Page 7 of This: Blake & Emon

“What?” she asked, choking a little. No one cared enough about how she was doing in school enough to ask. She was a grown, independent woman. She didn’t have parents, and the family besides her brother was thin and also occupied. Her brother had his own things going on, but he would come running if she needed him to. Everyone expected her to have it together, and because of that, everyone assumed she was fine. She was,but school was hard. The nights long and the return seemed so far away. Plus, she was working. Sometimes she wanted to feel like she was doing this for someone and that someone was proud that she had made the Dean’s list each semester, that she had done really good on her clinicals, or that she was being asked to speak at her graduation. She wished her daddy was around to see it and support her.

“How’s school?” he asked again.

“It’s going well. It’s not easy, but I’m hanging in there. I’m on my way to being a nurse practitioner. I’m excited for that.”

“I’m not surprised. Got me right together like MacGyver.” He laughed, causing her to laugh as well. “Why nursing?”

“Grief.”

“Dig that. Dig that. How long until I’m cheering for you as you walk across the stage?” He wanted to ask more about that, but he didn’t want to fuck up the vibe. They had time to get to the deepest, darkest parts of themselves, and hopefully in a way more intimate setting.

“What makes you so sure you can stick around that long?”

“Just indulge me.”

“A year. I graduate in the spring of next year, and I’m ready to get my life back. I honestly should be studying right now, not out here frolicking with the likes of you.”

“Well, let’s eat, and then I’ll get you back home so you can handle your business. Can I do anything to repay you?” Emon hadn’t been in college for a long time, and he didn’t last while he was in. He didn’t need anyone to teach him how to make money. He could do that in his sleep, but he knew that it wasn’t cheap and her degree in progress had saved his life. He wanted to repay her, but she was hellbent on giving him a hard time.

“You just did by asking me how school was going. No one asks anymore, and I’m an adult, so obviously I don’t need validation but—”

“Support means something,” he said, finishing her sentence.

“And not having it stings a little bit. My dad would be on a completely different time. He’d be helping me study, calling every day after class, and buying me something fancy for making the Dean’s list. It makes me miss him even more.”

“Damn, my baby smart, ain’t it?”

She grinned and responded. “You gotta quit calling me that.”

“Nah, I don’t, but I hear you, Blake.”

And she had to admit her name didn’t sound as good as baby crossing his lips, but she needed to slow him down a bit. She wasn’t sure about all of this or him just yet.

“You can work your way to calling me that though.”

“So that means you gone give me a chance to show you a good time?”

She met his eyes, her expression turning serious. “Let me be clear, I don’t do drama. No baby mama surprises, no side chicks, none of that. I’ll walk away and never look back, so eat, sleep, drink that before you play wit’ me.”

“Trust me,” he said, his voice low and certain, “when I find something worth having, I know how to act.”

The way he looked at her when he said it made her wonder if maybe, just maybe, she was already in deeper than she planned to be. She’d have to see, but a part of her knew she wouldn’t be able to stop this freight train named Emon headed her way.

Chapter 5

Blake sighed, staring at her half-eaten salad in the hospital cafeteria. Her morning had been a whirlwind of patients and paperwork, leaving her drained and more than a little cranky. She barely had the energy to pick at her food, let alone look forward to the rest of her day.

Her phone buzzed on the table, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was a text from Emon.

Emon:What time is lunch break today?

She frowned, her lips quirking in confusion. “Right now,” she typed back.

His reply came immediately.

Emon:Come outside.

Blake hesitated, glancing at the clock. She had twenty minutes left on her lunch break. Curiosity got the better of her. Plus, she wanted to see him. They’d been talking on the phone and texting nonstop over the last few weeks. They’d spent their free time sharing the basic details of their favorite colors, favorite desserts, movies, and artists. So far she hadn’t regretted giving him her time but it was too soon to set in stone. Emon was funny, attentive, and very sure he’d met his soulmate. He didn’t hesitate to let her know that. They’d both been busy, attempting to link up but between her heavy schedule and business growingfor him they hadn’t been able to. Hearing her voice and seeing her through a phone just wasn’t cutting it for him anymore.

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