The Pact

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ten Years Later.

He watched from the nurses' station as a woman in a white coat seemed to dance her way around the beds. Her blonde hair was swirled up with chopsticks, it looked like a casual style that took her two seconds, but he knew it took more like twenty minutes. Her green eyes twinkled as one of the elderly gentleman made her laugh. Her pink lips turned into the biggest smile when she looked up to see he was here to take her to lunch. The older man next to her said something that made her gently bat his arm before shaking her head, saying something that made his face fall, almost unperceivable, he wouldn't have noticed it if he wasn't basically paid to read people's faces to know whether they were lying. She disappeared into a room next to the man's bed, when she reappeared she had changed her white coat for a long black woollen one, wrapping a red scarf around her neck, that was the same berry red as her dress, as she came toward him. When she reached him, he picked her up in a hug, spinning her around like they always greeted each other. He caught the old man's face, it was alight with new hope, as he put her down and she straightened his tie for the second time that day. His blonde hair, darker than hers, more of a mousy blonde compared to her classic Hollywood Marilyn Monroe blonde, had fallen down over his forehead. She brushed it back into its slight widow's peak as she continued with her tiding of him. His brown eyes glistened down at her, as he watched that little tongue of hers pop out the corner of her mouth in concentration, as the hair kept falling back down.

"Ready for lunch?" Zach asked grabbing his brief case and black lawyer coat, as he called it. When he was going through college and they watched law programmes he went on and on about how he'd have to get one of those black trench coats to carry around, as he never saw anyone wear one. When he had passed the bar Emmy had gotten him the coat and he'd brought himself the briefcase. When she had earned the Dr in front of her name, he had brought her the white coat and she had gotten herself the stethoscope.

"Yeah, remember it's your turn to pay, and keep in mind I just got off my shift so I'm hungry," Emmy reminded him. Zach just smiled and placed his hand on her back securely in the friend zone, and led her to the exit.

About ten minutes and fifty whines from Emmy later, they had reached her favourite little café called Junior's. Zach knew she loved their cheesecake, when they were at Yale they would take road trips to a little hotel across the river in New Jersey and catch the boat into New York for the weekend after exams.

They had finished eating their burgers and were on to pudding when Zach got the nerve to brooch a subject that had been playing on his mind for days. "You know we are 32 now," Zach said as he sipped his strawberry milkshake.

"You wouldn't think we were that old, we're sipping milkshake and we can't even live properly apart." It was true; they had live together until about 28 when they decided they need to grow up. Zach kept the apartment since their apartment was a bit far away from the hospital, and close to the firm he worked at. However they had hated being so far apart, but never admitted it to the other, finally Emmy had said she wanted to see more of him again, and that she felt she was missing important parts of his life, like his promotion which she'd found about 2 weeks after the event, because they had both been busy and he wanted to tell her in person. That's when their standing weekly lunch had come into play, and they took it in turn paying. They had tried going different places each week at first, but now they only went to Junior's. They recognised them here, and they weren't frowned at when Emmy paid. A year and a bit ago Zach had transferred to a new firm, and brought the apartment next to Emmy's because it was within his price range, nice, clean, closer to work, and well...near Emmy.

"That's what I'm saying, recently I've been thinking about our pact. I know we've both laughed it off from time to time when we are in relationship and then begged the other to bring it back when single. Well we are both single Emmy and at the age of 32 we can't be without one another, despite the fact we live next to each other and now see each other every day, we will still not cancel our lunch in favour of a relationship or business meeting or an out of town friend we haven't seen in five years who's here for one day. That friend wanted to come to lunch and see both of us but we'd rather spend it with just each other. I know this sounds like I'm just desperately looking for anyone to be with, and that I'm settling, but that's not true Emmy, I really want to give us a proper go, and not just because of the pact, I think we could actually be the real thing, we are just too scared that if it goes tits up we'll lose each other permanently then we really will die completely alone, but what if we were made for each other. Well I don't want to die with what ifs, I'm being brave, and I want to take the chance. Will you take it with me?" Paul their regular waiter chose that moment to bring their strawberry cheesecakes.

"Yes," Emmy said, boldly taking his hand as Paul served the two slices. The flamboyantly gay Paul started clapping his hands and cheering at that, before turning on his heels. Out of the corner of their eyes they saw some waiters giving others money, while others shook their head, saying not yet, before taping their ring finger, they had obviously bet they'd never get married. Zach just smiled at her.

"Just one more thing, I was thinking 14 dates or 1 month before its official. I'm not saying I'll be sleeping around, but say you or I thought we found someone we thought was more right for us, we could say sorry, and go back to friends, no grudges held." Zach finished his little speech, and Emmy could see in his eyes the little Zach that ran his brain screw up the she said no speech into a ball and kick it into a metal waste paper basket. "Shit," Zach said glancing at his watch, "it's 1:30, I wanted to be back early today, I've got a big court appearance to prepare for, shit, I've got to go Emmy," he said sadly, he gave her his card to pay for lunch, yes that is how well they knew each other, they might as well already be married. He went to kiss her on the forehead, like one of them did whenever they had to run out quickly in the middle of something important, but changed his mind, raising her head he gave her a quick peck on the lips. An entire chorus of wolf whistles, whooping, cheers and hell yeahs, erupted from the staff, and some of the regulars, as Zach left the outside dining area. More money exchanged hands, and Paul came to sit with Emmy while they waited on the card coming back.

"Did you bet on us," Emmy asked Paul, over the years they had come here Paul had become Emmy and Zach's friend and the only one who ever witnessed their little lunches, but that was only because he worked there. No member of their families, work colleague or friend knew where they were every Wednesday lunch from 12:30 to 1:30. They weren't allowed their phones out, but could have them off silent, just in case of emergency. Paul just taped his nose, and gave Zach's card back to her.

"Thanks," Emmy said a silly hen smile of her face. She got up to leave but heard Paul shout after her, "Emma," she halted and turned around. "Can you give Rory my number, I'm sick of one night stands, I'm ready to try for something real again, I shouldn't have said no the first time, that why I could have avoided the Theo debacle," Paul force himself to smile, and she could see he was still hurting, but she nodded, it was time he moved on. It was time they both moved on. She left the café, to head home for some sleep; it had been a long, a way too long shift.

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Zach - corporate attorney or assisstant district attorney?