Petrichor

Chapter 2

Wherever you go

Whatever you do

I will be right here waiting for you

Whatever it takes or how my heart breaks

I will be right here waiting for you

~

The best laid plans, and all that. Emily wished she'd listened when everyone told her she needed to apply herself more. But after that summer, things had just got worse and her concentration dwindled to pretty much nothing, her mind all consumed with thoughts of her best friend, as her head and her heart battled each other daily. No matter how much she tried to deny it, she knew she had fallen in love with Tom. She'd carried the weight of those feelings for 4 years now and when her lecturer called her and her mum in for a meeting and told her she would have to re take her last year of university, she couldn't say she was surprised. Meanwhile, Tom was about to graduate and already looking for flats in London. He was leaving her behind. And if that wasn't bad enough, his constant stream of girlfriends was almost too much for Emily to bear. Francesca hadn't lasted but after her came Gemma, then Natalie, then Joanne.......and countless more that didn't even last long enough for Emily to remember their name. She hated them all. At that point she forced herself try and stop getting worked up about it. The only person it was hurting was her. It wasn't those poor girls fault and it wasn't Tom's fault, none of them realised they were doing anything wrong, they didn't have a clue what was going on inside her head. Their friendship hadn't changed......or not for Tom anyway. They were still as close as ever, but now every time Tom hugged her she would hold on to him for that little bit longer, relishing the feeling of being close to him. She lived for his daily calls and texts........she lived for him. That didn't mean she hadn't had boyfriends of her own, they just never lasted. No matter how hard she tried to give everything to them, they weren't Tom. No one ever would be. How could she try and build a relationship with anyone else when she would never be able to love them with the same fierce devotion that she had for Tom?

~

Emily sat on Toms bed and watched as he bundled the last of his clothes into a bulging hold-all. She looked around at his bedroom, remembering all the times they'd shared here as children. From making camps out of blankets as 7 year olds, to watching films at midnight when they were meant to be asleep at 15. Back when things were easy. Back when she didn't have these god damn feelings that threatened to tear her insides to shreds every single day. With a sign Tom turned to her and smiled sadly, 'I think I'm done'

Emily just looked at him, biting on her bottom lip harshly as she tried not to cry.

'Oh Em, don't get upset! It's just like me being at boarding school or uni still! But I'll be able to come home more now, and you can come and visit me too' he took a step towards her and held out his hands, 'come here'

Emily took them and he pulled her up off the bed to her feet before wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her tightly. That was the last straw for her, and she let out a choked sob. Tom rubbed her back gently,

'You know I have to do this Em. And it's only for a year. Once you finish uni you can come down too, yeah?'

'Yeah' she mumbled into his shoulder, clinging to him and never wanting to let go.

'Still my best friend?' He asked

'Always' she whispered in reply.

~