EMMA DAMIAN 25

E M M A

No way.

There's no frigging way.

Damian yanked his lips away from Marian's, a smear of blood-red lipstick running down his clean-shaven face. His eyes were wide with surprise, and his brows almost pushed up over his flawless, ruler-straight hairline.

"What in the world is this? ”

Marian was a different story. She had a happy-as-punch grin on her face, as though, while my presence wasn't something she'd planned on, she was nevertheless overjoyed.

“Emma! " The word sputteringly came out of his mouth.

"Emma," Marian remarked, her voice cold and confident.

My thoughts was blank, my eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.

I didn't know what to say.

And I didn't have time to think of anything. The nausea I'd been feeling returned with a force; I felt like I would blow chunks right there on the spot.

I turned on my black flats and raced out of there, dashing down the hall, finally gaining some self-awareness. The clinic's white halls were a florescent-lit swirl all around me. Beth, the receptionist I'd just spoken with, noticed something wasn't right.

"Are you all right? " she inquired.

But the nausea was so strong by this point that I was afraid that if I opened my lips, nothing would come out.

“Oh! " she exclaimed, as if she realized what was happening. "Second door on the right, along the hall."

I didn't even have time to say "thank you," as my legs pumped beneath me as I rushed in the direction she'd indicated. Then I exploded through the bathroom door and into one of the stalls, kneeling and letting it all out.

The intensity of the sickness burning in my stomach was only rivaled by the dreadful sensations of despair that drove tears to well up in my eyes.

I rested back on my legs and tried to recover my breath once I finished heaving. But as soon as I did, the mental image of Damian and Marian kissing as I walked into the office came back to me.

It was nearly enough to make me sick again.

What in the world had happened? Had Damian and Marian reconciled? Were they still together?

Just my luck, those two decided to kiss and make up as soon as I mustered the confidence to tell him what was going on between us.

And, as much as I hated to acknowledge it, I was sad.

No, being sad wasn't enough. My heart hurt almost as much as it did the last time he messed me over for Marian.

Almost.

However, the scenario was horrifyingly demeaning. I was sitting on the chilly tile of a public restroom, dabbing the tears from my eyes with single-ply toilet paper. I'm not sure if it was the lowest point of my life, but it certainly wasn't glamorous.

I sat for a few moments, until my tears had dried and my stomach had relaxed. It occurred to me that not only had I witnessed something that tore me apart, but I hadn't even done what I'd come to accomplish.

Damian had to be aware of the pregnancy. But what should I have done? Should you go back and tell him?

There's no way. Perhaps I'll phone him later.

Or perhaps I wouldn't. Maybe seeing him with Marian was all the confirmation I needed that he wasn't cut out for the task of fatherhood, that I'd made the correct decision when I kicked him out of my life. And what would he be like as a father? Would I want a jerk like him near my child?

Then there was the issue of Marian. The baby was nothing more than a speck in my womb, and the prospect of Marian playing a role in his or her life was enough to make me want to never tell Damian, just to be safe.

I took a deep breath, grasped the stall's siderails, and lifted myself up. When I was finished, I exited the stall and went to the sink. The frequent vomiting spells I'd been experiencing taught me the importance of carrying a toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash in my purse.

I turned to leave after drying my eyes, brushing my teeth, and cleansing my mouth.

But just as my hand reached for the doorknob, I came to a halt.

Marian.

I wanted to get out of the building and away from her and whatever nonsense she had to say to me. So I carefully opened the bathroom door, slow enough to look down the hall and into the elevator lobby.

The seas were calm. I dashed out of the restroom and down the hall, past the door to Damian's level. I'd be OK if I could just get into the elevator.

I quickly clicked the "call" button once I was in front of the doors. I looked over my shoulder when the elevator arrived to make sure Marian wasn't on her way.

“Come on, come on.” I spoke under my breath.

Then, to my total horror, the green “up” light above the elevator turned from green to red.

It was stopped on the floor below.

Shit.

I tapped my foot impatiently, mentally demanding the elevator come up to my floor. But despite my internal screaming, the light stayed red.

Then the door behind me opened.

Followed by the soft pad of heels on carpet.

I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

“Well, well, well,” spoke a pleased-with-herself voice from over my shoulder. “If it isn’t my best bud from high school.”

I squeezed my eyes closed, wishing at that moment I was anywhere but where I was.

I said nothing, as if ignoring Marian might make her vanish into thin air.

No such luck, of course. A cloud of eye-watering perfume wrapped around me, preceding Marian as she stepped around me.

Out of the corner of my eye she emerged, wearing that same smug smirk that I’d seen so many times when I was a kid.

“Oh my God,” she said. “It really is you!”

She shook her head in faux disbelief as she looked me up and down.

“Wow, you really haven’t changed, have you? I mean, I would’ve guessed that in, like, the over the sixteen years since high school you would’ve learned to buy clothes that fit, but I guess a dorky leopard never changes her spots, huh?”

As much as I hated to admit it, in that moment I was mentally right back in high school. Seeing Marian in front of me, that shit-eating little smirk on her face that she always wore when she was in bully-mode…it made me want to freeze up.

But I didn’t. After all, I wasn’t a kid anymore.

“And I see you haven’t learned how to pick our perfume that doesn’t make paint peel off walls and nose hairs singe off whenever you come into a room. Seriously, can you crack a window if you’re going to be talking to me? I feel like I’m huffing paint thinner.”

An expression of shock briefly formed on her face, which quickly shifted into tight anger, which then changed back into her previous smugness.

“Wow, I guess I was wrong about you changing – you sure learned how to be a bitch.”

I glanced up at the elevator light. It was still red. What the hell was going on down there?

“Can we just wait in silence?” I asked. “Gonna be honest here – you’re about the last person I’m interested in having a conversation with.”

She cocked her head to the side, reminding me of a confused puppy. “What? Any why’s that? I’d love to catch up with you. Not to mention the little fact that we’ve got so much in common these days. Like, for example, that we’re both crazy about the handsome doctor in there. Only difference is I’m the one getting ravished by him on his desk.”

I grit my teeth. Marian was as rude as they came, but she sure had a gift for getting under people’s skin.

“Speaking of which,” she went on, taking out her phone and turning on the front-facing-camera, checking out her reflection. “How do I look? The just-been-fucked hair can work sometimes, but I’ve got a lunch to get to.”

Another smirk. She knew exactly what she was doing.

“Anyway, speaking of Dr. Aquino. God, doesn’t that name just roll off the tongue? Dr. Aquino. You just love to say it, don’t you? Or in my case, scream it.”

“You know, Marian, as much of a fun blast-from-the-past it’s been seeing you, is there a reason why I shouldn’t just put in my Airpods and forget you’re even here?”

She made an exaggerated sad face. “Aw, you wouldn’t be so rude to poor me, would you? I mean, I just wanted to say hi, maybe tell my good friend from back in the day about how happy I am with my new man.” She gasped and put her hands on her hips, as if something important had just occurred to her. “Did he tell you about our Vegas plans? Evidently, he had so much fun the last time he was there he’s eager to get back. Ugh, I can’t wait.”

I said nothing, glancing up at the red light. I was trying to keep my cool, but Marian’s words hurt like hell.

And she was ready to take full advantage of my speechlessness.

“I’m so-freaking-happy that Damian and I have decided to get back together. We’ve got such amazing things planned. Like, the Vegas trip? He wants it to be the first stop on our trip around the world together. After that it’s LA, then Hawaii, then Tokyo, then…who knows? He said he wants the rest to be a surprise. And that’s totally fine with me – after all, the important thing is we have each other all to ourselves.”

She went on, twisting the knife. All I wanted to do was tell her to shut the fuck up, but between how badly her words hurt and a fresh wave of nausea, it was all I could do to keep myself in check.

“And God, there’s nothing quite like makeup sex, you know? Or maybe you don’t know. Things might be different for you now, but I don’t remember you having much luck with the boys back in high school. I mean, aside from Damian taking pity on you and hanging out with you for a while.”

The nausea boiled deep inside, part of me wanting to run back to the bathroom. But fleeing from Marian was the last thing I needed.

“Would you shut the fuck up?” I snapped.

Marian stopped talking.

“Good for you if Damian’s all yours, but I’ve got more important things to worry about and the last thing I care about is what’s going on with your life. So, could you, for once in your life, seal that big mouth of yours shut so I can wait in peace?”

Marian clearly wasn’t happy with my response. But I wasn’t some fifteen-year-old girl ready to wilt under some insults from one of the popular girls.

She opened her mouth to say something. But before she could even get a word out, the office door opened.

And Damian stepped out.

None of us said a word, the look on Damian’s face making it clear he knew whatever we were talking about, it wasn’t good.

“Emma!” he said finally, breaking the tense silence. “What are you doing here?”

Right after he said the last word the elevator chimed, the light turning green. Seconds later, the doors opened.

There was only one thing I wanted to say.

“Fuck you, Damian.”

With that, I stepped into the elevator, hitting the “close” button as quickly as I could.

“Wait!” Marian called, making little steps toward the elevator. “I’m coming too!”

I raised my palm in a “stop” gesture. “The fuck you are. Take the stairs.”

Both of them were stunned. And their silent, shocked expressions were the last thing I saw as the silver doors began to slide shut.

“Don’t worry about her,” hissed Marian as they closed. “She’s a nobody.”

The doors closed with another chime, and the moment I was alone I dropped to me knees, more tears pouring down my cheeks.

I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.