The Swan 2: Taking Flight

Chapter 3: Phone Call

Emery's POV:

I trudged up the stairs, adjusting the strap of my purse over my shoulder. Today was longer than usual because I had an interview and rehearsal. I was so tired I felt like I could collapse, but at the same time I was starving so going straight to bed wasn't an option. I reached the top of the stairs and walked over to my door, unlocking it and stepping inside.

There was a familiar smell in my apartment, something that almost smelled like home. I shut the door and Mason turned around, an apron tied around his waist.

"You're here before I was ready," he said sheepishly.

"What are you doing?" I asked, dropping my purse and keys on the small table by the door.

"You're so tired and stressed and missing home, I just wanted to give you a piece of it," he said, pulling a bottle of Coca-Cola from the refrigerator. "So I looked up a copycat recipe for Fatso's burgers and, well," he said, making a face as he glanced at the skillet. "I'm not sure that it will taste like Fatso's but I gave it a shot."

"You are so sweet," I said, unable to stop the smile as I made my way over to him, dropping my arms over his shoulders and leaning up for a kiss. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You might not want to thank me until you try it," he chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing me.

"The fact you even tried is enough for a thank you," I murmured against his lips. "Thank you."

"You're more than worth the effort, my darling," he said, kissing me a little harder, pulling me tighter against him. That kiss didn't just affect me, I felt him pressed against me and he groaned, pulling out of the kiss. "If we don't stop, dinner will never come. The lights will be on in less than five minutes. Why don't you go out and I'll bring you a glass of wine? The food should be done very soon."

"Okay," I agreed, wrapping my arms around him in a hug and resting my head in his chest. "I'm most likely going to pass out as soon as we're done eating," I warned him.

"God knows you need it," he said, kissing the top of my head. "We better hurry then, before you fall asleep. Seriously, Em, just try to relax. You've had too many long days too many days in a row."

"You're a saint, you know?" I said, pulling back and heading to the balcony. "A total angel."

"Takes one to know one," he said, winking.

I giggled and stepped out onto the balcony, collapsing down on one of the seats and removing my shoes. I pulled out my phone to check the time and saw I was almost eight. The lights would be coming on any second.

"Here you are," Mason said, stepping onto the balcony with a glass of wine.

He set it in my hands then leaned down for another kiss, keeping this one brief. "Thank you," I said as he pulled back and went back inside. I slunk back into my chair and brought the glass to my lips, taking a sip and savoring the taste, my eyes sliding shut with a very real danger of not opening again for a while. I was ready to fall asleep on any surface.

My phone alerted me of a new notification and I sighed, not wanting to deal with anything more today. Then I remembered my and Gwen's video call was cut short and I was supposed to text her when I got home even though she'd probably be in bed. Unless of course she was up for work, considering that had me pulling my phone out again as I took another sip of wine.

The wineglass slipped out of my hand and shattered on the balcony as I read the notification from the app I used to stay in contact with everyone back home.

Milo Sanders sent you a friend request.

"Emery, are you okay?" Mason asked, rushing outside. I couldn't find my voice, I couldn't look away from the notification. "Emery," Mason said, taking a seat next to me and setting his hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong?"