grin spreading across my features. I opened my mouth to retort, but closed it once I heard Emma's voice.

"Hello. Yes, this is she."

There was silence as I affixed my cufflinks, which I assumed meant Emma's prediction had proven true.

I was about to slip on my jacket when the sudden change in her pitch told me we had both been terribly wrong.

"No—no, but that's just not possible... No, you don't understand. She was fine yesterday! Sh-she was more than fine!"

My jacket crumpled to the floor as I heard the hysteria prick her voice. My own heart was thrumming as my instincts told me that something horrible had happened.

My feet froze in the doorway as I took in the sight of Emma shaking her head vehemently with rivers of tears spraying off her cheeks.

"But we went for a walk! I—"

She made a choking noise then and her phone clattered against the hardwood floor. In an instant I was next to her, my arms wrapping securely around her before she dissolved into hysterical sobs.

"Breathe, Ems. Just breathe."

As she moaned against my chest, I could feel her entire body begin to shake.

Somehow both the phone and the call had survived the drop as a voice called out from the speaker: "Ma'am? Ma'am, are you there?"

I carefully lowered us both to the ground and, with Emma still securely pressed into my chest, managed to reach for the phone and bring it to my ear. Before I could say anything however, the voice spoke again this time taking all remaining air out of my lungs.

"Ma'am I'm very sorry for your loss. I know you and Alice had become quite close..."