Temporary✔️

| Twenty-four

EMERY WAKES up on the day of her date with Kade, already ecstatic to start the day. She wonders where he will take her this time, and also why it must always be a surprise.

She does her normal routine in the bathroom, dresses, and does her hair. She puts her long waves into a half up-style, tying it back with a red ribbon. Her accessory matches the red sweater that she pairs with some cuffed jeans.

By the time she's ready, it's way before Kade is supposed to be here. She must've not been watching the clock when she woke up. She's confused on what to do to pass time.

While she's deciding, her parents call her down stairs. She furrows her brows because they never call her from her room anymore. She's fine with it though, ready to face them because their arguments are almost nonexistent now.

When she gets to the end of the steps, she sees her mom and dad sitting beside each other on the couch. She slowly walks over, sitting on the seat just across from her quiet parents.

They all stare at each other for a minute, which makes Emery shift slightly in her seat.

"You needed me?" Emery asks, smiling, close-lipped.

"Yes, we wanted to um- tell you what's going on." Her mom says, looking over to her husband.

"Please do, I'm a little anxious." Emery chuckles, looking from both of them. They both take a deep breath, which makes Emery go into panic mode.

"We're getting a divorce, Emery." Her dad says, looking down.

"Oh." Emery nods, swallowing the knot in her throat. Her eyes start burning from how much she struggles to keep the tears in.

"Um-okay, yeah." Emery starts to get up, heading to the door. She wants to be out of this house, and run away from the situation.

Like a coward.

"Wait, Em. Please-"

The slammed door cuts off her mom's voice, but Emery's brain had already done that. Emery is breathing heavily, and she's fully aware of the hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She blinks past them, blocking off her thoughts, and walking to her car.

Harven comes out, seeing Emery's fast pace. He hurried over, and tries to grab her arm. She yanks it away, and he furrows his brows.

"What's wrong?" He asks, when he sees her face.

"Leave it alone! Nothing's wrong," She rubs harshly at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, "I hate fucking crying." She sniffles, and even if the tears did stop, the pain didn't. It was fresh, which made it even worse.

"Emery." He softens his eyes down at her.

"Harven..." She shakes her head, then leaning it into his chest, still letting the tears flood. She hates being vulnerable in front of him, but he's here, and that means a lot to Emery.

____________

Harven lets her into his house, taking her up to his room. He lets her lay down on his bed, not caring that the case will get soggy.

"What happened, if you're ready?" He asks her from the bottom of the bed, where he sits on the mattress.

She looks over to him from her laying position, and sighs. "My parents are getting a divorce." She says flatly, blinking once.

"I understand that." Harven nods, looking down at her. Emery nodded, knowing his past with his parents. When his parents divorced, Harven didn't mess with her for about three months, he was just kind of gone.

"Everything is gonna change." Emery sniffles.

"Yeah," Harven sighs, "It is. But they still love you and it's probably for the best." He says.

"I know, but it hurts, Harven. I don't want two Christmases!" Emery groans. Harven chuckles knowingly.

"It's actually not that bad." He shrugs. She looks over to him, considering it, then plops her head back into the soft pillow. She thinks it smells like Harven but she's never gotten so close to him to know for sure. The smell is crisp and light.

"What do you think? I'll be forced to choose who I want to live with?" Emery pouts. Harven furrows his brows for a moment, before quickly smoothing out his face.

"I don't know, but don't go too far," He widens his eyes, "Whoever will I torment?"

She scoffs. "No, I won't, I won't. Whoever would torment me?" She gasps.

"Nobody as well as I, that's for sure." He smirks, and she rolls her eyes.

He let out a breath. "Well, I'll let you rest here, I know you're not feeling the best." He begins to get up, heading towards the door.

Just when he's closing it she calls him back.

"Wait! Can you stay? I don't want to be alone." She asks.

"Um-yeah, if you want." He turns back around, heading towards the bed. He stops short at the mattress.

"Can I?" He looks at her, gesturing to the empty spot beside her.

"Uh-yes, yeah." She pats the surface.

He crawl over her legs and lays beside her, face to face. Emery's hands are at her chin, and she's curled up, almost in a position that perfectly fits into Harven's.

He looks at her dark eyes, with those long eyelashes, and her freckles dotted here and there. He looked at her raw, tear stained cheeks, and wipes away a stray one.

She looked at his midnight hair, and his eyes, the color of the evening sky. She swept over his playful eyebrows and the lifted corners of his mischievous grin. She looked at everything she had sworn to hate.

"I like our little agreement. It's lead to great things." She nods once.

"Yeah," Another glance, "I guess it has." He swallows.

He's so very close to spitting it out, all of it, words falling over words, because he can't help it

But, soon, Emery is asleep, and the tired sounds from her are enough, her soft peaceful face is enough, and her, right here and right now, is enough.

This moment is enough for him.