"So how long have you been with Sam?" I asked Emily, helping her cook dinner.
"Nine years." She said softly, a loving smile spreading across her face.
"Wow. Love is still strong right?" I asked her, hoping not to offend or upset her.
She stopped what she was doing and turned to me, for a second, I really did think I crossed a line.
But the biggest smile went across her face and it filled me with warmth.
I could feel the love practically rolling off her.
"I wake up every morning, and for a second, I think maybe, just maybe, our life together was just a happy dream and that I'll finally come back to reality. " Emily said, leaning against the counter.
I leaned towards her, eager to hear everything she had to say.
"But then I feel his warmth against me, his strong heart beat under my finger tips, and I know it's not a dream. Its real. And I have this unbelievable sense of happiness that just flows through my veins. I have my happily ever after. I never thought I'd get that." She said warmly.
I couldn't help but lean forward and rub her arm.
"I'm really happy for you. Im glad that you two found each other." I said.
She grinned and nodded.
"Yeah. It wasn't always that way." Emily said, looking down.
I scrunched my eyebrows up in confusion.
"What do you mean? Have you guys had problems before?" I asked her with concern in my voice.
"I, uh, don't really know where to begin." She admitted.
I sat down on a bar stool and patted the one next to me.
"Just start from the beginning." I told her, watching as she took a seat.
She looked really hurt, and it pulled at the strings of my heart.
I already see Emily as a part of my family, and seeing her upset, upsets me.
"Well, I didn't always live on the reservation. I actually lived a few miles away and my cousin, Leah lived here. She was always telling me that this place was great. Had amazing beaches and great people, and she had a boyfriend, Sam, that she really wanted me to meet." Emily explained.
My eyes widened against my will.
Its not possible.
Emily would never steal someone else's boyfriend.
Thats just not her.
I tried to control my expression.
I didn't want to judge her because I'm sure there's a good explanation for what happened.
"Your cousins boyfriend? Sam? My cousin Sam?" I asked her.
She nodded, looking down at her hands.
"Yeah. I finally found the time to come down and visit her and we were attached at the hip when we met up. We went to the beach, stayed up all night watching movies, and then she introduced me to her boyfriend." She said.
She paused and I leaned forward and grasped her hand, letting her know it's okay.
"My whole world stopped. I took one look at him, those dark eyes, and he had me. I fell head over heels in love with him the second he looked at me." Emily said.
"What happened to your cousin? I thought Sam was in love with her." I said, clearly confused.
"He was in love with her, believe me. The way she talked about him, there was no denying his feelings for her. But when you imprint, it's a whole other story. Your imprint is your other half, the one your meant to be with. No one can keep imprints apart once they've found each other. And as much as I hate myself for hurting Leah the way that I did, I can't stay away from Sam. I just cant." She said, her eyes filling with tears.
