Emily sat, crosslegged on the floor next to me. Somewhere in the background, Trent terrorized the cat. It could hide under the bed for a minute.
“This isn’t really something I planned on bringing up when I told you I was in town, but since I’m here.. ”
I look into her eyes at just the right time. She blushes. I’m reminded what gave me the nerve to go talk to her when Eric’s courage failed him.
“I don’t know how much I told you, or you guessed, but the first few years after we met, I was too out of my head to be more than vaguely aware of what was going on around me.”
I smiled faintly.
“I know. I knew all along.”
She blinks
Pause.
“Well, I didn’t see until it was too late what you wanted, what I needed, or what I was missing out on.”
She indicates the other room, the two year old trying gamely to reach the cat on the book shelf, the whole apartment, my life.
“It’s ok.”
“But you loved…”
My hand on her knee, her brown eyes swimming, and mine.
“Emily.. It’s ok.”
“Ok.”
She smiles. That cat yowls. Trent giggles.