Page 38 of Make the Play
“You came,” Jason grins as if Emerson standing awkwardly on his front porch is the best thing that happened to him all day. It’s actually ridiculous how nice Jason is. Sometimes Emerson swears it must be fake, then he remembers that Jason is the least fake person he’s ever met, and something in him settles.
“You did invite me,” Emerson replies.
“I did.” Jason's smile widens. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
Behind him a dog barks loudly, nearly knocking Jason over when it tries to shove its way between Jason’s legs.
“Calm down, Stella.”
“Stella,” Emerson croaks, experiencing a visceral flashback to the conversation he overheard between Jason and Mabel earlier this week. The woman who took Jason’s towel hadn’t been a woman at all, it’d been his dog. While Emerson has no grounds for feeling relieved, he is. He’s also incredibly embarrassed. Maybe this is his karma for crushing on his straight friend.
“Uh-huh. This attention seeking pain in the ass right here is Stella,” Jason says, widening his legs so she can sneak through. Despite her speed, Jason is quick to grab on to her collar to stop her from charging at Emerson, for which he is very grateful. “She’s a sweetheart. A menace, but also a sweetheart. She doesn’t get to meet new people often, so you’ll have to excuse her piss poor manners. If it’s too much, just say the word, and I’ll put her in the garage.”
“You don’t need to do that,” Emerson mumbles. “This is her house.”
“If she makes you uncomfortable, I do. Besides, it's not like she’s being punished if she goes out there. I installed an AC unit so it never gets too hot, and she has a bed and a lot of toys. She’s spoiled. Her and Freddie both.”
“Where’s Freddie?” Emerson asks, trying to peer around Jason.
“Probably hiding behind the couch. He’s scared of everything.”
“That’s relatable,” Emerson remarks. “I would also hide behind the couch if it was socially acceptable.”
“Well, I’ll do my best to not do anything that makes you want to hide. Unfortunately, I can’t make promises for Stella or Freddie.” Jason’s smile is easy, kind, like Emerson admitting he would rather hide than be here isn’t grounds for ending the friendship here and now. “You can come in, you know. How did you get here by the way? When you told me you didn’t need a ride, I didn’t ask.”
“Uber,” Emerson answers.
“There’s a bus stop on the corner.”
“I know.” Emerson does not want to admit that he looked up directions, then decided the possibility of getting lost was too high and ended up calling an Uber to bring him directly to Jason’s front door. He’s not even sure why he turned down Jason’s offer for a ride. Well, yes he is. Because until the second he stepped out of the Uber, his brain was desperately looking for a way out of this situation, even though he wanted to do it. Sometimes his brain is a jerk like that, trying to get out of things that he wants to do just because they are new and make him uncomfortable.
“Next time you should just let me pick you up,” Jason says, bracketing Stella with his legs and moving them both out of the doorway so Emerson can step inside.
“You should probably wait until the night ends to issue a second invitation.”
“Why would I do that?” Jason questions, like he genuinely can’t imagine.
“I—” Emerson starts, cutting himself off.He’s not your cousin, or your family, he reminds himself. Jason’s not going to get annoyed with Emerson because he’s overwhelmed or different. He’s spent most lunch breaks with Emerson the last two weeks and isn’t sick of him yet.
Yet.
“Would you like to meet Stella?” Jason offers, almost as if sensing Emerson’s need for a distraction. “I’m going to let go of her collar, she’s probably going to lick you but she doesn’t bite. If you need her to stop, let me know.”
Emerson nods, relieved to have something else to focus on. Jason kicks the front door shut before loosening his hold on Stella’s collar. Sure enough, she barrels towards Emerson, who is prepared this time, laughing at the armful of dog he gets. She does lick his hands and his cheek, trying to climb into his lap and knocking him on his ass. Emerson can’t help but grin, charmed by her exuberance. She’s kind of like Jason really, over eager and easy to understand. And he realizes, heart thumping against his ribs, happy to see him.
“Stella, don't scare him away, we want him to come back.”
“I’m not scared,” Emerson assures him, smoothing his hands over Stella’s fur. It’s thick, not as soft as he expected but soothing to touch. The more he pets her the more she calms until she’s sprawled in Emerson’s lap panting happily. “I think she likes me.”
When Jason doesn’t reply he looks up, unprepared for the way Jason is looking at him.
“What?” Emerson asks, suddenly worried he did something wrong.
“How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Calm her down,” Jason gapes.
