Back To Where We Were

Part 6

Above in the picture is how I always imagine Dylan and Keira. Cute and almost perfect.

Emily:

Living in New York City is an adventure in itself and working for the assh*ole Mackenzie is a whole new adventure in itself. Almost 2 weeks into the internship and Emily knew she had to change the way she was treated. She had to get better work. So far she has been doing everything right:
a) She comes early to office. She's there before the most punctual employee, Mrs. Paulstein, arrives.

b) She never says no to staying back on the weekend if required. She came here to show them that she was serious about this. Also, meeting Dylan. Dylan was the top priority.

c) She stays late, well after everyone has left and Jerry the Janitor comes around to lock. They are even on first-name basis now and she knows he has two kids waiting for him back home who get upset if he comes home late, which is a silent cue for Emily to leave.

d) She makes it a point to keep current on all the cases of Mackenzie, even the ones she hasn't been assigned to.

e) She has stopped whining about the level of her work, externally, in office.

It was a Saturday and she was in a bar, right opposite to her work place, mourning her sorrows in a bottle of Tequila. She was waiting for Kristen to come, who'd gone to pick up her boyfriend. Two weeks in and she'd already found a guy here. Emily looked around the bar, observing people out of sheer boredom.

Dylan had been on her mind since Day one. But she'd been so busy in work that she didn't get time to seek him out, completely ignoring the fact that she was scared, shit scared of facing him.

A blonde girl spotted grazing knee of the guy who most probably bought her drinks. The friend of the guy was looking around, trying to spot targets. His eyes landed on Emily and gave her a smirk. She looked at him with a poker face and then smiled, shaking her head.

You don't have a chance here buddy. Don't try.

"... who's texting you so much? Found someone here?" She heard a familiar voice but couldn't place who it was.

"Ah, yeah, Sort of. I don't know. It's new." Emily moved her neck so swiftly, it could have snapped.

That voice she definitely new. She yearned to hear this voice for months. She dreamt of this voice, she cried herself to sleep replaying this voice in her mind millions of time.

C'mon Em. Smile a little. You know you want to. He'd say, whenever she was mad at him.

Finally, she spotted him. Sitting on a bar stool, looking as handsome as the first time she saw him. Drop dead gorgeous, that's how she described him. His hair was shorter now, no longer coming in front of his eyes. Did he join the gym? He seemed fitter and bulkier. It could very well be Emily's mind playing games with her.

She was so busy ogling him that she didn't pay any attention to the person beside him or their conversation until the words registered in her mind, slashing through her mirage.

"....I didn't expect you to move on from Emily so soon." Jake said.

Wait, what? Emily moved a couple of places closer but far enough to not be spotted, thanks to the tall Terry Crews-type of a guy covering her.

"Maybe that's because she's the complete opposite of her." Dylan said, grinning.

Emily knew him, better than most. She knew when he was happy, fidgety, sad, annoyed.

This was him being happy but nervous at the same time.

She didn't know what to do. Her mind went numb.

Dylan had moved on. All the months, she tried not thinking of this possibility. She couldn't even think of moving on. She had tried and failed, because it did not feel right. Nothing felt right without him. Somewhere in her mind, she expected Dylan to feel this way too. It was irrational and unfair but she did.

She always believed they had this great, epic love which, even if broken up, they'd find their way back. She never wanted to entertain the possibility that there was anybody else. Sure, maybe a rebound but she didn't expect him to be happy so soon and definitely not telling Jake about it.

She listened in to their conversation, expecting to get more details about this girl.

Maybe she was a rebound, he just didn't realize it yet. Yeah, that's what it must be. He is under the illusion that he is all happy and healed now because maybe that's what is keeping him going.

She saw Dylan laughing and her heart grew heavy. She just wanted to go and hug him and never let go. Beg him to forgive her. Tell him that they are meant to be.

Then she saw his face grow visibly pale, worry frowns appearing on his forehead. He was on a call and suddenly there was movement. Dylan was running out of the bar and Jake followed him, keeping a couple of bills on counter.

Where was he going? Emily got up, determined to follow them.

This was pure fate. She could have gone to any bar. Dylan and Jake could have gone to any bar. They could have gone to the same bar but at different hours. This was all meant to be. Emily took it as a sign and was rushing out the door when she ran into Kristen and her boyfriend.

"Hey hey hey. Hold up. Where you off to?" Kristen said, blocking her way.

Emily got annoyed. She didn't like getting slowed down. She saw Dylan and Jake searching for a cab.

"That's Dylan! I have to get to him. He's right there." Emily shouted, trying to run after them but Kristen held her arm.

"Hold on. What?" Kristen asked, looking around and hoping that this wasn't an episode of her friend going crazy. Sure enough, there was Dylan with a really handsome guy.

"He has a girlfriend now. And I'm pretty sure he's rushing off to her now. I have to follow!" Emily shouted in anxiety and longing.

"No no. Wait. This is too much information to process in thirty seconds." Kristen said.

"Dylan.Girlfriend.Follow them. Now!" Emily shouted loudly. She turned around, getting ready to run. Only problem? There was nobody to run after.

"Shit. Shit. Fuck. FUCK." Emily shouted, stamping her foot, not believing that she lost Dylan because of Kristen.  

"Emily. Calm down." Kristen said, approaching her timidly. 

She'd never seen her friend go this crazy. Especially over a guy.

"CALM DOWN?! I LOST HIM. AGAIN!" Emily felt like pulling on her hair but even she knew it was going far.

"Yes, but from whatever information I recently received, isn't it better that you didn't follow him? Didn't you say he had a girlfriend?" Kristen tried making sense.

"YES! That's exactly why I have to follow him. I have to see her. I have to let Dylan know I'm here." Emily couldn't believe this. 

"Yeah, I understand. But don't you think you should let go now?" Kristen said, backing up a few steps as she saw Emily looking at her, her face changing into that of a dangerous creature. 

'What. Did. You.Say?" Emily said.