24/7 [h.s.]

76

Emma leaned over to me and rubbed her hand up and down my arm while our breakfast was placed in front of us.

"So Emma, Harry, how are you both feeling?" Emma's father spoke.

"I'm fine." I said after taking a sip of my orange  juice.

"Sore but i'm okay." Emma then smiled.

"Well, next weekend is the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, and of you two feel up to it, it could be your first official event as a couple." Emma's mom suggested.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means that you would come to the event as my boyfriend. You would stand with the family, take photos with us, and be introduced as my boyfriend." Emma said.

I swallowed hard.

When I didn't respond right away she spoke again.

"You can think about it." She patted my hand.

That evening I was in my room, flipping through a binder of security reports detailing Emma, taking notes on things that should've been done differently when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." I called out and the door opened to reveal Emma, a sweater and leggings shielding her from the cold air of the White House.

"Hey. Are you busy?" She asked.

"Not too badly. What do you need?" I set my binder aside as she came to sit on my bed.

"I wanted to talk about this morning, and why you didn't say anything when we talked about us having our first public appearance."

I clenched my jaw for a second before relaxing.

"Harry, I just want to know what you're thinking." She placed her hand on my leg.

I sighed.

"I don't understand why you always want to make a bigger deal out of things than they really are. Why can't we just be together? Why do we have to announce it to the whole country?"

"Harry all we'd be doing is showing up there together and when taking to people I'd introduce you as my boyfriend. That's it. I'm not making a big deal of anything."

I sunk even further against the headboard.

"Now tell me what's really bothering you." She nudged me.

I sighed again as I looked up at the ceiling.

"I just miss when things were simpler between us. When there weren't meetings about our relationship with your parents and talks about us announcing our relationship to the public."

"You think those times were simpler?" Emma raised her eyebrows. "Hiding all the time, constantly pretending we hated each other, lying to everyone so we could keep up our facade? Yeah, that was a breeze." She accompanied her sarcastic remark with an eye roll.

"Don't start getting an attitude with me Emma." I warned her.

"I'm not. But I think for once you're the one making the big deal out of something small. I don't see why this is such a problem." She stood up. "If you're that embarrassed to date me then don't!"

"Emma!" My jaw dropped as she went to leave my room and I jumped off my bed so I could stop her from leaving but the arm that was closets for me to grab was the one in the sling so I pulled back. "Don't you dare walk out that door, come back here!"

She took her hand off the doorknob and turned around to face me.

"I am not embarrassed to date you, and don't you dare accuse me of that!" I yelled.