Making Emily... (Closed)

lonelycollegegirl

Really Really Experienced
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Sep 2, 2011
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As usual Emily arrived at her 10am class twenty minutes early. It was the first day of winter quarter, and she had to get there early to assure she'd get her first pick at seats. She always sat close enough to the front so that she could pay better attention, but far enough away so she wouldn't be called on. The middle always served as her favorite place to sit, though her best friend wouldn't always agree.

Emily and Ian had been best friends since she could remember. He moved next door to her when she was 7, and they instantly became friends. They spent every day together - playing video games, sports, whatever kids did. Emily was more of a tomboy growing up, so having a boy for a best friend wasn't a problem. Besides, she didn't have many friends throughout school. She'd had a few girl friends, but none of her friendships compared to the one she had with Ian. He'd been the one who was always there for her, no matter what. They'd share millions of good times together, but it was the bad times that had brought them closer.

Emily was 14 when her mother died in car accident, and it was the single most difficult thing she'd ever gone through in her life. Her father turned to alcohol to numb his pain, and he spent his days passed out on the couch and his nights crying uncontrollably in his bedroom. Emily couldn't take the pain of hearing her father's sobbing, and she remembered every night sneaking into Ian's room where she'd cry herself to sleep. Ian had been the one person who was there for her at her lowest point, and that's what had affirmed their friendship in her mind. From that first night she climbed through his window and he held her while she cried, Emily knew that Ian loved her, and that they'd be lifelong friends, no matter the different paths they went on in high school.

Emily kept to herself throughout high school; she was more focused on her school work. She wasn't a nerd by any shot, but she definitely was not in the popular crowd. Ian on the other hand was quite the ladies man through school, but somehow they still managed to stay friends. And friends were all they were. Their relationship had never crossed that line into anything similar to romance. They didn't see each other in that way. Besides, he was too busy with his countless tirades with multiple women, and Emily enjoyed hearing all of his crazy stories. She even added her two cents once in a while, but he never really cared to hear it.

And even now, 19 and halfway through their freshman year at college, they still were as close as they'd ever been. When they were accepted into the same college, they'd agreed to try and take at least one class each quarter together so that they could share some of the "college experience" together. This quarter, it was history. Not one of Emily's favorite topics, which is why she knew she had to pay extra close attention. She knew Ian wouldn't be pleased with her choice of sitting, but he'd get used to it. He always had. She put her backpack on the seat next to her and pulled out her laptop to start it up as she waited for her best friend to come in and save her from her loneliness.
 
"Really, Em, if we weren't friends I'd swear you were doing all these to make me look bad," Ian said, leaning against the door frame. "Making me come in early, sitting in the middle where the professor can't help but see me... You're going to ruin me one of these days." Ian laughed, then walked in to take a seat beside his friend, but not without a friendly poke at her nose and a cheery " 'Morning 'Bird" that had been his customary greeting for her ever since they'd been kids hunting ladybirds in the backyard.

Ian had known Emily since forever, meeting her first when her family moved in. She was seven at the time, so unlike the other girls in the neighborhood who were more preoccupied with their dolls and dress-up parties. Young Ian enjoyed having someone a stone's throw away who was willing to run around with him and not be scared of getting a scratch or two.

When he was ten, Ian's father left his mother for another woman. While his mom, a kind woman who worked as a nurse at the local hospital, took the divorce well enough, even the boy could see that the whole ordeal had caused his mother a lot of grief. Emily had been there to diffuse the anger he felt at the time. Seeing her stay with him at his very worst, Ian had decided then and there that Emily would be his best friend forever --better yet, the little sister he never had.

From that point on Ian resolved to NEVER make any woman cry, and to make them feel as good about themselves as possible. Even as he weirded Emily out with abrupt decisions to take up dancing, cooking, art --anything he believed could help him in his "mission"-- they grew closer as he continued to explore his potential under her guiding eye. Oh, she rolled her eyes now and then at the story of an affair l'amour or two, but Ian felt nothing but support.

Ian pulled a small clear packet from his messenger bag. Inside was a pair of glossy, finger-sized rolls that were half neon pink and brownish-green. "Sakuramochi, from Nagasaki. I got a bunch of frozen ones sent in a day or two ago." He took one carefully in his fingers and held it to Emily's lips. "Sticky bugger... so open up. Wouldn't want to spoil your laptop," he teased.

He took the other one for himself, leaned back in his seat, and let out a relaxed sigh. "Nikki Shaver in 2B loved them," he said wistfully. The sophomore had been the latest of his "dates" although they had broken up --amicably, of course-- just earlier in the day. The exotic sweets had been part of the "separation package."
 
Emily rolled her eyes as her best friend made his entrance and took the seat next to her. She pulled her backpack from the chair as she explained her choice of seating. "Ian, he won't see you. If you at least pretend to pay attention you'll be fine. If he calls on you, just make something up and look like an idiot in front of the whole class," she said with a laugh and a playful nudge. "You can always sit in the back alone you know. And What have I told you about that ridiculous name. We're in college Ian," she said, trying to sound serious. Calling her 'Bird when they were younger, and even in high school never bothered her, but now in college she wanted to be seen as an adult, not some child.

She watched him as he pulled something out of his bag and shook his loose hair from his face. "Ian, how do you even discover these things?" she laughed before taking a bite of pink deliciousness he held out for her. "Oh my god, that's delicious," she said with food still in her mouth. Manners and being lady-like wasn't something she'd ever worried about; especially with Ian.

Emily rolled her eyes at the mention of one Nikki Shaver, Ian's latest girlfriend. She always found his conquests amusing, though not her choice of lifestyle at all. But who was she to judge? At least she got some entertainment from it.

"Ah yes, the infamous Nikki," she stated in mock awe of the girl. "She was real winner Ian, you must be heartbroken." She added the dramatics of placing her hand to her chest as if she was in pain, but couldn't hold it for long before she broke out her beautiful smile and her bright blue eyes shone with laughter.
 
"I don't need to pay attention. What have I got to do with all those dusty musty dates, when the future's out there, waiting for me..? For us? History, Em," Ian said with a wink, "...is called 'History' for a reason." He stood up from his seat and walked up towards the window to look at the people who were still loafing about outside. "It's... er... history. Same as Nikki Shaver.

"And you..." Ian said as he walked back up to Emily. "...are a horrible, HORRIBLE actress." He emphasized the words to make the joke obvious, all the while copycatting Emily's actions. He sat down beside Emily again and reached for her hand, stroked it softly with a fingertip. Pretending to be serious, Ian said "You are however, a very bright student, a true, true friend, and a shining paragon of generosity... Don't make me look like a fool if that old coot who pretends to be a professor does manage to blurt my name out, okay? I will owe you tons for it."

Ian craned his neck as he caught sight of a pretty freshman --she was from 1C, if he remembered correctly-- dragging her feet to class, and wondered if there was anything he could help her with. He'd have to ask her the next time they met...

Hearing Emily snicker, Ian deadpanned, " 'Bird, really, if you roll your eyes any harder you are going to see the inside of your skull."
 
"Ian, it's college. Are you just here to waste your time?" Emily began to go on one of her various speeches to try and motivate her best friend, but he continued on with his rant about how useless history was. She shook her head with a laugh at his reference to Nikki, and she couldn't help but think how she possibly ended up with this guy as a friend. She laughed again to herself as her best friend continued on with his speech.

Emily gasped as if she was shocked as he insulted her acting. "Oh, that hurts Ian, you really cut me deep," she teased as he took his seat again. She smiled up at him as he stroked her hand and stroked her ego with his kind words. It never failed - his asking her for help with the teacher thing. It'd been that way since grade school; he'd get called on, wouldn't know the answer, and she'd mouth the answer to him from across the room. She didn't mind. she actually liked that he needed her for something for a change. She always felt like the needy one, and it was true that she did depend on Ian for lots of things, but it was nice to have him depend on her for something.

"You know you don't have to compliment me to get my help hot shot. I'm happy to save you from looking like an imbecile in front of all of our wonderful classmates. It'd be even more embarrassing if you looked like an idiot in front of that girl you're checking out," she said with a giggle as she looked down at her computer.

" 'Bird, really, if you roll your eyes any harder you are going to see the inside of your skull."

"Ian Michael, I said stop calling me that. There are people around," she scolded him just above a whisper. His look of amusement made her even more angry; he always thought it was funny when she got mad at him for little things. That look in his eyes and scraggly hair made it hard for her to stay mad for long. She stopped glaring at him and pulled up a blank word document on her computer, ready to take a million pages of noted.
 
The sunset painted the canvas of the sky with a palette of orange and purple as Ian sat on a low stone wall by the main doors of the university building, waiting for Emily. It just so happened that she DID save him today from professor big-historian-what's-his-face. He decided he owed her a dinner out.

Emily arrived with a group of her classmates from one of her other classes, discussing some project, Ian imagined. He sidled up to Emily, and she, without breaking her conversation handed Ian her laptop bag in an automatic action that evinced their long familiarity with each other.

After Emily's group had finished their discussion, one of Emily's female classmates stepped up to Ian before leaving. "Ian, I... heard about you and Nikki. Sorry about that. Anyway, the massage really helped, and I got... 'it' the next day," the girl said with a shy smile. "I... um... I'll... be seeing around okay?"

"Oh, definitely," Ian answered. "I'd love to keep in touch once in a while."

Alone together now, Ian shot Emily a sheepish grin and explained. "We were in a line at the lunch hall, and the talk sort of drifted to how her period had been delayed for more than three weeks, and I offered to give her one of those Chinese reflexology massages. I only touched her hands, I swear!" He raised his hands in mock surrender. "What can I say? I've got magic fingers," he said, laughing, as he wiggled them.

"So... Where'd you want to eat?" Ian asked as they started to walk home. "Dinner's on me, remember?"
 
"But slide shows are so typical for a project like this," Emily explained to her classmates as they walked, "we need something more surprising. I just don't know what yet." The group came up with a few good.ideas and Emily pretended to like them. She didn't want them to think she was some snobby know-it-all.

She saw Ian leaning against the building waiting for her. She smiled to herself as she saw him checking out girls' behinds as they walked by.

"Ahh, there's Ian," one of the girls, Kate, sighed as she too saw him in the distance. "I was having some trouble earlier. He gave me massage. It was amazing." Emily couldn't help but laugh as the girl spoke as if Ian was a God. Kate snapped her gaze to Emily and gave her the evil eye.

"Uhm sorry," Emily said, clearing her throat. "That sounds just like Ian," she muttered as they reached him and she handed him her bag. Kate looked as if she wanted to say something to Em, but she hesitated and then turned her attention to Ian and they shared a few quick words. Emily shook her head listening to their exchange and how ridiculous Kate sounded. She obviously wanted much more than a massage from Ian. And from Ian's track record, she would get it. She couldn't help but snicker again when he told her he'd keep in touch.

The girls walked away and Ian explained their meeting. She couldn't control her laughter when he told her, and her face turned red from the laughter. Her eyes went glasssy from the tears that almost fell, and she could barely spit out, "I don't even want to know how conversation drifted to that."

He rolled his eyes at her laughter and mentioned dinner once again. "Hmm, I don't mind. Wanna just do the cafe?" she asked, referring to the small restaurant they often visited just off campus. "I could go for a latte right about now anyways. Besides, I can get what I want since you're treating," she said with a playful shove.
 
"Pfft." Ian rolled his eyes. "Just a latte for dinner? You're not on a diet, are you?" His hand slipped around Emily's waist before catching her hand and pulling her off on the way. "You're slim enough as it is, Em. You don't need to do anything to catch the boys' eyes." He laughed. "Believe me. I've seen the way some guys look at you..." Ian leaned in and whispered mock-conspiratorially. "You'd better get a few restraining orders prepared."

He laughed again as Emily blushed hard at the idea. "Anyway, the whole deal is on me, remember. Feel free to splurge. I'll get you an extra packet of sugar."

At the cafe, Ian and Emily took one of the more private corner tables. Being served, Ian ordered bruschetta with black coffee and Emily placed her order as well. Serious for a moment now that they were in private, Ian said, "I think History is going to fail me. You think there's anything I could do to get my grades up on that? I mean, aside from actually listening to the old fogey, of course." While he did maintain the image of not really caring about school, he was actually keen on graduating on time --Emily knew that of course. Most days it seemed only Em knew how to figure Ian out.

Ian listened to Emily as she laid out an action plan and he let out a deep sigh. "Man. That's going to be a bother." The coffee and food arrived, Ian winking at the pretty barista who served them, and recovering a bit of his playful self, mumbled "Ooo, she is going to get a nice big tip and then some," as the girl walked away.

Distraction gone, Ian turned to Emily again. "Em, thanks a lot really. If we pull this off, I am going to owe you like... big time. With a capital 'Big'."
 
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Emily couldn't help but blush as Ian complimented her. She knew that he was just trying to make her feel good, and it was working. She was a confident girl; she knew that she was pretty, but her focus had always been school. She'd never really let loose and went looking for boys before. She'd never even had a boyfriend; hell, she'd never even been kissed. She had no idea what she'd do if she ever actually did meet someone. She'd be too nervous to do anything. She wished she could be more like Ian, but like a girl version. He was so confident and knew all the right things to do and say to make the girls fall. She'd hoped she'd be able to find someone that would make her fall head over heels.

Emily ordered soup and a sandwich like she always did, and turned to Ian with a concerned look on her face. "Ian, how can you expect to pass this class when all you do all period is check out the girls? You have to start paying attention hot shot. I can only help you to an extent Ian, and you know I'll help as much as I can. But you're going to have to start getting your act together. College isn't like high school, you've got to get your head in the books and out from under girls' skirts," she said with a laugh. Then she gave him a soft smile as if to apologize for the mom speech. She just got so frustrated with him. She knew he had the brains to excel in school, but he didn't apply himself. All she wanted was for her friend to be successful, and she was determined to push him, even if he did get angry with her.

Just as she thought her words were sinking in, he commented on the hot waitress. Emily huffed as she slammed her spoon back onto the table. "See Ian, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Did anything I just said even mean anything to you?" Now Emily was a bit annoyed, she couldn't help it. She felt like everything she'd just said went in one ear and out the other. "Look, I'm sorry," she said with a sigh, "I just wish you'd get your priorities right. I'm just trying to help Ian. I love you so much and I just want you to do well for yourself." She added a smile as she took a bite of her sandwich.
 
Ian was surprised at Emily's outburst and realized she was right. Maybe he had been relying too much on her help regarding his studies too. Maybe he was becoming an inconvenience. Heavens! The girl had enough to deal with on her own, although she tried hard to try to smile through it.

He took her hand in one of his and gently caressed her face with the other, leaning in so that their eyes were inches away. "Hey, Bird," he whispered. "I'm sorry, okay. I didn't mean to be such a bother. Everything you say means the world to me, I swear. I promise I'll..." he rolled his eyes. He'd done this a million times before --not that he didn't mean it. He always did. He just got... distracted. "...I'll get my act together, okay?"

Ian gave Emily a quick peck to the tip of her nose. "And I'm giving you permission to call me out on it if you find me slacking off, hm? Just give me half a day's headstart to get out of Dodge." He grinned and leaned back on his seat.

A little bit concerned about the display of annoyance so uncharacteristic of her, Chris took a sip of his coffee and ventured a "So, how are things going on your end?" as he eyed Emily surreptitiously over the cup.
 
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The look on Ian's face made her immediately regret her outburst. She knew he was trying, and she was proud of him for it. She'd just been stressed lately, and a little lonely. Ian's sudden increase of woman 'friends' had been making her think about her own love life. She found herself desperately wanting a man to come sweep her off her feet. But of course that fantasy was short lived because her fear of the opposite sex over powered it. She wished there was some way to just get her first everythings over with so when Mr. Right came along she knew what to do. But she knew that wouldn't happen.

"I'm sorry Ian," she began, slumping her shoulders and shaking her head, "I've just been stressed lately. With the new classes and my dad..." she hesitated and took a deep breath. " His drinking is getting worse. He stays up the whole night sobbing. Its breaking me. I cant handle it."

The moment lingered as she took a sip of her latte. She didn't want Ian to feel bad for her, she just needed someone to listen. "Hey, what about a movie night tonight? Ya know like when we used to? It'll would really help to get my mind off things, " she said giving her friend a gentle smile.
 
***** *** *****​

Ian set the pizza boxes and groceries in the kitchen, Emily following closely behind with the DVDs he'd let her pick. "Just prep up a contract that you won't do my hair or make me wear makeup and we're all set," Ian teased as he microwaved some popcorn. They'd had movie nights before, of course, and Emily was as "un-girly" about it as she was about everything.

He handed off a finished bowl of popcorn to her, the smell of butter wafting in the air. He took the pizzas and a pitcher of iced tea from the fridge and grinned widely. "Well, I'm all set. Shall we?"

Ian let Emily lead the way to the den, knowing how familiar she was with his house. As he watched her move, he realized how much he'd been neglecting his childhood friend while he'd been running around chasing skirts. She'd always been there for him, and while he'd tried before to be there for her too, Ian knew that these last few months he'd largely left her alone while he went on date after date.

Did she have anyone else she could talk to? A boyfriend? That didn't seem to be the case. And with her troubles regarding her dad, he suddenly felt horrible for virtually abandoning her.

He tried not to let his smile fade as they reached the den and Emily, after setting the popcorn down on the coffeetable, set a DVD to play.

"So what's the theater showing tonight? Hostel? The Human Centipede?" Ian laughed, knowing how much she hated those films.
 
"Damn, I was really looking forward to mani pedi's tonight. You always let me down Ian," Emily teased as she snatched the popcorn and made her way to the den. She'd rushed over as fast as she could, eager to get away from her father. He was already drunk by the time she got home from school, and she didn't want to stick around to watch him drink even more.

Em felt bad sometimes, always burdening Ian with her problems, but she didn't have anyone else to turn to. Sure she had some girl friends from high school, and she'd met a few new friends at college, but none of them knew her past; they didn't know her situation. Ian was the only one who knew her, and the only one who didn't pity her. She hated when people told her they 'feel sorry' for her, like she was some sad depressed child. Ian never made her feel that way; he understood her, and that's why she loved him. She wished though that she was able to trouble someone else with her problems, a boyfriend maybe. But that was wishful thinking.

Emily's face twisted in disgust at his reference to The Human Centipede. "You're truly repulsive with your taste in movies my friend," she said as she laughed at pulled a DVD from the stack. Although Emily wasn't the girly-girl type, she still enjoyed a good romantic comedy, and that's what she was in the mood for tonight. She knew Ian wouldn't be pleased, and would make fun of her for choosing a "chick flick" but, she'd been dying to see this movie since it came out.

She tossed him the DVD, Friends With Benefits, with Justin Timberlake and that one chick from That 70's Show. Em didn't care about the girl, she was excited that her first ever boy crush was in a new movie where he'd be half naked. The look on Ian's face made her giggle.

"Come on Ian," she said, giving him a pouty face. "It's Justin Timberlake .. how can you say no to that face?" she asked, pointing to the DVD cover. "Plus, you'll enjoy seeing that girl half naked the whole time anyways. Just put it in," she teased with a playful nudge with elbow.
 
"Mmm, true that," Ian said, flopping down to the couch and dropping the pizza onto the table. He popped a half handful of popcorn into his mouth before talking again. "You know I endured American Psycho 2 for her. And Black Swan. Mmmmmm, Black Swaaaaan..." Ian tried his best at a Homer Simpson interpretation. "But still... Justin Timberlake?" He groaned as a joke.

As the movie started he patted the space on the couch beside him, an invitation for her to take it. The credits began. " 'Bird, after this is over you and I are going to have a good long talk about your film choices, okay?" he teased. "I think the girl who once watched a Rambo marathon with me got lost on the way here."
 
Emily laughed and rolled her eyes at the mention of Black Swan. Of course he'd like that movie. Girl on girl action .. what's not to love for a guy. "Shush, it's starting," she said as she sat on the couch, pulling her feet beneath her. She grabbed a slice of pizza as Ian insulted her movie choice again.

"What? I was in a girly mood. I am allowed to be a girl you know. I don't always wanna watch some crazy action movie with more stunts than there is plot. Besides.. I heard this was really good," she said in a matter-of-fact tone as she took a bite a pizza.

Em had to admit .. this movie was much more provocative than she'd imagined. Sure they'd watched movies with sex in them before, but never to this extent. She should have felt awkward watching this, but it was with Ian. She knew he didn't care and they could talk about anything. God knows he had no reserves in telling her all about his sex life.

After they'd finished the popcorn and most of the pizza, Em grabbed a blanket and cuddled close to Ian like they often did. She rested her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. It was nothing out of the ordinary for them. Ian made her feel safe, and loved. She didn't know where'd she be without him. Although the movie was interesting and very funny, Emily couldn't stop her mind from worrying about her father. It was all she could think about lately. She tried to push it aside, and just have fun with her best friend tonight, but images of her father passed out on the couch kept knocking on her brain.
 
Ian really had no doubts about how Emily picked her movies, but this one was a revelation. Oh, it was good alright but it was surprisingly racy for her tastes. He got a bit too quiet, just nibbling on the occasional pizza slice. Once in a while he would take sidelong glances at Em and watch how she reacted to the movie.

After one particularly graphic sex scene, Ian smirked, "Hmm, that would heat any room up." Emily shushed him again, totally engrossed. He had to snicker. Sometimes, Em, you can be such a girl. She was probably imagining herself getting into Timberlake's pants... Or causing the lack of them.

Partway through the film, Ian finally started to appreciate the film in and of itself. There was a definite chemistry between the two leads, the turns were completely plausible, the acting was great... And Mila Kunis was a definite showstopper.

Ian began to laugh at the scene he was in --it was such a flip-up. Here he was analyzing it, and Emily was the one who was absorbed. Usually it was the other way around.
 
The movie ended, and of course the two ended up together. As the credits began to roll, Emily sat up, stretching her cramped limbs. "What'd you think?" she asked, sitting Indian style on the couch facing him. "I know its a cliche ending, and predictable, but who doesn't enjoy a good love story every now and then? Even you hot shot, I know you liked it," she teased poking him in the shoulder.

"Even if you didn't, thanks for suffering through it with me. I needed to get my mind off things. Not that it worked entirely. I still can't stop thinking about my dad." She looked down and fiddled with her hands as she spoke, and already she felt the tears forming. She sniffled before apologizing, "I'm sorry Ian. I wish I had someone else to talk to so you werent burdoned with all my problems." She laughed, trying to lighten the mood, her blue eyes glistening with tears.
 
So that's why she'd been so intent to concentrate on the film, Ian finally realized. Pfft! You could read every other girl in school well enough, but your best friend, you don't get, he scolded himself mentally.

He held Emily squarely by her shoulders and started brushing her tears away. "Hey," he whispered. "Em. Emily. Don't beat yourself too much over it, okay. I don't mind, really. If you need to talk to me, I'm there you know. Quick as a wink, eh? Isn't that what you always said?" He grinned at her attempting to make her feel better.

Ian laughed and joked, "Maybe we should set up some kind of boyfriend tryouts for you, find you a nice guy who wouldn't go abandoning you for the next skirt that flips up." He took a good little jab at himself, feeling a bit guilty again. How long had she been feeling like this?

"Anyway," he rambled. "I figure, we start the whole thing off with a kissing test, you know. Whoever catches your fancy moves on to the next round an' all that? What do you think?"
 
"I know you are Ian, and that's why I love you," she said with a smile trying to convincing him she was okay. But she wasn't, she felt bad. Ians words made her feel worse; she didn't want him to feel guilty. He was there plenty for her, he should be living his life, not stuck behind in this crappy neighborhood with her home life issues.

She blushed and het stomach turned at the mention of a 'boyfriend tryout' but she forced an awkward laugh. "Oh I'm sure there'd be guys lined up out the door," she said sarcastically with an eye roll. Ian knew her lack of dating experience, and he knew she was a virgin, but he didn't know what she was about to tell him.

"Ian..." she said, taking a deep breath, "I wouldn't know what to do with a guy. I'd be so awkward. I've never even been kissed Ian ..." She couldn't look at his face when she told him. She was expecting him to laugh at her, think she was joking. She kept staring at her hands, her face beat red, and her heart pounding. She don't know why she just told him this, but she felt she needed to so that he'd understand why there was no one else in the picture.
 
"Oh," Ian muttered blankly at what Emily had said, embarrassed suddenly. He knew she didn't care much for going out with guys, but she had gone out on a date or two so he assumed...

Ian took Emily's chin in his and raised her face so that her eyes could meet his. He smiled. "Hey, Em..." he whispered. Ian brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face, the last stray tears from her eyes. Moving close, he placed his lips against hers, a soft pressure as his tongue tentatively flicked against her lips. His hand slipped down to her waist, his thumb gently rubbing against the soft skin under her top.

He leaned lightly against her so that they sank into the couch together. Feeling braver, Ian slowly parted his lips, a hint for Emily to do the same. When she did, he gently pushed his tongue a bit further into her mouth, brushing softly against lip and teeth and the briefest of touches with her tongue.

Ian broke off before he got too involved with the kiss... This was Emily, after all. Still, he couldn't help but smile --it felt... good, actually. "Hello," he whispered again, looking into Emily's eyes. He touched her cheek again, then brushed a finger against her lower lower lip.

"Well," he said with an amused snicker as he sat up. "Now you know at least one thing." There was a certain tension in the air, and Ian, in an attempt to defuse it, rummaged about the DVD cases to get one he picked. "Care for some anime?" he asked, holding up a copy of Appleseed: Ex Machina.
 
The one syllable answer said it all. Great, now even my best friend thinks I'm pathetic she thought to herself.

"Hey, Em..." he whispered. and she finally lifted her eyes to meet his, and she didn't see pity like she'd expected. She should have known better, Ian was the only person in the world who had never felt sorry for her, just simply understood her. She gave a faint smile as he brushed away her tears. She expected him to make some joke now, like he always did to lighten the mood, but he didn't.

He leaned in close to her and her eyes widened with shock as he pressed his lips against hers. Her body tensed as he kissed her, but when he gently rubbed her skin with his thumb, she relaxed, closing her eyes and allowing herself to get involved with the kiss. Her mind went blank, and Ian's lips were all that she could focus on. He parted her mouth with his tongue, and she allowed him to explore the inside of her mouth. She let him take the lead obviously, because she had no idea what she was doing, but kissing him felt good. It felt natural.

He pulled away from her but still in shock, she sat with her mouth partly open and her eyes still closed. Ian's whispered hello caught her attention and she opened her eyes as he touched her cheek and lip. She swallowed hard as she just tried to process what had happened. She'd just been kissed .. for the first time. She never imagined it would be with Ian of all people, but after it happened she was glad. She knew that he wouldn't laugh at her for being bad at it, or hold it against her that she didn't know how.

"Now you know at least one thing."

Emily smiled at her friend as he fumbled through the stack of movies. This is why she loved him. He was able to calm her fears in an instant. Just with a simple kiss he'd showed her that she had nothing to be afraid of, and he'd given her the confidence she'd been in need of. Yes, it was just a kiss, but it'd been what she was most afraid of. Kissing wasn't hard .. and she knew that now. If she met a guy who wanted to kiss her, what the hell, she'd kiss him. And despite how quickly the moment passed, she knew that she would forever be grateful to her best friend for doing this for her.

"Care for some anime?" he asked, holding up a copy of Appleseed: Ex Machina.

She laughed at loud as she shook her head. "I swear Ian, I don't even know where you get these things. But what the hell, put it in."
 
Ian and Emily watched movies well into the night. Partway into Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, gut heavy with pizza and snacks, Ian yawned and realized Em had fallen asleep, her head on his lap. He gently ran his fingertips into her hair as he stared at her calm, innocent face. It was hard to believe she didn't have a guy in her life --she was beautiful, smart, had a great sense of humor. Even harder to believe was the fact that she'd been scared of going out with guys --she'd been hanging around him forever!

As carefully as he could, Ian crawled out from under Emily and snuck back to his room to get a blanket. Returning, he covered her up in it and watched, satisfied as she snuggled into the cloth. Kissing her softly on the nose, Ian whispered, "G'night, 'Bird."

Of course, a gentleman would never take to his bed while a woman was sleeping on a couch. With a sigh of resignation, Ian picked the comfier of the two recliners in the den and settled down for the night.

***** *** *****​

Morning was a swath of orange on the horizon when Ian woke up. Em was still fast asleep, so he decided to fix them breakfast in the meantime. Clipping his music player to his pants, Ian put on his headphones --he didn't want to wake Em up just yet-- and put on his "Wake-Up Mix" of fast paced rock songs.

He brewed a some tea for himself, some coffee for Emily, and mixed up a batch of pancake batter. Pouring a bit of cold heavy cream into a mason jar, Ian began to shake it to the rhythm of the music while cooking the pancakes. By the time the smell of pancakes filled the kitchen, a good solid lump of butter had formed in the jar, swirling in thin buttermilk.
 
When Emily woke up the next morning, she hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep. Just like her to poop out when it was Ian's turn to pick the movies. She looked around, realizing she was on the couch. The two of them haven't slept in the same bed since they graduated high school, and they figured they were too cool for that sort of thing. She looked next to her and noticed Ian wasn't in his chair, and then she smelled the pancakes. She smiled to herself as she lifted her arms above her head to stretch. Ian had always made breakfast for her when she'd stayed over and had had a hard night (which was most nights).

She grabbed her phone from the coffee table, and she had a new message from Kate, the girl she'd made semi friends with from class. It read:
Hey Em! Me n some of the girlz frm class R goin out 2nite. U should totes come!!

Wow, Em thought to herself. Totes? Was it really so hard to type a proper sentence? She never understood all the abbreviations and shorthanded text. She tossed her phone to the side, not wanting to be bothered with that decision now. She normally would politely pass on the offer, but now she wasn't so sure. After what happened last night ...

Oh my god .. last night... Emily replayed the events of last night in her head. Had Ian really kissed her?.. Yes, he had. He was being a good friend, showing her that there was nothing to be afraid of. She smiled to herself and raised a finger to her lips, remembering the feeling of his against hers. If that's how a kiss felt with her best friend who she had no intimate feelings towards, she could only imagine how it would feel with someone she had some sexual chemistry with.

She tossed her blanket aside and made her way through Ian's all too familiar house to the kitchen. He had his headphones on and was shaking some stuff in a jar and dancing at the same time. She covered her mouth to hide her giggles (he'd never had the best dance moves) but she loved seeing him have fun. She made her way across the kitchen and poked him in the back.

"Morning," she said as he removed his headphones. "Smells great, can I help?"
 
Ian kissed the tip of Em's nose with a grin. " 'Morning, sleepyhead." He gave the last pancake a flip to let the other side warm up again before sliding it onto a stacked serving plate. "You can help... " he said as he handed the serving plate to Emily. "...by setting the table up a table for two while I give this butter a washing. And try to wait for me before scarfing down your share." Ian winked. "Remember, I have this," He shook the mason jar. "...and the maple syrup."

He rinsed the butter with cold water and put it in a ramekin, then grabbed a squeezy bottle of maple syrup --and a shaker of cinnamon powder as an afterthought. As he slid into his seat at the table, Ian offered Emily the cinnamon. "Does wonders to a woman, believe me," he snickered. He then coughed uncomfortably at the thought that Emily, given her 'condition,' might not have gotten the joke.

As they ate, Ian pointed out that Em's classes were due in an hour, (They'd always known each other's classes since time immemorial.) whereas his were set later in the day. "Considering we're not going to meet the whole day, do you need me after school, or should I go about being the young wastrel that I am?"
 
Emily sat and stuffed her face. Ian always was a good cook, and she'd experienced his various dishes over the years. She was thankful to have a best friend who could feed her, because for a small girl, Emily ate A LOT.

"Oh Ian, these are delicious!" she exclaimed before taking another bite. She took the cinnamon from him as he made some comment and then laughed at himself. Assuming he was trying to make a joke, she smiled and nodded, like she often did with his side remarks.

"Considering we're not going to meet the whole day, do you need me after school, or should I go about being the young wastrel that I am?"

"Well actually, that's what I was going to talk to you about. It is Friday, and some girls from class asked me to go out with them tonight .. do you think I should go?" She looked up and waited for a response, but by the look on his face she already knew the answer. "Okay okay I'll go! Just stop looking at me like that," she laughed, taking a last bite of her breakfast. "I've got to get home and get ready for class. Thanks again for last night Ian, it made me feel a lot better," she said as she bent down to hug him tight.

"Lunch tomorrow? We can spill all the juicy details of our Friday nights?" she said dramatically, knowing that neither one of their lives were as thrilling as they wished they'd be. Without waiting for an answer she walked from the house and hurried home to shower and dress before her first class. Little did Em know that tonight her life was going to become a lot more interesting than it was ..

-----------------------------------------------------
The next morning

"Ian! Wake up!" Emily shouted as she leaped onto to his bed. She bounced up and down on her knees, shaking the bed, and tapping Ian. He must've been out late because he just grumbled and turned away from her.

"Oh no you don't!" she squealed climbing over top of him. "Come on! Wake up I have exciting news to tell you!!" She was now straddled across his back, pushing and shaking him to try and get him to roll over. "I know we said we'd do lunch but I couldn't wait. You're mom let me in and she told me you were still sleeping .. I know you're listening just roll over!" She pushed again but he wouldn't budge.

Emily groaned and bounced again. "Ian I met someone last night! A guy someone! And he asked me out again!!" The joy in her voice could be heard a mile away. "He was amazing," she said, and if Ian had been looking at her, he would've seen the hopeless puppy love look in her eyes as she spoke.
 
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