13 Chapter 13 (2/2)
Jackson and Aeris glance at each other for a quick second. ”Maybe they don't need dating advice after all...” Aeris says. ”They seem to be doing fine”.
The four of them walk together to Savvy Threads. When they get inside, Matilda says the usual ”Welcome!” before she notices it's Emma. ”Emma!” Matilda shouts, ”Welcome back! Brought some more already?”.
Emma laughs and says ”It's already been another week, Matilda!”.
”It has?” Matilda asks, ”I guess when you're this old, you lose track of time much more easily!”.
As Emma was showing and handing over some clothes to Matilda, suddenly Emily walks out from the back of the store. ”Matilda, it looks like we-” suddenly Emily stops walking and talking as she notices her classmates. ”What are you guys doing here?” Emily asks with a sour look.
”E-Emily?” Emma asks.
”Oh, you guys know each other already?” Matilda asks.
”No” Emily says as she begins to walk away, ”and no thank you”.
Matilda watches as Emily walks away. ”Odd...” Matilda says, ”she's usually a lot more... loving”. Matilda then looks at Emma and the rest. ”Don't worry” Matilda says, ”she's usually very sweet. She's just going through... a rough time”.
”What happened?” Emma asks.
”Oh, don't worry about that” Matilda says, ”that's my job. I'm the one taking care of her, after all”.
”Is she your granddaughter, miss?” Wyatt asks.
”Me?” Matilda asks, ”oh, ho ho ho! No, that's not it. Her parents have... troubles with moving to the city, but wanted to send her to college. They used to be customers of mine... frequent customers. I talked to them all the time. Lovely family, by the way. I agreed to take her in so she would have a place that's close to the school. Is she in your class?”.
”Yep” Aeris says, ”although, she doesn't really... talk to us at all”.
”She'll warm up to at least one of you, eventually” Matilda says. ”She just needs... Well, she needs time”.
”Is she a laibah?” Jackson asks.
”Erm... no, not really” Matilda says, ”but it's complicated...”.
Before Wyatt and the rest leave, Matilda pulls Emma to the side. ”What is it now?” Emma asks.
”I know you and Wyatt went to the festival together” Matilda says, ”so I was just curious. Is everything okay? How are things going?”.
”Oh... that” Emma says. ”I was able to eventually tell Wyatt... or rather, he told me first... but”.
”Have you been honest with him?” Matilda asks. ”Have you already told him about... that?”.
Emma smiles and says ”Don't worry so much, everything is fine!”.
Matilda looks at Emma as she thinks ”That better not mean what I think it means”. Eventually Matilda just smiles and says ”Alright then, that's good to hear. You two love birds take care of yourselves!”.
”Thanks, Matilda!” Emma says as she begins to walk away.
”You take care too, Matilda!” Wyatt says as he waves at her.
”I'm assuming the other two are also a couple?” Matilda asks. ”Are you guys going on a double date?”.
”We are NOT a couple!” Jackson protests.
As the group leaves the store, Matilda giggles and says to herself ”You didn't deny the latter... kids these days...”.
The four move on with their double date, visiting places around the town of Reyo. After a while, the group came to a stop as they decided to eat together at a nearby restaurant. Emma and Wyatt paid for most of the bill, as Jackson and Aeris don't usually get much money to spend. While eating, Aeris asks ”So if Emily has been staying with the lady at the store, then have you met her before, Emma?”.
”No” Emma says. ”Then again, Mr. Maloney did say she only recently arrived here... so I'm guessing she just moved in this week. Perhaps just a couple days ago”.
”It would've had to been a couple days ago” Wyatt says. ”I was at Savvy Threads when I got my suit that I wore to the festival”.
”She seems so... spiteful” Aeris says, ”but that lady at the store says she's usually sweet... I just don't see it”.
”Maybe you need new glasses then...” Jackson says.
Aeris swings her fist at Jackson, but stops just before she hits him. Jackson flinches, and Aeris says ”That's two for flinching!”. Aeris then hits Jackson twice on the shoulder, then says ”but I'm still marking that one down...”.
”Oh, come on!” Jackson complains.
Wyatt and Emma begin to laugh, then Aeris asks ”So do you guys see each other often, outside of school?”.
”Oh... yeah” Wyatt says.
”Do you guys ever spend the night with each other?” Aeris asks, with a expression worthy of making someone worry about what Aeris is thinking. ”You know, a romantic night together... alone?”.
”W-w-What!?” Emma panics, ”n-no!”.
”Oh calm down” Aeris says, ”I'm not talking about... that. There are other things you guys can do to... you know, get a little closer”.
”You're giving the poor idiots weird ideas” Jackson says.
”For the love of-” Aeris says, ”I'm not talking about sex! They can simply share a bed, stay up all night and talk, maybe work on school stuff together! Geez, you really have your head in the gutter...”.
”I think we all know by now” Jackson says, ”that you just like messing with people like that... gods only know you were probably only half joking”.
”Oh, shut up!” Aeris yells.
As Jackson and Aeris argued, Emma and Wyatt thought to themselves. Eventually, the sun began to set, and they all decided it was about time they went to their homes. Emma and Wyatt stayed up together, but eventually decided it was time to sleep. Wyatt crawled into his bed, but Emma sat on the ground in front of Wyatt's bed, thinking to herself. ”Emma?” Wyatt asks, ”are you alright?”.
Emma's face begins to grow bright red, as she twiddles her thumbs and says ”I was thinking... and I wanted to know if I can...”. Then Emma begins to mumble something inaudible.
”What?” Wyatt asks.
”I wanted to...” Emma began to say, but then mumbled again.
Wyatt laughs and says, ”Emma, I can't hear you if you mumble. Come on, talk to me. You can ask me anything!”.
”I wanted to know...” Emma began to say as her face began to grows even more red, ”if I can... share you bed with you?”.
”Huh!?” Wyatt asks, now his face growing red.
”I don't mean...” Emma tried to explain, ”do anything... funny... you know what? Never mind, I don't want to make you feel awkward”.
”No! No no no no no” Wyatt says, ”it's not like I think it's a bad thing... s-sure you can... I mean- I guess it's alright”.
Emma takes her blanket off of her bed and wraps herself up individually. Emma then sees the beanie that Aeris had given her before, and wears it on her head. That way, if she suddenly looses control of her shapeshift ability, Wyatt won't see her ears pop out. After Emma lays down next to Wyatt, Wyatt asks ”I'm not bothered by it, but what made you suddenly want to share a bed?”.
”I just...” Emma says as she thinks of the right words to say, ”wanted to find ways... to become closer to you...”.
”Emma...” Wyatt says, ”you don't have to push yourself, you know that. I'm fine moving at whatever pace you're comfortable with, because it's you I care about the most”. Wyatt throws one arm over Emma, to hold her as they fall asleep. The surprise made Emma's ears pop out. Luckily, Wyatt didn't notice because of the hat. ”I love you Emma” Wyatt says, ”and because of that, I'm fine just being able to see you. If you get uncomfortable with anything, please, let me know”.
Emma nods her head and says ”Alright”.
”Goodnight” Wyatt says.
As the two go to sleep, Emma kept hoping, thinking ”Please don't let my tail slip out, please don't let my tail slip out” over and over to herself. It was difficult at first, but eventually, they both found sleep. Little by little, and occasionally taking big steps, the two of them grew closer.