Friends with Benefits - Nicole Blanchard Page 0,9
probably wanted to be alone. I would check on her to make sure she was okay, and then I’d bounce if she wanted me to go.
I immediately knew when she opened the door that she wasn’t okay.
Not in the slightest.
I had to hold myself back to keep from pulling her into my arms.
It wasn’t the red rims around her eyes or the smeared mascara that gave it away—at least not for me. I’d known Ember long enough to get used to her moods. She was either balls-to-the-wall full of energy or she was sleeping. I spent half the time we hung out just trying to keep up with her—and I was supposed to be a star athlete for fuck’s sake. It was how wrung-out she looked that clued me in. Like she simply didn’t have anything left to give.
After dropping my bag inside her front door, I closed it behind me. She had her arms wrapped around her waist, and, as much as I wanted to pull her close and comfort her, I knew it wasn’t the right time. So, I shoved my hands into my pockets instead. “What's wrong? Is it your parents?”
She shook her head but wouldn’t meet my eyes as we sat on her worn couch. I tipped her chin up with a finger. “Em, tell me what’s wrong, angel.”
As long as I’d known her, Ember had been a rock. Immovable. Unbreakable. I’d never seen her crack.
Until now.
And it made me want to do whatever I could to make her feel better.
Tears shimmered in her eyes, and then she cleared her throat, her shoulders lifting as she sucked in a deep breath. “It’s everything. My parents, pulling more shit. I had to take off from work when I really needed the hours. Chris broke up with me. He’s seeing someone else.”
“Broke up?” It didn’t quite penetrate. He had Ember. Why would he need anyone else? “You’re kidding. What happened with your parents?”
I didn’t want to touch the conversation about her boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—with a ten-foot pole. Didn’t want to open that can of worms. It had taken a long time to get over her—or at least get to a place where I wasn’t thinking about her constantly.
Thankfully, she kept me from making a complete jackass out of myself. She was clearly hurting. Now was not the time to make any sort of move on her. No matter how much I wanted to.
“God, Tripp, I don’t mean to blubber all over you like this. I’m sorry. You look exhausted. You should go get some sleep.”
She made to move away, but I hooked her arm. “No, c’mon. Tell me what’s going on. I’ve got time.” Time for you echoed in my head, unsaid.
Ember wiped at her nose. I was a piece of scum for noticing how beautiful her eyes were, even when she was crying. “Are you sure?”
It was the hopeful upturn in her voice that had me nudging her shoulder with my own. “I wouldn’t say so if I wasn’t.”
She sighed heavily, and I was struck, as I always was, by how quiet the apartment was without her mother’s soap operas blaring or her father shouting demands from his place on the couch. The twins were mute in comparison to their parents.
Ember started recounting what had happened with Chris. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard her complain about him, and I wasn’t entirely convinced it would be the last. I’d been keeping my feelings about the asshole to myself as long as they’d been dating. It wasn’t my business. She was a big girl and could make her own decisions. But it burned me to hear how easily he’d squandered his chance with her. It only confirmed that he didn’t deserve her.
Not that I did, either, but that was beside the point.
“I wouldn’t be such a wreck right now if I hadn’t gotten a phone call from my neighbor saying Mom had split. I tried getting a hold of her, but her cell is out of service, and Dad is naturally nowhere to be found. She left the twins at home, hysterical and terrified. It took me forever to calm them down. We had a million calls last night, and all I want is a long, hot shower and a four-hour nap, but she dropped this in my lap. Trade parents with me?” she pleaded.
If I could, I would in a heartbeat. My parents were about as boring and kind-hearted as anyone could hope for. They’d supported and encouraged