𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫, 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘀

𝟎𝟒𝟎

"𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚢"
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ
𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴' 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵

     "NOAH, you've been playing that game all morning," Emily groans as she looks over at Noah.

Emily has spent her morning in bed reading a book whilst Noah lays across her stomach, her Nintendo glued to her hands.  The teen refuses to put the video game away and will not allow Emily to move.

"You've been reading all morning," Noah playfully argues.

"You haven't even let me get up to brush my teeth."

"This is your day off," Noah sighs, "You don't want me to hang out with you?"

"I do, but you've been laying on me for hours."

"I'm sorry that I wanna be close to you," Noah sarcastically says and removes herself from Emily.

"Honey—" Emily pouts.

"No, I'll just go lay in my own bed." Noah asserts as she begins to get off the bed, but Emily grabs her arm.

"C'mere," Emily pleads, "I didn't mean it like that." She assures the teen.  Emily fully sits up with her back to the cushioned headboard.  She pulls Noah down to lean her back against her side.  Emily wraps an arm around Noah's shoulders and holds her close.

"Will you get mad if I play my game?" Noah asks with a smile.

"No, sweetie—"

"Good because I'm on the last level," Noah says as she flips open her Nintendo again.

Emily giggles as she watches Noah play the game for a moment.  She eventually turns her attention back to her book with her arm still holding the teen.

They sit in silence for a while, the teen indulging in her game and Emily transfixed with her book.  As Noah finishes a level, she stares at the loading screen.  The room is quiet and Noah hates the feeling of it.

"Hey, Em?" She speaks up.

"Hm?" Emily hums.

"Do you think JJ has a boyfriend?"

"Do you think JJ has a boyfriend?" Emily asks with a tut.

"She was kinda defensive when I brought it up. I could tell that something about it got to her when I brought it up." Noah explains her reason for asking and peers up at Emily.

"How so?"

"She kinda froze up for a second and her eyes gave it away," Noah notes as she remembers their conversation in the car.

"Well, she does—"

"I knew it!" Noah exclaims, "Why wouldn't she tell me?" She asks, slightly hurt that she did not know.

"She was a little on-the-fence about it. She kept it from us for a year—"

"And no one wanted to fill me in?!" Noah dramatically asks with a smile.

"I guess it just never came up," Emily shrugs.

"Liar—" Noah giggles.

"If I knew you were so invested, I would have told you." Emily chuckles.

"Anything else I should know?"

"Well, there's one thing..." Emily pauses, wondering if she should tell the teen or not.

"Okay...?" Noah awaits the news.

"But you can't tell JJ I told you this," Emily states as she puts her bookmark in her book and sits up.