Christmas sucks.
When Emily Shepherd's boss boyfriend cheats on her with her best friend, she loses everything in one night-love, friendships, job, and home. In a weird fit of desperation (or some deep-rooted need to punish herself even more) she m...
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Emily pulled into the driveway and Leo parked his truck behind her Jeep. They walked to the front door together, each holding a to go cup of hot cocoa.
She opened the door for the two of them.
He smirked. "Seems like that lock is working okay."
"Don't start," she warned. She closed the door behind him and put her purse in the hall closet. Then she confronted him with a sly smile. "Rachel and Ella said you told them about me puking onstage at our Christmas program."
"It wasn't like that." He laughed. "I told them all. It was supposed to be a story of encouragement."
"Right." She laughed. "So, the point is, you do remember me. You remember me just fine."
He shrugged. "I confess."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Why did you say you didn't?"
"Did I say that?" He shrugged and touched his chin. "I don't think I said that."
Emily half-laughed. "Why did you let me think you didn't remember me?"
He shrugged again. "You didn't remember me."
"I'm sorry," She was slightly embarrassed by that. How could she not remember someone who had thought so highly of her? "High school was a weird time for me."
"I want you to know..." He started, sighed, then restarted. "I know that was a traumatic experience for you. I remember you just ran out. You were crying."
She nodded. The memory was still humiliating. "Everyone was laughing."
"Not everyone," he said.
She sighed.
"I wish I'd been more confident, more extraverted." He stepped closer. He held his cup in one hand and he put the other hand on her arm. "I wanted to say to you..."
She smiled. "It's okay."
"You were crying. I wanted to go after you and tell you it's okay. It's just high school. It doesn't matter." He smiled sadly. "I wanted you not to feel so bad."
She nodded and smiled back. "I wish you had."
"I don't know." He shrugged. "I was just a goofy little music nerd. My grandpa was the principal. None of the cool kids wanted to know me."
"I was not one of the cool kids." She laughed. "I was shy. A book nerd. None of the cool kids knew me either."
"You were always cool to me," he said. "I used to have this little crush on you. But that night, after that concert, I went home and told my grandma I was in love."
"Gross, you weirdo." She laughed. "You fell in love with me because I puked in front of everyone?"
He laughed and crossed to the table, so he could put his cup down. He looked at her sheepishly. "Well, I was 15, so it wasn't love love. But I was pretty infatuated with you. There was definitely a strong admiration."
