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He nodded and offered her a similar small smile in return before falling back onto the bed. “Tell Mom I’ll be there in a few, okay?”

Emily replied a quick “Okay” and made her way to the narrow steps that led down to the attic’s door. She was about to start her descent, when Taylor’s sad voice called to her. “Nothing’s changed, Ems. You’re still my best friend and I’m yours. We love spending time together and I make a good pillow. That’s what we have and nothing will change that, not even some morning wood.”

She laughed at his attempt to make a joke. “Thanks, Tay,” she said, before exiting the room.

As was to be expected on New Year’s Eve, the house was chaotic. Everywhere Taylor’s eyes landed there were strange people doing something. The commotion always annoyed the hell out of him, but this year in particular, not having any alone time in his own home irritated him.

With his mother’s fashion expert in the house, the women were nowhere to be found. Considering that he was still processing their morning awkwardness, for the first time since they’d met, Emily’s absence wasn’t a bad thing. He needed more time to develop his thoughts and feelings. With that in mind, he skipped on the boy’s ESPN session and went to the gym. Nothing helped him organize his thoughts like a good run.

He was so focused on the treadmill and lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t even realize someone had walked in.

“Forty-five that steep and at that speed . . . if your thighs aren’t killing you, something else is,” Nate said, climbing up on the machine next to him. “If you want to talk, I’m here. If you want to run, I’m also here. But just remember we’re attending a party tonight, and you’ve got a gorgeous date to dance with, so you might want to slow down and lower the incline.”

Nate’s words made him finally notice how his legs were burning, but he couldn’t stop yet; he still had a lot of things to work through. He set the treadmill to the lowest incline and slowed down to a jog. Without so much as a glance at his friend, he continued his exercise. Understanding the message, Nate booted his own machine and started to jog.

For the next half an hour, the two friends ran alongside in silence until they were both exhausted and looking like two matching puddles of sweat. “You need to run more, Nate. You did thirty and look worse than me.”

A weak “Shut up” was all Nate was able to muster as he sank to the floor in front of the treadmill. With wobbly legs, Taylor walked to the fridge and grabbed four bottles of water and returned to sit on the bench close to his friend. Tossing two bottles at Nate, he downed his first in one gulp and moved on to the second one, which went just as fast.

“What happened with Emily?” Nate asked, breathlessly, after drinking his first bottle and restoring some of his strength. When Taylor didn’t answer the question, he pressed the subject again. “You finally nailed her?”

Taylor looked at his longtime friend with a glare he hadn’t used on him since ninth grade. “If you like your teeth, you’ll never refer to Emily like that again.”

“Come on man, it’s just a figure of speech. Now, tell me what happened. I’ve known you since our Spiderman speedo days, there’s obviously something eating at you.”

Taylor rubbed his eyes. “We’re men, Nate. We don’t talk. We run, and throw heavy shit around.”

“We did, and you’re still all worked up. I dislike touchy feely talk as much as you do, but you’re my best friend and, as you pointed out, I’m out of shape, so spill it and let’s get this shit over with. If you want I can even start for you . . . oh, Nate, I’m so in love with her and . . . ”

The girlish, high-pitched voice he used made Taylor burst into laughter. “You’re hanging out with Poppy way too much, man.”

Nate waved his hand and let out an exasperated sigh before answering. “I like hanging out with Poppy, even if it’s to be tortured with chick flicks till all hours of the morning. But don’t change the subject.”

“I am in love with her, yes, but that’s old news. There’s no doubt she loves me too, though and that’s new.”

“If you’re in love with her and know she’s in love with you too, make a move. It shouldn’t be that hard, since you’re already sleeping with her.”

Taylor tossed an empty bottle at his friend, giving him an incredulous look. “Dude, you give shit advice.”

Nate threw the bottle back at Taylor and snickered. “No, I don’t. I’m not telling you to jump her, dumbass. I’m telling you to spill it out, get touchy-feely on her. Women like that shit.”

Taylor let out a humorless laugh. “And what am I supposed to say? Emily, I love you, and I know you’re freaking out because your life has been shit and people have hurt and betrayed you. But I’m fucking tired of waiting, so get over it and strip,” he lashed out sarcastically at his friend.

“That’s one way to go about it. It’s a shitty, douchebag way, but a way, nonetheless,” he said playfully. “A better way would be repeating what you told Kyle about her. Probably best to stay clear of all the cursing and the threats of handing him his ass if he made another comment about her rack. But that part about her being the one and of how you’d wait a lifetime for her because you know it’d be worth the wait. That part was pretty good. Besides, you’re her best friend, man. If anyone knows how to get through to her, that’s you.”

Nate was usually as sensitive as a cactus and as insightful as a rock, which made how right he’d just been feel like a weird episode of
The Twilight Zone
. Nevertheless, he had a point. The bottom line was that Emily was confused and scared, and those were emotions he knew how to handle. It was only a matter of putting his feelings aside once again and helping her through it as a friend.

Having finally worked out his next course of action, he stood up and walked towards his friend. “Who knew chick flicks could be that helpful,” he said tapping on Nate’s shoulder. “Thanks man.”

After a quick shower and a stop at Penelope’s room to borrow something he needed, Taylor searched every room of the circus his house had become in his quest to find Emily, but she was nowhere to be found. That was, until he looked through the window and saw the red coat in the most unlikely of places.

“What are you doing here? It’s freezing,” he asked, kicking the snow off the wooden deck and sitting next to her.

“From four to four thirty, the schedule says rose-infused hot tub. I’m not in the mood to soak with your mom and Penelope. And, since there are people everywhere in the house, I came here to think.”

“What’s after four thirty?”

Emily turned to him with a ghost of a smile. “Half an hour to shower and eat something, then massages, waxing, nails, hair and, finally, make-up.”

“That’s why it’s good to be a guy. A nice shower, a little trim and we’re done.”

She laughed at his comment and nodded. They were silent for a moment before Taylor continued. “Since we have half an hour until shower time, what you say we use these?” From behind his back he retrieved his black hockey ice-skates and a pair of white figure-skates that belonged to his sister. “If I remember correctly, skating with your Nana and siblings is your favorite childhood memory.”

Her face lit up at the sight of the white boots and she started working on her laces within seconds. “I can’t believe you remembered. We were seconds from sleep when I told you about that, and it’s been months.”

With his blades firmly strapped on his feet, Taylor stood up. “I remember everything you ever told me.”

“Oh yeah? Then, what’s Nana’s name?” she asked joining him on the ice.

He huffed mockingly at her. “Easy, Martha Rose.”

“The food I didn’t eat as a kid?”

“Cauliflower, you separated it in your mouth and spat it out. Nana hated it when you did that.”

Their game continued for a while. Each correct answer added to the smugness on Taylor’s face as he skated backwards around her with his arms high in the air, making her laugh. Once he had proven how well he knew her, the game shifted, and he started asking the questions. It came as no surprise that she answered all of them correctly, and though her reaction was much more modest, it was clear how much fun she was having. After their interaction that morning, that bit of normalcy was heavenly.

“Okay. Final question, you ready?” Emily giggled and bobbed her head, and Taylor continued. “I have a birth mark, where is it?”

She looked at him, smirking and raising a brow at his smug face. “You think I’m gonna fall for your tricky question, don’t you? Tsk, tsk, tsk . . . shame on you, Carter,” she teased, turning around to skate backwards.

Holding his laughter inside, he followed her. Skating with less than the distance of an arm separating them, he stared her down in challenge. “Oh, how I like you smug . . . But, I still think you’re gonna tank.”

Giggles bubbled up inside her, forcing her head to fall back as she laughed them out. “If you’re so confident, we should make a bet of it.”

“You know I never back out of a good bet, Watson,” he told her with a crooked smile.

They were still skating less than an arm-length apart. He hadn’t touched her, but the look he was giving her through bedroom eyes and the low, charged, sexy-as-hell tone in his voice was bringing all the fogginess from that morning back to her.

Knowing her voice was bound to crack, she cleared her throat before speaking. “What will I get when I win?”

His lips turned up in a heated smirk. “Obviously, bragging rights, and one wish that the loser, whoever it is, must fulfill until the fireworks light up the sky tonight.”

With her eyes locked on his, Emily nodded in slow motion. Taylor stretched his arms to the side and his lifted brow made his request for her to tell him where his valuable mark was, clear as daylight.

“You probably think I’m gonna say the one on your back, right?” she asked and a lazy smile curled his lips. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I know that’s a burn from a lemon fight with Nate and Gabe.” She shrugged her shoulders giving her best innocent face, making him laugh.

“Oh Carter, you don’t have one, you’ve got three marks. And they are small and round and right here.” Reaching her hand forward, she passed it through the hem of his jacket and touched her gloved index finger to his stomach, just below his belly button, where the first one was. Her middle and forefinger followed, touching the spots where the other two marks were.

“Who would have guessed you know me as well as I know you?” He covered her hand with his, pressing it flat on his belly.

As they stared deep into each other’s eyes, an array of emotions coursed through Emily’s body, filling her up and emptying her at the same time. Her eyes moved from his big, hooded ones to his slightly parted lips that were taking light, panting breaths that mirrored her own. His tongue came from behind his teeth to wet his lips, and an overwhelming desire to feel them on hers took over her.

Noticing her reaction, Taylor circled his free hand around her body, shortening the distance between them. Her arm was crushed against his rock-solid body, and his breath tickled her face. Overwhelmed by the haziness, she closed her eyes, welcoming all the different sensations.

Unbidden, the crippling thoughts and fears she’d had that morning returned to her mind, prickling her eyes with unshed tears.

“Tay . . . ” she whispered in a plea. Using the hand she had on his belly, she pushed herself away from him and skated as fast as she could towards the wooden deck.

By the time she reached it, flurries of snow were falling around her and a few tears were slipping from her eyes. She could hear his blades making their way through the ice, but she couldn’t make herself turn around to look at him.