Hello, Goodbye

Chapter Nineteen

After returning to the church to collect her bike, she went back home and took a long, hot shower. Gritty sand from the beach slid across her body and down the drain, and she felt like she was washing away so much more than the dirt. She scrubbed the hurt of rejection off her skin with her mint body wash, and by the time she got out of the shower and dressed in a clean floral print white cottage-core dress with a v-neckline, she felt a thousand times better. The hurt was still there, but it was less now. She felt more like herself. Which was great, seeing as she was supposed to meet up again with her rejector for dinner in half an hour. She dried her hair, and then pulled it back into a long messy braid before doing her makeup. By the time she made her way out the front door, she felt like a total knockout. Not that it mattered all that much.

She walked to Kiel's house and was nervous and surprised to see his truck was not in the driveway. Which meant she would be eating with Zeke alone. Her heart began thrumming in her chest, and she suddenly felt like she might be sick. As she approached the front door, she considered turning around and going back home. But before she even had a chance to take a step back, the door swung open, revealing a dashingly handsome Zeke with a big smile on his face. His eyes scanned her up and down, taking her in, and she felt like she was holding her breath.

"You look great," he said, and she both hated and loved how awestruck he sounded. He stepped aside, allowing her entrance into the house. "Salmon's in the oven, and I have the broccoli steaming right now. I also put on a pot of sticky rice."

She gave him a tight smile as she stepped into the house. "Sounds great. And very... um... nutritious." Ugh, what was the matter with her? She'd just spent all day with this man at the beach, and she'd been fine. They'd had a great time together. So why did she feel so nervous now?

He seemed to notice her anxiousness, because he frowned as he closed the door behind her. "Are you okay? If you don't like broccoli or rice, it's fine. I have other sides. I can cook up some potatoes real quick. I think we even have some leftover asparagus from last night, if you'd rather have that?"

Why did he have to be so perfect? She shook her head, trying her best to give him a normal smile. "No, it's fine. I like broccoli, actually. Is Kiel going to be joining us tonight?" she asked, hoping he'd say yes while at the same time wishing she could be alone with Zeke for longer.

He shrugged his shoulders as he headed back into the kitchen. "I'm not sure. He hasn't messaged me anything, but I'm assuming he's still in the city. I made enough for him too though, so if he does come home, he can eat with us. Why? Do you... um... do you want Kiel to be here with us?" She blinked, surprised by his question and not knowing how to answer it. He took her silence as confirmation and sighed. "Emersyn, listen. I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I made things weird today at the beach. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm kind of feeling a little... I don't know. You know?"

She didn't know, but she nodded anyway. "It's okay. You didn't make things weird. If anything, I made things—"

"Don't even finish that sentence," he interrupted, and now she really was smiling. "Because you didn't. It was all me. Every bit of it. You did everything right. I'm just all messed up lately. I think it's the graveyard. You were right. I've been spending too much time in it. I've been thinking, and I wanted to ask you how you'd feel if we made this kind of a weekly thing? Hanging out together after church? Having new adventures? Because I love spending time with you. You're my best friend here. And I don't want to spend every single day at that graveyard anymore. Know what I mean?"

This time, she did know what he meant. And even though the rejection from earlier today still burned a little, she couldn't help herself. She wanted to be around him. He brought this calm to her life that no one else could, and she yearned for it when he wasn't with her. So even though she knew she should try to distance herself from him to avoid getting hurt, she nodded her head. "Yeah. I think that sounds amazing. Sundays after church. Adventure time."