《Just Like Her》Chapter 101

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I kicked Charlie out. As much as I loved my cousin, it had been two weeks and I was sick of seeing his face.

It was Christmas Eve. My mother had begged me to come celebrate the holidays with them, but I didn't feel much like celebrating. Besides going to the office, I hardly left the flat these days. Just in case... just in case she came back.

I twisted my neck side to side as I scanned through the latest batch of spread sheets the team had sent over. I let out a sigh and nearly missed it—

Nearly missed the soft metallic clunk of the latch bolt shifting into place.

My entire body froze. Even my eyes remained glued to the screen, unable to glance up and find the front entry despairingly empty. While my naive heart was already whirling to life against my ribs, I refused to let myself hope.

That is, until she spoke.

She sounded different—constricted, almost as if not using her voice for so long had weakened it somehow. But it was her.

"The door was unlocked..."

My eyes ripped from the screen to see her hovering in the doorway, duffle bag in one hand and door knob tightly gripped in the other.

It took me a moment to remember to breathe. Then another to remember to speak.

"You left your keys," I finally croaked.

Emma simply nodded.

"So..." Just as quickly as it came, the question evaporated on my tongue.

We stared at each other until Emma eventually looked away.

She cleared her throat. "I... can go stay with my mum—"

One second I was still frozen in my seat. The next, I was on my feet and my chair scattered somewhere across the floor. "Don't you fucking dare."

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Emma's eyes widened at that, but she said nothing.

"You disappeared for weeks," I seethed. "And now you're home for less than a minute and you're going to leave again?"

She shook her head. "I-I didn't disappear. I—"

"You packed up your things in the middle of the day and left."

My voice rose with each step I took toward her. "No note. No word. NOTHING."

"I-I was with—"

"Youssef," I finished for her.

Her grip on the door knob loosened and it softly shut behind her. She still held tightly to the duffle bag's straps. "He called you?"

She flinched at the edge of my laugh.

"No, your friend didn't break whatever promises of secrecy he made to you. Security traced your phone to Manchester. Charlie was descent enough to let me know you were safe."

She dropped her bag then as her hands flexed in panic at her sides. "You tracked me?"

"Oh no, " I laughed again. "You don't get to be mad. Not after the shit you've put me through—"

"I only—"

"You walked out on me."

The words were cutting and final.

In all the time she'd been gone I'd never said them. I'd never been willing to admit it out loud.

But that didn't change the fact that they were true.

Emma shook her head adamantly. "The contract was nearly over. I—"

"For Christ's sake, it was never about the bloody contract!" I bellowed.

I expected her to flinch again, but she didn't. She just stood there, frozen.

"You don't get to just disappear like that!" I went on.

Still, she said nothing. The only sign she heard anything I said was her suddenly watery eyes.

I drew in a steadying breath doing my all to control the anger and fear roiling through my veins.

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"I understand you're in pain," I managed through gritted teeth. "But we're partners. You don't get to just up and—you scared the living shite out of me, Emma!"

I shook my head, losing the fight to control my emotions as my own eyes began spouting salty tears.

"You're practically comatose for weeks and then you suddenly disappear—fuck, Emma, I thought you might of..."

"Thought I might have w-what?" she whispered.

I swallowed the painful knot in my throat, unable to give voice to the fear that had kept me up all the nights she'd been gone.

"You think I can't see the pain you're in?" I finally managed.

"I know you can. That's why I..." Emma lowered her gaze the floor between us. "I didn't want to bring you down with me."

In a single heart beat I was in front of her, my hands cupping her jaw and forcing her to look me square in the eyes.

"You. Are. Not. A. Burden. Do you bloody hear me?"

Her entire visage crumpled and then it was her whole body heaving uncontrollably with sobs.

I pulled her into me, tucking her head under my chin as my arms wrapped tightly around her abdomen. And then—for the first time in weeks—she embraced me back.

Nothing was fixed, least of all Emma or our relationship. Still, after going to so long without so much as a word from her let alone a touch, the wave of relief that lapped over me was so strong it nearly knocked me off my feet.

I held her tighter.

She was back. We were home.

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