Master Plan {d. dobrik}

25

Flattening down his hair before running his hand through it, completely messing up again, David stood before his mirror.

The day has finally come. It was the day David was going to tell Emily Neal how he felt about her. The day that would set everything for their future in motion. A catalyst, if you will.

Despite him being completely wracked with nerves, David couldn't help but be filled with hope as well. Oddly enough, he had a feeling Emily felt the same way for him that he felt for her. He was confident she reciprocated his feelings. More than anything, he was ready to get the ball rolling, so when he heard a knock from his front door, he all but sprinted over to it. Smiling as he saw her through the glass of his front door, David opened it.

"Hey!" Emily said, "Ready to get this show on the road?"

David chuckled, closing the door behind her. "Oh, you have no idea," he joked.

For the next few hours, Emily and David spent their time getting set up for the date. If it went well, their time would be well spent. If it didn't go well... well, David would have a very sad time cleaning up.

The two friends eventually came up with the idea to put David's king-sized bed in his backyard, string fairy lights around the bed frame and have a movie set up with loads of snacks for David and Misty. Emily was ecstatic for the idea; it was a Pinterest lovers dream.

Two hours after beginning set up, the pair was done. They celebrated by ordering Chipotle, then placed a few more blankets on the bed before Emily decided it was time for her to go.

"Well, this turned out a lot better than I expected," Emily smiled, standing in front of the bed as David adjusted the pillows once again. "She's gonna love it, Dave."

David let out a nervous laugh, knowing his chance was coming quickly. "Uh, yeah. I hope she does," he agreed.

Emily grabbed her purse from the outdoor couch, swinging it over her shoulder before she pulled her best friend in for a hug. Cherishing the hug, David closed his eyes as he squeezed her.

The pair pulled away for Emily to bid David goodbye. "Let me know how it goes, okay?" she smiled, "Good luck, Davey."

David's stomach dropped as Emily began walking away.

"Uh, Em, wait," he called out, stopping her before she could get too far. Walking closer to her, David's fingers began fiddling as his palms began to sweat. "I, uh... When we first met, I was in a really bad place. Me and Liza had just broken up, but no one knew. We were acting like a couple for everyone, but we weren't. I loved her so much, and losing her... I felt more alone than I ever had in my whole life.

"The night you came to my party, I was just trying to get footage and go about my night. I wanted to get in and get out. But then Corinna introduced me to you, and suddenly I didn't want to be anywhere else but that party.

"Somehow you became this person I couldn't imagine my life without, and I wondered how I ever survived before I met you. You make everything better without even trying. And despite everything you've been through, you have this light about you that draws people in and makes them want to be closer to you."

"Dave, what are you-"

"I'm in love with you."

Suddenly Emily's world stopped turning. There was absolutely no way those words just exited her best friends mouth. There was no possible way.

"You... No, you... Misty. This was all for her, right?... Right?"

David shook his head slowly, running a hand through his hair. "No, um, it was you the whole time," he confessed. Emily scoffed in disbelief, shaking her head. "Please say something."

Tears welled in Emily's eyes as she shook her head slowly. "How long?" she asked.

"Um, I don't really know," he answered, chuckling nervously, "Most of our friendship, I think."

Emily ran a hand through her hair. She couldn't look at him. She didn't want to see his face when he got the unfortunate response to his confession.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

All at once, all hope David held for the chance of Emily reciprocating his feelings left his body. Once again, he was numb.

Emily said it over and over again; she didn't know how she felt. In that particular moment, she felt overwhelming fear, which couldn't have been a good sign. Her last relationship with Derek Rome was a complete disaster, so how could she ever think she would find better than that?

At one point, Derek was her entire life. He was her husband, her other half. Despite how it ended, Emily was only concerned with how it started. Two friends exploring something new between them. That something turned into a marriage and, eventually, a divorce. Truth be told, Emily wasn't afraid to love David.

She was afraid to lose him.

Looking away from her, David shook his head as he focused on his hands. "No, it's, uh, it's okay. I get it," he said loud enough for only Emily hear.

Tears fell down Emily's cheeks as she raised on her toes and pressed a kiss to David's cheek. Watching her walk away set it in place for him.

He'd lost his best friend.