Forgetting the Murder

25: Revelation

Not long now.

I almost feel more awake now than I did a few hours ago. I'm determined to make it to the end, no matter how sleepy I get. I mustn't spend my last night of happiness asleep. I can't waste it. There's only two hours to go; I can do it, I can do it.

***

Today would be a day for closure. Today would be a day for forgiveness. It was a day I finished my feud with the one person who has been with me through everything and I couldn't imagine loosing.

Emily.

It has been going on for too long. If visiting Gabrielle had taught me anything it was that grudges are a waste of perfect happiness. I was determined to set things straight with Emily - even if it meant watching her drink her life away.

That's a bit hypocritical of me, is it not? It was only the other night where I went out for the sole purpose to get drunk. Not only that, but I danced suggestively with some hideous drunk man. Now that I think about it, there's nothing I can be mad about with Emily anymore, since I've done it all myself.

I'm sure I'm not the first one to get drunk after a bump in a relationship. I refuse to call it a "break-up" as we had not officially ended it yet.

Because you don't want to. The voice inside my head rightfully told myself.

I shook those thoughts away as I got in my car and drove off, into the direction of the house I once lived in. It was hard to concentrate on the road when I had twenty other nervous thoughts rattling around in my mind.

I walked up to the house I was all too familiar with and knocked hard, not wanting to just walk in, in case it caused an uproar. The door opened to reveal a soft, beautiful face that I had missed ever so greatly.

"Emily!" I cried as I ran into her arms for a warm embrace. "I've missed you so much."

Emily tightened her grip on me as she said, "I've missed you too,"

I stood there in her arms comfortably for a while, breathing in her familiar scent. I never realised how much I had actually missed her until this moment. It took a lot of effort to force back the tears I could feel emerging in my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Emily," I apologised as I pulled away. "I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am."

"It's OK, Abby. I forgive you,"

Her ability to forgive so easily was one I envied. I couldn't force it back anymore, so I started to cry. The tears spilled down my cheeks as if I was told I could never cry again. Emily hugged me again, this time stroking my hair to calm me down.

When I had recovered myself, Emily brought me into the kitchen before making me tea. It seemed customary to make someone tea if they visited your house, even if it was for someone who had lived there for 24 years.

Emily and I sat on the sofa in the living-room before Emily told me that our parents were out. This led into another conversation, one we both knew was the only reason I was there for.

"I just want to say, I wasn't drinking that time," She informed me, "or any of the other times."

"What about the time I found you with that drink spiker?" I inquired.

Emily gulped. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"It is?"

"He came back. All the times you thought I was drinking it was him, Abby. He came back."

All the information that I had received in the past few days, plus this, was just too much. I felt as if I was going to break down, but I looked up at Emily and saw that she was nearly crying too. I had keep strong, for both of our sake's.