Page 40 of Worth the Risk

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just stay on the phone with me, please?”

“Of course.” So I do just that, the whole time she’s in the Uber she asks me about how my Thanksgiving was. I hesitate to give her too many details seeing as hers didn’t go as planned but she begs for every little detail, so I tell her. I tell her how my mom makes four different pies since everyone has a different favorite, how we kick off the Christmas spirit after we clean up dinner, and how my little sister wants to transfer to Watertown next year. When I’m finally done with the retelling of the holiday, she’s officially made it back safely to her apartment.

“Your family sounds amazing.” Emilia says, almost wistfully. I wonder if it was too much, telling her about all the good when it seems her family doesn’t have this good.

“They’re great.” I agree with her. They are. We’ve had our moments over the years but all in all my family is amazing and I’m so lucky to have them.

“Thank you for staying on the phone with me.”

“Always.”

“Well, I should probably shower. Then I’m going to bed.” She yawns into the phone. “I’m exhausted.”

“I can come back to campus tomorrow.” I offer. I want her to say yes, to know that she wants to see me as badly as I want to see her.

“That’s okay. You should spend time with your family.” Dang, wishful thinking but she’s not wrong. My mom would be heartbroken if I left early, but she would understand when I explained why. She would probably have great advice about his whole situation. “I’ll see you on Monday.” She wants me to wait for our Monday class? Hell no. I know I need to see her before then to see for myself that she’s alright.

“Alright.” I’ll let her have it for now, she’s had a long enough day but there’s no way I’m waiting until Monday to make sure she’s okay. “Good night, Emi.”

“Good night, Liam.” She hangs up and I flop back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling knowing sleep will be hard to find tonight while I think of her making the trek back to campus all by herself.

Sleep found me sometime around three in the morning. After hanging up the phone with Emilia I knew it wouldn’t come easily. I lasted about an hour before texting her making sure she was still okay. We texted back and forth for a while until sleep eventually won for her, the messages stopping.

There’s some sun peeking out from behind my closed white curtains but not much, so if I had to guess it must still be early in the morning. Groaning, I roll over and grab my phone from the nightstand, unplugging it from the charger. I was right, it's only seven thirty in the morning. No texts from Emilia. That’s good though. It means she’s still resting and after her day it seems she needs it. Not that she told me exactly what happened. I hope she will though.

Now that I’m up there’s no way I’m falling back asleep so I throw on a sweatshirt and head downstairs to the kitchen. Mom is already in the kitchen, closing the oven door and pulling out a tray of muffins as I enter. “Hi, mom.”

“Good Morning, honey.” My mom walks over to me drawing me into a hug. When I was little there was nothing my mom’s hugs couldn’t fix. Even now I can feel the tension leaving my body. “What’s wrong?” My mom pulls back slightly.

“It’s nothing.”

She raises her eyebrows and gives me a pointed, I don’t believe you look. She did always know when something seemed to be off in my life, well almost always. “Come sit.” Mom gestures to the barstools that are tucked under the island before rounding it and pulling two coffee mugs from the cabinet. She fills the mugs sliding one over to me and one in the seat next to me before serving up two muffins. “Now, let’s try this again, without lying. What’s wrong?”

I let out a low chuckle followed by a sigh. “Well there’s this girl.” My mom’s eyes light up, while she tries to hide a smile behind her mug. I haven’t brought a girl home to mom, ever. I dated around but there was never someone I was serious enough about to introduce to my mother. “I mean, kind of. I like her but I may have told her I just want to be friends.” My mom lets out an audible gasp at that.

“Liam.” She scolds.

“I know. It was stupid. I just panicked and wanted her in my life in some way.” I shake my head, taking a sip of my coffee, letting the warm liquid soothe my throat. My mom nods along, understandingly. “Anyways. I don’t know the whole story but last night she left her mom’s house and headed back to campus, alone. She doesn’t go home often and I just have a feeling something bad happened. She took the train and an Uber and didn’t even text me. I called her and it just so happened to be as she was waiting for the Uber. I mean I would have driven to her and brought her back to campus, or here.” The words rush out of me, like they’ve been dying to be anywhere but just inside my brain.

My mom sips her coffee, washing down the muffin she was picking at while I let it all out. She’s nodding her head ever so slightly digesting this information. I nervously pick at my muffin now awaiting her response. “Well sweetie, she probably doesn’t want to burden you, her friend, on a holiday.” I don’t miss the way she emphasizes the word friend.

“It wouldn’t burden me.”

“I know that, but how would she?” Well she has a point there. I like to think that Emilia knows I’m here for her but does she really know? I have noticed she often feels like a burden to those around her, always assuring people they don’t need to do things for her. I thought I was good at reassuring her that she could never bother me but some scars are deeper than a few nice words.

“I need to make sure she’s okay. I mean we talked last night but I need to see her, to really know.”

“Then go to her.”

“You won’t be mad?”

“Of course not. I love having you here Liam but it sounds to me like you really like this girl. That she’s important. I could never be mad at you for following your heart or for caring.”

“She is important.” It’s a simple statement with so much truth behind it.

My mom smiles. “Does she happen to have a name?”

“Emilia.”

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