It had been a long night, and it was Emma's turn to drive home. She wasn't the best driver when it came to nighttime, but she felt comfortable with Paul by her side.
It had been a quiet trip, which was unusual for the two. Usually they spoke about work, their mutual hate for musicals, horrid coworkers and just life. But tonight, they were silent.
Paul slowly cleared his throat. "Emma?" He asked, fidgeting with his hands in the passenger seat.
"Mm?" She replied, eyes focused on the road and her hands gripped around the steering wheel. They were close to Paul's apartment where she would drop him off for the night, and she often missed the right turn.
Paul took a deep breath, staring out at the night sky in front of him. The lights around the streets were dimmed and he found it calming. "About earlier, I know I said some wrong stuff but-"
Emma rolled her eyes. "Not now, Paul. It's fine, really." It wasn't particularly, but she had to pretend it was. She knew Paul was a worrier, but deep down, she was too.
"No, no let me finish." He said sternly, slightly shocked by his own time of voice. "Sorry. I mean please. It's just..." He paused, trying to find the right words.
"I'm sorry for saying you're my girlfriend earlier. I know you aren't ready for a label, it was just in the moment and, gee, I don't know... I guess I was hoping it was true? And then saying we were intimate, yeah, that was totally out of my league." He took a deep breath. "I'm really sorry. I hope I didn't mess everything up between us."
Emma was quiet for a moment, making sure she caught the right turn to Paul's street. "Paul..." She spoke, not certain with where to go next.
He stared straight ahead, trying to ignore her slow tone of voice. "Emma." He said seriously. "Is it because you don't want to be boyfriend and girlfriend? Just not label it? Because I'm okay with that, I just need to be sure, because it's also kinda confusing for me too and-"
He got cut off with an audible sigh. She pulled into the driveway of Paul's apartment and stopped the car. She turned slowly in her seatbelt and look at him. "Look, I really like you, Paul. You're a great guy, and I love spending all my time with you. But I sometimes find it hard to trust people and-"
She noticed that Paul had frowned slightly at that and rethought out her words. "Not that I don't trust you, I really do." She grabbed his hand and gave it a soft squeeze. "I'm just new to this."
"Me too." Paul said quietly, turning to look back at Emma. He stared at her and gave her a small smile. "It's all very new, to both of us. But are you willing to... to try?"
Emma looked up at the stars from her window and returned her gaze to Paul. She looked at his wonderful blue eyes, his floppy brown hair and his kind smile. Emma really liked this guy, and although the idea of a relationship was terrifying to her it wasn't something she could say no to.
"I will try." She said simply.
"So are you saying you'll... be my girlfriend?" He asked nervously.
Emma smiled and leaned forward to Paul. "Yes, I will try." She whispered and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
He grinned and Emma slapped his arm gently. "Such a nerd!" She exclaimed, only making Paul smile more. "Now off you go, get inside."
He slowly got out of the car, letting go of her hand at the very last second. He didn't want to leave Emma's grasp but it was late and he wanted her to get home soon. "Hey, Emma?"
"Yeah?"
"I like you a lot, Girlfriend."
She smiled like an idiot. "I like you a lot too, nerd."
