Emily and River meet in Miami, where they have the time of their lives, but it isn't meant to be: the next morning, Emily leaves for San Francisco, leaving both their hearts broken. They don't think they'll ever see each other again.
Emily goes back...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Laurel?" Emily asked, breaking the silence.
Her friend Laurel stood before her in a squat hold, grazing Emily's skin with a soft brush to give it a healthy glow. She was a makeup artist for a few years now, and Emily knew she loved everything about it.
While Laurel had decided to follow her dreams, Emily didn't dare to; that kind of thing wasn't for her. Her future was set in stone and allowed no changes or dreams. Today was a perfect example of that: she had to marry Jason, save the business of both their families and be the perfect wife.
Even if she allowed herself to dream, she didn't know what she'd want to do with her life. It seemed like her life had frozen in place for three years and now everyone expected her to move on, but it didn't come easy to her. If she could have chosen herself, how would she have planned her future? She didn't graduate from high school, so she probably should go back to finish school and move on to college or university. Jason was currently taking business classes and his father was introducing him to the business world, something Jason had always been passionate about. Emily sometimes felt jealous of him because he knew what he wanted and what he needed to do to get there.
What wasn't perfect about Jason King?
The British accent, the sleek clothing style and the passion for business: he had it all, while she felt lost. She hadn't been able to pick up her life where she'd left off like he had after Those Three Years. He was an example for her, someone she looked up to, and somehow her parents had taken that as her wanting to marry him.
But she didn't.
"Yes?" Laurel asked, fully concentrated on the makeup. She did not let her eyes let go of her masterpiece.
"Can I trust you?" Emily asked. She felt guilty for asking, but she had to; everything had changed after Those Three Years. She'd known Laurel since they were five, but vanishing for a long period of time had had an impact on their friendship.
"Of course," Laurel said. Her eyes were still fixed on Emily's cheeks. "What's the matter?—Darn, that pimple is still peeking through the foundation. I need a little more."
Emily didn't let herself get sidetracked, unlike Laurel. She needed to stay focused. "But can I trust-trust you?" she asked again.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Laurel asked. She stopped her search for the foundation and instead let their eyes meet. Hers were full of energy whereas Emily's were tired. She'd been thinking and stressing a lot.
"I need to tell you something," she said.
That caused a look of concern to appear on Laurel's face. "Tell me, girl," she said, letting her hand rest on Emily's shoulder. Emily felt a shock racing through her body from that touch, but tried to ignore it. It was just Laurel. She should know she could trust her by now.
"And you promise you won't tell anyone?" Emily asked, just to be sure.
"So, not Graham?" Laurel asked. Graham was her boyfriend, they'd been together for two and a half years now—a fact Laurel needed to remind everyone of constantly when she was walking hand in hand with him.
