Falling Like The Stars (Book 3)

Chapter 21-Purpose

' I put my all into your hands
Here's my soul to keep
I let you in with all that I can
You're not hard to reach

And you bless me with the best gift
That I've ever known
You give me purpose
Yeah, you've given me purpose '

'Purpose' - Justin Bieber

(**shudders**)

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James sat there, not saying a word for what seemed like an eternity, with Emily looking ready to bolt at any second. She hadn't meant for him to find out like this.

It hadn't come out in the way that she had planned in her head. With the process going round and round and fine tuned down to the minutest of details. She had tried so many times to tell him over the past year or so without any luck, and now she'd had the chance to properly, she had gone and well and truly ballsed it up.

As she sat there, she watched James studying her intently and noticed his pupils dilating as the adrenaline was obviously shooting through his body; his mind churning over her words.

Slowly, he lent forward and placed his now empty mug on the table.

"Wait. What did you just say, Emily?"

She could see his hand visibly shaking as it still hovered over the handle of the mug.

Swallowing slowly, her mouth suddenly dry despite drinking a whole mug of tea, Emily struggled for words.

"I-I- I need to get back. Kali is expecting me." She quickly shot up, catching the handle of James's mug with her knee as she did so, spilling the dregs onto her jumper, a dark brown stain starting to form where they had spilt.

Flapping at it, frantically trying to brush it from her garment, James quickly stood up as well, reaching out to grab her hands to still them.

"Emily, look at me. What did you just say?" He looked down at her with his piercing gaze.

She refused to, until he moved a hand to position it under her chin and forced her face to tilt upwards.

"Emily!"

"Kali is expecting me." She gently removed his hand from her face.

"You know that's not what I mean." He snapped at her slightly, frustrated.

She continued to dab at the coffee stain with a tissue.

"Look. Will you stay and talk with me for a little longer if I can send your dress to the laundry here at the hotel and get them to wash and dry it for you? I really need to talk to you, Em."

Emily pulled her gaze away from the coffee stain on her dress and found herself being uncontrollably drawn into his eyes. She could tell he was silently pleading with her and the hurt in them by her refusing to cooperate with him in finding out the one thing he truly wanted to know.

Was Alex his?

Glancing once more down at the stain that had spread even in just the few minutes she had been flapping at it, she finally relented, dreading where this conversation was about to go.

"Ok." She sighed and quietly replied. "But only until I get it back, and then I'm calling a taxi. I'm not staying here, James."

"I'm not asking you to. But if you wanted to." He smirked.

"No." She playfully slapped him on the arm. "Well, have you got something for me to wear? I'm not just going to sit here in my underwear."

"I wouldn't complain." James muttered, getting up from the couch and making his way into the hotel bedroom.