I Choose You

28. Falling (Edited)

"Emery, what are you—!"

"You signed me up for the Prom Fashion Show and didn't even tell me?!" I cried, throwing my arms up, my mouth dropping as I stared at her annoyed expression. "Didn't it occur to you that maybe I didn't want—!"

Until this point she was utterly clueless as to why I had dragged her over here so violently, but the expression on her face sudenly changed to one of realization, and she was suddenly as determined as I was.

"Why do you think I didn't tell you?! Because I knew you were going to react like this—and of course I knew you didn't want to—!"

"You knew I didn't want to and you still signed my up anyways?!" I cried, staring at her as if she had completely betrayed my trust. And she practically had, because Autumn knew how much I hated being the center of attention for anything, yet she always insists on putting me in situations that make me uncomfortable!

"Don't you dare start with me Emery!" she yelled, pointing her finger at my chest. Our argument was getting more heated by the second and I could see a crowd starting to form at the entrance of the school steps from the corner of my eye, but that wasn't something I was worried about at the moment. "I'm your best friend and I was trying to help you—!"

"Help me?!" I shouted, my eyes widening like saucers as the words came out of her mouth. "How exactly did you think you were helping me?!" I cried, the space between us getting smaller. We were practically in each other's faces. "Because of you, Evan came up to me—!"

"I was trying to get you to do something out of your comfort zone and besides—!"

"—and tried to ask me to go with him – and because of you I had to lie to him and tell him that I was going with somebody else—!"

"—Aiden!—wait what?!" she cried, her shouting instantly ceasing as her eyes widened, but before either of us could get another word out the sound of pounding footsteps against the asphalt got closer and closer, and Aiden was suddenly standing right next to me, gently grabbing my upper arms.

"Hey," Aiden casually intervened, stepping in between Autumn and I as if he was afraid I might throw hands or something. He turned his head to look at me, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but looking as if he was ready to listen to whatever I had to say, "what's going on?"

I wasted no time in replying. "What's going on is that she signed me up for the Prom Fashion Show—!" and as those words came out of my mouth, Aiden turned away, wincing, before looking at Autumn, "and I didn't even want—!"

"She didn't sign you up." Aiden sighed, turning to look at me, raising his arm above his head and scratching the back of it. "I did. Well—I asked her to sign you up."

I stood, dumbfounded, staring at him like he had grown a third head. Why on Earth would Aiden want Autumn to sign me up for the Prom Fashion Show?! And why on Earth wouldn't he have told me about it?! Or even asked me for that matter?!

"That's what I was getting ready to tell you before you went and had a meltdown." Autumn said, crossing her arms over her chest, and tilting her head, her ombre hair falling slightly into her face.

I shook my head, my face contorted in confusion. "Why?" I found myself whispering as I turned to look at Aiden.

Aiden turned to Autumn, nodding his head in the direction of the school entrance. "Give us a minute?"

Autumn looked at the both of us, before nodding and walking away, leaving only Aiden and I standing there. Aiden looked at the ground, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and scraping his feet back and forth against the asphalt before he began to speak. I watched as his dark brown hair bobbed up and down when he finally lifted his chin up to look into my eyes. The emotion that was there, hidden on his features was overwhelming, but I held his gaze. No matter how much the emotion behind his eyes terrified me.

"Aiden," I whispered.

"I asked Autumn to sign you up because—I know you don't believe it Emery—but you're beautiful." he said. And he said it with so much confidence, staring right into my eyes the entire time, that I could feel my body tingling. Tingling with the feelings that only he could bring out. The electrifying feeling of being so absolutely crazy for someone. And that was what I loved about Aiden. He could make feel so many different ways, but most of all...I love that he's honest. And that he's never afraid to tell me how he really feels, even if he thinks it might hurt my feelings. Even if the truth does hurt sometimes. Or even if I don't want to hear it.

"You're beautiful and you deserve the chance to share that with the world. I don't want you to hide your beauty from everyone because you're afraid of what they might think of you." he said, shaking his head as he looked at me with such adoration in his deep brown pools of golden amber. I felt the tug at my heart when those words left his mouth, and all I could do was just stare at him, speechless. "And I don't want you to feel like you're not worthy of feeling beautiful because of the way people," his eyes focused in and out, "have you treated you in the past."

"You deserve the world Emery," Aiden whispered, reaching up to place his hand on my cheek, stroking it with his thumb, "but all that starts with believing in yourself."

I was at a loss for words. No one had spoken to me like this before. No one had ever bothered to tell me anything like this before, and as I stood there and looked up into Aiden's eyes, I said a silent prayer to God, and thanked him for sending me the most wonderful boy to be a part of my life. I thanked him for showing me that sometimes what we want isn't always what we need, but that sometimes, just sometimes, those people that walk into our life unexpectedly are the exact people that God knows we deserve.

I wrapped my arms around Aiden and buried my face into his chest, resting my head comfortably on his heart, listening to the steady rhythm, the steady thumping of the boy who had managed to steal my heart away. The boy who now had me falling head over heels for him. 

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Okay, wow you all this chapter was so emotionally packed it took me so long to get everything just right. I wanted everyone to able to feel the emotion just like Aiden and Emery were in that moment.

Thank you all so much for your reads, votes, and ESPECIALLY your comments. Please continue to comment, because your all's comments make me laugh and smile so much! They're honestly the best part of my day!

Anyways, though, who expected that plot twist?

What did you guys initially think when Aiden mentioned Victoria, before explaining everything about the baby?

What were your thoughts overall on this chapter?

Only a few more chapters 'till the end :'(

Until next time lovely Emerden fans!

- Katy